Pompeii And Herculaneum Small Group Excursion From Sorrento

This was an excellent tour of two very interesting places: Herculaneum and Pompeii, travelling from Sorrento. However it was Mario our guide who really enhanced the experience, he managed to bring just the right combination of knowledge and humour. I worried visiting both sights in one trip would be too much but we had 2 hours at each and a stop for lunch in between. A friend had previously enjoyed an Askos tour to these sites and I’m very glad we chose them too. The small coach was comfortable and the driver was very good. PS It says take your passport and yes you must.

We loved both sites; our guide Lilly was very knowledgable and gave us just the right amount of information. Pick ups and coach were very good. Lunch stop was very average but did the job. Make sure you wear good walking shoes!

Both sites were fascinating! We probably liked Herculaneum a bit more, only becuase it is preserved better and still so mysterious with so much unexcavated. There was A LOT of travel time and the lunch stop at the mall was terrible! I did not come all the way to Italy to eat at a mall food quart with KFC & McD as options... There must be a better place to stop for lunch! We did not spend much time at Pompeii, which was surprising since the site is so much larger. Our tour guide Liane was great, as was our driver Bruno.

Amadeo was a great guide and very knowledgeable. Everything went smoothly. I high recommend this tour.

This review took a couple of days’ “distance” from the experience to be fair. In truth the weather was really testing: torrential downpours; intermittent showers; increased length of time in the bus both ways. I’d advise you to reschedule if such conditions are predicted for your trip. BUT given all that, and accounting for the fact that this particular tour was a highlight of a trip long-planned, I’d not have missed it. Our driver, Pasquale, was clearly an expert. So, too, our guide, Mario. As well as shepherding a group of 25, he dealt with the conditions as well as could be expected. He outlined the trip in advance, explained each component as we arrived, was professional, informed, and approachable. When a few people wandered off or lagged behind, he patiently mustered them back. So, overall a spellbinding day in tough conditions made easier by our tour staff.

Mario was our tour guide for the day in Herculaneum and Pompeii. He was very knowledgeable and ensured our group stayed engaged throughout the day. The transportation was great as well. We recommend this tour!

Fantastic trip of Herculaneum & Pompei. Mario the guide was excellent....really knowledgeable and brought life to the historical story. Definitely a must do trip.

We had a great day from start to finish. Both sites were absolutely fascinating and our guide Amedeo, was so knowledgeable. He gave us so much information on both sites, and was very thoughtful about comfort breaks. It definitively wouldn’t have been the same if we had gone alone. Would totally recommend the tour.

Well it was a very hot day, Amedeo was continuously finding shady spots and ensuring we knew where to get water! From the meeting point to the drop off point in Sorrento, we were well taken care of. He was extremely knowledgeable and clearly passionate about sharing his expertise about Herculaneum and Pompeii with us! Thank you for a great tour!.

While I'm very glad to have finally seen Pompeii and Herculaneum, this tour felt like a long march in two parts, maybe because of the extreme heat. Our guide Leana was very informative and kept us on schedule. I was particularly grateful for the maps she handed out so I could study them later, remembering in an air conditioned room most of what we had seen. I highly recommend reading the book Lost Voices of Pompei by Jess Venner before taking the tour. It makes the place come alive when you see it.

Absolutely a day from hell! Where do u start! Pompeii - 1. Meeting point not clear enough as grouo scattered from one end of square to the other - outside restaurant with flags wherectgeyvoatkedxwoukd have been much clearer 2. Small group doubled in size at Pompeii 3. Temperatures extreme - guide kept stopping in full Sun to talk - meant to have umbrella to follow yet down a lot of time 4. Given ear pieces that kept failing as she would often get out of range she went so fast 5. Your eyes didnt get time to see anything as by the time you reached where she was discussing she was passed it so you didn’t know where she was talking about. Your eyes were more watching where you walked as opposed to where they should have been to get anything out of your. Absolute fiasco in my book - so much for archaeologist guided tour! Site huge, and mobved with people - my advice - do it yourself at leisure on a cooler day - their are drink spots yiu will get time to use and will be able to take as many photos as you like. They have maps and audio guides available. Cheaper and much more enjoyable Im sure. Be aware not much shade so take hat - heat bounces off the ruins so no relief. All artifacts in Naples Museum so better off visiting there. Herculaneum - much better and much more to see. Even has a little air conditioned museum and artifacts well worth seeing - much more enjoyable. I wouldn’t advise anyone to go on this tour, we were taken tk a shopping centre and dumped for lunch then had a forty minute wait at Herculaneum for other group to join us - that could have been used to go slower around Pompeii.

