Family Holidays in Puglia: things to do in Puglia with kids
I’ve been to Puglia a few times but always for work so I decided to enlist Eva, aged 12, to help me write this article about the best things to do in Puglia with kids. Eva enjoyed a Puglia family holiday in the summer of 2023 and she and her family fell in love with the region.
I’m planning a family trip to Puglia myself for next spring so I am hoping this research will prove helpful to me as well as to my readers! If you have any tips about visiting Puglia with children, please do let me know in the comments below.
Need somewhere to stay in Puglia? Read this article about family-friendly accommodation in Puglia.
Looking for more ideas about visiting Italy with kids? Read my article about Italy family holidays.
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Table of Contents
Where is Puglia?
Puglia is the heel of Italy’s boot and it also includes a “spur” north of Bari – the Gargano National Park. From there, it shares borders with Molise and Campania. Meanwhile, to the south west Puglia stretches towards Basilicata where you’ll find the hilltop town of Matera (famous for its cave dwellings).
The three parts of Puglia
To understand Puglia a bit better, it’s helpful to think about it as three separate areas: the spur of Gargano in the north, the Valle d’Itria in the centre and Salento in the south.
Gargano Peninsula
The least well known area of Puglia – to international travellers at least – the Gargano has a fantastic forested interior, rugged coastline and it’s the access point for the Trimiti islands. These isles are fantastic for snorkelling and diving.
Valle d’Itria
Many of the most well known sights in Puglia are found in the Valle d’Itria – Bari, Alberobello (home of the trulli houses), Ostuni and Polignano a Mare. There are however, many more towns worth exploring in this area which attract fewer guests than the big hitters.
Salento
It’s taken a little bit longer for the Salento to gain traction with international visitors than neighbouring Valle d’Itria. However, it has just as many significant towns to visit. Highlights include Lecce, Gallipoli and Otranto as well as plenty of hidden gems. You’ll find some excellent sandy beaches in the Salento.
What is Puglia like?
Puglia is very different to the romantic hilly regions further north such as Tuscany and Umbria. Unlike the landscapes of these green and verdant central regions, Puglia is decidedly parched and flat. There are vast olive groves, white washed towns and long sandy beaches. It feels more Greek than Italian – indeed, the tip of Puglia is closer to Corfu than to Rome.
Puglia, like Sicily, has changed hands countless times over the centuries and this is reflected in the region’s architecture. Lecce is blessed with an impressive Roman amphitheatre as well as magnificent Baroque palazzos. Swabian fortifications can be found in the north of Puglia – most notably Castel del Monte and the castles in Trani and Bari. The port of Bari also boasts a splendid Norman church – Basilica di San Nicola, and a Romanesque cathedral.
It is the coastline which make Puglia such a popular destination in the summertime when Italians flock to the beaches. There is a good selection of attractive coastal towns – Polignano a Mare, Otranto and Gallipoli to name a few – which make Puglia a magnet for beach lovers.
Puglia reminds me a lot of Sicily and Calabria – its towns have the same impoverished outskirts which belie some rather beautiful historical centres. You have to try a bit harder when you go looking for beauty in Puglia – it isn’t handed to you on a plate as it is further north in the country. I guess that makes those finds all the more rewarding.
Fortunately many of the appealing towns in Puglia are relatively close to the coast so you can spend a morning exploring Ostuni or Martina Franca and then while away an afternoon at the beach.
Is Puglia good for children?
Isn’t everywhere in Italy good for children? Puglia is great for little children as it’s perfect bucket and spade territory. The food of course is brilliant for kids although the emphasis is more on seafood than on meat. But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of pizza and pasta (and gelato).
There are plenty of villas with pools in Puglia if you’re at that stage where your kids want to lounge by the pool with their phone. Teens will also enjoy watching the cliff jumpers at Polignano a Mare.
If your children like exploring, Puglia has plenty of small and interesting towns and cities which you can dip into for half a day – Lecce has some excellent Roman ruins while Alberobello is famous for its conical trulli houses. The key is to spend just a morning or afternoon wandering these whitewashed wonders – if you’re visiting Puglia in the intense heat of summer, you should quit while you’re ahead and just spend a couple of hours (with an ice cream in hand) exploring, before retreating to the beach or pool.
Geography fans will enjoy the rugged cliffs of the Gargano National Park – there are rock towers and arches so it’s a fun area to explore by boat, and good for snorkelling. The forested interior of the Gargano is great for hiking – best done in late spring (May half term perhaps) or early autumn to avoid the heat.
Puglia highlights for families
- Enjoying the sandy beaches of the Salento
- Boat trips and snorkelling along the Gargano coast
- Visiting the Castellana cave system near Putignano
- Spotting trulli houses in the olive groves (they’re not just in Alberobello)
- Exploring the small, whitewashed towns of the Valle d’Itria
- Staying (and eating) in a masseria, a traditional fortified farmhouse
- Witnessing a traditional Puglian festival
- Taking part in a cookery class
- Discovering tiny villages off the beaten track
When is the best time to visit Puglia for families?
If you’re after the proper Italian experience, you should visit Puglia in August. That’s when the whole country decamps to the beach. However, for slightly lower prices and fewer crowds, try the end of July. If you’re travelling with pre-schoolers, definitely visit in June or September when the heat is less intense.
If you’re not in to beaches, spring and autumn are lovely times to visit Puglia to learn about the history of the region and to explore its landscape.
Places to visit in Puglia with kids
Here are Eva’s top 6 places to visit in Puglia with kids:
Lecce
We spent a day strolling through Lecce old town. A walk through the squares, past old buildings and visiting the Duomo di Lecce in Piazza del Duomo is great fun. Pass through Porta Napoli gate before making your way to the Roman amphitheatre ruins.
