Best Things to Do in Puglia: 18 Places by Area

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Puglia is a long region of four separate areas: the Gargano promontory in the north, the Bari coast, the Valle d'Itria with its trulli, and the Salento peninsula in the south. The 18 places below are grouped by area, with a note on which ones need a car. A week covers two or three of them.

At a glance

How long: five days for Bari, the Valle d'Itria and Lecce; seven to ten days if you add the Gargano or the far south. See how many days to plan for Puglia.
Airports: Bari and Brindisi. See the Bari airport guide.
No car needed: Bari, Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, Lecce, and with patience Alberobello, Otranto and Gallipoli.
Car needed: the Gargano, Castel del Monte, the small Valle d'Itria towns, the Salento coast roads and Santa Maria di Leuca.
Booking: nothing below needs booking unless the entry says so.
Matera is in Basilicata, not Puglia. See the Matera guide.

If you are short on time

For a first trip of five days or less, the order of priority is: Lecce, Alberobello with one quieter Valle d'Itria town, Polignano a Mare or Monopoli, Bari Vecchia, Ostuni, Otranto.

Skip the Gargano on a short trip. It is a long drive north of Bari and deserves three days of its own. Skip Santa Maria di Leuca unless you are already driving the Salento coast, and the Tremiti islands unless you have a spare day.

Gargano: the north (car needed)

The Gargano is the spur of the Italian boot. Most of it lies inside the Gargano National Park, founded in 1991, which covers 118,144 hectares and includes the Tremiti islands. Roads are slow and buses between the sights are few. See the Gargano National Park guide.

1. Vieste and the coast by boat

Vieste is a white old town on a headland above a long beach. The coast between Vieste and Mattinata is cliffs, sea caves and coves, usually seen on a half-day boat trip from Vieste harbor. Time: one day. Booking: reserve the boat a day or two ahead in July and August; outside those months you can book on the quay. See the Vieste guide.

2. Monte Sant'Angelo

A hill town built around the Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo, a cave church that has drawn pilgrims since the early Middle Ages. Monte Sant'Angelo is one of the seven places in the UNESCO site "Longobards in Italy", listed in 2011. The bronze doors of the sanctuary were made in Constantinople in 1076. Time: two to three hours.

3. Foresta Umbra

An old beech forest in the middle of the promontory, cool even in August. Part of it joined the UNESCO site of ancient European beech forests in 2017. There are marked walking loops and no entry fee. Time: half a day.

4. Tremiti islands

A small archipelago off the Gargano coast, visited for snorkelling and a boat circuit. Ferries run all year only from Termoli, in Molise, in about one hour. From Vieste and Peschici the boats are seasonal, roughly April to September, and take about an hour and a half. Time: a full day, or one night. Booking: buy ferry tickets ahead in July and August. See the Tremiti islands guide.

Bari and the coast (mostly no car)

Trenitalia regional trains run along the Adriatic line through Barletta, Bari, Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, Fasano, Ostuni, Brindisi and Lecce. Bari is the hub; see the Bari guide.

5. Bari Vecchia and the Basilica of San Nicola

Bari's old town is a compact maze of lanes on a peninsula between two harbors. Its main monument is the Basilica of San Nicola, built between 1087 and 1197 to hold the relics of Saint Nicholas, which arrived in Bari on 9 May 1087. It is a pilgrimage church for Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Time: half a day. More in the guide to Bari Vecchia.

6. Polignano a Mare

A small town built on top of sea cliffs, with a pebble cove, Lama Monachile, cutting into the center. It is crowded from late morning in summer; go early or in the evening. Time: two to three hours, longer with a swim. See how to get from Bari to Polignano a Mare.

7. Monopoli

The next stop down the line. Monopoli has a working fishing harbor, a walled old town and small town beaches. It has fewer day trippers than Polignano and is a better base. Time: half a day. See the Monopoli guide.

8. Castellana caves

A show cave system inland from Monopoli, discovered in 1938 and visited only on guided tours. There are two routes: a partial tour of about 1 km and 50 minutes, and a complete tour of about 3 km and 100 minutes that reaches the Grotta Bianca. At the ticket office in 2026 the partial tour costs 22 euro and the complete tour 25 euro; children aged 6 to 14 pay 19 and 22 euro, and children up to 5 enter free. It is about 16.5 degrees inside. Booking: online tickets must be bought by the day before; same-day tickets are sold at the desk until places run out. Car: easier with one. Details on the Castellana caves page.

9. Castel del Monte

An octagonal castle on a hill in the Murgia, built for Emperor Frederick II and completed in 1240. It has an octagonal tower at each corner and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The interior is bare. Time: one to one and a half hours on site. Booking: check hours, ticket price and parking on the official site of the Puglia state museums before you go. Car: needed. See the Castel del Monte guide.

10. Trani

A harbor town north of Bari with a pale Romanesque cathedral standing alone at the edge of the sea. Time: two hours. It combines with Castel del Monte on the same day by car. See the Trani guide.

Valle d'Itria: trulli and white towns (car helps)

The Valle d'Itria is the low plateau between Bari, Brindisi and Taranto. Ferrovie del Sud Est runs the Bari to Martina Franca and Taranto line through it, and the Alberobello tourist office notes that you may need to change at Putignano. Check the FSE timetable for the day you travel, and do not assume a Sunday service.

11. Alberobello

The town with two whole districts of trulli, the dry-stone houses with conical roofs. UNESCO counts 1,030 trulli in Rione Monti and 590 in Rione Aia Piccola. Rione Monti is lined with souvenir shops; Aia Piccola is residential and quieter. The streets are free to walk. Time: two to three hours. FSE buses stop about ten minutes on foot from the center. See the Alberobello trulli guide and how to get from Bari to Alberobello.

