RULES AND ADVICE FOR VISITORS
1

The Herculaneum Archaeological Park can be visited by members of the general public holding a ticket. Please check the change received and the tickets at the time of purchase. No subsequent complaints will be accepted. The ordinary ticket allows one entry to the excavations and is valid on the day of purchase only. Once you have left the park, you can no longer re-enter with the same ticket.

2

Children must be kept under constant supervision and held by the hand.

3

Visitors are expected to behave decently. Clothing appropriate to the importance and official nature of the sites is required, so ceremonial clothes, masks, costumes and any other disguises detrimental to the dignity and protection of the site are not permitted. Closed, comfortable shoes are recommended (heels and flip-flops are not recommended).

4

By promptly reporting any inconveniences encountered during your visit to the security staff, you can help to improve services for the public.

5

Attention should be paid to possible hazardous situations on paths, including unevenness of walking surfaces, which are natural in an archaeological area, in order to avoid possible accidents for which the Park cannot be held liable.

6

People with mobility difficulties and heart conditions are urged to exercise caution, especially in adverse weather conditions (excessive heat, rain and wind). Visitors are informed that the internal routes within the Site, coinciding almost entirely with the ancient city, feature varying gradients/heights and irregularities that are more or less pronounced. The utmost caution and care must therefore be exercised. Any loss or damage to property or injury to persons resulting from careless and negligent behaviour shall be beyond the Administration’s liability. As such, any claim for compensation against the Archaeological Park is therefore excluded. Furthermore, taking into account the natural fragility of the Site due to the historic nature of the structures, any loss or damage to property or injury to persons caused by chance and not due to negligence is beyond the Administration’s liability.

7

Inside the Archaeological Park the following is strictly forbidden:

  • The practice of street trading.
  • Damaging archaeological heritage.
  • Disturbing other visitors.
  • Disposing of any type of waste without using the appropriate bins.
  • Operating radios or other sound devices at high volume.
  • Getting too close and touching objects, frescoes, furnishings, etc.
  • Defacing with sharp objects, markers, pencils, paint or anything else: floors, walls, antique furnishings, frescoes, benches, statues, fountains, counters and any other surface.
  • Consuming food outside the designated areas.
  • Bringing in professional optical and audio equipment (cameras, microphones, audio mixers, etc.). Taking photographs or videos for professional or commercial purposes requires formal authorisation from the Administration. In other words, photographic and video footage is only authorised for private use.
  • Feeding animals, bringing in and abandoning animals of any species.
  • Bringing in unauthorised vehicles of any kind (including electric vehicles).
  • Bringing in bicycles, scooters and other motorised vehicles.
  • Conducting the visit while wearing revealing clothing and/or bare-chested.
  • Entering with backpacks, umbrellas, suitcases and bulky bags (permitted size 30x30x15 cm) and other bulky items, which must be left in the luggage room (this service is free of charge).
  • Talking loudly, running or disturbing other visitors in any way.
  • Smoking inside the archaeological area.
  • Picking any kind of fruit or flowers.
  • Lighting fires, throwing lit cigarettes or otherwise engaging in behaviour that may cause a fire risk.
  • Digging holes.
  • Clambering, climbing or sitting on walls, fountains, benches and any antique structure or furnishings.
  • Running and leaning over parapets and railings.
  • Accessing areas delimited by barriers and bollards; climbing over barriers, fences, bollards; opening closed or pulled-in gates and standing on the edge of excavations.
  • Using drones (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems – RPAS) without proper authorisation.
  • Entering with ceremonial dresses, masks and costumes.
  • Exhibiting flags and banners.
8

The following constitutes a criminal offence under Article 639 of the Italian Criminal Code:

  • Any damage or failure to comply with the requirements of Article 7.
  • Refusal on the part of the visitor and/or accompanying person to indicate their identity and show their entrance ticket to the security staff upon request.
  • Any violence or threats against security staff, other staff and visitors.
  • Any harassment of visitors or any person present in the Archaeological Park.
  • Any act contrary to decent behaviour.
9

Any person who writes on walls, damages, destroys, disperses or deteriorates archaeological and monumental objects in the Archaeological Park shall be punished by imprisonment of two to five years and a fine of between EUR 2,500 and EUR 15,000 (Art. 518-duodecies of the Italian Criminal Code).

10

Violators will be punished in accordance with administrative and criminal provisions and will be immediately removed from the Archaeological Park.

11

Persons accompanying groups and school classes are responsible for ensuring that individuals comply with the regulations. The Administration is not liable for any loss or damage to property or injury to persons caused by carelessness or failure to comply with the Regulations.

All groups and individual visitors must follow the established visiting routes. It is forbidden to visit by alternative routes to those indicated by signs and bollards.

Persons accompanying groups and school parties may be temporarily banned from entering the Ercolano Archaeological Park in the event of repeated breaches of the regulations.

12

Dogs are permitted, without breed or size restrictions. It is obligatory to keep the dog on a leash or with a muzzle (the latter for all breeds and cases provided for by the regulations in force) and to carry bags to collect any dog dirt.

For logistical and conservation reasons, dogs must be carried (in one’s arms or in the appropriate carrier) in the areas of the Antiquarium, inside the Padiglione della Barca (Boat Pavilion) and in the domus (houses) with mosaic floors.

13

The recommended route of the visit is to enter the archaeological area via the downhill ramp and exit via the bridge accessible from the III cardo. Those who have difficulty using the ramp can use the bridge both when entering and leaving the archaeological area.