Fantastic day, Leanne our guide had great knowledge, we learnt so much and really enjoyed the whole day So much easier in a small group tour Thank you!

Our guide Leanna (I'm sorry I didn't ask how to spell your name!!) was incredibly knowledgeable and organised - she made our experience very enjoyable, and we learned so much.

It’s really worth doing both sites to get an all round view. Is a must for all history buffs. Our guide Mario was very knowledgeable. Great pick up point, it’s at the tulips sculpture at the piazza in front of the train station. All the hotel buses drop off at the station, takes 1 minuite to walk there. Cant miss it. We had an hour for lunch at a shopping mall, there were many choices to eat. I would consider the time of year if you struggle with heat. We went on August 11th. You will dodge in & out of a few buildings but will spend a lot of time in the open. It was 32’’ degrees when we arrived at Pompeii & 35’ when we got to Herculaneum. A few people dropped out just before the end due to the heat. If you do go in August big floppy hats are a must & lots of water. We took 6ltrs & drunk the lot. Consider silk scarfs around the neck as well. Both sites are unsuitable for anyone with mobility issues. You will be walking on 2000year old cobble streets & there are some steep step ups. Walking sticks/frames will be of no use & wheelchairs impossible. Did see a few strollers for young children but they were not in them.

The tour was good, the guide was knowledgeable, and Pompeii does not disappoint a historian but it was very hot that day (near 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and there was too little water and shade available.

Excellent trip, really well organised and no queuing. Our guide (Mario) was really knowledgeable and interesting, found shady spots for us when explaining the history. Our driver (Luigi) was excellent and the minibus had great aircon, perfect on a hot day! Would really recommend this trip but take water/hats/umbrellas/fans as it was very hot!

The guide, Mario, was excellent and very informative. Pompeii was extremely interesting and as I had just been there 2 yrs ago, I didn’t realize how much would have changed in two years, but it did! It was a very HOT day and it kind of took the Umph out of going to Herculaneum. It was interesting but if you plan to go on a very hot day, just stick with Pompeii.

Mario our guide was amazing! Very knowledgeable and accommodating trip ran smoothly. The trip was advised as max 15 people, I contacted the tour operator before to check this and they confirmed this tour was max 15. On the day the trip had 20 people and I felt the tour company regularly go up to 30 on a regular basis!! I wanted a small group tour this trip was NOT a small group tour!! Contact the operator on the day and all they said was enjoy your trip not a great outcome

Our tour guide was lovely and very knowledgeable. The minibus was a little uncomfortable. I was sat on a seat that had half the leg room taken up by the wheel arch which did my knee, hip and back in. And the seat belt was cutting across my neck. The tour said we'd go to Pompeii first but on the day we were told we'd be going to Herculaneum first, but weren't given the reason why. This meant we were at Pompeii at a hotter time of day, which wasn't ideal. The lunch stop at a shopping centre is something I cannot understand at all. All the food places were American fast food outlets. Not what I was holidaying in Italy for! At the end of the tour we stopped for people to go to the loo, which I do appreciate, but we weren't given warning of this so I missed seeing the theatre which if I'd known we were about to stand around for 15 minutes I could easily have gone to see it.

It was fantastic! Mario was very knowledgeable and gave a lot of information as we did our tour through Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Mario was a great guide, lots of interesting and relevant information. Pompei especially is so big and having a good guide helped make the most of our time there.

We really enjoyed the trip and the guide appeared to really enjoy his job passing on his knowledge. It was a hot day, so make sure to bring some water bottles. Our tour guide, Amadeo, did a great job pointing out the water filling stations and helping guide any tour members to places they needed to get to like the bathroom.

