Deep-dive

Visiting Bari

An old town with the Basilica of San Nicola, the Cathedral and the Swabian Castle; the Murat centre with the Petruzzelli theatre and the seafront. Urban beaches at Pane e Pomodoro and Torre Quetta. Day trips: Polignano, Alberobello, Castel del Monte, Trani and Matera. Tourist tax for up to four nights.

Sections: Attractions · Museums · Nature · Itineraries · Excursions · Accessible visits

What to see

Bari Vecchia holds the main monuments: the Basilica of San Nicola (11th–12th century, Apulian Romanesque), the Cathedral of San Sabino, the Swabian Castle (state museum) and the orecchiette street (Arco Basso), where women make pasta in the open. The Murat district offers the Teatro Petruzzelli (Italy's fourth-largest opera house, rebuilt after the 1991 fire and reopened in 2009), the Teatro Margherita built over the water, Via Sparano and the Nazario Sauro seafront with its 1930s buildings. The "Corrado Giaquinto" metropolitan art gallery collects Apulian and southern painting from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century; the Santa Scolastica archaeological museum, in the old town, covers pre-Roman Bari.

Beaches in the city: Pane e Pomodoro and Torre Quetta (south, reachable by bus), lidos at Palese and Santo Spirito (north).
Polignano a Mare and Monopoli: 30–40 minutes by train, cliffs and historic centres on the sea.
Alberobello (trulli, UNESCO World Heritage) and the Itria Valley with Locorotondo and Martina Franca: by FSE train or car.
Castel del Monte (UNESCO) at Andria and Trani with its seaside cathedral: to the north, by Ferrotramviaria or Trenitalia train plus bus.
Matera (UNESCO, in Basilicata): about an hour and a half on the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane from Bari Centrale.
Castellana Caves and Conversano: inland to the south, by car or FSE.

Seasons and tourist tax

The best months are April–June and September–October; July and August are very hot and the beaches crowded. Two events mark the year: the feast of Saint Nicholas (7–9 May) with the procession at sea and the historical parade, and the Fiera del Levante in September. Guests in accommodation pay the municipal tourist tax for a maximum of four consecutive nights; exemptions include residents, children under 14 and out-of-town students enrolled at Bari's universities (2023 regulation).

Apulia Basilicata