Paestum Greek Temples

Paestum Greek Temples tickets and tours: which one to book

Paestum is easy to visit independently: the archaeological area and its museum share one ticket, sold at the gate, and the railway station is just outside the city walls. The online products fall into three groups. The first is entry with transport, such as a skip-the-line ticket combined with the train from Naples or Salerno, or a private transfer. The second is the guided visit, often led by an archaeologist, which covers the three temples and the museum in two to three hours, either as a small group or privately;

some include tickets and hotel pick-up. The third, and the most popular, is the day trip from Naples, Sorrento, Salerno or the Amalfi Coast, which almost always pairs the temples with a visit to a buffalo farm, where you see how mozzarella is made and taste it, often with lunch. Cruise passengers docking in Salerno or Naples have their own timed versions. Around Paestum itself there are pasta and cheese-making classes and even powered paragliding flights over the temples for the adventurous. If you have only one day, the train is the cheapest option, about 30 to 40 minutes from Salerno; a guided tour from Naples saves organising connections. Check what is included, especially entry tickets and the museum, which is the part rushed tours skip.

Visiting Paestum Greek Temples: what to see and how to behave

Paestum was founded around 600 BC as Poseidonia by Greek colonists from Sybaris, taken by the Lucanians in about 400 BC and by the Romans in 273 BC, who gave it its present name. Malaria and flooding drove its people away in the early Middle Ages, which helped preserve the ruins until they were rediscovered in the 18th century. The site is part of a UNESCO World Heritage area that also includes the Cilento National Park and the ruins of Velia. Three Doric temples stand in a broad grassy enclosure. The oldest, built around 550 BC and long known as the Basilica, was dedicated to Hera; note its unusual nine-column front and swelling columns.

The largest and best preserved, from about 460 BC, is traditionally called the Temple of Neptune, though it was probably also Hera's; its double row of interior columns still stands. The smaller Temple of Athena lies to the north. Between them run the Roman forum, an amphitheatre partly cut by a modern road, houses and paved streets, all within walls almost 5 km long that you can partly walk. Do not skip the museum across the road: it holds the painted tomb slabs of the Tomb of the Diver, a rare example of Greek painting, as well as metopes from the sanctuary at Foce del Sele. Paestum lies about 40 km south of Salerno, with regular trains on the coastal line.

Paestum Greek Temples: opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The archaeological area opens daily from morning until late afternoon or early evening, closing earlier in winter, and the museum keeps similar hours; check the official site for current times and any weekly closing. Morning is the best time, before the coach tours from the Amalfi Coast arrive around 11 am, though late afternoon light on the honey-coloured stone is equally rewarding. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons, with mild temperatures and fewer visitors.

In summer the open site gets very hot by midday, but the long sandy beaches south of the ruins make Paestum a natural place to combine sightseeing with a swim. On the first Sunday of each month entry to state museums in Italy is free, which brings large crowds. Allow two to three hours for the temples and the museum. Combine it with a buffalo farm, the beach, the walls, or a trip further south to Velia and the Cilento coast.