Key facts
Apulia at a glance
Areas and places
Apulia area by area
Each area has its own page, with its own character, plans and map.
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Getaways from Bari
Plan the trip
Apulia, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Apulia
May, June, September and October: the sea is already warm, the olive groves and almond trees are green and the heat is bearable. July and August are very hot and the Salento coast fills with Italian holidaymakers. From November to March the villages are quiet and cheap, but many masserie and almost everything beach-related close.
How you travel
Apulia your way
The ways of travelling that suit Apulia. We are writing a guide to each one: where to stay, how to get around and which services you will need.
By carBy plane
Nearby
Near Apulia
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
39.62° N · 19.92° E
Ionian Islands
By carBy planeCampingBackpackingCar-freeLuxuryOn foot
39.87° N · 20.70° E
Epirus
By carBy planeOn footBy motorbike
40.73° N · 14.43° E
Campania
By planeCar-freeLuxuryOn foot
43.10° N · 17.10° E
Dalmatia
By carBy planeBy campervanCampingBackpackingCar-freeLuxuryBy bike
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Sleep in a masseria or a trullo
It's the Apulian experience. Masserie often have a pool, their own kitchen and oil from their own olive trees.
- 2Alberobello first thing or at sunset
By mid-morning the coach groups arrive. Sleep in the town or nearby and walk it when it's quiet.
- 3Choose the sea by the wind
In the Salento, if the wind blows from the north the Ionian is calm, and if it blows from the south, the Adriatic is. Switch coasts according to the day.
- 4Eat in the street in Bari
In the old town, orecchiette dried outside people's front doors are sold, and sgagliozza, fried polenta, at the stalls.
From the Gargano to Leuca is more than four hours by car. With less than a week, choose the centre or the south.
Which part of Apulia should you choose?
Apulia is the heel of Italy's boot: a long, flat region with more than 800 kilometres of coastline between the Adriatic and the Ionian, thousand-year-old olive trees, masserie (fortified farms, many now converted into places to stay) and a simple cuisine of orecchiette, burrata and raw fish. It divides into three areas that are best not mixed in just a few days.
The centre, between Bari and Ostuni, is the Apulia of the trulli. The Itria Valley is dotted with dry-stone houses with conical roofs: those of Alberobello, a World Heritage Site, are the most famous, and Locorotondo, Cisternino and Martina Franca are quieter white villages. Ostuni, the white city, looks out to sea from its hill. On the coast, Polignano a Mare hangs over cliffs and Monopoli has an old harbour. Bari, the capital, has an old town with the Basilica of St Nicholas and women making orecchiette by hand in the street.
The south is the Salento, the peninsula between two seas. Lecce is the capital of pale-stone Baroque; Otranto has a cathedral with an enormous mosaic on the floor; Gallipoli is an old town on an island. Between Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca the coast is cliffs and coves, and on the Ionian side, long sandy beaches. It's the most beach-oriented part of Apulia.
The north is the Gargano, the spur of the boot: a promontory of forests and white cliffs with towns such as Vieste and Peschici, and a national park. And inland in the province of Bari is Castel del Monte, the octagonal castle of Frederick II, a World Heritage Site. Just across the border in Basilicata, Matera, the city of caves, is a good hour from Bari and combines very well with the Itria Valley.
For a week, a good split: three nights in the Itria Valley or at a masseria near Ostuni, with Polignano and Matera as day trips, and three or four in Lecce or the Salento.
How do you get there from Spain?
By plane, to Bari or Brindisi. Bari has direct flights from Madrid, Valencia, Seville, Málaga, Alicante, Ibiza and Girona, among others; Brindisi, from Madrid. Bari is better for the centre, the Itria Valley, the Gargano and Matera. Brindisi is closer to the Salento: Lecce is about forty kilometres away.
You can fly into one and out of the other if you're travelling from north to south. By train, there are direct trains from Rome to Bari in about four hours.
How do you get around Apulia?
By car. It's the most practical option: the masserie, coves and many villages are far from the stations. The region is flat and the roads are good; the coastal dual carriageway between Bari and Lecce is free, and the A14 motorway, which runs up towards Foggia and down towards Taranto, is tolled. Historic centres have limited traffic zones: park outside.
Without a car it's possible, with patience. Trenitalia links Bari, Monopoli, Ostuni, Brindisi and Lecce along the coast. The Ferrovie del Sud Est run from Bari to Alberobello, Locorotondo and Martina Franca, and from Lecce to Otranto and Gallipoli, with sparser timetables than Trenitalia's. The Ferrovie Appulo Lucane train goes to Matera from Bari.
When should you go and what does it cost?
May, June, September and October. In late spring the countryside is green and the sea warms up; in September the water is warm and the coast empties. July and August are very hot, and in August the Salento is full of Italians on holiday, with high prices and crowded beaches. In winter the villages are quiet and cheap, but almost everything beach-related and many masserie close.
Apulia is one of the most affordable regions in Italy for eating. For sleeping there's everything: from trulli and village houses to rent, to luxury masserie with a pool. In August, on the Salento coast, prices soar.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need for Apulia?
A week for the Itria Valley and the Salento. Ten days if you add the Gargano or Matera at an easy pace.
Should I fly to Bari or Brindisi?
To Bari for the Itria Valley, Polignano, the Gargano and Matera. To Brindisi for Lecce and the Salento. Bari has more flights from Spain.
Do I need a car in Apulia?
It's highly recommended. Without a car you can do Bari, Polignano, Ostuni, Lecce and Alberobello by train, but the masserie and coves are out of reach.
Where are the best beaches?
In the Salento: sand on the Ionian side, near Gallipoli and Porto Cesareo, and rocky coves between Otranto and Leuca. In the north, those of the Gargano.
Can you sleep in a trullo?
Yes. In Alberobello and the Itria Valley there are many restored trulli that are rented as a house or as a hotel room.
Is Matera in Apulia?
No, it's in Basilicata, but a good hour from Bari. It's easy to visit from the Itria Valley.