24-06-2025
The 19 best things to do in Puglia
Puglia, the beach-fringed heel of Italy's boot, offers lazy sun-drenched days and long limoncello lunches, leading ineffably to an afternoon nap. Holidays here are punctuated by flavoursome fresh food and ancient olive trees, architecture left by waves of invaders, and boat trips along the coast.
This is a place to wander through pine forests on the way to the beach, take a passeggiata around golden-stone piazzas, discover lime-white hilltop towns, or visit a fortified cathedral. Its sights are reminders of its richer past, when lamps were fuelled by olive oil and pirates roamed the coast.
All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best things to do in Puglia. Find out more below, or for more Puglia inspiration, see our guides to the region's best hotels, restaurants, bars and beaches.
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Best for families
Alberobello
Wander a storybook town of trulli
The best-known site in Puglia is this Unesco-listed, hobbit-like town. Puglia has distinctive cone-roofed trulli dotting its countryside – whitewashed limestone houses with witches-hat drystone roofs. Rolling off the tongue, and meaning 'beautiful tree', Alberobello is the only place there is an entire town of these. It's the most popular tourist spot in the entire region, with coachloads of visitors stopping by on whirlwind tours of Europe.
Insider tip: Touristy it might be, but Alberobello is still a fantastical place, especially if you get off the main drag and into the backstreets. Get here early in the morning or stay overnight to see the town at its most atmospheric.