Around the 25th of August you can visit Festa di Sant’Oronzo to celebrate the town’s patron saint with fireworks and amazing light displays in bright colours.
Polignano a Mare
Walk through Polignano a Mare and see the stunning views of cliff top buildings and the powerful waves. We stopped by Lucarelli gelateria for a delicious ice cream before strolling on towards Ponte Borbonico su Lama Monachile, a bridge overlooking the stunning Lama Monachile beach and the caves and coastline that you can explore by boat or kayak guided tours.
Hidden along the cliff top are many small shops selling jewellery and souvenirs that I enjoyed (I may have spent too much time in them and had to be hurried along). This is definitely one of the best places in Puglia for families.
Bari
We watched the skilful nonnas create delicious pasta on Arco Basso (a street lined with pasta stalls and colourful pasta drying in the warm sunlight). Arrive there in the morning to enjoy the experience as they finish at noon. Try orecchiette, the local pasta (same type as made by the nonnas), the name translates to ‘little ears’.
Stroll on through Bari Vecchia (the old town) and visit Castello Svevo di Bari or Museo Archeologico di Santa Scolastica to see old ruins and amazing finds reflecting the history of Bari. A delicious way to end the visit is with a quick drop in to Martinucci Laboratory for a delicious gelato or crispy pastry.
Ostuni
Ostuni is nicknamed ‘the white city’. It has a lovely old town with fantastic views down to the coast, lots of amazing squares and small shops.
Every year they celebrate the patron saint with a festival: Cavalcata di Sant’Oronzo featuring a parade with traditional costumes, floats and horse riders around the 25th, 26th and 27th of August. It also had a display of traditional crafts like lace making, a blacksmith, a miller, and a beekeeper. We enjoyed watching all the locals parade through the streets in traditional clothing as we ate our dinner in one of the pizza restaurants on the main square.
Alberobello
Alberobello is a picturesque town, specifically Rione Monti: the trulli area. Trullis are small conical-roofed houses made to evade tax in the 14th century. Many have been turned into small shops and restaurants. With over 1,500 trulli, Alberobello is a unique place to visit and an essential part of visiting Puglia with kids. We loved exploring this beautiful, old town.
Gallipoli
Gallipoli was originally called Kallipolis, when it was a thriving ancient Greek colony, meaning beautiful city. It has a stunning old town, a maze of cobbled streets, whitewashed buildings, colourful plants and bustling squares with wonderful beaches and crystal clear water perfect for swimming.
Unusual things to do in Puglia
Want to get off the beaten track in Puglia? Here are a few places to visit in Puglia for families away from the crowds.
Tremiti Islands
The five Tremiti Islands – just two of which are inhabited – are reached from various ports on the Gargano peninsula as well as from Termoli in neighbouring Molise.
If you’re holidaying with older children, the Tremiti are an excellent choice – the islands are well known for snorkelling and scuba diving. As well as excellent sea life beneath the waves, there are wrecks to view and underwater caves and rock arches.
On land, the islands have excellent beaches amid their rugged coastlines and are also excellent for walking.
Cycle through the Salento
We always incorporate cycling into our family holidays and I think Puglia would be a great place to hire bikes and explore. The roads are predominantly flat and if you stick to the minor roads, there’s little traffic.
I really like the sound of the family cycle route described in Salento Bici Tour. Cycling is a great way to slow down and explore a region in more depth.
Check out the pink-hued salt flats of Margherita di Savoia
Lying on the coast between Trani and Manfredonia, north of Bari, the salt flats of Margherita di Savoia take on a pink hue at sunset making them a popular spot for photographers. The salt flats are a protected nature reserve extending some 20 kilometres. The area attracts many species of water birds and there’s a museum exploring the history of the salt pans.
Visit Castel del Monte
My children never tire of visiting castles (nor do I). Castel del Monte is a really good one – an octagonal beauty atop a small hill an hour west of Bari.
Eva’s tips for visiting Puglia with kids
- Puglia can get extremely hot so it may be better to go during the Easter holidays or the May half term if you want to explore lots of the places listed here.
- Take bottles of water wherever you go. We found that the summer prices can really add up as in some places it was €5 for one can of drink.
- It would be useful to download a parking app to tell you where to find parking nearby and to save you having to always have change for machines. We used easypark.
What to eat in Puglia with children?
As Puglia is on the coast they eat a lot of seafood including squid, octopus, swordfish, many types of fresh fish and mussels.
Burrata is a type of amazing cheese from Puglia. It is made of a mozzarella type cheese on the outside and on the inside it is cream and stracciatella (the cheese not the ice cream) and tastes delicious. Be careful when you bite into it as it is runny inside.
We found there were two main types of restaurants: pizzerias and seafood restaurants.
What to eat in Puglia for lunch?
For lunch you can find many pucce shops. Pucce are traditional round sandwiches from Puglia and popular ‘street food’. They are filled with lots of different toppings but most popularly tomato, mozzarella and basil.
Another delicious lunch is panzerotti. They are savoury turnovers that are similar to small calzones but are generally fried instead of oven baked. They are filled with tomato and cheese or sometimes cheese and prosciutto. Be warned, after 1pm it will be harder to find places to eat as shops and restaurants close for a riposo (the Italian name for a siesta) for about 90 mins to three hours.
One of the best things to eat in Puglia is taralli, a type of round biscuit resembling a curved breadstick that tastes of olive oil, a delicious snack whilst exploring the sights of Puglia.
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Have you visited Puglia with kids? Let me know in the comments below if you have any tips for Puglia family holidays.
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