Paestum: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Greeks from Sybaris founded Poseidonia, the city of Poseidon, around 600 BC on the plain south of Salerno. The Romans took it in 273 BC and called it Paestum; later malaria emptied it, and the temples stood half-forgotten among marsh and scrub until a road was built through in the 18th century. This walk crosses the ancient city from the east gate to the museum, with all three temples on the way. Allow three hours; there is little shade, so bring a hat and water.
A short history of Paestum
Around 600 BC Greek settlers from Sybaris founded a city called Poseidonia, after Poseidon, on the plain by the Gulf of Salerno. In the 6th and 5th centuries BC they built three Doric temples there, which still stand and are considered among the best preserved in the Greek world. Around 400 BC the Lucanians captured the city, and in 273 BC it became a Roman colony called Paestum. In the Middle Ages marshes and malaria drove the inhabitants away, and the ruins were forgotten until the 18th century. In 1968 the Tomb of the Diver painting, one of the few Greek paintings to survive, was found in a tomb near the city. In 1998 Paestum was declared a World Heritage Site.
The ten best sights in Paestum
1Temple of NeptuneThe best-preserved of the three; come at opening time or in the last hour, when the stone turns gold
2Basilica (Temple of Hera)The oldest temple, standing right beside Neptune — count the columns on the front
3Temple of AthenaAt the north end of the site, often empty of people
4National Archaeological Museum of PaestumSame ticket as the site; do not skip the Tomb of the Diver
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5Porta Sirena
The eastern gate in walls that still run almost all the way round
6AmphitheatreThe modern road runs straight over half of it — you can see it from the pavement
7Museo narrante del santuario di Hera ArgivaSmall museum by the river mouth where Hera's second sanctuary stood
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8Santuario della Madonna del Granato
Hilltop church above the plain; the view takes in all three temples
9Elea-VeliaGreek city 40 minutes south, quieter than Paestum and hilly — wear good shoes
10Castello Aragonese di AgropoliCastle on top of Agropoli's old town, with the sea on three sides
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Paestum →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Paestum:
Free walking tours in Paestum
The Greek city
Greeks from Sybaris founded Poseidonia, the city of Poseidon, around 600 BC on the plain south of Salerno. The Romans took it in 273 BC and called it Paestum; later malaria emptied it, and the temples stood half-forgotten among marsh and scrub until a road was built through in the 18th century. This walk crosses the ancient city from the east gate to the museum, with all three temples on the way. Allow three hours; there is little shade, so bring a hat and water.
- Porta Sirena · The gate takes its name from a worn relief on the outer keystone, read as a siren. The walls it belongs to run for about 4.7 kilometres around the city and survive along almost their whole length.
- Basilica (Temple of Hera) · This is the oldest of the temples, built around 550 BC for Hera. Eighteenth-century scholars could not believe a temple had nine columns across its front, an odd number, and decided it was a Roman basilica — the wrong name has stuck ever since.
- Temple of Neptune · Built around 460 BC, it is one of the most complete Doric temples anywhere, with its columns and both pediments still standing. Early visitors named it after Neptune because of the city's Greek name, but it was most likely dedicated to Hera too.
- Amphitheatre · The Romans built the amphitheatre after they made Paestum a Latin colony. In the modern era a road was laid straight across it, so only half was ever excavated; the other half still lies under the asphalt.
- Temple of Athena · For a long time it was called the Temple of Ceres, until finds proved it was Athena's, built around 500 BC. In the early Middle Ages it was turned into a church, and Christian graves were dug around it.
- National Archaeological Museum of Paestum · The museum's star is the Tomb of the Diver, found in 1968 just south of the city and painted around 470 BC. Its lid shows a young man diving into water, and it is the only Greek tomb of that period with a painted human scene that has survived.
Hera, buffalo and caves
The plain around Paestum belonged to Hera: a second sanctuary of hers stood at the mouth of the Sele river, and her symbol, the pomegranate, never quite left. Today the same plain is grazed by water buffalo, whose milk makes the mozzarella of the region. This drive goes north to Hera's river, inland to a hill sanctuary and a buffalo farm, then into the mountains for two cave systems. A full day; the caves stay cool even in August.
- Tempio di Hera Argiva · The Greek geographer Strabo wrote that Jason and the Argonauts founded this sanctuary of Argive Hera at the mouth of the Sele. Its stones were robbed long ago, and the site was found only in 1934, by two archaeologists searching the marshes.
- Museo narrante del santuario di Hera Argiva · The archaeologists were Paola Zancani Montuoro and Umberto Zanotti Bianco. They recovered dozens of carved metopes from the temple, among the oldest Greek sculpture in Italy, showing Heracles and scenes of the Trojan war; the originals are now in the Paestum museum.
- Tenuta Vannulo · Water buffalo have been raised on this plain for centuries, and their milk is what makes mozzarella di bufala, protected as a regional product since 1996. Vannulo is an organic farm where you can watch the herd before tasting its cheese and gelato.
- Santuario della Madonna del Granato · When malaria and raids emptied Paestum, its people moved up to this hill and built Capaccio Vecchio. Its Madonna holds a pomegranate, exactly as Hera did in the clay figures found in the temples below, and the cult is often seen as hers in new clothes.
