Tourism
Four UNESCO sites (Castel del Monte, trulli of Alberobello, sanctuary of St Michael at Monte Sant'Angelo, Foresta Umbra) plus the Via Appia. Salento, Gargano, Valle d'Itria, Bari and Lecce. Beach season concentrated in July and August with heavy pressure on the Salento; municipal tourist tax.
Sections: Attractions · Museums · Nature · Itineraries · Excursions · Accessible visits
Sites and towns
Apulia's UNESCO sites are Castel del Monte in Andria, the trulli of Alberobello, the sanctuary of St Michael at Monte Sant'Angelo (part of the Longobards in Italy) and the Foresta Umbra in the Gargano (ancient beech forests), plus the Via Appia inscribed in 2024. Lecce and the Salento baroque, old Bari with the basilica of San Nicola, Trani with its seaside cathedral, Ostuni, Martina Franca, Locorotondo and Cisternino in the Valle d'Itria, Matera (in Basilicata, an hour from Bari) and the Taranto Archaeological Museum with its gold jewellery are the main cultural destinations. The Castellana caves are the main karst site.
Coast and inland areas
The Salento (Gallipoli, Otranto, Porto Cesareo, Torre dell'Orso, Santa Maria di Leuca) and the Gargano (Vieste, Peschici, Mattinata, Tremiti) are the busiest beach areas, with a very marked peak between mid-July and late August, when prices, traffic and beach crowding reach critical levels and many councils introduce parking limits. Polignano a Mare, Monopoli and the Bari coast can be reached by train. The lesser-known areas are the Monti Dauni (villages, Faeto and Celle), the Alta Murgia (National Park, Gravina, Altamura) and the inland Taranto area (Grottaglie and its ceramics, Massafra). The Torre Guaceto reserve and the marine protected areas regulate beach access.
Practical rules
The tourist tax is applied by Bari, Lecce, Gallipoli, Otranto, Vieste, Polignano, Alberobello, Ostuni and most tourist municipalities, with per-night amounts and periods set by each; some apply it only in high season. Many free beaches in the Salento and Gargano have access limits and camping bans in summer; short-term rentals must be registered with the national identification code and the regional CIS code. Off season (November–March) most beach establishments are closed, while the art towns stay open.
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Reviewed: 10/23/2026 · by piero.avolio · rev. 1 · Period: → 2027-10-31
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