Orientation

From the train station, head down the hill onto Via IV Novembre. The ruins are a 5min. walk away. Once you pass through the gates, follow the elevated path around the town. There are two entrances into the city proper, on either side of the audio-tour stand. The left path leads down a tunnel to the ancient shoreline, where many ill-fated residents of Herculaneum once tried to flee, and then up to the Cardo V Inferiore. The other entrance leads onto the Cardo III Inferiore. Herculaneum’s streets are gridlike and easy to navigate with the free map from the tourist office, but, in general, the “Cardo” streets run perpendicular to the shore and the “Decumanus” streets run parallel to it.