Puglia Itinerary 10 Days – Covers Key Sites & Includes Chill Out Time
Puglia Itinerary 10 Days – This itinerary takes in the key sites of beautiful Puglia, plus suggestions on restaurants and hotels, but also has some chill out time built in for sunbathing at the beach/pool (I mean, you are on holiday) OR active alternatives if you can’t sit still! This itinerary is based on our personal trip and ideas, so we know it’s achievable, plus we took the kids with us, so if we can do it then you can too. *Contains affiliate links
ITINERARY – Bari / Monopoli / Caves of Polignano / Mora Mora / Lecce / Ostuni / Otranto / Gallipoli / Masseria/Farm Stay / Alberobello
Day 1&2 Arrive & Explore Bari –
Take the time to visit and explore Bari’s Old Town – stroll along Strada Arco Alto buying handmade pasta, step inside the airy cathedral, stop by the castle and the old harbour, and promenade along the esplanade. Bari has a good reputation for street food, so we nibbled on Panzerotti and Taralli en route while quaffing the odd Aperol Spritz. Read a full review of Bari and details on the Old Town plus food and drink recommendations.
Decompress! We’d booked the Mercure Villa Romanazzi Carducci Bari with a pool, so that on Day 1 in Bari we could relax, swim, have a cocktail and feel those holiday vibes. It’s twenty minutes walk from the Old Town, and about ten minutes from the railway station, offering modern functional rooms. Another popular Bari option with a pool is H Grande Albergo Delle Nazioni.
If you’d prefer something more active when you land, book a pasta tour (below) to discover the local specialty, orecchiette.
Dinner – Braceria Signorile on Via G. Petroni is very novel. Order your meat in the butcher’s shop, choose the weight, the cut etc. Then take a seat next door in the restaurant, order any sides and drinks, and within moments the meat feast is served. V good prices too.
Organised street food tours are also available (book below), which point you to quality vendors in town. The city centre also offers good shopping, great clothing, and our kids made a beeline for Lego City.
After all the walking hit one of Bari’s city beaches. We opted for Pane e Pomodoro so we could soak up some rays. It has a curious sand bank, which meant the kids walked out into the deep before rising up again into the ankle deep water. They found this sudden ‘walking on water’ v entertaining. The beach has easy, vast parking and a chilled vibe.
Food – For low food miles, organic produce from a network of small producers head to Buò – Crudo, Cotto e Mangiato. It’s very close to Pane e Pomodoro beach too, if you’re peckish after your swim. If the beach doesn’t appeal read up on more Bari ideas, or book an activity.
Day 3 – Monopoli – Puglia Itinerary 10 Days
Old Town – The drive from Bari to Monopoli takes only forty minutes. When we arrived we headed straight to the Centro Storico, as Monopoli is one of the cutest, most picturesque towns in the area. We just followed our nose through the winding streets, so read up what not to miss here.
Beach – We also spent an hour or so at Monopoli’s tiny town beach, the kids swam while I searched for sea glass on the shore.
Food – Because Monopoli is quite a romantic and bonny place, a lot of the restaurants felt quite adult, quite pricey, and kids’ menus don’t seem to really be a thing in Italy. We were delighted to find Antiche Mura on Via Luigi Cadorna with its wide range of lunch fare at good prices. I tucked into bruschetta as the kids munched on pizza and pasta.
Book Monopoli accommodation with a pool here.
We wanted some pool time after all the sightseeing so we stayed at the Torre Cintola Natural Sea Emotions resort hotel. It has two pools, just a few mins outside of Monopoli. The pools were the main attraction for our family but the sea is within reach too. The accommodation itself offers curious apartment pods or standard apartments. We booked the latter, featuring a double bed plus bunkbeds for the kids, modern shower room, plus a small outdoor seating area. Evening meals can be booked there too. It’s a set buffet menu, including wine, but the buffet is all served by staff. Check prices and availability here. We found this place a little corner of relaxation after time spent in the centre of Monopoli.
Day 4 – Caves of Polignano
This is a fab excursion. We set sail from Monopoli harbour for a two hour cruise to see the Caves of Polignano. Our trip took 2 hours, the boat held 8 people maximum. We booked with Imbarcatour, who you can find on Facebook. The crew, Vincenzo and Giada, took us to the biggest caves and told us their story, then let us swim, and finally plied us with Prosecco 🙂 More detailed info, such as prices, in our guide to Monopoli.
Day 5 – Ostuni
Ostuni is simply very attractive. There isn’t a long list of activities, simply enjoy the beauty of the hilltop town and architecture around you. We dropped by the local tourist information centre to receive a map and a recommended walk around the town – we knew Ostuni was beautiful but a sense of direction helps! Their route took us round the city walls, past a small museum and through the quaint shopping area, then we returned to the main square for drinks and lunch. So relaxed.
Again, we’d booked accommodation with a pool a few minutes drive from Ostuni on the coast. Visiting in low season it was VERY quiet, but I imagine this resort can be buzzing in summer, with a train to transport guests to its own private beach.
Day 6 Lecce and/or Mora Mora Beach
Next stop, Lecce. Ideal if, after the beauty and prettiness of Puglia, you fancy a handsome, baroque city that boasts ornate churches and even an amphitheatre in the centre of town. For a full list of attractions, including a park, plus food and drink specialties, such as the sweet Leccese coffee I’m drinking above, and the gorgeous bakery snack of pasticciotti, click here.
If you’d prefer a beach day I’d recommend the beautifully blue Mora Mora Beach.
Day 7 – Otranto
As we visited in low season we loved the fact that Otranto feels alive and has a pulse at all times of the year. We loved Horus Pizzeria where, for v reasonable prices, we saw the pizza we’d just ordered made before our very eyes. Otranto’s castle was worth exploring, and the host of city beaches offered something for everyone. We naturally headed for the beach popular with families/small children – get the beach details and a full guide here.
Our accommodation at Borgo de li Santi was a highlight of our stay. A 10 minute walk into town, contemporary self-catering apartments, and a beautiful pool where I swan, sunbathed and ordered poolside Aperol Spritz!
Day 8 – Gallipoli
Gallipoli surprised us as it had more to do than expected. Historic underground olive presses, a v unexpected walk through nativity scene, a Christmas shop, stunning churches and cathedrals, a city beach, and even the approach (crossing a bridge to the old town peninsular/island) was quirky. Read a full guide here.
Day 9 – Alberobello
I’m saving the best till last, our final stop, the fairytale town of Alberobello. You can stay in the town’s signature and iconic creative conical houses called ‘trulli’. We’d also heard of Italian farm stays called ‘masseria‘, so we combined the two concepts staying at a masseria with trulli accommodation just outside Alberobello. The property had an outdoor pool, and our two-bedroom accommodation had a small kitchenette. We LOVED this place – book here.
Exploring the beauty of Alberobello is an unmissable stop in Puglia. The biggest issue is knowing exactly what to see and where to get great viewpoints of the trulli. Read this post to know which areas to head for, where to park and which trulli stand out.
For a wide choice of organised tours book an experience below.
Day 10 – Return to Bari and Fly Home
From Alberobello, it was just over an hour to Bari airport, so we had breakfast at our Masseria, a final dip in the pool, and off we went homeward bound. I hope this helps you plan your Puglian break. There are other stunning cities and towns to consider too, from Matera and Brindisi to Martina Franca, but in 10 Days just do what you want to do and try to get the balance right.
You may also find this useful:-
Things to Do in Monopoli with Kids
Farm stay with pool and Trulli accommodation near Alberobello
Things to Do in Bari with Kids
Or Browse All of our Italian Content
Have fun!
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