A 7-day Puglia itinerary from one base in Brindisi

Why one base instead of a road trip?

On my first long trips around Puglia with friends from the north, we did it the usual way: two nights here, two nights there, a car full of half-open suitcases. By day five everyone knew the exact weight of every bag and nobody remembered what the third town looked like.

Every change of hotel costs you half a day: packing, checking out, finding the next place, parking, checking in. In a week, that is two days lost. Puglia is long, but its most famous places are packed into the middle, and Brindisi sits right in that middle. From here Lecce and Ostuni are each about 30 to 40 minutes away, Alberobello and Polignano about an hour, Otranto about 1 hour 10. You unpack once, you know where the coffee is, and every evening you come back to the same quiet old town.

This itinerary is built for that. It alternates long and short days, mixes towns and sea, and leaves room for the long lunches that are half the reason to come. If you want the reasoning in more detail, read why Brindisi works as a base for Puglia.

The week at a glance

The order is flexible. Swap days to follow the weather: on windy days from the north the coast south of Brindisi is often calmer, and vice versa. Keep Alberobello off weekends in summer if you can.

Day 1: Arrive and walk Brindisi's old town

Brindisi airport (BDS, Aeroporto del Salento) is about 10 minutes from the old town, so even a mid-afternoon flight leaves you a full evening. Check in, then walk down to the harbour. See the Roman column at the top of the steps, traditionally linked with the end of the Via Appia, and the cathedral square nearby. At sunset, take the small harbour boat across to the Monumento al Marinaio d'Italia and look back at the city.

Dinner is seafood: raw shellfish, octopus, orecchiette. Our guide to things to do in Brindisi has more for this first evening.

Day 2: Lecce, the baroque city

Take the regional train, about 25 to 35 minutes, and walk from Lecce station into the centre. Start at Piazza Sant'Oronzo with its half-buried Roman amphitheatre, then the Basilica di Santa Croce and Piazza del Duomo. Have a pasticciotto mid-morning and a rustico at lunch. Rest through the hottest hours, then walk again from six, when the stone glows. Back in Brindisi for a late dinner, or stay in Lecce and catch an evening train.

Day 3: Ostuni and a swim at Costa Merlata

Drive about 30 to 35 minutes to Ostuni and walk up through the white lanes to the Cathedral before the heat. Two to three hours is enough. Then go down to the coast: Costa Merlata has rocky coves with clear water, and there are longer sandy beaches a little further along. Return to Ostuni for sunset from the walls if you like, or drive back to Brindisi and eat on the terrace.

Day 4: Alberobello and the Valle d'Itria

This is the day for the trulli, so leave early. Alberobello is about an hour away. The Trulli of Alberobello have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996. Walk Rione Monti first, before ten, then the quieter Rione Aia Piccola.

Afterwards, drive slowly through the Valle d'Itria. Locorotondo is ten minutes away: a round white town with a view over trulli and vineyards. Have lunch there or continue to Martina Franca for its baroque streets. End in Cisternino, where butchers' shops called fornelli grill the meat you choose. It is a long day, so plan nothing for the next morning.

Day 5: A beach day at Torre Guaceto

After three days of towns, slow down. The Torre Guaceto nature reserve is about 25 minutes north of Brindisi: dunes, a coastal tower and shallow, clear, protected water. Services inside the reserve are limited and access rules change by season, so check the reserve's website and bring water, shade and snacks.

Prefer sunbeds and a bar? Choose one of the lidos along the coast north of the city instead. Our guide to the best beaches near Brindisi compares them.

Day 6: Polignano a Mare and Monopoli

Both towns are on the railway towards Bari, so this day works by train too (about 45 minutes to 1 hour). Start in Polignano a Mare: the Lama Monachile cove between the cliffs, the terraces over the sea, the small old town. Go early, because by late morning in summer it is busy.

In the afternoon, move to Monopoli. Its old port with blue fishing boats, the castle on the water and the walls along the sea are at their best in the last hour of light.

Day 7: Otranto, or a slow last day

If you still have energy, drive about 1 hour 10 minutes to Otranto. See the 12th-century mosaic floor in the Cathedral, walk the castle walls, and swim in the clear water nearby. If you would rather not drive, stay close: a late breakfast on the terrace, the market, a last swim north of the city, and a long lunch. Many guests tell us this lazy day is the one they remember.

If your flight is on day 8, Brindisi airport is about 10 minutes away. Check-out is by 11:00, and we can help with an airport transfer on request.

Practical notes: car, timing and how to adapt the plan

• Hire the car for part of the week only. Days 2 and 6 work by train, so a car for days 3, 4, 5 and 7 is often enough. Pick it up at Brindisi airport, about 10 minutes from the old town.
• Park outside the old towns. Lecce, Ostuni, Alberobello and Polignano all have restricted traffic zones (ZTL) in their centres. Use the signed car parks and walk in. Fines for entering a ZTL arrive by post, months later.
• Respect the afternoon. Many shops and churches close from about 13:00 to 16:30 or 17:00. Plan towns for the morning and early evening, and keep the middle of the day for lunch, the beach or a rest.
• Eat late. Restaurants in summer fill from about 21:00. Book on Friday and Saturday nights, especially in Polignano, Ostuni and Lecce.
• Carry water and cash. Small lidos, car parks and bakeries sometimes prefer cash, and summer days are hot.
• Check the wind. It decides which coast is calm. A quick look at the forecast in the morning can save a beach day.

And if your trip is shaped differently:

• Without a car: keep days 1, 2 and 6 as they are, do Ostuni by train plus a short taxi up the hill, and replace days 4 and 7 with a guided tour or a private driver. For the beach, choose lidos you can reach by local bus in summer.
• With 10 days: add Matera (about 2 hours each way, better with one night there) and Gallipoli on the Ionian coast.
• With two weeks: add the far south of Salento around Santa Maria di Leuca, or take the ferry from Brindisi to Corfu in summer.
• With small children: cut day 4 to Alberobello only and add a second beach day.

For a week like this, a whole home helps. BDS House sleeps up to six, with a full kitchen, a washing machine for mid-week laundry, air conditioning and two private terraces, and the station about 750 m away for the train days.