Transportation options - Sorrento to Pasteum

We were in the same position last summer, and we took RS's suggestion, and hired Carmello Monetti (or his son Raffaele or his brother-in-law Tony), out of Sorrento, to take us on a guided day trip of the Amalfi Coast and Pasteum. Picked us up at our hotel at 8:00 AM in his van, took us everywhere, gave us free time in each place, and then delivered us home at 6:00 PM. We had Tony, who was tremendous as a guide...smart, funny, flexible, kind. Not cheap, mind you, at e300.00 for the 10 hour tour, but considering how tough the Amalfi Coast road is, how easily I get lost, and how much we learned about the region from Tony, afterward, we considered it a bargain. The company's contact info is:

www.monettitaxi17.it
[email protected]

In terms of public transportation, you can either go by bus or train to Salerno, then take the bus from there to Paestum. By bus to Salerno would be 3 hrs. down the coast. By train to Salerno (Circumvesuviana to Naples, then train Naples to Salerno) would be from 1 hr. 40 min. to 2 hr. 20 min. Then from Salerno to Paestum is roughly 1 hr. 10 min. So it might save you a little time to train to Salerno from Sorrento, but that could still take you up to 3 1/2 hours overall to get to Paestum. In short, in won't be the quickest of daytrips either way, unfortunately... But it could still be worth it!

I don't think there is a right or a wrong answer on this one. I think I almost want to be talked out of the one day rental, but looking at where the the Hertz rental is,(looks to be about 100 yards or less from the hotel)the alternative options, and the fact I really want to see Pasteum.

Thanks for the replies, and if anybody else has, or has thought of doing this I would appreciate your thoughts.

You may be able to pick up a coach tour from Naples or Sorrento to Paestum from a travel agency in Sorrento. Although becoming better known, Paestum is still not as popular as the other sites in the area so cannot guarantee that you will be able to do this.

I must admit that we did it by car but that was about 15 years ago. There is so much more traffic around these days and with traffic jams seemingly everywhere, we no longer drive when we are there.

Hi Wayne,
We drove to Paestum from Sorrento last September and yes Paestum was neat to see, but given the distance and the time spent getting to/from there really wasn't the best use of our time.... We drove the Amalfi coast on the way back to Sorrento and we wished that we had spent more time exploring the many different towns along the Amalfi coast, rather than having gone to Paestum. In a nutshell, we felt that Paestum was simply Greek ruins as opposed to the tons of Roman ruins that are everywhere around Rome and its surrounding areas.

I happen to think Paestum is REALLY spectacular...yes, you're right...not Roman ruins like you see all over...SO much older! Why not combine it with other things though...like...maybe take a ferry to Amalfi and explore and then ferry to Salerno...look at ceramics in Vietri...then hit Paestum midday when everything else is pretty much closed anyway?

I am thinking of the same daytrip (Amalfi Coast and Paestum from Sorrento) by public transit and looking at how long a day it will be. I was wondering about seeing the Amalfi Coast, then going to Paestum using bus and ferry and either bus or train Salerno to Paestum. Then returning to Sorrento by train. It looks possible to take Trenitalia Paestum to Pompeii and walk or taxi to Circumvesuviana station to return to Sorrento. Any suggestions and if we do this (end of June) is it best to do Amalfi then Paestum or vice versa? Thanks.

Here's one idea that will cut your travel time. From Sorrento, take the Circumvesuvina train to the Pompei-Scavi stop (25 minutes). Take a taxi from there to the Trenitalia train stop in the town itself. Note that these are two different train systems serving the same town. You can walk it but a taxi will be faster. From the Trenitalia train station, it's an hour train ride to Paestum. You should be able to do this in about 2hrs.

CLICK HERE to see the morning schedule for the Trenitalia train to Paestum.

Thanks Larry. It seems to make sense to do it this way and after seeing Paestum take our time on our way back to Sorrento using train/bus/ferry combinations and stopping off in Almafi town and Positano. Any reason to reverse the order and see Amalfi first before going on to Paestum?

Suzanne, Nope. It depends on your priority. There has been news on this site that the road down the Amalfi coast is undergoing repair. I'm not sure what's going on there. But, you can always take the ferry.

Here is what we did.

We took a 9 AM Bus from Sorrento to Salerno, which stops and transfers in Amalfi. This is a wild and long ride and left us both slightly dizzy. Salerno we took the train to the Pasteum siding. Its not really a station since it isn't manned. Then walked in to the site.

We unfortunately stayed too long at Pasteum. Which limited our options to taking the local bus back to Salerno. We then took a train from Salerno to Pompeii and walked the distance between the Train Station and the Circumvesuvius Tram back to Sorrento. Each Connection turned out the be the last run of the day and we got back after 12 am. It was very hectic and a little nerve racking doing it this way.

It was the bus travel from Sorrento to Pasteum that ate up more time than I alloted for the trip.

I think taking the train system to Pasteum as the first leg makes the most sense and a ferry ride back to Sorrento would have been much more pleasent.

We just got back from an 18 day trip to Italy and we also hired Carmello. We were very happy. Although we did not go to PAsteum we went to Ravello. We first had Carmello pick us up at Pompeii and drive us to Positano. Pompeii was a highlight for us. Not sure about PAsteum but it is a beautiful area.We paid a lot also but he was a careful driver and to drive that area it is quite curvy and the roads are so very narrow. I would not have wanted to drive them ourselves. We were also there at low season so there was not as much traffic as there will be in the coming months.

I'm thinking Larry might have the best solution. I don't think combining the Amalfi coast drive and Pasteum works well. That would seem to be a looong day.

Larry wins the lottery on this string regarding Sorrento to Paestum. Its 2012 now and I would like to give a few s. Private hire cars, if you can find one other person (makes 3), could be as cheap as 75 euors each for a full day drive. Larry's suggestion on travel is the most efficient and affordable provided you watch your links and plan your day carefully. The adage is, when in Rome do as the Romans do. Translated, when in Sorrento do as locals do and focus on things Roman, vice Paestum. Paestum no doubt is fantastic, but after all this is Italy isn't it? Final note: Roads from Sorrento to Positano, Amalfi, and Ravelo are closed in the core hours of the day for road construction and maintenance. They reopen most days after 1700 hrs, except Wed, which looks like later in the evening. Solution: Take the coastal road inlaid towards Pompeii, then circle the mountains/hills and come in over the top to Ravello. Hardly any traffic, very precarious but scenic roads. Takes about two hours. Do this in the morning and by the time you return to Sorrento the return coastal road will be open (check first as Italians change the rules often).