I'm in the process of planning our next family trip to Puglia, Italy. My initial plan is to spend three nights in Bari and then head down to Ostuni, where we will spend the next seven days. I think we'll return to the Bari area for the last night or two before flying back out.

My questions:
1. Suggestions on day trips from a Ostuni.
2. Must sees in Bari.
3. Hotel recommendations in or around Bari.

Thank you all so very much!

For your questions 1 and 2, please provide your interests to better direct you. Hiking? Beaches? Historical sites? Time period? Architecture? We all have different reasons why we travel... For example, Lecce is a natural choice from Ostuni, but if you have no interest in what it has to offer, I'd hesitate to suggest it.

For 3, what is your budget?

I suggest reviewing some guidebooks if you haven't already to further guide what you are planning on doing during your trip. There are also many, many recent trip reports here on this forum - Puglia has become very popular. I head there myself in a couple of weeks.

Bari I's a good gritty city. Ostuni could be a bit boring after 12 hours. I'd look at Lecce with a couple of day trips.

Alternatively, if you just like chilling find a masseria with a pool and a restaurant and stay there.

Bilbo is right, as usual, in my opinion. Seven nights in Ostuni???? In Ostuni or in a rural hotel outside the town?
From what I read, not having been to that area of Puglia in about 10 years, Ostuni is getting very popular with foreign travelers.
You need to think about your interests....food, hiking, beach, architecture, landscape, wine............

One thing I would add is that Matera, across the border in the region of Basilicata, is for me one off the most compelling cities in Europe if not the world.
Easy drive or public transport from Bari.
NOT as a day trip..minimum two nights stay....over every other place you plan to visit.

What month?
Beaches important?
You are leaving out a lot in Salento including, of course, Lecce.

I do not like day trips myself but they would be easy from Ostuni to cover the famous towns near there....but there is a lot more to Puglia than the Murge/Trulli area.....

Look around the area of Trani, Minervino Murge, and the glorious castle which in my senior moment (of which there are many) is not far from there.......maybe Castel del Monte?

You need minimum of three bases to cover the highlights of Puglia.

We hope to return in May and for the first time, stay in Bari before heading south--I am planning four nights; wonder if that is a good amount of time given that first day is a wash due to jet lag from USA. I am a little hesitant due to the attention Puglia gets now......but that is for another thread..

There was a wonderfully literate and interesting poster here years ago named TEGDALE; he wrote a lot about Puglia on this forum and if you can find those reports it might be helpful in addition to all the other info here.....

Thank you ekscrunchy. Very good comments and suggestions.

Tom

Thanks Bilo. This is what I need to hear.

Tom

from your keyboard to my wife's ear...