Very good way to learn about the two ancient towns in one tour. Amadeo was a great, well informed, and thoughtful guide. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes, and bring water.

Antonio was awesome. Very passionate and knowledgeable. True archeologist. Even through in some humor.

I paid quite a bit of money for us to travel in a group of eight people with an expert guide, We ended up with twenty people . The guide, Antonio , was excellent.

Adami as a guide is fantastic and can give so mamy Details. He can explain in easy way how people lived. I felt like I was visiting rwo cities full of people around me. I felt safe Santo as driver too. Thx ro you guys. I was exhausted in the evening, the heat even in May was difficult, but this tour was fantastic

Our guide had a lot of interesting information to share & was extremely knowledgeable about the area. This tour is very long with only one 1 hour lunch break so it is a lot of walking. Overall, we highly recommend this tour if Pompeii is on your bucket list for Italy!

Both Herculaneum and Pompeii were great activities. The bus was comfortable. Everybody was on time. I would not recommend this activity for anyone who has a hard time walking long distances or on uneven surfaces. We did not get much time to shop. It was a quick full day and the guide was very informative and courteous, but we did notice a lot of older people in our group had a hard time keeping up with the rest of the group because of the uneven surfaces and how quickly the guide was going through the sites.

Traveled to the Herculean and Pompeii with lunch on our own in Pompeii. Bring water with you and comfy walking shoes.

The tours were very well organized. Our tour guide Amadeus was extremely knowledgeable and managed our time very well. My only complaint which has nothing to do with the tours was the company’s choice for lunch. After spending time in such an historic landmark it didn’t seem quite right that we had our lunch in a shopping mall food court.

A very well organised and stress free trip. Amadeo was very knowledgeable and patient with us all( mixed ages) as well as enthusiastic and friendly. Both visits were wonderful experiences my wife and I will always remember with fond memories and joy. Thanks also to Guieseppe for amazing driving!!

Misleading and misrepresentation of tour in description by Viator. Specifically states: This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers. Travel comfortably to and from Sorrento in an air-conditioned minivan. There were 23 participants and we were in a bus. Everyone on the bus tour felt misled.

The trip gave you a great overview of Herculaneum and Pompei and the difference between the two. Our guide was fantastic and answered all questions patiently

It is great to see but we had to move along so quickly and you had to watch where you were walking because it’s very uneven so couldn’t look at everything. Our driver was very good and our guide was very knowledgeable! But this was not the small group tour that we booked. We were supposed to be on a minivan and ended up on a bus. Our information where to meet was not current either. There were others in the same situation as us.

Pick up was exactly on time. The guide was informative without being boring. Taylored the trip to his customers as some were of a mixed age group.

Viator needs to do better with the tour companies they partner with. We purchased skip the line tickets because while walking is ok, one of us can't stand in place for long periods of time. The day before the tour, I received a message dated three weeks earlier (it wasnt) stating as it was a "free day" there would BE no skip the line and no refund. We got to Pompeii and were dropped off at the top of the hill. Only to then be walked back DOWN the hill so that we could stand in line and walk back UP thr hill. Once inside, we walked a million miles an hour past everything. We missed at least half of Pompeii. And then we we left. Right past the gift shop which we would have loved to shop at. Stand on a corner, waiting for bus because the driver "had a situation with the police". On to Herculaneum. The same 100 mile an hour rush through. It was exhausting and aggravating. Our tour guide, Mario, was an incredibly nice and knowledgeable man. He is clearly restricted by time. Not his fault at all. There is a lot to see and we wish we could have seen more and not done it with Askos.

Insightful and informative tour which brings home the scale of destruction brought to these coastal towns. The guided tour is a must to get the best from the visit.

The Herculaneum and Pompeii tour exceeded my expectations. Amedeo was incredibly engaging and genuinely passionate about the history—his enthusiasm was infectious and made the experience both fun and memorable. Luigi, our driver, was also excellent—professional, kind, and made the journey smooth from start to finish. I learned so much on this tour, far beyond what I expected. I wasn’t prepared for the sheer size and scale of Pompeii—it’s truly massive. I would love to return one day to explore it in more depth. Thank you for an amazing experience. Special thanks again to Amedeo (aka “Amadeus”) for bringing the history to life, and to Luigi for getting us there and back safely. And a big thank you to Amedeo for the fantastic lunch recommendation in Pompeii!

