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”.
Our guide Ivan was very knowledgeable about the site. He is an archeologist who has initiated digs at the site, has some of his finds in the museum, and teaches at the local university. He made our experience much richer and answered all of our questions with enthusiasm and grace. I highly recommend his services.
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!
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.
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👏👏
Maria is a fantastic guide, the expirience was certainly enhanced by her knowledge of the history and enthusiasm. Thank you for a great time!
A very interesting and informative tour of Paestum, our guide Mario was very knowledgeable and friendly, I strongly recommend this tour and hope you are also lucky enough to have Mario as your tour guide.
Maria was a very knowledgeable and patient guide. We felt the tour was informative and well-paced and Maria helped bring the stones to life with stories.
If you are looking for an English tour of Paestum. Look no further. Ask Mario to do the tour. With the intense heat, we went through the 2+ hour tour without getting tired or bored. Every tidbit of information he provided was riveting. He gave a detailed tour of the two temples, one hundred years different in age, how the name Paestum came about, how the locals from other places influenced the region. He laid out the bigger picture of various historical eras based on the depth of digging so we can visualize the layers of history. Mario explained the recent mistakes of the modern era that affected or destroyed some of the antiquities and clearly described how it would have looked. He explained the origin of certain words, practices that are still done today, and the significance of the Etruscans (that I have not heard from other tour guides). The interwoven influences of the Etruscans, Greeks, Romans, Lucanians, Vikings, Normans, etc. that created today’s Italy. The tour included some parts of the museum, and he pointed out some of the recent findings. His pace of explaining was perfect, his pride and joy in doing the tour, astounding. We were famished after the tour and even the teenage kids were riveted to the tour and finished it without difficulties. Mario’s passion on this tour was palpable that I shared my appreciation and said, “It shows how much you love to share this history, and I am very inspired. Thank you very much.” He said with a smile, “It is an honor to share my country’s history to the world.” Amen.
Mario was an awesome guide. Knowledgeable and passionate. It was an extremely hot day and he worked the tour to ensure we were as comfortable as he could. We came away with a good understanding of the site, looking forward to visiting again in the future
Mario is an excellent guide, friendly, professional and very knowledgeable. He encouraged us to ask questions, and responded to all questions.
We had a wonderful tour in Paestum with Mario. It was truly one of the best tours we had in Italy. Mario really brought the history of the site alive for us and gave us information and an understanding of the site that we never would have achieved alone with our guide books. Our learnings continued when he brought us to the museum. We highly recommend Paestum to others and also highly recommend this tour. It was obvious that Mario is highly knowledgeable and also has a passion for this site.
Our guide Mario gave us an excellent tour. He explained multiple layers of the archeological finds at the park. We learned about the different ages of the temples, the differences among them, and to whom they were dedicated as well as other aspects of the site such as the market place, prison, forum, roads, and other buildings. Mario brought aspects of the Greek, Lucanian, & Roman cultures and building techniques into the tour as well. The Museum tour was an extention of the archeological findings at the park. I highly recommend taking this tour with Mario as the knowledge of an archeologist & information he provided enriched our experience greatly.
Amazing ruins. Nice museum. Wonderful guide, Mario, from Askos, not crowded, simple, inexpensive train ride from Salerno.
Mario was fantastic. Very clear English and his knowlwdge and insight was fantastic. He had a true passion for the history
Mario was very knowledgeable and made the tour worth every penny. It makes a tremendous difference having a live history book walk along with you.
Silvia was amazing and knowledgeable guide. Paestum itself was breathtaking and the museum was a fun surprise. So glad to have had this tour with her!
Went to Paestum with Maria as my archaeological guide. She was incredibly knowledgeable and lovely and was able to answer my many questions. She added lots of historical information which helped the site come to life and place it in context. I highly recommend her.
Mario was fantastic! He was fun and open minded, and down to earth! We told him our time constraints and limitations and he perfectly adjusted the whole tour to our needs. We enjoyed the way he presented the information and made it very interesting. Ask for Mario you don't be disappointed!! Also we found a cab driver, Antonio at the train station who held our bags and met us at a specified time to take us back to the train station. The whole day was perfect.
We valued Ivan’s expert knowledge and passion for the site. He provided just the right amount of context and detail and answered all our questions. He brought humor to the tour and understood how to make the experience interesting and accessible. It was a privilege for us to take in the wonders of Paestum with him as our guide. A very memorable time.
On this trip to Italy, we visited Rome, Naples, and the towns along the Amalfi coast. We made a special trip to Paestum, which turned out to be one of the highlights of our vacation. It is not overrun with tourists, so you are actually able to really get a good look at the temples, which are spectacular. It is astonishing that after 2,000 years they are still in very good shape. We decided to book a private guide, which turned out great. Our guide, Carmen, was very knowledgeable and interesting and we had a great discussion about the temples. Note: After you finish visiting the temples, you will probably want lunch. There are restaurants at the edge of the site at the edge of the parking lot. Luckily, our taxi driver told us about La Basilica Cafe Paestum, which is behind the parking lot. We got a Margarita pizza, which was very good. It is not as congested as the first restaurant you see when walking from the ruins.
