Nov/Dec 2019 – Naples with a day trip to my favorite Archaeological site, Paestum

I just love Naples! The food is… well, right up my alley! Fried snacks like arancini and frittatine, absolutely amazing pizza all over the city (I love pizza a portafoglio; folded pizza), so many sweet treats, olives, salami, seafood… the list goes on and on. I just ate but I’m hungry just thinking about it. Possibly the most incredible part is how affordable everything is though, well unless you’re like me and just can’t help yourself… if you compare the costs below to other stops you’ll see I spent more here than some others; but it was a lot of food! I think it’s a combination of me liking the food so much and the way it’s so convenient. I have a bad habit of not wanting to stop and sit down to eat a meal, so the street food in Naples is perfect!

The city has so much character too; street markets all around the city, the energy of all the people in the streets in fantastic! You can also find all the luxurious, and regular, shopping, but the markets feed such life into the city you’d really be missing out if you didn’t walk through a few. There’s also quite a large influence from all kinds of artists. I guess that’s why the city is making many of the subway/metro stations into works of art. They’re expanding the reach of the system and beautifying some of the existing stations; It should be really nice. 

Then there’s the incredible history and gorgeous views… so many beautiful old churches, some cool castles, and the view of the city, bay, and Mount Vesuvius from up around Castel Sant’Elmo and Belvedere San Martino are breathtaking. I’m really looking forward to my next visit!

To top off all this awesome city has to offer, it’s also great for day trips. My favorite archaeological site Paestum is only about 1 hr. 15 mins. by train (the 3 temples there are stunning), Pompeii is even closer, at just a little over 30 mins. by train, and there are also connections by boat, train, bus, or combinations of, to the Amalfi Coast. Oh, and there are express trains to Rome that will get you there in about an hour.

And now a little look at costs for this stop… 

This was a 7-night stay…

  • Accommodation (Airbnb) I expect to find similar rates when booking for longer term in smaller towns, but this was an incredible deal for a single week right in the city center. –  $267.08
  • Getting around locally (I used the metro a little here) and day trip trains to and from Paestum – $33.16
  • Living expenses, including the day trip (groceries, eating out, entertainment, etc.) – $236.69
  • Mobile phones (I’m carrying a US line and an Italian one) – $10.36
  • SafetyWing Insurance – $14.94

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  • Total $562.23 / 7 nights = $80.32 per 

As usual; transportation in and out can be a big expense and I feel that would vary too much so I’ve left it out, along with any incidental/one time personal costs. Please, let me know what you think. I really appreciate your feedback!

*Some costs are approximate as I converted local currency to USD after the trip so there will be a slight variation from the real-time conversion.

Naples Italy

Paestum Italy

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