We're going to Sorrento for a wedding and a short visit. We've been to Pompeii and Herculaneum and, while I'd love to visit again, I'd really like to see Paestum. Info on traveling to/from Paestum is sparse. Does it make sense to go from Naples or from Sorrento? Bus or train? I'd be grateful for any insights.
LEF
The transportation options available to you are too complicated for me to describe in detail here. Salerno, the big city north of Paestum, is the nearest transportation hub. From Naples or Sorrento you'll change buses or trains in Salerno to get to Paestum.
But what you need is a more detailed description of the several transportation options, and--guess what?--Rick's book Italy describes your options in detail.
The highly summarized version of your choices is:
1) Salerno to Paestum by bus
2) Salerno to Paestum by train
3) Naples to Salerno by train, and then to Paestum by bus or train
4) Sorrento to Salerno by bus, and then to Paestum by bus or train
I know Rick's books advise against a car on the Amalfi Coast, but we've never had a problem driving there (usually in September). Last time we were there, we drove from Sorrento to Paestum and spent the night at one of the small hotels right next to the sight. If you can't go overnight, then it can be done as a long day trip. You can check the route and the travel time at the Michelin website to compare it to the travel times on the train. Getting there was really easy - we didn't even use the map we bought.
My husband & I traveled from Sorrento to Paestum last year. We took the Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento to Pompeii & took a taxi to near the other main train station. That train took us to Paestum where we easily walked to the site in the afternoon.We toured the museum first & then the site, which was almost a mistake! I misread the closing time for the site. It closes before the museum. But we did get to visit the 3 amazing temples! Only two other visitors were there! It is tricky to get there this way , but it is an amazing sight!
