All you need to know to make the most of your stay in Bari and the surrounding area: the best things to do in Bari and surrounding area, the best day trips, tours and experiences, based on my own travels.
Puglia is one of my favourite places in Southern Italy and the area of Bari is my favourite in Puglia, a place I can visit and over again and never tire of.
The area has the vibrancy of the South of Italy, strong Mediterranean aesthetic, incredible art and food; however, it has a quiet and understated elegance that makes it unique and gives it a feel that is worlds away from the busy chaos of Naples or the glam yet loud vibes of Amalfi Coast.
To me it is a real paradise made of shades of olive green, azure and white and no matter the season, I always have some of my best vacations here!
This is my guide to making the most of a stay in Bari and surrounding area, based on my many trips to the area with (and without!) my kids.
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Why stay in Bari area
Several reasons make me say that the area of Bari is one of the best to stay in Puglia.
First and foremost: the Bari area is stunning. The city of Bari is beautiful, the coastline is incredible, the countryside is relaxing and pretty, its landscape made of olive groves, dry stone walls and vineyards producing some of the most distinctive wines in Italy.
Also, from here, you can take easy day trips to a variety of destinations: Valle d’Itria and its extraordinary trulli, the dramatic caves of Castellana, famous coastal towns like Polignano a Mare and the white town of Ostuni, a visitors’ favorite, is all within easy reach.
From here you can also easily visit the ancient cave city of Matera, just across the regional border.
In terms of logistics, this area is also one of the easiest to visit.
Bari is served by the high speed train, it has an airport and a port and while you want a car here to explore, it is a place that allows, to some extent, a car free experience (see below), something that cannot really be said about other parts of Puglia such as Salento.
Why not to stay in Bari area
The only reason not to pick this area for a stay is if logistics don’t allow for a sufficient number of days or easy transport. Ideally you want to give this area at least a week.
You can visit Bari and a few additional towns in this area by local train and bus, but if you are staying more than a couple of days, a car will become important.
I also do not recommend to stay here if you are mostly interested in Salento and its beaches. While not too far in terms of distances, the areas have a very different feel and I recommend to stay in each for what each has to offer instead of going back and forth.
Travel guide to the Bari area TL;DR
The area of Bari is an ideal base for people who want a mix of city life, countryside, coast and culture.
The best way to explore the wider area is by car. Discover Cars is my recommendation for rentals and you can choose to pick up the car from Bari airport or the station. Only some of the places area reasonable by train (see below)
The best seasons to visit are spring (April–June) and early autumn (September–October).
Summer is hot and busy on the coast but wonderful; avoid July and August if you dislike crowds. Winter and Christmas do not make for water activities but are a nice time to see some of the decorations and get a sense of local life.
Best cooking classes and experiences near Bari
Best places to stay in Bari area
Some of my favourite paces in this area area:
The best things to do in Bari area
Visit Bari
Any stay in this area begins with Bari itself.
Bari is the biggest city in the region and the second biggest in all of southern Italy, yet is has a compact center that makes is easy to visit and not overwhelming.
The key things to see in Bari Vecchia: the Basilica di San Nicola, one of the finest Romanesque churches in Italy and the final resting place of St Nicholas (yes, the real-life inspiration for Santa Claus); the Castello Normanno-Svevo, a magnificent Norman castle.
The lungomare, the long seafront promenade, is great for a classic passeggiata.
Bari is well known to tourism ans the street with the women rolling orecchiette (pasta) has become a social media darling, but the city is not yet overrun and still has a lot authenticity.
Its food is delicious so a food tour here is well worth it: you see the city with a local while munching on local delicacies. Hard to beat and one of the best things to do in Bari city!
Explore the Valle d’Itria
The Valle d’Itria, the Valley of the Trulli, is one of the most distinctive and beautiful landscapes in Italy, and a half-day or full day spent driving through it is one of the great pleasures of staying in this area.
Dusty green olive groves and vibrant vineyards, and white trullo houses under a deep blue sky are the thing I love the most about this area; it sparks in me the same joy as the rolling hills of Tuscany, with the added pleasure of being a place less seen, less airbrushed and with a true southern soul.
The trulli themselves are scattered across the whole valley, but Alberobello is where they gather in the greatest concentration and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Alberobello is overrun (go early in the morning or in the evening when the day-trippers thin out) but the sight of the Rioni Monti and Aia Piccola neighbourhoods tumbling down the hillside is genuinely unlike anything else in the world. Worth it every time. Find my guide to Alberobello here.
Beyond Alberobello, the valley rewards slow exploration by car.
