A Week in Puglia: 6-7-8 Days Itinerary

Puglia Itinerary: What to do and see?

You have chosen to make a tour in Puglia for your next vacation in Italy?

Very good choice ! In order to help you prepare your stay, I have organized a one-week Puglia itinerary, to avoid missing places of interest in this little-known region of Italy.

In this article, I give you all my best advice for visiting Puglia in 6, 7 or 8 days.

And so that you can prepare your trip easily, I also offer my selection of the best accommodation for each stage.

So, what to do and see in 1 week in Puglia?

Let’s go for the discovery of OstuniAlberobelloLecceMatera and Bari!

Day 1-2: Bari / Ostuni

To start 1 week Puglia itinerary, the best is to land in Bari, the capital of the region. 

For the first leg of this week-long trip to Puglia, after picking up your rental car, I suggest you leave Bari directly. You will have time to visit the city before your return, at the end of your vacation.

Direction Polignano a Mare, located just 40 minutes drive from Bari. Polignano is known for its houses built on the cliffs, by the sea.

You can walk in the many alleys of the historic center and discover multiple points of view on the terraces, quite impressive!

Do not miss to go down on the pebble beach surrounded by cliffs, at the entrance of the old town, to make the photo that can be found on all postcards. Count around 2 hours in Polignano.

Polignano a Mare and its houses perched on top of the cliffs in Puglia

Then take the car back to Monopoli, just 15 minutes from Polignano a Mare.

In the same style as Polignano but the cliffs less, Monopoli has a nice historic center, very pleasant to walk. A walk of about 1 hour allows to see the main monuments like the Charles V castle, the cathedral and the Piazza XX Settembre. 

Finally for the last leg of this day, join Ostuni, located 40 minutes from Monopoli. You will have a glimpse of the city well before reaching its historical center. As she is perched on a rocky promontory, she sees herself from far enough!

You will understand why she is nicknamed the “Citta Bianca”, the White City. The walls of the houses in the upper part of Ostuni, those located in the old town are in fact almost all whitewashed to bring a little light in the narrow streets.

After having admired it from a distance, I propose you to walk on foot to visit the historical center. At the very top you can visit Ostuni Cathedral, the main tourist attraction of the city.

To see for its rather original facade. Next door you will also see the Episcopal Palace where the Diocesan Museum and its collection of documents relating to local events are located.

Then climb a little further to St. Mary’s Church. Here you can admire a 360 ° panorama of the countryside around Ostuni and the whole Itria Valley.

Ostuni, the white city of Puglia, in southern Italy

At the end of the day, visit Piazza della Liberta, a lively place in Ostuni, where people meet on the terraces of bars and cafes for the aperitivo. Take the opportunity to do the same!

If you want to eat a good pizza, I recommend the Impasto Napoletano, 200 meters from the Piazza. The pizzas are really hearty and delicious, we feasted!

Spend the night in Ostuni, in one of the accommodations we selected below.

The next day, for this second day of your tour of 6-7-8 days Puglia itinerary, I recommend you to visit Alberobello, the most famous village in the Itria Valley. 

Who says famous also means tourist! I recommend you to be in Alberobello early in the morning, to avoid the busload of tourists arriving from 10 am. From Ostuni, Alberobello is a 50-minute drive away.

In Alberobello you can admire hundreds of trulli. Its old houses, small stone houses with conical roofs, are now classified as World Heritage by UNESCO.

The main activity in Alberobello is to walk through the streets to observe them. Most of them are converted into souvenir shops, restaurants and bed and breakfasts. 

Walk to discover the trulli of Alberobello

Continue the morning with 2 other very nice villages to visit during your week-long stay in Puglia:

In the program of the afternoon, I propose you 2 choices according to your desires:

Spend a second night in Ostuni.

During your 1 week Puglia itinerary, you will visit a lot of historical center. The best is to try to always park before the old town. Access to most of them is only allowed to resident cars and even though there are no special bans, the streets are often narrow, steep and one-way streets. In short, not the easiest place to park!

