After our week on the Amalfi coast we are thinking of going to see Paestum and nearby sights. We will be using public transport and taxis. Can anyone recommend a place to stay that will have easy access to transportation?
Should we stay in Salerno or another place?
How many nights should we plan in this area? Thanks much!
Hi, I was in Salerno last September, and here’s the excerpt from my trip report:
Salerno – 2 nights: When I shared our experience of Salerno with my husband during a FaceTime call, he remarked, “You know, you’re having the Back Door experience that Rick Steves intended when he began his tours.” I do like to gravitate towards the lesser traveled routes, so Salerno was more appealing to me than Sorrento. Also, I really wanted to see Paestum after finding it during on-line research. I highly recommend Casa Santangelo (reserved thru Booking.com), the former summer home of marquis Santangelo from Naples. I booked the family suite, so we could stretch out a bit at this location. Our two-room suite was perfect for our daughter to see the grand elegant past (my room is on their website - spectacular original gold walls & painted ceiling of pre-eruption Pompeii!) Our host commented that we chose wisely to be able to experience “authentic South Italy”, not just “tourist South Italy” on the Amalfi Coast. We walked down to the boardwalk and caught the end of a windsurfing competition in the bay, meandered along the old town lanes and dressed up for the Saturday night passeggiata that didn’t disappoint! Our last evening, we had reservations at the Osteria dei Mercanti restaurant in the old center and enjoyed both the food and the family running the restaurant. The owner told us a couple of times to be sure to go up to Ravello.
Day-trip to Paestum: An easy 30-minute train ride from Salerno, and we were walking the well-marked lane to the Greek ruins of Paestum. What an amazing experience – first seeing these 500 BC temples in such great shape, and then being able to walk up to them & even climb up inside the Neptune Temple! They are mammoth in size and some of the best preserved in the world. As you would expect by now, we arrived when they were opening and enjoyed a leisurely lunch afterwards of the local Buffalo mozzarella topping a fresh salad and an appetizer charcuterie of Buffalo blue cheese, etc. – delicious!
If you want a hotel strictly for location close to the train station, there’s the Hotel Plaza across the street from the Salerno station.
We took a taxi from the train station to our lodging (listed in the last reply). He had to drop us off a couple of blocks away, because it’s in the historical area which we much preferred. We explored all of the lanes around the historical area and the next morning, we just walked over to the train station when we went to Paestum because we had been on that route during the passeggiata (evening lively social stroll).
Since you will be coming to Salerno by ferry, just walk up the street from the ferry dock to the train station - a few blocks slightly uphill, and you can catch a taxi.
There’s excellent food in the restaurants! Have a great time!
Where do you mean by "nearby sights"? And where are you staying while on the AC? Will you be visiting Naples or Pompeii/Herculaneum on prior days? You can visit those from Salerno as well, but #1 is the amazing Paestum. How many days do you potentially have?
Here is our schedule so far
Rome 3 nights. Airbnb
Florence 3 nights Airbnb
Praiano 4 nights Airbnb
Ravello 2 nights Airbnb
Then we are thinking of Salerno and then ? We need to be in Brindisi to meet friends on May 21, so we have 6 nights left. We probably should have stayed 2 night more in Florence and done some day trips but lodging and Frecce trains booked.
Travel from Ravello not booked yet as we are t sure where to go. We would like to see Mt Versuvius and Pompeii as we travel back to travel hub to catch a train to Brindisi.
Thanks much for your guidance.
Lots of options. You could potentially add one more night to Ravello (why not?) and then do five in Salerno. That's one day for Paestum (possibly a mozzarella tour that day too), one day for Pompeii (you walk 15 minutes or taxi from the Trenitalia station to the entrance), one day for Herculaneum, one day for Naples, one day for Salerno sites (there are few). You could also go to Vietri sul Mare, where there are many pottery shops. Or Cetara, Minori for lunch. Any of the Amalfi places you don't visit from Praiano could be visited from Salerno.
South of Salerno, there are some pleasant coastal towns, some reachable by train. There are some minor ruins at Velia in Marina di Ascaea.
You also might look into breaking up your trip from Salerno to Brindisi since you are using public transport. Maybe Matera?
In April 2022, we spent several nights at the Salerno Centro B&B. We made arrangements with the owner to pick us up at our hotel in Pompei and take us to his B&B, and for a drive along the Amalfi Coast with a stop in Ravello. He also found us a boat charter in Amalfi for a ride from Amalfi to Positano, and then back to the dock in Salerno - of course Francesco picked us up at the dock. Francesco also drove us to Paestum and arranged for a guide there. The cost for his services was quite reasonable, and the B&B was lovely.
Jean, we are now booked into Casa Santangelo for 3 nights. Thank you for this suggestion. It looks amazing. I would appreciate any recommendations for specific thing not to be missed. Kind travelers like yourself make the planning process so much easier.