Locorotondo is a beautifully circular hilltop village — its centre studded with the distinctive cummerse, typical dwellings with sloping limestone roofs, and its historic centre full of picturesque views, arches and artisan workshops that speak of traditions still very much alive.
Its local DOC white wine is wonderfully fresh and worth seeking out. I love Locorotondo, it feels like a gem each time we go! Find my guide to Locorotondo here.
Cisternino is another Borgo più bello d’Italia (most beautiful towns in Italy listed): like in Locorotondo, you don’t ‘do’ much here but rather: you lose yourself admiring the clock tower, the little flowered alleyways and the panoramic view over Val d’Itria from the local park.
Another stunning town in the area and with a very distinctive aesthetic and soul is Martina Franca. Locorotondo is my favorite and Martina is my husbands’ favorite!
Martina Franca is the most elegant town in the valley, with a beautiful Baroque centre and a lovely main piazza, perfect for aperitivo, a very east town to enjoy for an afternoon. You can find my guide to Martina Franca here.
Explore Polignano al mare
Polignano al Mare is one of the place that contributed most to making this area a magnet for overseas tourisms (if you noticed, many of the best things to do in Bari area listed above are here).
Its incredible cliffs plunging into the Mediterranean, with white houses perched on top of them as if emerging from the rock, are a sight to behold and photograph like and absolute dream.
Like all places that get onto the mass tourism track however, Polignano ha also suffered from its notoriety.
Once a town you discovered almost by chance, stunning in its unexpectedness, Polignano is now fully for tourists with photos stops, tuk tuk tours and a numbers of visitors that put it solidly onto the fast tourism lane.
That said, it is iso beautiful it is still very much worth seeing.
Super easy to reach form Bari by train, the town is a maze of whitewashed streets and a great place for a wander and beautiful views. Touristy yet popular and nice easy to visit is are with a tuk tuk tour or a boat trip You can find my guide to Polignano here.
Visit Ostuni
Ostuni, the Città Bianca, the White City, is another very famous location in the area and worth seeing.
Perched on hilltop with its cascade of lime-washed houses, it is one of the nicest towns in the area and also one of the best equipped for tourism: photos of dinners with a view have made it very popular and the number of visitors blossomed.
I’ll be honest with you: Ostuni has become too popular for me (my note about the best activities to in Bari applies to here too!); however, it is beautiful and one of those places that is famous for a reason so I still believe coming here is well worth it. You can find my guide to Ostuni here.
Ostuni makes a natural companion to a Valle d’Itria day or a stop on the way toward Matera.
Visit Monopoli
I absolutely love Monopoli.
To me, it perfectly captures the charm of Puglia’s Adriatic coast and while it is firmly on the tourist track, I still always found in it elements of authenticity that keep me coming back.
Its old town, a maze of whitewashed homes and cobblestone alleys, opens onto an adorable old port with colourful boats bobbing on the water.
My kids always have a blast here, exploring the car free center and the waterfront and the town is full of restaurants and informal eateries that make it really easy to enjoy. The town has a train too which means if you say few days, you can stay here without a car. You can find my guide to Monopoli here.
Visit Trani
Trani is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated towns in Puglia.
Somehow ignored by mass tourism, it has a stunning harbour with something special: an extraordinary cathedral that seems out of a dream.
Built using Trani stone in Romanesque style, it sits where you’d expect a lighthouse to be and it a simple, elegant and unforgettable sight.
Trani also has a big and picture-perfect harbour, full of all kinds of boats, surrounded by cafés and restaurants, ideal for a short stop or to call Trani home for a few days. You can find my guide to Trani here.
Visit Castel del Monte
About an hour from Bari, Castel del Monte is one of the most extraordinary and mysterious buildings in Italy: a perfectly octagonal 13th-century castle built by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II on a hilltop in the middle of nowhere, with no moat, no stables, no water source.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of those places that makes you stop and stare.
The interior is relatively bare but the building itself is the point: the geometry, the setting, the sheer peculiarity of it. Combine it with a visit to Trani for a very satisfying day.
Visit Gravina and Altamura
The coastline of Puglia often steals the spot but Puglia also has stunning towns inland that are real gems. Two I highly recommend are Gravina in Puglia and Altamura, both home to stunning and unexpected architecture.
Altamura is well known for it bread so if you come, make sure you give it a taste! It is called pane di Altamura and is not easily found far from here, so it is worth to seize the day and taste it where it is from!
Discover the Castellana Caves
The Castellana Caves, about a 40-minute drive from Bari, are one of the area’s most spectacular natural wonders.
