I am thinking of renting a car in Bari and exploring Polignano al Mare, Matera, and Lecce areas on my own next May. I would spend approximately 8-9 nights in the area. Is driving, parking, etc. easy in this part of Italy? I just finished a week on the Amalfi coast....no car there as the roads are crazy...used private drivers and buses and trains to get around. It seems like Puglia would be an easier place to get around by car. I will be traveling alone which I have done many times in the past in other countries but I have never rented a car in Italy. Any advice or info greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Posted by
11606 posts
You have a good plan! We stayed in Polignano a Mare for ten days. I think a car is needed for Puglia. Use AutoEurope, a booking agency located in Maine, to book your car rental.They will stand behind you if you have any problems.
Posted by
North Italy
395 posts
You should have no problems in Puglia. Avoid historical centres which may be ZTL, that is limited traffic, and narrow streets but apart from that no problems. More information here:
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2023/07/driving-in-puglia.html?m=1
Posted by
A tiny island in Puget Sound WA, USA
166 posts
Driving around Puglia was mostly a breeze for us. We were there in Sept 2022 and had no trouble finding parking in Polignano & along the coast, Locorotondo, etc. Didn’t make it to Matera. Lecce was difficult because there was a soccer game happening that day but had lots of parking garages around the walls.
This was my seventh time renting a car in Italy, but my first time visiting Puglia and I found it difficult to navigate. Kept getting turned around on secondary roads and the countryside was so similar looking everywhere that I never identified landmarks. Otherwise it was great. Have fun!
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
221 posts
My wife and I (70 somethings) did that trip last May/June, and loved it! Picked up a car at Bari Airport (booked through AutoEurope), and drove directly to a small town just outside of Alberobello. We used that as a base for day trips to Polignano, Monopoli, Ostuni, Locorotondo, Alberobello and other spots. One advantage of being in a small town was the ease of getting on the road each day. We also based ourselves in Matera, Gallipoli and Lecce for a few days each. We dropped the car off at the edge of Lecce, as we were departing from there by train. We navigated using google maps, with an esim data package purchased before departure. Driving was pretty straightforward, and none of the places we visited could be considered big cities, or particularly high traffic areas. Even so, we tended to park in large lots at the edge of the core/old town, which almost all Italian towns have within a ten minute walk. The one exception to that is Matera, where we got a shuttle bus from the huge parking garage to the dead centre of the old town for about a euro each. We spent some time on 4-lane highways, but mostly we were on secondary roads, which were all in good shape and very scenic. Puglia is made for road-tripping!
Posted by
OP
35 posts
Thank you all for your replies. I feel much better about driving in the area after reading your experiences and information.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16133 posts
Very easy to drive there and not as many speed cameras as other regions of Italy. Drive carefully and don’t leave valuables unattended in the car, Puglia has the highest car theft and car burglary rate in Italy (but still only a fraction of what we have in California, so I didn’t worry too much when I was there this past summer).
Posted by
389 posts
Thanks for all the driving info. We are planning a week in the area next April. Timely!