Looking for a nice one week getaway? Here you have a Puglia itinerary, where you discover the best town to stay in Puglia, different costs and tips, Puglia beaches, trulli and more. In this blog post you will find a 7 day itinerary that will guide you through different spots: Martina Franca, 5 Puglia beaches in Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, Bari, Taranto, Alberobello, Matera, Lecce, Santa Maria di Leuca and more.
Where to sleep in Puglia?
Our location of accommodation was Martina Franca. It is the part of Puglia with lowest temperature and it is also (somewhat) in the middle of some top sights. You can definitely choose to stay somewhere closer to the beach, but we really liked Martina Franca and would totally recommend it.
Martina Franca – Polignano a Mare: 40min
Martina Franca – Bari: 1 hour
Martina Franca – Taranto: 30min
Martina Franca – Alberobello: 20min
Martina Franca – Matera: 1 hour 10min
Martina Franca – Lecce: 1 hour 20min
Martina Franca – Santa Maria de Leuca 2 hours 10min
We payed 1000€ for an apartment for 8 people for 8 nights.
Rent a car in Puglia
We had a really nice experience with Goldcar. There is no deposit and they offer good cars with low prices and full insurance. We found them at the airport of Bari.
Pay attention to “hidden” deposit! First we made a reservation with Surprice. At the time of arrival they charge you 900€-1200€ for a deposit, but this price is not visible anywhere on their site. All other agencies also had deposits of around 400-500€ (information from the airport, didn’t check websites), Goldcar was the only one without (only 100€ for the fuel – if the car is full when you return it, you get 100€ back).
Day 1 – Martina Franca
From the airport we drove to Martina Franca. Depending on your arrival, the first day I recommend you take it easy and go explore this little city. The centre is really nice as it has a really slow and easy vibe. You can find some beautiful decorated bars, the smallest bar in the world, restaurants and also some beautiful views.
Day 2 – Polignano a Mare and Monopoli
On day 2 drive to the east side and travel around Polignano a Mare and Monopoli.
On this day we managed to visit/see more than three Puglia beaches which you can walk through: Spiaggia di Ponte dei Lapilli, Cala Sala, Lama Monachile beach, Lido Grottone, Cala Paguro, Lido Porto Camicia, Cala Verde … You can also see a nice list of beaches here.
Spiaggia di Ponte dei Lapilli Lama Monachile beach Cala Verde
Some of them have free parking, other don’t. I have to add that the most famous Polignano a mare beach, Lama Monachile, without surpise was our least favourite not just because it was so crowded, but also the water was quite dirty and we had to walk quite a bit to get there. But certainly all of these depends and varies from person to person and desires.
*On this day you can also do the boat tour that we did on day 3.
*These are the beaches you can see from the boat but you don’t swim there.
Day 3 – Boat trip and Bari
On day 3 again you can take it easy. On the east side you have the city beach of Bari. For a city beach I would say is quite nice – the parking only costs 1€ and it’s right next to the beach. This parking is also a park and ride parking so you can hop on the bus and ride to the city centre if you want to.
After – or even before this – I would higly recommend you to do the boat tour with Poliboat and Giuseppe that makes the whole experience even better with his humour. With this boat tour, beside the before mentioned beaches, you will also see the famous restaurant in the cave, Grotta Palazzese, which based on the reviews, we decided not to visit as we thought the price isn’t worth it. Decide for yourself here.
Poliboat Grotta Palazzese Lama Monachile beach
Day 4 – Taranto
On day 4 we went towards the west – Taranto.
We visited the Saint Bon beach. This was our favourite. The umbrella costs 10€ for 2 and you also get extra chairs if there is more people. Parking is big and free and the bar has low prices (beer 1€, prosecco/sparkling wine bottle 10€, granita 1.8€, aperol spritz 2€, ice cream 2€).

