Sorrento to Salerno, then Paestum

Yes, it's possible. You take SITA buses from Sorrento to Salerno (you may have to change buses in Amalfi), then a SCAT bus from Salerno to Paestum. The SCAT bus doesn't run on Sunday. http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROXIV.pdf AND http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROXV.pdf There are also several trains daily from Salerno to Paestum (30-minute ride). The bus from Salerno leaves from the Piazza della Concordia, near the train station. BE SURE TO CHECK THE RETURN SCHEDULE so you don't get left in Paestum.

The EARLIEST morning ferry from Sorrento to Salerno (Metro del Mare - Seasonal) departs at 9:30 a.m. (too late, IMO) If you want to get an early morning start, here's how to do it: Dp. Sorrento 6:30 a.m. Ar. Amalfi 8:00 a.m. Dp. Amalfi 8:05 a.m. SITA bus Ar. Salerno 9:20 a.m. Dp. Salerno 9:27 a.m. Trenitalia regionale train (LAST train of the morning) Ar. Paestum 9:59 a.m. NOTE: 1. There is also a CSTP bus. no. 34 at 9:30 a.m. from Salerno Piazza Concordia to Paestum (ar. 10:41 a.m.) 2. Connection distance in Amalfi: 10 meters (bus to bus) 3. Connection distance in Salerno: less than 200 meters (bus to train); less than 100 meters (bus to bus). WALK 10 minutes to Paestum Archeological Zone (distance 700 meters). TOTAL TRAVEL TIME: 3 hrs., 40 mins. Ticket: UNICO CAMPANIA E8 Biglietto Orario: 4.50 Euros one way (valid on both buses and Trenitalia regionale train). NOT valid on ferry boat or hydrofoil. BEWARE: VERY tight connection times in both Amalfi and Salerno. www.sitabus.it www.ferroviedellostato.it www.coopsantandrea.it www.metrodelmare.net www.cstp.it

CLARIFICATION: WALK to Paestum Archeological Zone: 10 minutes (distance 700 meters) IF ARRIVING BY TRAIN; OR OR 4 minutes (distance 300 meters) IF ARRIVING BT CSTP BUS. HINT: Buy both the outbound and the return UNICO CAMPANIA tickets in Sorrento (UNLESS you plan to RETURN by ferry/hydrofoil part of the way). The Paestum Trenitalia station is unmanned. UNICO CAMPANIA tickets are also sold at vendors in Paestum. BEWARE: 1. Ferry/hydrofoil schedules between Sorrento/Positano and Salerno are very limited, SEASONAL, and subject to cancellation for bad weather. DON'T take these as a "given". 2. There is MUCH more frequent service by SITA bus between Sorrento and Salerno (although it does take longer and requires a connection in Amalfi). 3. Only TRAVELMAR ferry (from Positano) drops you close to the Salerno train station (at the Concordia Dock). Competitors METRO DEL MARE (from Sorrento) and ALICOST (from Positano) dock at Molo Manfredi, which is TWO kilometers from the Salerno train station (30 minutes on foot, or local city bus). 4. If you MISS the 9:27 Trenitalia regionale train from Salerno to Paestum, then NEXT train is FOUR hours later (except on Sundays), which means you've got to take the CSTP bus line no. 34. (which takes 71 versus 35 minutes by train).

It is actually faster to travel from Sorrento to NAPLES by Circumvesuviana train, then connect to a Trenitalia regionale train to Paestum. Here is an example of how this trip can be shortened by doing this counterintuitive route: Dep. Sorrento 6:25 a.m. Circumvesuviana commuter rail Ar. Napoli Centrale 7:30 a.m. (Walk QUICKLY upstairs to ground level) Dep. Napoli Centrale 7:42 a.m. Trenitalia regionale train Ar. Paestum 9:19 a.m. Ticket: UNICO CAMPANIA U7 Biglietto Orario: 5.20 Euros one way (valid on both trains).

