Map › Italy › Agropoli & Paestum › Paestum

Campania · Capaccio Paestum, Salerno · Salerno · Capaccio Paestum

Paestum

also known as Torre di Paestum, Licinella, Licinella-Torre di Paestum

beginner-friendlymedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Agropoli 4 km · Case del Conte 18 km · Battipaglia / Baia dei Delfini 21 km · Marina di Casal Velino 29 km · Cetara 38 km · straight-line distance

SeasonApr to Septhe months riders and schools name How windyno knot figure publishedmixed Launchlargeaccess rules on record, below Watersea26.9°C in summer · 8 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools4named at this spot From the airport32 minCosta d'Amalfi Airport (QSR)

When it fills in

Nothing here runs to a timetable. The summer sea breeze is the westerly thermal and it is already weak this far south, so the days that deliver are the synoptic ones — Maestrale, Ponente, Libeccio — and those can be in at any hour and hold overnight.

Paestum is a long sandy beach on the Gulf of Salerno, near the Greek temples, and it works for kite, wingfoil and windsurf. The water is shallow with chop and small waves; on a sandy bottom the swell stands up, so a session can be flat one day and a beach break the next.

NW Maestrale comes in side-shore, W to NW Ponente runs side-shore to onshore, and SW Libeccio also works. SE Scirocco and S Ostro are the unresolved part: reportedly side to side-on into the bay, and just as plausibly blocked from it, so treat a south forecast as a maybe. The required level is contested too.

Shore break, currents in strong wind and a summer beach full of swimmers are enough reason for a first-timer not to ride here alone. April to September are the months, though the westerly summer thermal is already weak this far down the coast.

Check the current Agropoli and Capaccio Paestum corridor and swimming-zone rules before rigging in bathing season; no readable 2026 text was found.

The wind

locals call it Maestrale, Ponente, Libeccio, Scirocco, Ostro

Direction

cross-onNW

Character

mixed

fills in: Nothing here runs to a timetable. The summer sea breeze is the westerly thermal and it is already weak this far south, so the days that deliver are the synoptic ones — Maestrale, Ponente, Libeccio — and those can be in at any hour and hold overnight.

Exposed sandy coast with workable wind from several sectors, but how well SE/S winds enter the bay is unresolved.

April through September are the best months. The westerly summer thermal is already much weaker here, though Maestrale and south-sector systems remain workable.

Strength

No knot figure is published for this spot.

Direction to shore

NW Maestrale runs side-shore and SE Ostro side to side-on. W to NW is also given as side-shore to onshore on this west-facing coast.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan45
Feb34
Mar35
Apr, riders' month41
May, riders' month28
Jun, riders' month21
Jul, riders' month30
Aug, riders' month24
Sep, riders' month38
Oct22
Nov37
Dec31

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.

11Jan16°
10Feb15°
11Mar15°
11Apr17°
10May20°
10Jun24°
11Jul28°
10Aug28°
11Sep26°
9Oct24°
11Nov21°
9Dec18°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	45%	11 kt	NE	10.3°C	16.3°C
Feb	34%	10.1 kt	SSE	10.6°C	15°C
Mar	35%	10.7 kt	S	11.7°C	15.3°C
Apr	41%	10.8 kt	SSW	14.2°C	16.9°C
May	28%	9.9 kt	SSW	18.8°C	20.1°C
Jun	21%	9.8 kt	SW	23.7°C	24.4°C
Jul	30%	10.5 kt	SW	27.2°C	27.9°C
Aug	24%	10.1 kt	SW	26.6°C	28.3°C
Sep	38%	10.5 kt	SSW	22.8°C	25.9°C
Oct	22%	8.6 kt	E	19.9°C	23.6°C
Nov	37%	10.9 kt	ENE	15.2°C	20.8°C
Dec	31%	9.3 kt	ENE	12.4°C	17.9°C

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

sea

Standing depth

progressive shallow entry near shore

Tides

not tide-dependent

Temperature

26.9°C summer · 15.7°C winter

Wetsuit

Summer water is warm; winter water is cool to cold, so a wetsuit is normally needed. Exact thickness was not sourced.

Currents

Coastal currents are reported in strong winds.

