How to Visit Puglia in 2, 3, 4, or 5 Days + Where to Stay

You’re planning to visit Puglia, in Italy, for a few days and you’re looking for the best itinerary?

You’re at the right place!

In this article, I will give you all the information you need to prepare your 2, 3, 4 or 5 days itinerary to Puglia. You will see, it’s very simple:

1. Choose your itinerary based on the duration of your trip.
2. Click on the links to my detailed articles for each stage of the itinerary. What to do and see, where to stay, where to eat, you’ll know everything (and that includes all my best tips!)
3. Book your hotels through my selection of the best accommodations in each city and for all budgets.

So, what are the best things to do in Puglia in 2, 3, 4 or 5 days? Where to stay?

Let’s find out!

Weekend in Puglia (2 days)

For your 2-day stay in Puglia, you should land at Bari international airport. It’s the most convenient!

If you only have a weekend in Puglia, the best solution is to focus on exploring the city and its surroundings.

Here’s a suggested itinerary for your first day in Bari:

• Stroll through the city’s old town, Bari Vecchia
• Explore the Basilica of San Nicola
• Visit the Norman Castle
• See San Sabino Cathedral
• Enjoy a well-deserved lunch break
• In the afternoon, you can visit one or several museums in Bari among the Simi Palace, the art gallery, or the Diocesan Museum
• Walk along the lungomare
• Watch a performance at the beautiful Petruzzelli Theatre

For your second day in Puglia, you should explore the surroundings of Bari.

Start by heading to Polignano a Mare, just 35 minutes by car or 40 minutes by train from Bari Central Station.

Polignano is renowned for its white-washed houses built on top of cliffs. Simply go on a stroll in the small streets of the old town, enjoy the sea-side promenade, the observation points and panoramic terraces.

The most famous viewpoint is the Belvedere su Lama Monachile, from which you can see the town’s iconic pebble beach and cliffs!

And if the season allows, you can also take the opportunity to have a swim on that pebble beach. But I prefer to warn you: it’s really crowded!

The beach is located at the base of the cliffs, near the city’s entrance when coming from Bari.

After a lunch break, head to Monopoli, the village next to Polignano, only 15 minutes away by car or train.

In Monopoli, you can wander through the historic center and admire the numerous monuments.

At the end of the day, return to Bari.

To learn more about the best places to visit in Bari in 2 days, you shoud read my dedicated article: The 12 Best Things to Do in Bari.

There, you’ll also find my selection of the best hotels and restaurants in the city, for a perfect stay!

3 Days in Puglia

If you’re planning a 3-day itinerary in Puglia, you can delve a little deeper into the region while still staying around Bari to avoid long journeys.

In addition to the visits to Bari, Polignano a Mare and Monopoli I suggested in the 2-day itinerary, you should add Ostuni and Alberobello, two must-see towns during a trip to Puglia.

Here is an optimized route:

• 1st day in Bari: Start your stay in Puglia with a walking tour in Bari old town to discover the Basilica, the Cathedral and the Norman Castle. You can follow the itinerary I sugged above in the 2-day version, or read my detailed article about the city: Visiting Bari: The Definitive Guide.
• 2nd day: Go on a small road trip to discover Polignano a Mare and Monopoli. Then head to the village of Ostuni in the evening (40 minutes by car from Monopoli) to spend the night. You can stay in one of the hotels we have selected for you: Hotels in Ostuni.
• 3rd day: Another road trip: first, visit Ostuni, the famous white city of Puglia. Then, head to Cisternino and Locorotondo, ranked among Italy’s most beautiful villages. To end the day, explore the most famous village of Puglia: Alberobello. Its really unique thanks to the “trulli”, small circular houses covered in white lime with conical roofs.

You can find all my best tips to visit Alberobello in my article: The 7 best Things to Do in Alberobello.

4 Days in Puglia

For a 4-day itinerary in Puglia, in addition to Bari, Polignano, Ostuni, and Alberobello, you should choose between visiting one of these 2 emblematic cities: Lecce or Matera.

Here is how to organize your 4-day trip:

• 1 day in Bari to explore the capital of Puglia: Swabian Castle, Basilica di San Nicola, Bari Vecchia, San Sabino Cathedral, and lungomare are a few of the must-see attractions in Bari!
• 1 day to discover the most beautiful villages around Bari: Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, and Ostuni. You can find all the things to do in Ostuni in my article: The 10 best places to visit in Ostuni.
• 1 day in Lecce: the famous baroque city, featuring countless beautiful buildings, palaces, and churches made of Lecce stone. Do not miss: Piazza Sant Oronzo, the Duomo, and Basilica Santa Croce. You can find all the information to visit Lecce in one day in our article: Things to do in Lecce.
• 1 day to explore the villages of Itria Valley: Cisternino, Locorotondo, and especially Alberobello which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its famous trulli. If you want to know what a trulli is and learn more about Alberobello, you should read my dedicated guide: All the best places to visit in Alberobello, Puglia.

The other option for a 4-day trip in Puglia is to skip Lecce and opt for Matera instead. The city isn’t really in Puglia, but is just next door in the Basilicata region. As it’s only a 1h10-minute drive from Bari, you can easily integrate it into your trip!

In that case, your itinerary would look like this:

• 1 day in Bari (as above)
• 1 day for Polignano, Monopoli, and Ostuni (as above)
• 1 day in Cisternino, Locorotondo, and Alberobello (as above)
• 1 day in Matera: you will discover one of the oldest cities in the world, famous for its Sassi, dwellings carved out of the rock. The city is simply gorgeous and unique! To easily plan your trip to Matera, you should read my dedicated article: How to visit Matera? It includes all the best things to do + my best tips + my guide to the best hotels of the city!