Silvia was excellent with her knowledge of Paestum history. She was very helpful on the tour and was sincere. Thank you again Silvia
Our tour guide Maria from Arkos was terrific. She was extremely knowledgeable and pleasant. Paestum was a terrific experience and a hidden gem for Greek and Roman ruins.
An excellent visit with Silvia today. The archeological site is really great and the visit was very interesting
We spent 5 hours in this park, mostly in awe with our mouths open. Fantastic historical/herstorical UNESCO site. We will come to wander another day.
If you enjoy ancient history and ruins, this is the place. We hired Lucia, our English-speaking guide to take us through the site. These ruins pre-date Pompeii. There are three GREEK temples at the site as well as those of some Roman eta structure. It was great having a guide explaining the area. We drove through on our way to Sicily but there is a train from Naples that takes a little over an hour.
Sergio was amazing guide full of enthusiasm. He went into great detail the history of the period through Greek and Roman periods. We left with a full understanding of Paestum and are thankful to have such a wonderful guide
The guide MARIO is the Oracle of Delphi of Paestum, talented, friendly, professional, and very competent. We hope to find him again on other tours, thank you
A truly thorough and very interesting visit led by Mario, a very knowledgeable guide.
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!
Visit very interesting, the guide gave us a lot of information , nice dynamic great choice thanks to Maria
Despite the unfavorable weather we managed to enjoy an engaging visit to the archaeological area and museum of Paestum, accompanied by Mario: kind, professional, prepared. The temples are wonderful!
Many thanks to Mario, very knowledgeable guide, who made the visit extremely pleasant and rich in details. Very positive experience and highly recommend it.
We spent two hours together with the guide, Mrs. Angela Puca, extremely prepared and passionate. With his immediate sympathy he helped us memorize events and characters from historical periods spanning 2500 years. Hilarious anecdotes related to current events. Visit Paestum and Velia!
The Doric temples of Paestum are spectacular, but with Camillo they become a real journey through time. His passion and clear explanations bring the ancient city to life through history, art and curiosity. A visit not to be missed!
Wonderful archaeological site and museum full of incredible pieces, accompanied by Mario, a very prepared guide, who accompanied us for almost 3 hours. Experience that we recommend
Camillo (our guide) was very good, indeed superlative. Apart from the fact that the visit lasted well over the 2 hours scheduled, Camillo tackles this work with passion, which he is able to transmit even to the less experienced, he also explains everything perfectly, in a simple but detailed and exhaustive way. It was like taking a dip in antiquity, like watching a movie and diving into the past, made us live an unparalleled historical experience. His tales and detailed descriptions transported us to another dimension! Very cultured and experienced guide, Camillo really gave us an unforgettable experience. The site of Paestum has nothing to envy to Pompeii, we are talking about an immense and exceptional historical era. Thank you, we will cherish this visit, it was an important cultural enrichment and absolutely to experience.
The temples are magnificent and imposing, the site very well maintained. Maria our guide was very good. It fascinated and amused us.
In addition to the good fortune to have had this experience on a breezy sunny day, ideal for walking in the wonderful archaeological park of Paestum, we had perhaps the best guide. Camillo took us on an authentic journey into the past. It was really exhaustive, never boring, serious and fun at the same time. Capable of alternating whimsical anecdotes with the seriousness of the story that surrounds Paestum, Pompeii and Herculaneum. He really gave us his passion. I highly recommend the guided tour in general.
Tour led by Camillo. we took a step back in time, almost reliving moments of the ancient history of Paestum! Very prepared and smart driver. Experience highly recommended!
Extremely recommended the tour with the guide Camillo Sorrentino, a professional who transmits passion to every word. He was able to immerse us fully in the ancient world that these wonderful ruins represent.
We visited the Park and the Archaeological Museum of Paestum with the guide Ivan, who illustrated everything with great passion and professionalism, clarity in the exhibition, but at the same time ease and sympathy, involving us a bit 'also in his personal experience as an archaeologist. Absolutely to repeat and recommend to everyone! ☺️
Mario was very kind, the tour extremely recommended. Visiting certain places with an expert able to tell with passion and competence what is in front of you, makes the experience truly unique.
Pleasant surprise, I was surprised by the care and beauty of the surroundings, both the museum, the ruins and the church and surroundings.
Spectacular stunning archaeological site. Guided tour with the archaeologist Fiorenza M. Very good at explaining the museum and the archaeological site helpful and nice. To book absolutely!!!
Beautiful experience the Great Guide and very professional and prepared.We lived an experience to remember
Archaeologist Ivan Tornese (Akos Tours) was an exceptional Guide: he accompanied us for two and a half hours to discover a fascinating site (and museum) with competence and passion. Not a series of pitted notions, but a story that plunged us into history from the founding of the city to the present day, with details of the really interesting finds. We could not ask for more!
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