- Grotte di Castelcivita · The cave system runs for more than five kilometres under the Alburni mountains, one of the longest in southern Italy. Visitors walk only the first stretch, through halls of columns and curtains of stone.
- Grotte di Pertosa-Auletta · These are the only caves in Italy with an underground river you cross by boat. Inside, archaeologists found the remains of Bronze Age pile dwellings, wooden platforms people built over the water more than three thousand years ago.
South into Cilento
South of Paestum the flat plain ends and the coast of Cilento begins, rocky and green, protected as a national park since 1991. The road leads to Agropoli, a medieval town on a headland, and on to Elea, the Greek city of the philosophers. The drive is about 40 kilometres each way on the coast road. Give it a day, with a swim at Trentova on the way back.
- Oasi Dunale · The reserve protects one of the last stretches of natural dune on the Gulf of Salerno. In recent summers loggerhead sea turtles have come ashore to nest on the beaches of this coast, and volunteers fence off the nests.
- Agropoli · The name comes from the Greek akropolis, the high city, for the headland the old town sits on. In the 9th century Arab raiders held it for decades as a base for attacks on the coast.
- Castello Aragonese di Agropoli · The castle grew from a Byzantine fort and was rebuilt under the Aragonese kings in the 15th century, with a triangular plan and round towers on its corners. From its walls you can see the whole bay back to Paestum.
- Trentova · Here the sand of the plain gives way to cliffs, and the Cilento National Park coast begins. In 1998 UNESCO listed the park together with Paestum and Velia as one World Heritage site.
- Elea-Velia · Greeks from Phocaea in Asia Minor founded Elea around 540 BC, after fleeing the Persians. It was the home of Parmenides and his pupil Zeno, whose paradoxes about motion — Achilles who never catches the tortoise — are still taught today.
- Porta Rosa · The gate was built in the 4th century BC and found only in 1964. Its round arch is one of the oldest known in Greek architecture, at a time when the Greeks almost always built with straight lintels.
Getting to Paestum and getting around
- Salerno Costa d'Amalfi Airport · Small airport 35 minutes north, back in passenger service since 2024
- Paestum Station · Regional trains from Salerno stop just outside the east gate of the ancient city
- Capaccio-Roccadaspide Station · Check the timetable: some trains stop here, 4 km north, and not at Paestum
Cheap eats in Paestum
Paestum eats from the buffalo: mozzarella, ricotta and yoghurt are sold at the dairies on every road around the temples. Lunch is a panino or a ball of mozzarella with tomatoes, and dinner is Cilento cooking — fresh pasta, vegetables and anchovies. Prices are lower than in Tel Aviv, especially away from the site.
- Caseificio Barlotti · Buffalo mozzarella over the counter, a ball about 3-5 €
- La paranza · Fried fish in a paper cone, about 8-12 €
- Il Tempio del Panino · Panini by the museum, about 5-8 €
- Paestum Burger & Drink · Burgers and drinks near the site, about 10-14 €
- Caffè Museo · Coffee and a cornetto before the site, about 2-3 €
- Bar Anna · Bar for a cold drink and a sandwich, about 4-6 €
Museums in Paestum
- National Archaeological Museum of Paestum · The Tomb of the Diver, painted tombs and the Sele metopes
- Elea-Velia · The philosophers' city, with its arched gate
- Museo narrante del santuario di Hera Argiva · Small museum telling the story of Hera's river sanctuary
- Castello Aragonese di Agropoli · Castle walls and views over the bay
- Santuario della Madonna del Granato · Medieval hill church with the pomegranate Madonna
Nature and day trips near Paestum
- Oasi Dunale · Dune paths, pines and the sea
- Grotte di Castelcivita · Guided walk through large cave halls
- Trentova · Rocky bay and coast path south of Agropoli
- Grotte di Pertosa-Auletta · Underground river by boat, then on foot
- Porta Sirena · Walk or cycle along the ancient walls
Things to do in Paestum with kids
- Tenuta Vannulo · See the buffalo, then eat buffalo-milk gelato
- Grotte di Pertosa-Auletta · A boat ride in the dark — kids love it
- Oasi Dunale · Free beach behind the dunes, shallow water
- Porta Sirena · Bikes along the ancient walls
Where to eat in Paestum
- Alici · Seafood dinner on Via Tavernelle
- Bottega Cilentana · Cilento dishes and local products
- Ristorante Nettuno · Dinner with the temples lit up beside you
- Tavernelle · Pizza and grill by the north gate
- Antiche Mura · Trattoria by the old walls
- Masseria Lupata · Farmhouse dinner on the road to the sea
Frequently asked questions about Paestum
What is there to see in Paestum?
The top sights in Paestum are Temple of Neptune, Basilica (Temple of Hera) and Temple of Athena. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Paestum?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Paestum without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Paestum?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Paestum, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The Greek city.
How do you get to Paestum and get around?
The main ways are Salerno Costa d'Amalfi Airport, Paestum Station and Capaccio-Roccadaspide Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Paestum, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Paestum that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Paestum for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.