How to visit Puglia on a budget

27.03.2024 - 11:43 / lonelyplanet.com

While on the rise in recent years, Puglia is still a relatively undiscovered destination for foreign visitors. Italians, though, have known for a very long time that the region stretching across the heel of the country’s boot is a perfect mix of everything that there is to love about Italy: breathtaking beaches, excellent food and centuries of history in every stone.

If you’re looking to travel on a budget, then you’ll be happy to know that you’re already saving money just by choosing Puglia over some more popular seaside destinations, like the Amalfi Coast in Campania or Cinque Terre in Liguria. Traveling during the off season will ensure those costs stay even lower, making planning a trip to Puglia on a budget something that is very easy to do.

Here are some more tips and tricks to help you save up during your trip to Puglia, as well as a breakdown of the daily costs you can expect while you’re on the road.

Puglia has two international airports located in Bari and Brindisi. Both are served by low-cost companies such as Ryanair and EasyJet, which are some of the cheapest air travel options if you’re already located somewhere in Europe. Of course, we all know the deal with low-cost companies – keep an eye out on the size and weight of your luggage to avoid an unpleasant surprise at check-in.

If you’re staying in Italy and want to add Puglia to your itinerary, the best option to get there is via train or bus. It’s more eco-friendly, for starters, and it also allows you to carry a bigger luggage. Puglia is served by Italy’s national railway system, with the best option being the high speed Frecciarossa; a ticket from Milan to Bari can range anywhere from €40 to €120.

As for buses, Flixbus is well known for having a wide variety of routes connecting all major Italian cities. A ticket from Milan to Bari, for example, could be as low as €65 even though you have to be prepared for quite of a bit of travel time.

Whether you plan to travel by train or bus, it’s always a good idea to book as early as possible and keep an eye out for seasonal promotions –usually advertised right on the homepage of the Trenitalia and Flixbus websites – to save even more on your trip.

While everyone knows that tourist destinations get more crowded and expensive during summer and around Christmastime, you should also keep in mind the times when Italians celebrate specific holidays and might have some time to travel. Schools and workplaces usually shut down around Easter Sunday, and students also get a few days off for Carnevale. January 6, April 25, May 1, June 2, August 15 and December 8 are also all national holidays of both religious and civil nature, and if they fall around the weekend on that particular year’s