The whole expereance was fantastic and tge guide was great he made the day very interesting. Woukd recomend tge trip amd the guide

We had a really lovely time on this trip! Our tour guide Leanna was very knowledgeable, and provided an amazing tour. We were provided earpieces which meant that even with some areas being busy and noisy with other groups, you could still hear everything the guide was saying. This was also very useful for exploring rooms and still being able to hear the info at the same time! The coach was air-conditioned and comfortable, and we got a few facts about Sorrento and the surrounding areas on the bus ride to Herculaneum. Our only complaint would be that it might have been nice to have some water available on the coach given it was a very warm day and we were standing in the sun for a lot of it. On that note, we recommend comfortable walking shoes, sun cream and a couple bottles of water (these can be refilled at Pompeii).

The guide was excellent. However we booked a small group tour and it was a tour with 21 people which is not a small group. Not sure who is at fault - Viator or Askos Tours.

A very knowledgeable guide, a very good driver, all in the company of a nice friendly group. BUT, this is not for out of shape people. Very tough walking with ancient sidewalks a uneven stone and stepping down to the street and up again could be treacherous for some. Be prepared for crowds. Not trying to dissuade people. Just know what you are in for.

Leanna was our guide to Pompeii and Herculaneum. She was really knowledgeable and lovely. She made the trip really interesting. Very happy to have spent the day with her

This is a long day with about 13,000 steps but if walking and stairs are not an issue, this is a fabulous way to see both archeological sites. Liana was a kind, knowledgeable and friendly host.

Mario was an excellent guide! He was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Pompeii and Herculaneum were awesome and even better than we had anticipated. My only regret was that we were not taken to the museum to see the plaster casts of the victims. That was a big disappointment. Otherwise, we had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed every minute!

We took the small group tour . Our tour guide Mario was very knowledgeable and took time to make sure he answered everyone’s questions. Mario even sat with one group member who was unable to walk with us, to go over his wife’s pictures and explain them on the way back to Sorrento.

I would recommend doing Pompeii and Herculaneum on your own. While the guide was nice the organisation was unclear and often not communicated. We got moved from private transfer to trains and we lost our time for lunch (or had 6 minutes to use toilet and find food). Stories from the guide were confusing and incomplete. I think a man of the park and audio guide would be better than this tour.

Disappointing tour company. Planned and paid for pickup in Sorrento but was called the afternoon before and told I’d have to find my own way to Pompeii if I wanted to join the tour, and then find a way back after Herculaneum. They did provide a train schedule. I agreed because I assumed once I arrived in Pompeii, I’d join the van / mini-bus tour. After we met our guide and had the Pompeii tickets, meaning it was very unlikely we could back out and expect any kind of refund, we were informed that only three would go by van and the others would have to take the train. There is an extreme difference in comfort of a van or mini-bus than of the Circumvesuvias trains. Instead of a 30 minute drive in a comfortable vehicle, we had an hour train ride where some of us didn’t even have a seat. That also meant that we had 20 minutes in which we were all (along with dozens of others) supposed to get our lunch from the one tiny food stand at the station. There was no other lunch time set aside, so many of us couldn’t get anything to eat. Had I known before I left Sorrento that I was going to be riding the train, I would have cancelled ASKOS tour and saved myself over $100 by buying my own tickets and engaging a guide at the site. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. She had to really race us through both sites to get everything in. When I mentioned needing to find my way back to Sorrento, she offered to have me join her, as she was going in that direction. I gave two stars instead of the one the company deserved because we had a good guide. No complaints about the guide or the sites. Both were great. It’s the company needs to clean up its act. Oh, there was a promised ‘welcome kit’ which was just like my ride from Sorrento- a no show. Separate from the company, I’d recommend splitting the two sites to two days. There is so much to absorb and a lot of hard walking.

We had a fabulous tour. Our tour guide was sensational. Friendly, knowledgeable and accessible. Our only concern was that, as an older couple, it was physically challenging and we could have used a handful of short breaks to sit and recoup.