How do I get to Paestum from Naples?

Question

Also, what are the fun things to do in Paestum and surrounding areas, suggestions would be great!

Answer 1

Unless you've a car to go to Paestum from Naples the best (and cheapest) way is to book a trip with a tourist bus- The distance is around 100 Kms and taxis in Italy are ugly expensive. It's depending on the season when you'll be over there but even in fall/winter in Naples there are a lot of travel agencies organizing  one or more days trips. This will allow you to visit also the neighbors of Paestum but to tell you which are the surrounding areas it would have been better knowing how many days is lasting yr trip since in this region suggestions are really too many.

Close to Paestum (where there is not too much to see, 2-3 hours are enough to visit the archaeological site) you might visit the most possible and chose Sorrento or Vietri sul mare (nice seaside village with renowned ceramics), If it's not August (otherwise don't go there,too many people, it's a chaos) visit on the seaside Positano,Amalfi,Minori,Maiori. It's an unforgettable spectacle and it's not so far from Paestum.

On the way from Naples to Paestum you could visit the excavations of Pompei and Ercolano.

If you've more days time and this is not yet enough then you might make an additional Yahoo question and I'll get a further 10 points by suggesting you further things,worthy of a visit  (there are still a lot !).

Welcome to Italy !!

Answer 2

We just visited Paestum over the summer. We stayed in Salerno, at the south end of the Amalfi coast, and took a bus down there for the day. It was about an hour from Salerno to Paestum by bus (the return trip took a bit longer due to traffic). From Naples, it might be kind of a long bus ride. There is a train station in the city of Paestum and from there I'm sure there is bus/taxi service to the park.

We spent about four hours at the park, visiting the ruins and the museum next door. We packed a picnic lunch and ate there. It was probably my favorite day of the three weeks we spent in Italy--the weather was great and we weren't in a rush to pack in too many sites in one day.

The link below is for the Campania regional bus service. It doesn't appear there are direct buses from Naples to Paestum but you could take a bus from Naples to Salerno and then from Salerno to Paestum if the train isn't a feasible option.

buon viaggio!!!

Answer 3

You've got a few choices.  I would suggest train to Salerno and then either bus or train to Paestum.  Trains leave hourly and are fairly quick, busses leave every 15-20 minutes and are slower.  I enjoyed taking the bus because I got to see the countryside and we passed through some really small towns.  You'll go by sooo many buffalo mozzarella shops!

In Paestum there isn't much to do.  There's a museum, the actual site, a few bars and restaurants, a couple gift shops, some hotels and some campsites.  There's a beach nearby as well, but I don't know how nice it is.  You can EASILY do Paestum as a day trip from Naples if you start early.  If you want to stay overnight, I would definitely recommend the Hotel Villa Rita.  I'm going to link to a good page about Paestum with info about the site, hotels and safety (as that part of Italy seems to have a lot of rednecks!).

So, the first link is a map of Paestum that shows you it's small and doesn't even have a proper "urban" area.  It's really just a few roads.  The second will be the link to that Paestum page.

By the way, I liked Paestum more than Pompeii or Herculaneum!

Answer 4

taxi\

Answer 5

I heartily concur with the train suggestion. I found it a better and more pleasant means of transportation when I was stationed in Naples. (And it is MUCH less expensive than a taxi.)