: Smart Planning for an Unforgettable Trip

Planning a trip to Puglia? The heel of Italy’s boot is best enjoyed at a slow pace, allowing you to take in its breathtaking landscapes, charming towns, and rich cultural heritage. To help you make the most of your visit, here are our Puglia Guys top travel tips for 2025.

1. Limit Accommodation Changes, Choose Central Bases

Choose a couple of central bases for a more relaxed and cost-effective stay.

Many visitors will stay in a town or city for one-night only before checking-out and spending the next night in different accommodation at their next destination, only 20-30 minutes away.

🔹 Save Money & Time – Some accommodations offer discounts for stays of three nights or more. Frequent relocation, often to near neighbouring towns, can eat into your travel time and budget.

🔹 Avoid Unnecessary Check-Ins & Outs – A central base allows for smart itinerary planning. This strategy eliminates the hassle of multiple check-outs (often by 10am) and check-ins (typically after 4pm), giving you more time to explore.

: Best Central Bases in Puglia

✅ Bari Vecchia – Ideal for exploring Terra di Bari and taking a day trip to Matera.
✅ Ostuni & Surroundings – Perfect for visiting the Valle d’Itria, Monopoli, Polignano a Mare, and nearby beaches. You can also take a day trip to Lecce from here.
✅ Lecce or Coastal Salento Towns (Gallipoli, Otranto) – Best for discovering Salento (the southern part of our region).

2. Resist the Urge to Over-Schedule

There is much to see, but you don’t need to see everything. Enjoy slow travel for mindful moments in Puglia’s timeless towns.

🌿 Experience Puglia, Don’t Just See It – We are in Puglia. A region where time seems to stretch, and life unfolds at an unhurried pace. Embracing a slow travel ethos allows visitors to leave behind the noise of daily life and to actually experience our region’s landscapes, culture and people.

🌆 Similar Towns, Unique Experiences – Many of Puglia’s whitewashed hilltop towns, such as Locorotondo, Cisternino, Ostuni, and Martina Franca, share similar charm and ambiance. If you’re short on time, you may not need to visit them all.

💡 Insider Tip: Focus on experiences rather than destinations. Puglia’s essence lies in its food, architecture, beaches, history, and music. Choose destinations where you can enjoy a mix of these for a well-rounded trip.

3. Stay ‘Local’

To experience the true rhythm of Puglia, choose accommodation that reflects its heritage and community spirit.

🏡 Stay in a Masseria – A traditional farmhouse offering authentic hospitality, often with homegrown food and rustic charm.

🏠 Live Like a Local – Rent a private home or apartment in a historic town centre to immerse yourself in everyday Puglian life.

💡 Insider Tip: For quieter, budget-friendly stays, consider towns slightly off the beaten path:

• Instead of Gallipoli, try Nardò, Galatone, or Galatina.
• Swap Otranto for Maglie.
• Choose Carovigno instead of Ostuni for better value accommodation just a few kilometres away.

: Final Thoughts

: Be a smart tourist.

Don’t plan your adventure based on an itinerary that suited someone else, with different holiday aspirations and visiting at a different time of year. Plan an Puglia itinerary that best suits your needs. Use our Puglia itinerary guide for efficient day-tripping, making the most economic use of time and distance, or packing in as much of our region as you can during a shorter stay.