Pompeii vs. Paestum?

I read your other posts saying that you are staying in Sorrento? If so, it's an easy decision--Pompeii, one of the highlights of any trip you could take.

I dislike crowds as much as you do, maybe moreso. That being said, late June is not optimum time to see the A.C! But you knew that already, didn't you? From Sorrento, it's a 50-minute bus ride to the Scavi entrance at Pompeii. From the Positano/Amalfi side of the A.C., the trip is a little more complicated but not that bad. Yes, early in the morning and during the week (not weekends), and a warm-not-hot day is absolutely the way to go. Pack sandwiches, bottled water--there's nothing like picnicking among the ruins, but make sure you pick up after yourselves as they watch that. There is one snack bar/refreshment stand and it will be overrun most of the day. Another thing--do your homework/research in advance of your trip. Not much of anything is marked, and the brochure they give you is not helpful. In that respect, you may want to research hiring a guide for the day.

But wandering around is very cool as well. We visited Pompeii on a 60-degree day in mid-March and pretty much had the place to ourselves, which was wonderful. My wife and I both had Rick's Pompeii podcast on our earbuds, which allowed us to follow Rick in real time, stopping the podcast when we wanted to investigate certain ruins. We saw about 80% of the ruins in 4 hours, and we were going at a pretty good clip. When it gets hot and/or crowded around midday/early afternoon, that's when you probably want to vamoose.

I have not been to Paestum, but we based in Salerno for 5 nights--not on the Amalfi Coast--and we could have gotten to Paestum by train in about 45 minutes. Yes, it would be less crowded and friends that have visited say it was very cool, but has nowhere near the breadth of ruins that Pompeii has. One more thing--what you don't see at Pompeii you can see at the Archeological Museum in Naples. We never got there but wished we had as a bookend to Pompeii.

Enjoy your planning!

There is no comparison. Pompeii is by far more interesting and easier to reach for you if you are staying in Sorrento. The kids will get caught up in the drama of the volcano and the interesting remains (casts of the dead!) and there are beautiful bits of frescoes and mosaics. At Pompeii, one learns about how a Roman town functioned. I suggest you hire a tour guide or join a tour to get the most out of your visit. If the budget allows,l Gaetano Manfredi is fabulous! We used another guide once and she did not compare to his level of professionalism. You can spend all day, or just take a morning tour and be back in Sorrento for lunch. (Go early to beat the heat.)

Paestum is Greek ruins and while not crowded, that is all there is there and it takes about an hour to go through.

And, after Pompeii try Herculaneum. An added joy to Pompeii with nicely preserved villas, better than Pompeii in that respect.

They are very different visits. With two young kids, I suspect both will be bored to tears (I know I would have been at that age). But you know your kids. If they could tolerate a half day, I would do Pompeii. It is fantastic and over your shoulder the whole time us Vesuvius. I would hire a guide when you get there asking for someone good with kids. Our guide really made it interesting. It is a spectacular day of incredible sights.

If your kids can't do a half day, then Paestum. It's much smaller. If you are staying along the Amalfi, it's not that far to either, but I would have a car, if kids are involved. Truthfully I was a little bored there, unlike Pompeii but a cousin enjoyed 2 hrs strolling around the site while I sat in the shade for an hour. We didn't have a guide, which might account for the differences, as Pompeii really came alive.

You could couple Paesteum with visiting a Mozerella buffalo farm. The farms do early (8AM) tours and from there it's about an hour drive to Paestum. We went to a place Vannulo, got to see the buffalo, the milking, and the process of making the cheese... And then had a taste.

If it were me, hands down, Pompeii, so carefully consider how your kids would do.

Another vote to consider Herculaneum. It's right near Pompeii, but smaller. We chose it instead of Pompeii, so I can't comment on Pompeii, but we went for Herculaneum because it was smaller, was very intact, was easy to wander and tends to be less crowded. We were there in April. There were maybe 100-150 people in the site with us and we had a great time strolling around.

If you are staying in Sorrento, Paestum is not at all easy to get to. Jay said 50 minute bus ride to Pompeii, I think he must mean 50 minute train ride on the Vesuviana. You can go a bit farther to Herculaneum. It is certainly less crowded, smaller and easier to walk. I went to both, either is a good choice to get an idea of an ancient city and Herculaneum sounds like a much better fit for your family. There is a multi-media presentation in the town of Herculaneum about Vesuvius's eruption. I didn't have time for it, but I met a older French couple who had just seen it (we'd been chatting while seeing the ruins) and they said it was quite good. From looking at the website subsequently, I was sorry I hadn't made time for it, and it looked like something that would interest kids. I'd probably want to see that, then the site itself, but in June, I'd want to be at the site as early as possible to avoid the heat.

I just saw this on Wikitravel - MAV (Museo Archeologico Virtuale), Via 4 Novembre 44 (200m up the hill from the entrance to the excavations: on the left.), ([email protected]), [3]. 09.00-17.30 Tues-Sun. An enjoyable interactive museum that recreates life as it was in Herculaneum and Pompei before the eruption. Great fun for kids, although some parents may not appreciate the virtual visit to one of Pompei's brothels! Buildings are reconstructed before your eyes at a wave of your hand; you can brush ash off a fresco; make a virtual pool of water over a mosaic ripple; see 3-D images of jewelry found at the sites; walk next to marching legionaries; learn of the lifestyle of the Roman times at an interactive table, and visit public baths and the brothel!

Either one is a much better choice than Paestum. They were cities, and you can see how people lived - the homes with frescoes on the walls, the patios, a fast-food restaurant, the bathhouse, and more.

Paestum was a city, too. The museum, while fairly small, is excellent. Paestum also has beaches and mozzarella farms, a tour of one of them might be interesting.