Deep-dive

Visiting Salerno: cathedral, historic centre, Arechi Castle, Luci d'Artista

The medieval historic centre is visited on foot: the cathedral with Saint Matthew's crypt, via dei Mercanti with the Virtual Museum of the Medical School, the Minerva Garden. Above the city, Arechi Castle with its archaeological museum. In winter, the Luci d'Artista. Overnight visitors pay the tourist tax; from the Costa d'Amalfi airport the Salerno Airlink bus reaches the city.

Sections: Attractions · Museums · Nature · Itineraries · Excursions · Accessible visits

Cathedral (Duomo): built between 1080 and 1085 at the behest of Robert Guiscard; the crypt holds the remains of the patron Saint Matthew; the bell tower is rich in biblical symbolism.
Historic centre: a medieval layout restored after the 1980 earthquake; the places pointed out by the national tourism portal include the church of the Annunziata and piazza Flavio Gioia.
Virtual Museum of the Salerno Medical School, via dei Mercanti 74: an interactive, multimedia route through the School's history, accessible to people with disabilities.
Minerva Garden (Giardino della Minerva): a garden of cultivated plants, with a ticket that also covers the Virtual Museum of the Salerno Medical School and the «E. Papi» Museum.
Arechi Castle: at about 300 metres on Monte Bonadies, with an archaeological museum displaying ceramics and other finds and a terrace over the gulf.

Luci d'Artista

The Luci d'Artista are light installations set up over the Christmas period along a route through the historic centre, corso Vittorio Emanuele, the Villa Comunale and piazza Flavio Gioia.

Tourist tax and arrival

Anyone staying overnight in Salerno who is not resident there pays the tourist tax (imposta di soggiorno), collected by the accommodation, per person per night, with amounts that vary by type of accommodation and time of year, up to a maximum of seven consecutive nights. Exemptions include children up to their twelfth year and University of Salerno students staying for study or research. A resolution of April 2026 raised the rates from 1 June 2026: the current amounts are on the Comune's website.

From Salerno Costa d'Amalfi e del Cilento airport, the Salerno Airlink bus reaches Salerno station in about 30 minutes, with times tied to flights; it needs its own ticket, because regional passes and tickets are not valid.