Accommodation in Ostuni

Day 3-5: Lecce

The second leg of this week-long Puglia itinerary takes you to Lecce.

On the road, you will necessarily pass by Brindisi, only half an hour from Ostuni. You can take the opportunity to stop and have a look.

Stroll through the historic center to admire the churches, pass by the harbor to see the monument of the marine and if you are interested, you can also visit the MAPRI, the provincial archaeological museum. This is not a must, but it will not take much time and at least you will have a glimpse of Brindisi, one of the most important cities in Puglia.

Then take the car back to Lecce. I advise you to park your car in the car park next to the cemetery. It costs only € 2 for the day and is located a hundred meters from Porta Napoli, the main gateway to the historic center.

Lecce being considered THE baroque city of Italy, it is extremely rich in historical monuments. Almost all of them were built with Lecce stone, a very soft limestone, which gives a nice harmony to the whole old town. It is one of the must see places in 1 week Puglia itinerary.

To visit Lecce, start by going to Piazza Sant’Oronzo, the largest square in the city. You will find the tourist office, convenient to have a map of the city and not miss anything.

In Piazza, you can not miss the Roman Amphitheater. Discovered in the twentieth century, it is extremely well preserved. Shows are organized, find out about programming at the tourist office if you are interested.

Continue your visit to Lecce by visiting the other emblematic square, Piazza del Duomo. You will be impressed by its size and size.

I have seen a lot of Piazza del Duomo during my travels in Italy and Sicily , and that of Lecce is, for me, one of the most beautiful. On the Piazza you will of course find the Cathedral of Lecce which you can visit inside. See also the seminary palace, the episcopal palace and the campanile (one of the highest in Europe!).

Piazza del Duomo and Campanile in Lecce

And since we are in the list of tourist sites to see absolutely, continue your day by visiting the Basilica Santa Croce. Pure “Baroque de Lecce” style, adorned with hundreds of carved details and a very beautiful rose window: its facade is simply magnificent!

Nearly a century was needed for its construction, but it can be said that it was worth it. I also advise you to go inside to admire the 17 altars, which are also superb. In addition the entrance is free.

Then stroll freely through the streets of the historic center to discover the many palaces (more than 90 in total!) And churches. 

The next day, we start the day in Lecce with a cultural visit. That of the MUST, the historical museum. In addition to being devoted in part to the history of the city, it presents a contemporary art gallery and a sculpture exhibition.

For history buffs, you can go on a visit to another museum, the Faggiano. It is in an old house, which when the owners decided to do some work there, discovered ruins and old objects in the walls and foundations.

The house is in fact more than 2000 years old and has been used as a dwelling at the time of the messapes, the Romans and the Templars until today! In order not to lose all this historical wealth, the family decided to open a museum there.

Then go through the castle Charles V, to see its monumental walls. Inside is the Cartova Museum, where over a hundred papier mache works are grouped together.

This activity is very typical of Lecce, visiting the museum is the best way to discover it. In the old town, you will also find several shops practicing this art, if you want to leave with an original souvenir!

Last thing to see in Lecce for today, the cemetery! Yes you read well, I take you on a tour to discover the many Baroque tombs of Lecce.

Made in the same style as the other monuments of the city, the vaults have an impressive architecture. The visit is not at all creepy because the cemetery is well maintained and surrounded by cypresses. If you have already visited the monumental cemetery of Milan , it’s a bit the same kind.

The cemetery of Lecce

For this third and last day in the city, I suggest you to visit the surroundings of Lecce and even to do some swimming breaks. Visiting Puglia in a week is also enjoying the sea and its benefits!

Take your car back to Torre dell Orso, the first stop of the day, 35 minutes south-east of Lecce. In Torre dell Orso you will find a very beautiful and large sandy beach. You can walk all the way to fariglioni, 2 rocks very photogenic and present on a majority of postcard Puglia.

