Hi
we are wanting to visit Paestrum and are wondering about the best way to do this. I have been quoted 400 euros from Sorrento with a private car, but this seems like a lot for a destination just out of Salerno.
Does anyone have any tips as to the best way to get there from Sorrento (or Salerno) and back or have any driver details which may be more reasonable?
Thanks Andrea
The excellent Greek (plus some Roman) ruins and small museum at Paestum are a modest walk, maybe 8 minutes or so, from the Paestum train station. The trip from Salerno to Paestum is a short and inexpensive one by either train or bus. I went by train from Naples, stopped for a couple of hours to wander around the new and old town of Salerno, then caught another train on to Paestum for the entire afternoon, before returning to Naples for dinner and the evening. I think it is a more lengthy trip from Sorrento, either by car or bus to Salerno, or better by ferry if those are running.
There are 3 public transit options from Sorrento to Paestum. 1: Take an Amalfi Coast ferry to Salerno and then either a bus or train to Paestum (which is actually a fair distance from Salerno). 2: Take a bus to Amalfi, another bus to Salerno and then either a bus or train to Paestum. 3: Take the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii Scavi stop, walk, bus or taxi to Pompei train station and then train to Paestum. The Paestum bus stop is a 1 or 2 minute walk from the entrance while the train station is about a 5 minute walk. You could also take the Circumvesuviana all the way to Naples and then another train to Paestum, but that’s a lot of extra travel compared to changing train lines in Pompei. (BTW, no misspelling here – there’s only one “i” in the name of the town.) Investigate whether there’s a Campania all-day transit pass that would cover all bus and rail segments. A pass wouldn’t cover ferry or taxi.
I did this as a full-day trip a few years back, opting for bus along the Amalfi coast, a couple of hours visiting Amalfi town, bus to Salerno and bus to Paestum. On the return, I did the trains via Pompei, with the walk between stations taking about 25 minutes. It was a long day, but I packed a lot of sightseeing into it. I found the trains to be fastest route, but I wanted to combine the scenic Amalfi Coast ride with my visit to Paestum.
I also think 400 is too much, but 300 to 350 Euro for, say, ten hours would be in the ballpark. The time of year makes a difference because the road space on the Amalfi Coast is so limited. One might dream of combining the Paestum with Positano and Amalfi, but it would be impossible. The elapsed time needed is just too long.
You don't understand how constrained and limited transit is outside Naples. This excursion has to be pre-planned into your overall trip. Sorrento is perfect for Pompeii or Positano. Not so good for Paestum.
A few years ago, we were faced with the same dilemma. The best solution we found was a guided tour from Golden Tours, which cost 40 euro/pp. They picked us up in Sorrento, and we had a stop in Salerno. I wouldn't gone there on my own, but the cathedral is beautiful and interesting. From there we went on to Paestum. The guide was knowledgeable and kept our interest. All in all, I thought it was good value, especially when compared to the 300+ euro prices we encountered when researching other options.
Thank you everyone for your words of wisdom and for sharing your travel experiences!
I feel like there are some good options there for us to consider so maybe we can save some $$ and take the train ourselves to Paestrum. It is good to know that trying to do the amalfi coast as well as paestrum in one day is probably a bit of a stretch! May need to plan on two days so we can do both.
Thanks again.
Regards
Andrea
Paestum, not Paestrum. Good advice so far. The museum and archeological site can be visited on a combination ticket (but the museum is closed on Monday).