There are quite a few ways to travel by public transportation betweeen Sorrento and Paestum, NONE ideal, but some better than others. Much depends on the time of year (maritime services are seasonal), day of the week (more trains between Salerno and Paestum on Sundays), time of day (no early morning boat services), weather conditions (hydrofoils and ferries are subject to cancellation in poor weather), and route [INVALID]ed. Because the Metro del Mare hydrofoil in the morning from Sorrento to Salerno leaves rather late (IMO), and in any case arrives at the very inconvenient Molo Manfredi in Salerno - 2 kms. from the Salerno train station, I like Peter's idea of connecting through Pompei, even though this means a minimum 30-minute walk (2 kms.) from the Pompei Scavi (Villa dei Misteri) Circumvesuviana station to the Trenitalia Pompei Station. This walk is doable in the early morning hours, even during the summer months when it gets hot. It is not as doable (indeed not recommended) in the late afternoons when it's hot (unless you opt for a taxi or perhaps find a local bus; necessary for most peopledue to exhaustion after a full day of travel). Most people also find it more interesting to take a different route in one direction, rather than the same route twice. Consequently, I've devised what I would consider (for myself) to be a good travel itinerary between Sorrento and Paestum: Sorrento dp. 7:38 Circumvesuviana train Arrive Pompei Scavi 8:07 WALK to Trenitalia Pompei Station (2 kilometers) Pompei dp. 9:01 Trenitalia regionale train Paestum ar. 9:59 TICKET: UNICO CAMPANIA Biglietto Orari E8: 4.50 Euros one way (valid on both trains) WALK to Paestum Archological Area (700 meters; 10 minutes on foot)

(continued) FIVE HOURS IN PAESTUM Paestum dp. 15:41 Trenitalia regionale train Salerno ar. 16:19 WALK 400 meters to Concordia Dock Salerno dp. 17:10 TRAVELMAR (Cooperativa Sant'Andrea) ferry Positano ar. 18:20 WALK uphill to LOWER SITA bus stop Positano (lower bus stop) dp. 18:55 SITA bus (from Amalfi; could be full) Sorrento ar. 19:55 NOTE: On the return trip, connecting through Pompei by rail would take less time (but involves that 30-minute connection described above). TICKETS: Paestum to Salerno: UNICO CAMPANIA biglietto orario E5: 3.00 Euros (valid on train OR on CSTP bus); Salerno to Positano ferry ticket: 10.00 Euros; Positano to Sorrento bus: UNICO COSTIERA 90-min. ticket: 3.60 Euros. NOTE: When the TRAVELMAR ferry is not running (out of season or bad weather), there is a SITA bus from directly outside the Salerno train station at 16:30 which arrives in Amalfi at 17:45, and a connecting SITA bus from Amalfi at 18:15 which arrives in Sorrento at 19:55. In this case, you would need to purchase (for the entire return trip), the UNICO CAMPANIA biglietto orario E8 ticket for 4.50 Euros.

(continued) BEWARE: Schedules above need to be verified shortly before departure, as they are subject to change and indeed do change slightly at different times of the year, as well as on Sundays. HINT: Print out and take with you all relevant schedules: Trenitalia, CSTP bus, SITA bus, Circumvesuviana train, ferries and hydrofoils, etc. SUGGESTION: It would be better to do this as an overnight trip, with a break in either Salerno or Paestum itself. As a daytrip, in the best of circumstances, it involves a MINIMUM commute of five-to-seven hours round-trip (longer if going via Salerno entirely by bus). www.ferroviedellostato.it (Trenitalia trains) www.vesuviana.it (Circumvesuviana trains) www.sitabus.it www.cstp.it (CSTP bus between Salerno and Paestum) www.metrodelmare.net (Hydrofoils between Sorrento and Salerno) www.coopsantandrea.it (Ferries between Positano/Amalfi and Salerno)