Salerno to Paestum

Hello Allan,

In February of 2024, we took the train to Paestum from Salerno. We had booked a tour with Sylvia Braggio. After the 3 hour tour, we had lunch at a cafe and then caught the train back to Salerno.

We bought the train tickets at the stations from the machines. No problems. I had looked up the possible train times ahead of time.

Here is a link to my trip report in case it might be helpful:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-february-march-in-italy

I've only visited Paestum once but the trains all ran on time and there were no surprises. There is a lull in trains in the middle of the day so you have to plan appropriately but other than that no issues. We spent 8 days in Salerno in October using the trains to go all over the area over many days and had no issues. Keep in mind that these trains are the connectors for the entire area and are not just tourist trains run to service the site and Salerno is the big city in this area making it the local hub.

Use the Trenitalia app which will let you check schedules, buy tickets and track trains in real time so you can keep an eye on whether trains are running late or not.

I don't know what the schedule will be in October but now it looks like:
3:25 - 3:58, 3:46 - 4:26, 4:21 - 4:58
So if you're worried aim for the 3:25 train and fall back to the 3:46 and even if that is a few minutes late you're still in by 4:30.
The 4:21 will technically get you into Salerno "before 5:00" but not in time to get somewhere specific in town by 5:00.

Time how long it takes you to do the walk into the site and leave enough time to walk back to the station.

Hope that helps,
=Tod

We stayed in Salerno a couple of weeks ago and took the Regionale train to Paestum, leaving 1:33pm and returned on the 4:21pm train. That would get you back in Salerno just at 5:00. There are earlier trains if that would be better for you. Check the Trenitalia site for all the times. If you can get an Intercity train, they would be perhaps less crowded. Our Regionale was very crowded (few available seats, had to stand) until about 3 stops into the journey, then plenty of locals got off and seats opened up.

Trenitalia link

So if you're worried aim for the 3:25 train and fall back to the 3:46
and even if that is a few minutes late you're still in by 4:30.

That's exactly what our initial plan is. We'll likely head there as early in the morning as we can, so we may get back earlier than expected. However, we spent 2 weeks in Sorrento a couple of years ago and spent 11 hours over 2 days touring Pompeii so we don't want to leave too little time in case Paestum fascinates as much.

Thanks everyone for commenting.

Paestum is completely worth the visit. I think the Roman ruins would make it a "site" by itself but the Greek temples are just another level of amazing.

There is also the museum so leave time for that as well. When we were there the museum was pretty newly re-opened and the Roman floor wasn't wasn't open and you had to be escorted to see "Tomb of the Diver". Hopefully the museum is fully open now, but I haven't heard any recent updates.

The site open @8:30 so you could take the 7:33 get in 8:04 and probably be waiting at the site when it actually opens, but that is probably overkill since the site is not nearly as big as Pompeii. If you're really worried about time you might pack enough food that you can skip a sit down lunch and eat on the go - like between the site and the musuem - to maximize your time.

Enjoy,
=Tod

Sorry, can't help with trains, but . . . the archaeology is worth an hour and the temples at least that, especially if you want photo ops.

I'm currently planning to spend a few days in Salerno, not to Paestum but visiting the villages and enjoying the scenic views. My dates are probably Oct 5-10. Possible meet up?

There is an Etruscan museum just outside of Salerno in Pontecagnano that is worth visiting -the person that is going to Salerno. I've been to Paestum twice and highly recommend it. Heading back to Salerno next weekend! Trains are frequent so you should have no problems.

My dates are probably Oct 5-10. Possible meet up?

We're there on Oct 12th. We're spending a week before in Ostia Lido and Tivoli, then hopping a cruise to Barcelona with the first stop in Salerno, and then a week split between Zaragoza and Sitges.

Sounds like a wonderful trip.

We took the train from Salerno to Paestum last Sunday, and had no problems with tickets or schedules. I cross referenced train times on both the Rome2Rio and Trenitalia websites, and then purchased our round-trip tickets at the Salerno station. Trains in both directions were prompt and punctual. We spent a leisurely three hours at the site and enjoyed it immensely. The ruins themselves are wonderful, as is the tranquil, lovely setting. I suggest alloting enough time so not to feel rushed in returning to Salerno.

Allan, thank you for asking this question. We will be doing the same in October. I believe our dates in Salerno will overlap.

Since a bunch of people who are going to be in Salerno are reading this thread - my quick Salerno summary:

Salerno has a long, major pedestrian shopping street Corso Vittorio Emanuele which ends running into old town with a bunch of restaurants, bars and cafes. Staying anywhere along this street gives easy access to the old town, the train station (you will use often) and the ferry if you want to do the Amalfi Coast thing as well while you are there. The ferry dock is a 10 minute walk straight down to the dock from the train station. October is the end of season in Amalfi so you can see it at only partially overcrowded status. If you're spending time in Salerno the Cathedral is interesting - don't miss the crypt underneath! The art and poetry alleys in the oldest section of town are worth seeking out and exploring if that's your thing at all.

