Puglia
How to Get Around Puglia
Getting Around
Puglia is long and its public transport is uneven. A car is the practical choice for anything beyond the main cities.
Arriving
Bari Karol Wojtyła and Brindisi are the two airports, both with European connections and a rail link into their cities. The Adriatic main line runs down the coast from Bologna and Ancona to Bari, Brindisi and Lecce; high-speed services reach Bari from Rome in about four hours. Ferries run from Bari and Brindisi to Greece, Albania and Croatia.
Trains
The state network covers the coast well — Foggia, Trani, Bari, Monopoli, Brindisi, Lecce. Inland is served by Ferrovie del Sud Est, which reaches Alberobello, Martina Franca and much of the Salento but runs infrequently, slowly, and with a very reduced Sunday service.
Buses
Coaches fill some gaps between towns, but timetables assume local knowledge and weekend service is thin.
Driving
- A car is effectively required for the Valle d'Itria, the Gargano, the masserie and most of the coast between towns.
- Roads are flat, straight and generally good; distances are longer than they look, with Lecce to the Gargano around four hours.
- ZTL zones operate in most historic centres, camera-enforced, with fines forwarded months later.
- Parking in coastal towns in August is genuinely difficult, and hire cars sell out for that period.
Regional connections
How easily, and at what cost, can you combine the region’s main destinations?
| Route | Best option | One-way time | Travel Smart take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberobello and Ostuni | Bus or car | ~45 min typical, not a timetable | Comfortable as a day trip. |
| Bari and Alberobello | Train | ~1 hr 30 min typical, not a timetable | Comfortable as a day trip. Bari works well as a base for Alberobello. |
| Bari and Lecce | Train | ~1 hr 30 min typical, not a timetable | Comfortable as a day trip. Bari is a workable base for Lecce. |
| Bari and Ostuni | Train | ~45 min typical, not a timetable | Excellent day-trip connection. Bari works well as a base for Ostuni. |
| Ostuni and Lecce | Train | ~50 min typical, not a timetable | Comfortable as a day trip. Ostuni is a workable base for Lecce. |
Cost compares the options for each route rather than quoting a fare: inexpensive means the price is not a factor in planning, moderate cost means a real line in the budget, and the expensive option is one worth weighing against the alternative. Fares change from year to year; the ranking between them does not.