The caves are a world of stalactites and stalagmites and area easy to access thanks to easy routes carves for visitors. The guided route stretches nearly two miles, winding past awe-inspiring chambers and culminating in the dazzling White Cave, famous for its almost ethereal glow.
A brilliant experience for all ages and a welcome escape from the heat in summer. This is one of my favorite things to do in Bari area with kids especially!
Visit the Fasano Zoo and Safari Park
One for families! Located in the area between Bari and Brindisi, the Fasano Zoo and Safari Park is one of the best and largest safari parks in Italy, with a drive-through safari and a traditional zoo section.
A wonderful full-day family excursion and a great option for days when the children need something different. This is one of my favorite things to recommend to families visiting Puglia with kids, just try come outside of school holidays for a chance of lower crowds as this places is popular with locals too!
Go wine tasting: Primitivo and Negroamaro
Puglia produces more wine than any other region in Italy and for a long time most of it went anonymously into blends elsewhere in Europe. That has changed dramatically, and the wines of Puglia are now rightly celebrated in their own right.
The two grapes to know are Primitivo (big, rich, warming, related to Zinfandel) and Negroamaro (earthy, complex, deeply southern Italian in character).
You will be able to taste wine everywhere in Puglia, in any restaurant, or if you are staying in a masseria: they usually make their own or offer wines from local producers, and can be a great way to discover labels you may otherwise not know. Organised experience like this one are also becoming popular, and are perfect especially if you are after that particular ‘summer in the vineyard’ aesthetic wineries do so well.
Take a day trip to Matera
Strictly speaking Matera is in Basilicata rather than Puglia, but it is close enough and makes for a wonderful day trip from Bari or, even better, an overnight stay.
Matera is a city of sassi, ancient cave dwellings carved into two ravines that have been continuously inhabited for 9,000 years. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and European Capital of Culture 2019, it is haunting, beautiful and completely unlike anywhere else. The sassi glow golden at sunset and the city at night, when the day-trippers have left, is breathtaking.
My strong recommendation: stay overnight in Matera rather than visiting as a day trip. The city reveals itself slowly and the magic of it is something you simply cannot experience in a few hours. Several of the cave hotels are extraordinary places to stay but anywhere in the sassy area is atmpsheric and unique. If you can only do it as a day trip, go early and stay as late as you possibly can. You can find my guide to Matera here
For families: the best things to do in Bari area with kids
Puglia is a wonderful destination for families: relaxed, warm, with beaches, outdoor activities and experiences that work brilliantly for children of all ages. This is one my favorite areas of Puglia for kids, because it is varied, easy and has many options for them.
Zoosafari Fasano — one of the best safari parks in Italy. A full day out that children absolutely love
The Castellana Caves — dramatic, cool and genuinely awe-inspiring. Children find the scale and the formations extraordinary and path inside is easy
Alberobello — the trulli are immediately fascinating to children. They look like something from a fairy tale and even just a walk around them is a nice way to experience them. If you can, enter the trull soprano, now a museum, or stay in one: the idea alone makes it special for kids!
Boat tour to the Polignano cliffs — the sea caves and cliffs are spectacular from the water and, in the good season, good swimmers will love the option to jump into the water. Out of season, you can instead get bikes from Monopoli and get to Polignano this way: the views are lovely!
Orecchiette cooking class — hands-on, delicious and very child-friendly, this s a pasta class but with a unique local twist since orecchiette and from Puglia and Puglia only!
The beaches — the Adriatic coast near Bari has beautiful, relatively calm water and good sandy and rocky beaches perfect for families. The area south of Monopoli, around Capitolo and Fasano areas has lovely sandy but you also find lovely coves with rocks great for older kids who love snorkeling.
My favorite place to stay with kids is Monopoli. Find here >> my guide to Monopoli with kids.
How to get around
The Bari area is best explored by car, which gives you the freedom to reach masserie, countryside wineries and the less-visited hilltop towns at your own pace.
Driving in Puglia is genuinely enjoyable — the roads are beautiful and outside of peak summer, not particularly busy. You can find my guide to driving in Puglia as a tourist here.
Bari is also well connected by train to several picturesque towns: Polignano, Trani, Molfetta area reachable by train, Alberobello by bus. Public transport and tours with transport will keep you busy for a few day but for a proper experience, own car is very much the way to go.
As always in Italian cities, Bari Vecchia has restricted traffic zones — follow the signs for parking outside the old town walls and explore on foot.
Find here >> my guide to parking in Italy
I hope this guide helps you plan a wonderful stay in Bari and the surrounding area. Safe travels!