15–28°C water

Long sandy beach on the Gulf of Salerno / Cilento coast, with shallow water, chop and small waves; the sandy bottom favors wave motion. Conditions range from flat water to beach break depending on wind strength.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Grading is split between any level and intermediate-required. The shallow, choppy, small-wave water is forgiving in itself, but shore break, currents in strong wind and summer beach users mean a beginner should be with an instructor.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridewavefreestylewingfoilwindsurf

Tourist beach near the Paestum archaeological area; busy in summer.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: large

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Agropoli, 4 km

Agropoli Case del Conte Battipaglia / Baia dei Delfini

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

VHF channel 16

No kite-specific rescue was found, and no lifeguard arrangement covering the kite beach. In an emergency on the water the call is 1530, free and answered day and night, or the Agropoli coastguard operations room on 0974 825201; VHF channel 16 reaches the nearest maritime authority.

Launch

Long sandy beach, with a spot on the wide beach in front of Hotel Parco dei Principi offering private parking, bar, restaurant and lawn for packing gear. Free parking is available elsewhere, though some designated parking is paid in summer.

Space

large

Rules & access

2025 season order 35/2025 of the Agropoli maritime district, which covers Capaccio Paestum along with Agropoli, Castellabate and the Cilento communes: through the bathing season — the third Saturday of May to the third Sunday of September, or longer where the regional season is longer — the sea within 200 m of the beach is reserved for bathers between 08:00 and 20:00, and no craft may sail, anchor or stop inside it, kitesurf and windsurf named explicitly.

Crossing that band is done only through a marked launch corridor: at least 10 m wide, square to the shore, running to the outer limit of the bathing water, red buoys every 20 m over the first 100 m and every 50 m after that, white flags on the outermost pair, and minimum steerage speed inside it.

Kitesurf itself is governed by a separate standing order of the same office, n. 20/2016 of 29 April 2016 as amended, whose text was not obtained; nor was a 2026 season order. Emergency at sea: 1530, free and answered around the clock, the Agropoli coastguard operations room on 0974 825201, or VHF channel 16.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Rig on the wide beach in front of Hotel Parco dei Principi if you want private parking, a bar and lawn to pack on; free parking exists elsewhere, and some marked bays are paid in summer.
Check the shore break before you commit on a day with westerly swell.
Treat SE and S forecasts as unconfirmed here and have a second spot in mind.
Ride with a school in July and August: swimming zones are marked and the beach is busy.
Bring a wetsuit outside summer. Winter water sits around 15.7 C.
From the third Saturday of May to the third Sunday of September the first 200 m of water is bathers-only between 08:00 and 20:00; the legal way through is a marked launch corridor, so find the red buoys before you rig.
Save 1530 in your phone. It is the free 24-hour sea emergency number, and the Agropoli operations room is 0974 825201.

Getting there

Airport

Salerno Costa d'Amalfi Airport (QSR); Naples International Airport (NAP) is the larger gateway.

Route

Drive south from Salerno on the A3, then follow signs to Paestum and the beach. Salerno Airport to Paestum is a 29 km drive, about 32 minutes; Naples is the main broader gateway.

Transfer

32 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Beach hotels, campsites and holiday rentals around Licinella-Torre di Paestum and Capaccio Paestum. Hotel Parco dei Principi is on the kite beach itself.

No-wind days

Paestum archaeological park and museum, Cilento / Vallo di Diano UNESCO area, and the wider Gulf of Salerno / Amalfi Coast.

Photos

ISS astronaut photo looking straight down on the long sandy Paestum/Capaccio beach and the Gulf of Salerno sea meeting it — Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Paestum suitable for beginners?

Some sources list it for any level thanks to the shallow, choppy water, while others recommend intermediate ability because of shore break, currents in strong wind and summer beach traffic.

What is the wind like?

NW Maestrale is reported side-shore and SE/Ostro side to side-on; Ponente and Libeccio also work, though the summer westerly thermal is weaker here than elsewhere on the coast.

When is the best time?

April through September.

What are the hazards?

Shore break in westerly swell, coastal currents in strong wind, and busy summer beach users, with south and southeast wind quality disputed between sources.

Where can you launch?

A wide sandy beach with a spot in front of Hotel Parco dei Principi offering private parking, bar, restaurant and lawn for packing gear; free parking exists elsewhere.

Last updated: August 2026