12. Locorotondo, Cisternino and Martina Franca

Three hill towns a short drive apart. Locorotondo is a small circular old town, Cisternino is known for its butcher-grills, and Martina Franca is larger, with baroque palaces. None has a ticketed sight. Time: one to two hours each. Car: needed to link them. See the Locorotondo and Cisternino guides.

13. Ostuni

The "white town", a whitewashed old center on a hill above a plain of olive trees, a few kilometers inland. Time: half a day, best in the late afternoon. Ostuni has a station on the Adriatic line, but it is outside the town, so check the connecting bus. See the Ostuni guide.

Salento: Lecce and the far south (train to the towns, car for the coast)

Salento is the heel of the boot. Lecce is the base. FSE lines link Lecce with Otranto and Gallipoli, but the beaches and the coast road need a car. See how to get from Bari to Lecce.

14. Lecce

The baroque city of the south, built in soft, heavily carved local stone. The main churches are sold on one ticket by the LeccEcclesiae circuit: the cathedral, Santa Croce, Santa Chiara, San Matteo and the old seminary with its museum. As of November 2026 the full ticket costs 11 euro, or 21 euro with the cathedral bell tower, and it is valid for 15 days. The sites open daily from 9:00, to 21:00 in summer and 18:00 in winter. Time: one full day. See the Lecce guide.

15. Otranto

A walled port on the Adriatic. The cathedral, consecrated in 1088, has a floor mosaic made between 1163 and 1165 by a team led by the monk Pantaleon. A chapel holds the bones of the townspeople killed after the Ottoman siege of 1480. Time: half a day, or a day with a swim. See the Otranto guide.

16. Grotta della Poesia and the Adriatic coast

North of Otranto, at Roca Vecchia, the sea has opened two sinkholes in the rock next to an archaeological site. From the 2026 season the site has an entry ticket of 5 euro, and swimming, diving and entering the caves are not allowed: you look down from marked paths. Summer hours were 9:00 to 20:00 in July and 9:00 to 19:00 in August and September. Time: 45 minutes. For swimming see the best beaches in Puglia.

17. Gallipoli

A fishing town on the Ionian side. The old town sits on a small island joined to the mainland by a bridge, with sand beaches to the south. Time: half a day. In August it is the party center of Salento, crowded and loud at night. See the Gallipoli guide.

18. Santa Maria di Leuca

The southern tip of Puglia: a lighthouse and a sanctuary. The reason to go is the drive, either down the Adriatic cliffs from Otranto or up the Ionian beaches towards Gallipoli. Time: a full day with the coast. The Lecce and Salento coast itinerary has the route.

How to group them by day

Three days, no car: day one Bari Vecchia; day two Polignano a Mare and Monopoli by train; day three Alberobello. See the three-day Puglia itinerary.
Five days: add Lecce for two nights, with Otranto as a day out. See the five-day itinerary.
Seven days with a car: three nights near Monopoli or in the Valle d'Itria for items 6 to 13, three nights in Lecce for 14 to 18. See the seven-day itinerary.
Ten days: put three nights in the Gargano at the start. See the Puglia road trip.

For bases, read where to stay in Puglia; for the overview, the Puglia travel guide.

What to book ahead and what not to

Book: a rental car for June to September, as early as you book flights.
Book: Castellana caves online by the day before in summer, Tremiti ferries in July and August, and the Gargano coast boat in August.
Do not book: the towns, which are free to walk, or the Lecce church ticket, sold on the spot.
Watch for limited traffic zones. Old towns such as Bari Vecchia, Lecce and Ostuni restrict cars; park outside and walk.
July and August are hot and full; see the best time to visit Puglia.

Questions travelers ask

Do you need a car in Puglia?

Not for everything. Trenitalia regional trains on the Adriatic line stop at Barletta, Bari, Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, Fasano, Ostuni, Brindisi and Lecce, and Ferrovie del Sud Est links Bari with Alberobello and Lecce with Otranto and Gallipoli. You need a car for the Gargano, Castel del Monte, the small Valle d'Itria towns and the Salento coast roads.

Is Matera in Puglia?

No. Matera is in Basilicata, the region west of Puglia. It is close to Bari, so many trips combine the two, but it is a separate region with its own transport links.

Which sights in Puglia are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?

The trulli of Alberobello and Castel del Monte are World Heritage Sites in their own right. Monte Sant'Angelo is part of the site Longobards in Italy, listed in 2011, and the Foresta Umbra in the Gargano joined the ancient European beech forests site in 2017.

How much do the Castellana caves cost?

At the ticket office in 2026 the partial tour of about 1 km costs 22 euro and the complete tour of about 3 km costs 25 euro. Children aged 6 to 14 pay 19 and 22 euro, and children up to 5 enter free. Online tickets have to be bought by the day before the visit.

Can you swim at the Grotta della Poesia?

No. From the 2026 season the site at Roca Vecchia has a 5 euro entry ticket, and swimming, diving and entering the caves are not allowed. Visitors look at the two sinkholes from marked paths above.

How do you get to the Tremiti islands?

By ferry. The only route that runs all year leaves from Termoli, in Molise, and takes about one hour. Boats from Vieste and Peschici on the Gargano run roughly from April to September and take about an hour and a half.

Sources

More Puglia guides

Author: the TourLeaderPro.com editorial team, a network of tour leaders and registered tourist guides in Italy.

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Best things to do in Puglia: 18 places by area, and which need a car