If you're in Salerno for an extended period of time do not miss the eté Prime at 174 Corso Vittorio Emanuele tucked away between the clothes shops and bank. The front opening onto Corso Vittorio Emanuele (the wide pedestrian only shopping street) is small hallway but set back from the street is an amazing grocery store worth knowing about. The store is kind of like Conad meets Whole Foods and one in Salerno has high end goods at really good prices. I saw 6 kinds of local specialty Buffalo Mozzarella for 2-6e, selection of bakery breads, and shelves of Barolo starting at 12e and topping out at 23e.

The many fruit and daily needs places that dot the street are fine for everyday things but if you have a kitchen or want to put on a real spread and a nice bottle of wine this store is a great place.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Thanks for all the replies.

Allan probably won't have time to see much of Salerno, but the Duomo is well worth a visit. Saint Matthew's remains are in the crypt, and the 13th century mosaics in the sanctuary are beautiful. When I told my hairdresser that "Matthew's" tomb was in Salerno, they thought I was talking about Matthew McConaughey. Not kidding.

https://www.cattedraledisalerno.it/

We just left Salerno this morning on the 10:40 ferry. Many many people going to Amalfi Town, looks like mostly day trippers. We are staying 4 nights. We visited Paestum on Monday and Pompeii yesterday. Pompeii was crowded. Paestum not so much. No issues with train tickets. We bought our return tickets when we were ready to leave. The app is flaky, but useful for looking up schedules. The lemon pasta at Al dente in Salerno was divine

Thank you Kcdav, I've posted an answer on your question about the ferries to Sorrento.

Thanks Allan, I'm taking notes. I have serious 'Paestum Envy'! I follow Paestum on Instagram and the Director is frequently posting about archeological restorations and talking about her amazing site. Might be worthwhile following. Does anyone recall how far the walk is from the train station to the archaeological site? I seem to recall looking it up, about one kilometer? You might want to factor that in as well.

One new thing I discovered is that the last train of the morning is at 9:34 and then there isn't another until afternoon. Not a big deal as we're morning people. This should get us back in time for some exploring of Salerno in the afternoon.

Good point about the walk, and it shows a quirk in Google Maps. The walk from the train in Paestum to the park is 1.7km which Google says is a 13 minute walk. When I was looking at the distance for something else in Salerno, Google told me it was a 2.1km walk that would take 30 minutes. The math isn't mathing.

Google uses crowdsourcing to average walking estimates (I was curious if hills and lights are taken into consideration). The walk from the train station to Paestum is flat and rather uneventful (just trees), but walking through Salerno you've got stuff to look at and people everywhere, so I imagine that makes the walk slower, but just a guess!

It looks like Google is estimating a pace of 2.87mph on the walk to Paestum from the train station which seems like a decent estimate of flat level travel and is probably based on some evidence. Now people will probably stop and admire the Roman defensive wall - I did - but other than that they are walking in anticipation to a destination they came to see.
Even if this is 100% accurate I would bet the walk back in the heat of the afternoon after touring all day is probably slower. ;)

For what it's worth Google estimate for the same distance down walking down flat and level Corso Vittorio Emanuele is the same despite the shops and lights at the traffic streets that cross this pedestrian shopping street.

Google estimates do include altitude and when you choose walking you can often see "mostly flat" or an elevation gain/loss.

=Tod

Valadelphia and hiredman, you are correct. I asked Google's AI and it confirmed it uses elevation, potential delays such as intersections and historical data to determine how long a walk will take. It does say it uses a standard walking speed of 5kmh/3.1mph to determine speed. My wife and I have both noticed that we are typically faster than what Google estimates so we must be a bit above 5kmh. At the same time, it doesn't take much to distract me from a straight line when I'm exploring....

last train at 9.34 Check the bus schedule too. In doing research some years ago, the bus was a reasonable alternative. One of the benefits, if I remember correctly, was that the bus gets you closer to the temples. In Salerno, the bus station is at the train station.

Check the bus schedule too. In doing research some years ago, the bus was a reasonable alternative. One of the benefits, if I remember correctly, was that the bus gets you closer to the temples Thanks Chani, adding it to my notes. Our feet tend to wear out at ancient sites, so the less walking to actually get there the better. PS, Somewhere in my notes I see a Forum member wrote - We stopped and enjoyed a delicious lunch at Ristorante Nettuno. As you arrive towards Paestum turn and walk left along the ruins to the end and then turn right to walk along the south side to the restaurant. Entrance tickets can be purchased there.