5 Days in Puglia

To plan your 5-day itinerary in Puglia, you have 2 options: an itinerary centered around the tourist cities and villages of Puglia or a road trip more focused on landscapes and nature.

Here is the “cities and typical villages of Puglia” itinerary:

• 1st day in Bari: you’ll have time to discover the top 10 places to see in Bari that I talk about in my dedicated article: The Best Things to Do in Bari. There, you’ll also find an itinerary to explore the city in one day.
• 2nd day in Polignano and Monopoli, two beautiful seaside towns + a visit to Ostuni, nicknamed the “White City” for its numerous white washed houses.
• 3rd day in Lecce, where you can wander through the city to admire its stunning baroque monuments.
• 4th day: a road trip to the villages of the Itria Valley: Cisternino, Locorotondo, and Alberobello.
• 5th day: Visit the beautiful town of Matera and discover the Sassi, troglodyte dwellings that made the city famous: How to visit Matera?

For nature enthusiasts, the second option for your 5 days in Puglia is to visit Gargano National Park, Italy’s largest natural park.

The gateway to the park is the city of Manfredonia, which is about 1h40 by car from Bari.

Gargano National Park is the perfect place to enjoy beautiful hikes, swim in stunning beaches and coves and discover typical villages both by the sea and in the mountains.

To visit Gargano, you should plan 4 days. You’ll have time to see and do everything I talk about in my detailed article: Top 10 things to do in Gargano.

The fifth day will be devoted to returning to Bari, especially if you are staying near Vieste (in the middle of the park), as it will take around 2h45 to get back to Bari.

Depending on the day and time of your flight, you may have the chance to explore Bari a bit more before leaving!

Renting a Car in Puglia

For your 2, 3, 4, or 5 days itinerary in Puglia, you will definitely want to rent a car. It’s the best way to see as much as possible during your stay!

For my rentals, whether it’s for Sicily, Malta, or Italy, I always use the website Booking.com Cars, as it’s very convenient.

• It allows you to compare prices between each rental company: You will instantly see who is the cheapest or has the best customer reviews.
• The full insurance protection ensures you get reimbursed in case of an accident or theft of your rental car (without having to take the rental company’s extremely expensive insurances!). Tested and approved, as they refunded me more than 1300 euros total! 😎
• Free modification or cancellation if your plans change and you can’t visit Puglia!

And one last thing: Booking Cars also offers a best price guarantee. It’s simple, if you find a similar vehicle cheaper elsewhere, they will refund you the difference!

Italy travel Guides

• Buy the Lonely Planet Italy guide on Amazon.com or on Amazon.co.uk
• Buy the Rick Steves Italy guide on Amazon.com or on Amazon.co.uk

You’re traveling in Italy? These articles will help you!

Discover all my articles about Italy: All my articles to help you plan your trip to Italy are listed there.

Puglia

• The 20 Best Things to Do in Puglia – All the best places to visit

• Itinerary: 2, 3, 4 or 5 days in Puglia – The perfect short-stay itineraries
• Itinerary: A week in Puglia – The ultimate itinerary for visiting Puglia in 7-8 days
• Itinerary: 10 days in Puglia – How to visit Puglia in 10 days and not miss a thing!

• Alberobello: Visit the trulli village with my definitive guide!
• Bari: Top 12 things to do and see
• Gargano: The 10 best places to visit
• Lecce: The 12 must-sees attractions
• Matera: The definitive guide of Matera!
• Ostuni: Top 10 things to do and see

Rest of Italy

• The 20 Best Things to do in Italy – All the must-see places!

• Cinque Terre: The definitive guide to plan your visit
• Florence: The 27 best things to do and must-see attractions
• Milan: The Top 15 things to do in the city and around
• Pisa: Top 21 must-see attractions + Tips
• Rome: The 25 best things to do and see
• Siena: Top 20 best places to visit
• Turin: The 20 must-see attractions
• Venice: The 31 best things to do (+ Tips)

• 2 days in Florence
• 3 days in Florence
• 4 days in Florence
• 5 days in Florence

• 2 days in Milan
• 3 days in Milan
• 4 days in Milan

• 2 Days in Rome – How to visit Rome in 48h
• 3 Days in Rome – The best itinerary to visit Rome in 72h
• 4 Days in Rome – The best places to visit in 4 days
• 5 Days in Rome – How to spend 5 days in Rome
• 6 Days in Rome – The ultimate Itinerary + Where to stay
• One week in Rome – The perfect 7-day itinerary

• 2 Days in Venice – An Epic 48h itinerary
• 3 Days in Venice – The perfect 72h itinerary
• 4 Days in Venice – Itinerary + Best Things to do + Tips

• Where to stay in Milan? My guide to the best areas and hotels for a perfect stay
• Where to stay in Rome? – The definitive guide of the best areas!
• Where to stay in Venice? My selection of the best hotels and districts for an epic stay

• Omnia Card: The definitive guide

• Colosseum: The 7 best skip the line tickets
• Trevi Fountain: History, Secrets and Facts
• Rome’s Hidden Gems: The Definitive Guide with 17 secret spots!
• The 20 Best museums in Rome – With all my best tips!

• Rome in May: The definitive guide to plan your visit: weather, things to do, itineraries and more!
• Rome in June: Guide + All my best tips

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