Herculaneum opens Suburban Baths tours from 24 October

Herculaneum (Ercolano) will host the final round of guided Suburban Baths tours from 24 October 2026, giving visitors access to a restoration site within the ancient city. The Saturday programme runs through 12 December and is organised by the Herculaneum Archaeological Park in Italy.

Suburban Baths tours begin at Herculaneum on 24 October

The park has announced eight remaining Saturday sessions at the Suburban Baths restoration site. The first is on 24 October 2026, followed by 31 October, 7 November, 14 November, 21 November, 28 November, 5 December and 12 December.

The park's programme announcement says that visitors will be accompanied by park staff in groups of no more than 15 people. The route is part of the conservation work and is not yet a permanent reopening of the baths.

English-language sessions are listed in the morning and afternoon schedule. The meeting point is the Terrace of Marcus Nonius Balbus, within the archaeological park.

Roman baths reveal Herculaneum's coastal urban life

The Suburban Baths lie between the ancient shoreline and the town walls, below the large houses that once faced the sea. The complex was initially associated with the family of the Nonii Balbi and was later opened to the wider community.

The route includes the Frigidarium, the Tepidarium known as the Hall of the Warriors, the Calidarium and the large heated room with its pool. Marble floors, stucco, painted decoration and preserved wooden doors are among the features described by the park.

The building was identified in 1940, uncovered fully between 1957 and 1958, and had its seafront excavation completed in 1973. Its original core probably belongs to the Augustan period, while an expansion followed the earthquake of 62 AD. The current visitor programme therefore connects a modern conservation project with several phases of the Roman building's history.

The UNESCO World Heritage entry places Herculaneum within the archaeological areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, inscribed in 1997. UNESCO says the sites have been progressively excavated and made accessible since the mid-eighteenth century, while much of ancient Herculaneum remains beneath the modern town.

Conservation keeps the Suburban Baths partly restricted

The baths had remained closed to the public for more than 20 years before the restoration-site visits began. The present arrangement lets visitors see the rooms and conservation work while the park continues towards a permanent reopening.

The programme is linked to the Herculaneum Conservation Project, which has worked at the site since 2010 after the Packard Humanities Institute became active there in 2001. Visitors will see an archaeological area where access is shaped by ongoing work rather than a standard open-air route.

Visiting Herculaneum: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The guided Suburban Baths programme starts on 24 October 2026 and continues on Saturdays through 12 December 2026.
• The baths are visited as a restoration site, not as a permanently reopened monument; groups are accompanied by park staff and protective helmets are provided.
• Visitors meet at the Terrace of Marcus Nonius Balbus inside the archaeological park.
• The site forms part of the UNESCO archaeological areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, inscribed in 1997.

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Frequently asked questions about Herculaneum

When do the Suburban Baths tours take place at Herculaneum?

The final guided Saturday tours begin on 24 October 2026 and run through 12 December 2026.

What can visitors see at the Suburban Baths?

The route includes Roman bathing rooms, decorative surfaces and conservation work within the restoration site.

Where is Herculaneum and how do you get there?

Herculaneum is in Ercolano, Italy, within the archaeological areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata listed by UNESCO in 1997.