My husband and I are traveling in early April 2024. We begin our trip in Rome for 4 nights. Then on to Paestum for 3 nights. We can get from Rome to Paestum by train and bus, correct? How do I figure that out? We won’t be renting a car for any of our 3 week vacation. I’m assuming that we can navigate to and in Paestum without a car. Thoughts?
Next we go to Minori for 5 nights and then Ischia for 5 nights and end in Naples for 3 nights before flying home end of April. For those of you that don’t drive in Italy, do you find it challenging to arrange transportation? We’ve been twice before (north Italy) and had no trouble traveling on trains. For some reason, south Italy seems to be a bit more challenging.
I’d appreciate any tips or advice getting from point A to point B and navigating within the cities.
Thanks for your help!
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
6989 posts
There are direct fast trains to Salerno
From there a regional train to Paestum
Use the official train site
Trenitalia
https://www.trenitalia.com/content/tcom/en.html
From Paestum back to Salerno then you can take a ferry to Minori ( or bus or private driver)
The ferry dock is about 10 min walk from train station
Very easy
Ferry schedule
https://www.positano.com/en/t/salerno/minori
From Minori I think you would ferry to Capri then to Ischia
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11634 posts
You can get to Paestum by train but it is, as I recall, about a 15 minute walk to what passes for a town. I would not stay 3 nights. There is one thing to do: see the temples. There is a small museum. Both sites take less than a day. There is a buffalo mozzarella farm nearby bit AFAIK a car is required to get there.
We spent two night several years ago without a car and it was too long. The second day we were at a loss for what to do. Very few dining options.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
6989 posts
Agree with Laurel
We stayed in Salerno and day tripped to Paestum
Posted by
Austin, Texas, USA
567 posts
I just went to Paestum a couple months ago without a car. It's an easy train ride. The walk is not that far from the train station (10 minutes) and the site is amazing!!
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7644 posts
Hi, my adult daughter and I went to Paestum and really enjoyed seeing the Greek ruins. It was just a quick day trip from Salerno. I will add our trip report in case it’s helpful to see what we did since we just traveled by train & ferry in that area.
Posted by
12 posts
Yes, you can navigate to Paestum by train, switching in Salerno for the local to Paestum. Use the Trenitalia website (https://www.trenitalia.com/) and download the app to your mobile. Trenitalia notified me before a one-day local train strike, which was a great help.
From the Paestum train station you will have a 10-15 minute walk to accommodations, or a .9 mile taxi ride for the set fee of E20. I was there for 4 nights in October, and while I think that 1 night is too short, 3 or 4 are too many, as the archaeological museum and the temples are the main attractions. The archaeological museum, which is across the street from the archaeological site, deserves at least a half day. The Greek temples are magnificent, but there are also Roman ruins; the site is much larger than I had expected. If you wish you can book a tour, and there is a signposted explanatory "trail" to follow walking through the site. The best part of staying overnight in Paestum is seeing how beautiful the temples are when lit up.
I stayed at Il Granaio dei Cassabella (https://www.ilgranaiodeicasabella.com/) which is within easy walking distance to the temples. Several of their rooms have a view of the temples. If you email or call and speak to Alessandra, who is the best English speaker there and quite helpful, she will recommend a room with a view. There are a string of restaurants next door to Il Granaio on Via Tavernelle, but many were already closed for the season or certain days of the week when I was there, and none opened until the usual Italian dinner time of 7:30-8:00pm. There are 3 or 4 informal cafés and pizzerias across from the archaeological site, but not all are open in the evening, and those that are also don't open until 7:30-8:00pm.
From Paestum you can take the local back to Salerno and a ferry to Minori. Check the ferry schedules out carefully for the time of year you will be there. While it's easy to see your options on a site like Direct Ferry or Ferryhopper when you are ready to book go direct to the website of the ferry company that best fits your schedule. My itinerary was Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi, and Paestum, and I did it all by ferry, train, taxi, private driver, bus, and - of course - on foot. I booked all my ferry and train travel in advance. Unless I am spending my entire stay in a city, I always rent a car, so this trip was a new challenge, but I found that planning in advance really helped, especially because transit and accommodations are closed or adjust their schedules in the spring and fall.
In Naples I can highly recommend B&B Orsini46 (www.orsini46.it), which is in the Santa Maria district, a quiet and safe area one block from the Lungomare, and a few blocks in the other direction from Piazza del Plebiscito. I enjoyed dinner at Zi Terese, which is just down the street from B&B Orsini46, beside Castel dell'Ovo and the Borgo Marina.
Neapolitans themselves will agree that Naples is chaotic, crazy, with zipping motor scooters everywhere, narrow streets with archaic pavement, and crowds of people. But it's also exciting and worth the effort. Walk, take the funiculare, or taxi.
Have a wonderful trip!
Posted by
OP
Indy
59 posts
Thank you all for your replies! I so appreciate your input.
I have tweaked our trip details a bit and we have decided to stay 5 nights in Rome, 6 in Minori, 6 on Ischia and 3 in Naples. I think that the multiple day trips from these locations will work out perfectly. I’m certain I’ll return to the forum for particulars as we get closer to our adventure dates. Y’all are extra fabbylous :)