If I ever get there, I’d like to start the day in Herculaneum, and then, if there’s time, see part of Pompeii.
https://search.brave.com/videos?q=herculaneum%20walking%20tour
Would you stop by the Augean stables while you’re there? I imagine they could use another cleaning out.
We have been to both -- 5 hour personal guide tour -- starting with Herculaneum in the morning. They are very different. Herculaneum was mostly destroyed by the lava flows whereas Pompeii was destroyed by ash. In my opinion, Herculaneum is better preserved. Also, Herculaneum was a blue-collar city, whereas Pompeii was considered wealthy with many part-time residents from Roma during the summer months.
After touring both places, you must go to the National Archeological Museum in Napoli, where most of the original frescos and artifacts from Herculaneum and Pompeii are on display.
Good plan; two days to see it all. I've been to both. If you go off season, you would be more squeezed for time in fewer hours of daylight. If you go in summer, you could see more; but it would be a long day in the heat, so take water. Also, there are lots of videos on YouTube and elsewhere to pre-view the sites, so your tour would be more comprehensible once you get there.
I went more or less blindly the first time, but it was a long time ago before a lot of the excavations and restorations were done. The second time 15 years later revealed a lot more; and that, too, was many years ago, so by now there's really a lot to see.
Also, the Archaeological Museum of Napoli is outstanding!
I was able to visit Herculaneum a few years ago. It was indeed impressive. It's amazing to see life as it was about two thousand years ago.