Puglia is one of Italy’s truly underrated hidden gems located on the south east of the country. Situated in the ‘heel of the boot’, Puglia is made up of many picturesque coastal and inland towns, with the crown jewel definitely the photogenic Polignano a Mare. Additionally, there are many beautiful beaches dotted along the Apulia coastline.
Previously, this region was relatively ‘unknown’ to foreign tourists, and was more a destination for Italians and Europeans on holidays. However, stunning images, videos and blogs about the region have increased it’s popularity in recent times. We visited in 2022 as the region was just starting to ‘boom’, and already in the time following our visit we have been inundated with questions and our blogs about the area are receiving so many hits. Puglia is well and truly on the radar!
This blog looks to give our advice on the best places to visit, and a few proposed itineraries for your visit. We will also link you with our other guides which delve into the towns and regions in a little more detail. We hope this inspires and helps guide some of your research into an area we just can’t wait to return back to!
Puglia Itineraries
7-day Puglia Itinerary:
We start with a 7 day itinerary as we believe spending much less than a week in the region isn’t enough to get a proper feel for the place. If you are going to spend under a week, we would urge you to consider spending the whole stay at one location and doing day trips (e.g. stay in Polignano a Mare and do day trips from there). We will suggest a few amazing destinations to pack into your week visit, with this designed to give you inspiration and get you thinking.
- Polignano a Mare: 2-4 nights
- Ostuni: 1 night
- Gallipoli: 2-4 nights
Optional Extras:
- Otranto: 2-3 nights
- Lecce: day trip vs 1 night
- Alberobello: day trip vs 1 night
We have suggested these destinations as we feel like this gives you access to some of the best destinations without having to travel around too much. We think Polignano is a MUST visit, so start your travels here and spend at least 2 nights. However you could easily spend 4 and use it as a base for day trips e.g. Alberobello, Monopoli. From Polignano a Mare, head down to the charming city of Ostuni, which boasts whitewashed buildings, sweeping views and great food. It’s a perfect 1 night stop on the way down the peninsula.
The next big decision is between Gallipoli and Otranto, and it is a tough one! If you have a car, you could easily do both, but it gets busy in a week. Both are beautiful destinations and you can’t go wrong with either. We would recommend you choose 1 and spend a few extra days enjoying it rather than trying to spend 1-2 nights at each and feeling rushed. Gallipoli is a cute walled town that has a delightful little city beach, great fresh seafood, and is close to some popular sandy beaches for day trips. Otranto sits on the opposite side of the coast, and is closer to some of the popular rocky “beaches” like Grotta Della Poesia and Torre Dellorso. Research both to see your preferences, but we would recommend Gallipoli based upon our favourable experience.
The extras are optional for day trips, or to add an extra night stay. For your one week trip, you won’t be left with much lee-way, especially if you travel via flights from Bari/Brindisi or train from Rome. Again, we would urge you to consider ‘less is more’ to enjoy some of these beautiful coastal and inland towns rather than trying to ‘see it all’ in your week stay.
10-day Puglia Itinerary:
Good choice! You’ve decided to spend 10 days in one of our favourite places in Europe. We think that 10 days would be a perfect amount of time to spend in this charming location. This will allow you to see a little more and not feel rushed while doing so.
- Polignano a Mare: 2-4 nights
- Alberobello: day trip vs 1 night (day trip from Polignano a Mare recommended)
- Ostuni: 1 night
- Lecce: 1 night vs day trip
- Gallipoli: 2-4 nights
- Otranto: 2-4 nights
Optional Extras:
- Monopoli: day trip vs 1 night
- Alberobello: day trip vs 1 night
- Matera: day trip vs 1-2 nights
This is similar to the 7 day itinerary, however it allows you time to either stay longer in each destination, or add on both Gallipoli AND Otranto. We recommend you start in Polignano a Mare and spend 2-4 nights, then head from there on a day trip to Alberobello where you will only need a few hours (in our opinion). Head from Alberobello down to Ostuni and spend 1 night. Either head from Ostuni straight to Gallipoli/Otranto, or stop via Lecce for a day trip or 1 night stay. Spread 4-7 days between the coastlines on Otranto and Gallipoli where you can do day trips to stunning beaches. Finish your stay by heading back up to your exit flight/train.
2-week Puglia Itinerary:
2 weeks in Puglia is something we would love to return and do! This region has so much to offer that even 2 weeks will feel like you have missed something. Adding a few extra days to your stay will allow you to head extra beaches/coastal regions, or explore additional inland towns like the stunning Matera. You could also consider slowing things down and spending a little longer in key destinations that catch your eye and enjoy “slow travelling” a little more.
- Matera: 2 nights
- Polignano a Mare: 2-4 nights
- Alberobello: day trip vs 1 night (day trip from Polignano a Mare recommended)
- Ostuni: 1 night
- Lecce: 1 night vs day trip
- Gallipoli: 2-4 nights
- Otranto: 2-4 nights
Optional Extras:
- Monopoli: day trip vs 1 night
- Martina Franca or Locorotondo for day trips nearby Alberobello
- Stay a few nights by the beach in some of the smaller coastal towns
If you visit in summer/shoulder season, we urge you to consider spending the extra time exploring the stunning coastline. There are so many day trip and short stay options along the coast that will blow you away!
More than 2 weeks?
You lucky duck! There’s so much to see. We urge you to do a deep dive through all of the small towns on the map. The beautiful of these old European regions is that even the small towns have charm and history, and a day trip could be amazing. Additionally, there are a multitude of amazing beaches to check out. See our guide to the beaches along the south of Puglia for some inspiration.
Want to know more?
See some of our guides and recommendations for Puglia below:
- See our complete guide to the stunning Puglia
- See all of our top picks for the incredible Polignano a Mare here!
- Check out our top picks for Gallipoli and the south of Puglia, including beach recommendations and more!
- Take a look at our one night stay in Ostuni!
- See why we recommend a day trip visit to Alberobello.
- See some moments from Lecce!
Enjoying our posts & advice? Subscribe to our blog!
Jump your email into the list below. We won’t spam you! It’ll just keep you updated whenever we post another travel-related adventure, memory or tid-bid!
WANT TO SEE MORE food recommendations & TRAVEL MEMORIES?
Take a look at some of the best hidden gems from our travels!
Find out a little bit more about the people behind 2 Cups of Travel!
Check out further highlights from our time in the Europe! Take a look!