In the afternoon you have time to visit another beach on the other side of Taranto. We went somewhere near Lido Valentino, but another highly rated is Zanzibar beach (there you have kilometers of sandy beaches). The beach wasn’t nothing special, water was quite warm (which we don’t like) and not so clear but still an OK sandy beach. The parking is a little confusing – you need scratch tickets (a man offered us one of his own tickets for 1€, you probably have to buy them before).
*On your way stop in D’Agostino – it is a nice coffee bar that smells soo good. It offers some goodlooking sweets that are also nice. We tried a donut with pistacchio cream and it was really good (1.2€).
*On you way you can also visit Castello Aragonese.
Day 5 – Alberobello and Matera
*We decided to look these two on the same day but you can also see Alberobello on Day 4 and maybe see another beach and Matera on day 5
Start your day with breakfast and head towards Alberobello. How much time you need really depends on your wishes and how fast or easy you like to go. For Alberobello we needed around 3 hours and a half.


*For various reasons we couldn’t go but on this day to escape the heat, you can also visit the Grotte Castelane. From research and reviews it’s worth to mention it here. Also be sure to take some nice shoes and a jacket with you.
After that drive to Matera.
This is where the difference in travelers kicks in. Is one day enough to visit Matera? On the Internet you will find a lot of blogs saying one day is not enough. A lot of blogers say it’s a two day experience. Now from my perspective it is “only” a must two day experience if you want to hike on the other side of this sight so you are not too tired on the end of day. Other than that I find one day – or even half a day – more than enough to see the main sights.
So yes, one day is enough for Matera. In 6-7 hours you can calmly see:
-Castello Tramontano
-Palombaro lungo
-Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
-Church of Saint Mary of Idris
-I Segreti del Pane di Matera – Museum of Bread
-Casa Grotta nei Sassi di Matera (cave home)
+have lunch in desired restaurant.
If you take your whole afternoon for Matera you will also be able to see it both in the day light and night light.
Casa grotta Palombaro lungo
Day 6 – Lecce and Santa Maria de Leuca
This day again is wholy reserved for sea time. You’ll go to the most south-eastern part of Italy.
First stop is Lecce. It is a smaller city with a really nice city centre where you can also see the Roman Amphitheater. My recommendation is to walk around a little bit and be sure to stop in Tranquillo (Piazza Sant’Oronzo, Caffetteria, Cucina, Cantina) which has a really nice vibe to it 🙂

From here drive to Santa Maria de Leuca. Here you can also take a boat trip. You will actually go around the most south-eastern part of Italy. This is also the Ionian and Adriatic Sea “border”. We only payed 20€ per person for this trip (1,5h but you also have some longer ones for 3h).


In Santa Maria de Leuca you can also visit the Cascata monumentale (Aquedotto Pugliese) – which I forgot – blogger much 🙂 and also faro di Santa Maria di Leuca, Santuario di Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae and Leuca Piccola.
*If you have energy or you have an option to change accommodation, you can also add Brindisi and Gallipoli to this itinerary.
Day 7 – whatever you wish
On this day, if it is your last day or day before your flight, I would recommend to choose something to relax. It may be another beach or another city. You do you. For lunch or dinner I would highly recommend La Locanda del Macellaio which is a must if you like meat. We bought some and took it with us but if you are not good with grilling meat (or don’t want to cook on vacation) – eat there. The quality and the taste is one of the best and really worth it. You also don’t pay a lot and I liked the system: when you come inside, you choose the piece and type of meat you want and then you are seated and served. The difference in cost I would say is around 40%.

Costs
Prices seem quite in the norm for an european country or a little bit high in certain spots
fuel – between 1,80€- 2,00€ / l
highway – free
parking – between 1,00€ – 2,00€ /hour
meals in restaurants (like octopus, sea food) – around 15€ per plate
drinks – can be quite expensive, especially in tourists centre like Alberobello (35€ for 4 beers and one lemonade)
For more itinerary ideas take a look at Switzerland or Europe trip.