I advise you to take the path that climbs the cliff to enjoy a better view and a plenary panorama of the surroundings. Going downhill, why not give yourself a refreshing swim?

Continue the morning by going to see the other famous faraglioni of Puglia, those located in Torre Sant Andrea. The city is only 5 minutes from Torre dell Orso. Here too the rocks in the middle of the turquoise and transparent water deserve some photos. And I think you can not resist doing a little splash in this heavenly place.

The Faraglioni of Torre Sant Andrea, one of the most beautiful natural landscapes of Puglia

For the rest of the day, head towards Otranto, a 20-minute drive from Torre Sant Andrea.

Otranto and especially its historical center, is a nice little town to discover. Do not miss to visit the castle, its ramparts and the cathedral of Otranto. End the day in quiet mode at the edge of the beach of Otrantoor in the surroundings.

Come back to spend the night in Lecce.

Accommodation in Lecce

Day 6: Matera

For this third leg of your one week Puglia itinerary, I suggest you to join Matera.

But before that, I recommend you to make some unavoidable stops located on the road between Lecce and Matera:

Massafra, one of the cities crossed by the Puglia canyon

Then join Matera for the afternoon. Small geographical precision, Matera is not part of the Puglia region but that of Basilicata. However, as you will have seen, it is close by and that is why I integrate it in things to do in Puglia in 7 days. It would be a shame to miss one of the oldest cities in the world!

Like Alberobello, Matera also has its very specific homes: the Sassi! Listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Sassi are troglodyte dwellings carved into the rock. Originally from the Paleothic for some, they have always been busy. Of course, over time, they turned into real homes with kitchenette, bed.

Some Sassi also served as a refuge for monks and turned into  rock churches. Today there are nearly 3,000 caves and many rock churches.

The visit of Matera is only on foot. To miss anything of places of interests of the city, to pass by the tourist office to recover a map. You will find 3 different courses, more or less long. Whatever your choice, start by going to Piazza del Duomo to admire the cathedral of Matera. The piazza also has the advantage of offering you a first glimpse of Matera with its view of the Sassi.

Then head to the church of San Pietro Caveoso whose situation at the edge of the ravine of Matera is really impressive. Then climb to the Chiesa della Madonna de Idris, a magnificent rock church carved into the rock. Overlooking the ravine, the view is breathtaking.

The church of San Pietro Caveoso – Matera

Continue your visit, visiting the museum of Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario. Very small but exciting, he reconstructs the interior of a Sassi.

Your tour of Matera will then take you past the Convicinio di Sant Antonio, the Lafranchi Palace, the piazzetta Pascoli belvedere, the National Archaeological Museum and the Tramontano Castle.

At the end of your walk, the night will certainly fall and you can admire the Sassi from another angle when the city lights up.

Accommodation in Matera

Day 7: Bari

Fourth and last leg of your one-week Puglia itinerary, return to Bari. If you visit Puglia in 7 days, you will have to think about getting closer to the airport.

Leaving Matera, I strongly advise you to stop at the Belvedere in Murgia, reachable in 10 minutes by car from the exit of Matera. It is here that you will have the most beautiful overview of the city! Many hiking trails also leave the Belvedere, which mark the entrance to the Park della Murgia Materana, to admire some rock churches.

The park of Murgia Materana

To reach Bari from Matera, allow about 1 hour. If your flight is late in the evening or the next morning, I propose you the following program to visit Bari in 1 day:

If you have time, you can also visit a museum like the Simi Palace or the Pinacoteca di Bari. If you prefer to walk outside, I recommend the lungomare walk. The opportunity also to have a last drink at the edge of the water!

If you have an extra day and your stay in Puglia lasts 8 days:

Accommodation in Bari

Budget for a week-long trip to Puglia

Because it’s always good to have an idea of ​​what a trip can cost, here is what we spent to visit Puglia in 7 days:

Total budget for one week for 2 people : 930 €

Feel free to give us your opinion and suggestions on our weekly Puglia itinerary!

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