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Logistics for Pompeii and Paestum from Naples via Public Transportation

Posted by (New York) on

Hi everyone, would you please advise me on a short solo visit to Naples in early January? I guess what I ultimately want to know is: Is Paestum worth the schlep, especially if I spend just a couple hours there? Alternatively, is Paestum so worth it that I should spend more time there?

I stayed in Naples and Pompeii in 2022. This time I will stay in Naples and have 2 1/2 days to play with: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning, with my outbound flight departing Naples at 4:45 PM Saturday. I think that means I should check in at the airport around 2 PM?

My main travel interests are antiquities and...cheese. I suppose, technically, that I like Italian food in general, but cheese is definitely the most important part of it for me! I focused my 2022 visit on these two priorities, with a Culinary Backstreets food tour and visits to Herculaneum, Pompeii, and the MANN. (I also saw an opera at the Teatro San Carlo and visited the Cappella Sansevero--both were excellent, and I highly recommend these activities to anyone considering a visit to Naples.)

But it was not enough for me, hence my return to this part of Italy. I spent enough time at Herculaneum and do not need to revisit. With Pompeii, on the other hand, I feel like I only scratched the surface and missed so much. I visited the Villa of Mysteries, the brothel, and some of the bath complexes; now I want to see more private homes. I rode the Artebus to Oplontis and Stabiae and spent a lot of time admiring the beauty there, so this time I want to focus on Pompeii itself and perhaps its onsite museum. I could say the same thing about MANN: I spent hours with the spectacular Farnese marbles but feel like I skimmed over the Pompeii artifacts. And of course I want to take another cheese filled Culinary Backstreets food tour.

To add something new for this trip, I am considering Paestum. I have never visited an ancient Greek site, and it looks marvelous. My logistical challenge is public transport from Naples to Paestum.

I will spend essentially one full day Thursday on cheese and related pleasures, as Culinary Backstreets' tour, High and Low: A Taste of Two Napolis, lasts from 9:30 AM to 3 PM. Perhaps I could visit MANN after that; the museum is open until 7:30 PM.

I have an idea for a long, antiquity filled second day Friday, but I am not sure if it is feasible with the constraints of public transportation. It would begin with an early train from Naples to Pompeii, to arrive when the site opens at 9 AM. I would wander aorund Pompeii until 1 PM, then take a 1:30 PM train from the town station to Paestum, arriving around 3 PM. That would give me just 2 hours in Paestum. I think I would prioritize seeing the temples--with a sunset backdrop?--and skip the museum. I could have an early dinner/snack in Paestum's town, then take a train back to Naples, arriving after 7 PM. For me that is a very full travel day.

The final day Saturday is a half day, before I fly out of town (to Paris, to commence the second part of my vacation, which will certainly include a cheese tasting!), so I do not want to rove too far from Naples. I could visit MANN that day, if I feel too tired/bloated to go after the food tour on the first day. Alternatively, I could visit Pompeii on my final day, from about 9 AM to 12 PM, and devote my second full day to a leisurely survey of Paestum, probably 10 AM to 2 PM.

I would appreciate any suggestions!

Posted by
1014 posts

Can’t advise on transportation to Paestum but it is one of my favourite sites with three magnificent Greek temples along with remains of the extensive city, the forum, and other areas. The Museum is also very interesting, particularly the tomb paintings. However it has been under renovation which has not yet been completed. The site has never been busy when I have been there and it’s a pleasure to just wander. Personally I would probably skip Pompeii, been three times, and concentrate on Paestum (been twice).

Close to Paestum is a buffalo farm where they make ricotta and mozzarella cheese, well worth the trip in itself, very contented buffalo! Rick’s Italy guide mentions it and has details.

Posted by
373 posts

We visited Paestum from Naples in 2019. I loved it! I would absolutely say GO! We visited Greece in 2022, and I thought the temples at Paestum were more impressive than the Parthenon (if you don't consider the setting) because they are better preserved. The transportation is easy--I don't remember the details, but we took the train and had no issues there or back. Just be aware that the station in Paestum is not staffed and that there is about a 10 minute walk to the museum/tickets/entrance after you get off the train. I believe you can get a taxi, but we didn't research that because we were able to walk. We left Naples for Paestum aroud 8:30am and I remember that we got back to Naples around 3pm. You can't count on the trains being on time.

Posted by
28535 posts

I'd be nervous about venturing to Pompeii on the morning of the day you're flying out of Naples. As noted, you can't be sure about the timing of the Circumvesuviana.

Posted by
55 posts

We were just in Paestum yesterday, it is truly amazing. We took a regional train from Naples, it took 1hr15min, there are also a few IC trains that take about an hour. Then the walk to the ruins is 10-15 minutes. With trains and what not Paestum was enough for us for one day and would not have wanted to combine it with Pompeii.

If personally do Pompeii Saturday and have a backup plan of taking a taxi to the airport if the train back doesn’t work out.

Posted by
155 posts

Thanks for your experiences and suggestions, everyone! It certainly sounds like Paestum is all that. I am very tempted to make a day of it--incorporating mozzarella from Vannulo or elsewhere in the town--and save Saturday morning for a quickish tour of Pompeii. I will, however, double check the train status between Naples and Pompeii. I live in NYC and the subways always turn wonky on the weekends with maintenance work, so I know to give myself extra time and think of alternatives.

Posted by
8094 posts

You didn’t say if your Naples flight is transatlantic or just Schengen zone. Big check-in time difference.

Check astronomical dusk time and Paestum rules very carefully. I have not been to Paestum but I imagine there is a lot of unpaved walking. You remember how vast is Pompeii! You remember walking to Villa of the Mysteries?

Posted by
28535 posts

Footing is a lot easier at Paestum than at Pompeii.

When I was in the area in Feb/Mar 2023, the museum at Paestum closed earlier than the excavations themselves. Check on that so you can time things properly.

Posted by
15799 posts

2 hours is probably enough in Paestum and sunset is lovely, then the lights slowly illuminate the temples as night falls. Sunset in Paestum is from 4.45 at the beginning of the month to 5.15 at the end of January. That would mean leaving the temple site around 6 pm. (if you're going that far you might as well stay longer). The only disappointment would be if its cloudy (or worse). But then you'd be back in Naples earlier. 4 hours in the middle of the day at Paestum sounds like a lot. I spent about an hour in the museum. The most interesting piece was a tomb, the inside was adorned with frescoes, including the inside lid. Then I spent about 1.5 hours in and out of the 3 temples, taking many, many photos. At that point I would have been ready to leave but it was nearing sunset so I stayed a lot longer than I'd planned.

A visit to Vannulo requires a car. I'm not a big fan of mozzarella, but the cannolo I had there was the best I've ever eaten. The gelato is also excellent. I was told that they sell out of mozzarella every day, so getting there in mid-afternoon may be a disappointment if cheese is your quest.

Posted by
1379 posts

It's worth a reminder that one need not take the Circumvesuviana to get to Pompei from Naples. Trenitalia will also get you there, though the station Trenitalia uses is a bit farther from the ruins. Given the schedule and train conditions on the Circumvesuviana, I personally prefer taking the Trenitalia line and walking a little farther.

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