Paestum: Private Tour of Greek Temples and Archaeological Museum
Description
Explore the ruins of the wonderful Paestum, including its three amazing Doric temples, the amphitheater, the forum and the markets. After the ruins you’ll visit the National Archeological Museum where are displayed some of the most beautiful artworks of the Magna Greece. Paestum is one of the precious archaeological pearls of Italy, it is located in the northern part of the Cilento region, not far from the river Sele, on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The town was founded by the Greeks colonists, under the name of Poseidonia, became the most popular city of the Magna Graecia.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Explore archaeological site of Paestum, the best preserved Graeco-Roman city, with a licensed archaeological guide in two hours walking tour.
Temple of Hera II in Paestum (Poseidonia), earlier and still often known as ”Temple of Poseidon” or ”Temple of Neptunus” due to misidentification. This is the more northern and younger of the two temples of Hera in Paestum.
The Temple of Athena or Temple of Ceres (c. 500 BC) is a Greek temple found at Paestum, built near the so-called Basilica which is much larger than it.
Visit the fascinating National Archaeological Museum, which has a rich collection of local Greek artworks from the VII century BC. The undisputed highlights of the museum in Paestum are the frescoes of the “Tomb of the Diver”.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- activity level: moderate
- comfortable shoes are recommnded
- You may use this link to reach the place of our Meeting point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/MZVnqBaPe5efJWGw5?g_st=iw
Reviews(70)
We drove from Sorrento to meet Mario at Paestum for a 2-hour tour, but were delayed 30 minutes by traffic. Mario could not have been more accommodating, warmly putting us at ease and generously spending well over the agreed-upon two hours with our family. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Mario’s expertise and deep connection to the site as a local art historian brought the ruins to life. We focused primarily on the remarkably preserved pre-Roman Greek and Lucanian sections, while also exploring broader historical topics beyond the site, from Magna Graecia through the Roman and Byzantine eras. For instance, we had a fascinating discussion about the Asklepion and the development of medicine in Greco-Roman history. We concluded at the incredible on-site museum, which continues to expand with newly curated wings. Mario’s insights into afterlife symbolism of the artifacts were enlightening—particularly his explanation of the famous Tomb of the Diver and the depictions of psychopomps across several other frescoes. Mario was also phenomenal with our two children (ages 11 and 12). He answered their questions with immense patience, enthusiasm, and detail, inspiring some fantastic, comprehensive entries in their travel journals. We cannot recommend Mario highly enough to anyone visiting Paestum!
A truly thorough and very interesting visit led by Mario, a very knowledgeable guide.
We visited Paestum and did the guided tour of the archeological ruins with our guide Mario. Mario was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the whole area. His insights and descriptions of the ruins really brought them to life. Having Mario as a guide was a much better option than us just aimlessly wandering around on our own reading information plaques. If you are going to visit Paestum (and we highly recommend you do), do it with Mario. You won't be disappointed.
A very interesting visit. Mario tells the history of Paestum and Greek mythology with passion and professionalism.
Wonderful site and exceptional guide (Maria)
The temples of Paestum are a wonderful sight. The archaeological site is impressive, and walking so close to these thousand-year-old structures, so well preserved, conveys a truly magical and evocative atmosphere. What made the visit special was our guide Silvia, who was very knowledgeable, super engaging, and passionate. She didn't just recount history with dates and facts, but managed to capture all of our attention, literally making us travel back in time with her stories. A fantastic experience that we recommend to anyone!
It was a magnificent and very interesting visit in an enchanting place. I was surprised by the beauty of the temples. The guide Mario was truly very skilled and especially very knowledgeable.
Maria is a knowledgeable and passionate guide: wandering through the archaeological site and then in the museum while listening to her explanations made this visit a complete and unforgettable experience. Highly recommended!
The visit to the archaeological park and temples was very interesting, perhaps the best I've ever had with a guide who proved to be extremely knowledgeable. Mario, the group's guide, was able to engage everyone with his connections to historical, economic, and political events, both ancient and modern. A big applause from me and my friends👏👏
Visit very interesting, the guide gave us a lot of information , nice dynamic great choice thanks to Maria
