Hello everyone! This forum was very helpful to me in planning my sons graduation gift/trip to Switzerland. We had a wonderful time, staying in Luzern, Wengen and Montreux, so thank you for that! This year, my family of three (my husband and I, with our 15 year old son-my older guy won't be joining us) will be in Puglia for 8 days and then flying out of Bari to Albania. We are landing in Rome and immediately renting a car or hopping on a train to Puglia (haven't decided yet). My question is this: what two towns should be our base while we travel around Puglia? I was looking in to having two bases, one more north (Monopoli or Polignano a Mare) and then one more south (Lecce or Gallipoli). We will have a car and definitely want to sight see, but we'd like a day or two at the beach as well. We were thinking it would be best to start in the Lecce/Gallipoli region, spend about 3-4 days there, then travel up to the Monopli/Polignano a Mare area to finish off the trip. We have a very early flight leaving out of Bari and we are dropping our rent a car at the airport. Can anyone give me advice on:
1) should we drive to Puglia or take the train there and then pick up a rental in Bari, then drive to Lecce
2) Has anyone driven from Rome to Puglia before and how is the drive?
3) Should we visit south first, then north?
4) areas to visit or other ideas of where we should stay.
Thank you so much!
Posted by
CA, USA
1406 posts
If you're flying out of Bari then I'd suggest making the northernmost town your last stay since it's close to Bari. I would not recommend driving a long distance immediately after flying to Rome, especially if you are coming from the West Coast. For that matter I'd not try to take a train right after a flight because flights can be late. If this was my trip I'd fly into Rome, stay the nite, then take the direct train to Puglia the next morning. Since you'll have a car IMO Lecce would be a better base than Gallipoli since it is larger and also on the main train line.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17446 posts
Where is your flight coming from? North America? Australia? Asia? UK?
You didn’t write your home city or area in your profile. Our advice on renting a car upon landing will be different if you are an Australian flying 24 hours to reach Rome or if you are flying just a couple of hours from the UK.
What time do you arrive at Rome? Morning? Evening? That will also impact our advice on whether to advise you to drive the 5 to 6 hours to Bari or take the train. The road is all freeway but 6 hours at the wheel is still quite an effort, especially if after a long flight from outside Europe.
Which towns do you plan to visit? That will also impact our advice on which place to use as a base, also having a car or not will determine where it is best to stay.
What time of the year are you planning to go? Summer? Spring? Fall? That will also be important to know to advice where to stay.
Visiting north or south first doesn’t make a difference. It is entirely your choice. But your last night must be in or near Bari if you have an early flight.
Posted by
29 posts
We spent a week or so in Puglia a few years ago and divided our time between Locorotondo (near Bari) to the north and Lecce in the south, both of which we loved and found to be perfect bases. We flew into Bari from Rome (after time there) and then flew from Brindisi on to Sicily.
In Locorotondo we stayed at the Masseria Aprile (which was fabulous) from which we made day trips to Alberobello and other towns in the region. In Lecce we stayed in the center of the old town at the B&B Centro Storico which was also terrific, and handy to sights and restaurants. We were able to park right outside the town gate on the street and again made several day trips to Gallipoli, Otranto and other towns in the region. There are several beach towns in Puglia and we found them stunning (although we didn’t spend time on the beaches per se).
I would highly recommend a stop in nearby Matera if possible; while it’s in Basilicata, not Puglia, it is a magical, unforgettable place you’ll never forget, and especially memorable if you can spend a night in one of the cave hotels there.
We loved Puglia and plan to return this fall. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.