Frequently asked questions

Skip-the-line entry to the Paestum archaeological park — all three Doric temples and the Greek-Roman city — plus the National Archaeological Museum with the Tomb of the Diver, and the Velia (ancient Elea) archaeological area. It is a single 3-day open ticket.

No. Paestum's ticket is open admission, valid for three days from first use, with no fixed entry time slot. You arrive during opening hours on whichever day you choose and walk straight in.

Three Doric temples: the Temple of Hera I (c. 550 BC, once called 'the Basilica'), the Temple of Athena (c. 500 BC), and the Temple of Hera II (c. 450 BC). The Temple of Hera II is the largest and best-preserved — one of the most complete Greek temples anywhere — and the highlight of the site.

A painted tomb from around 470 BC, displayed in the on-site museum. Its lid shows a single male figure diving into water, and it is the only complete example of Greek figurative wall painting to survive from the Archaic and Classical periods — Paestum's single most precious object.

Allow about 2.5 to 3 hours for the temples, the Greek-Roman city and the museum together. With the 3-day ticket you can also visit Velia on a separate day, which adds roughly another half-day.

Yes. The standard ticket covers both Paestum and Velia (ancient Greek Elea), a second archaeological site further south on the Cilento coast, as well as the Paestum museum — all valid for three days. Velia is quieter and right by the sea.

Early morning, soon after opening, or late afternoon. The archaeological site is open and largely unshaded, so the midday summer sun is intense; the light is also best for the temples early and late, when the limestone glows gold.

The ticket is open and valid for three days, so for most visits you simply arrive on the day you choose during opening hours. If your plans change, reply to your confirmation email and our concierge team will help.

By car it's about 40 minutes from Salerno and 1h15 from Naples via the motorway. By train, regional services run from Salerno (35–45 min) and Naples (about 1h30) to Paestum station, a short walk from the temples.

Yes — the temples are open-air and dramatic, there is space to roam, and the museum is compact enough to hold attention. Children under 18 enter free; our family pass bundles the paperwork so you skip the queue together. Bring sun protection and water in summer.

Yes. Paestum was inscribed by UNESCO in 1998 as part of the 'Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archaeological Sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula' World Heritage Site.

They tell different stories. Pompeii is a whole Roman town frozen by Vesuvius; Paestum is about monumental Greek architecture — three of the best-preserved Doric temples in the world — plus a unique painted tomb. Paestum is far smaller, far quieter, and stands almost complete where Pompeii is ruins.

Paestum Archaeological Park is the excavated remains of an ancient city on the Campanian coast of southern Italy, famous above all for three monumental Doric temples that rank among the best-preserved Greek temples anywhere in the world. The city was founded around 600 BC by Greek colonists from Sybaris, who named it Poseidonia after the sea god Poseidon. Over the following century they raised the three temples — dedicated to Hera and to Athena, and built roughly between 550 and 450 BC — that still stand almost complete on the open plain. Greek Poseidonia passed to the Italic Lucanians late in the 5th century BC and became the Roman colony of Paestum in 273 BC, leaving a forum and amphitheatre among the older monuments. The on-site National Archaeological Museum holds the Tomb of the Diver, painted around 470 BC, the only complete Greek figurative wall painting to survive from the Archaic and Classical period. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Paestum Archaeological Park sits on the Campanian coast of southern Italy, roughly 40 kilometres south of Salerno, and is easy to reach by both train and road. The simplest option is the regional train: Paestum station lies on the Salerno–Reggio Calabria line, just east of the ancient city walls and only about a five-minute walk from the temples and museum. Services take around 35 to 45 minutes from Salerno and roughly an hour and a half from Naples, running several times a day. By car, the drive from Salerno takes about 40 minutes and from Naples about an hour and a quarter, following the A3 and A2 motorways south and exiting near Battipaglia or Eboli before joining the coast road to Capaccio Paestum; parking is available close to the site entrance. From the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento, Paestum makes a feasible day trip of roughly one and a half to two hours by car, or via Salerno by train, and organised tours run from across the region.