Is Bari Worth Visiting? An Honest Guide

If you hate delicious food, long beautiful coastlines, charming old towns and friendly locals then you’ll probably want to give Bari a miss. For everyone else, Bari is one of Italy’s best-kept secrets. If you’re asking yourself if Bari is worth visiting, I’ve got the answer.

When I told people I was visiting Bari, most people had never heard of it, they recognised Polignano a Mare but Bari drew a blank. This didn’t come as a shock, Instagram is flooded with Rome, Florence, Venice and Amalfi Coast, direct flights are harder to find and you need to do a bit more digging to find out about this city.

Located on Italy’s east coast, hugged by the Adriatic sea, a trip to Bari gives people a bit of everything. A historic old town with charming cobblestones, a strong food scene, authentic Puglian culture away from other Italian regions, sandy beaches, access to lots of amazing day trips and one of the sunniest cities in Italy. Let me share why I think this city belongs on your Italian itinerary.

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Pros Of Visiting Bari

Authentic Southern Italian Culture

Bari feels different from the rest of Italy I’ve visited. I can’t quite put my finger on it but there’s this rougher, more lived-in vibe that you don’t get in Tuscany or the north.

The food here is completely different to what you’ll get in Rome or Florence too. Bari’s a port city so most of the dishes revolve around seafood, olive oil (Puglia makes about 40% of Italy’s supply) and vegetables. No heavy cream sauces, no rich meat ragùs. The cooking is simple because historically this was one of Italy’s poorest regions, people used what they had and made it work.

Bari hasn’t been polished up for Instagram. You’ll see laundry hanging between medieval buildings. Some streets look a bit sketchy. Not everything is picture perfect. This is just how southern Italy actually is.

Gateway To Puglia’s Best Destinations

Bari is located in the region of Puglia, which is home to many beautiful coastal villages that are etched into limestone cliffs along with UNESCO cities. Bari is the perfect base for exploring these towns, as the other towns are a bit more expensive to stay in and have many more tourists.

• Torre a Mare – 22 minutes on regional train
• Polignano a Mare – 37 minutes on regional train
• Monopoli – 26 minutes regional train
• Brindisi – 1 hour 11 minutes on regional train or 50 minutes on high speed
• Lecce – 1 hour 40 mins on regional train
• Barletta – 50 minutes on regional train or 20 minutes on high speed
• Matera – 2 hours on two buses
• Alberobello – 2 hours on two buses

Each of these are easily reached by train or bus, both which can be booked on OMIO.

You can base yourself in Bari for 4-5 nights and see a huge chunk of Puglia without the hassle of packing and unpacking constantly. The train connections are decent and affordable, driving is straightforward if you hire a car and because Bari is a proper city (not a tiny tourist town) you’ll have better restaurant options and more evening activities when you return from your day trips.

🌟 Best Bari Day Trips

Underrated Food Scene

Bari’s food scene is insane. I mean Italy in general is a foodies playground, but Bari introduced me to many new foods. This alone makes Bari worth visiting.

Puglia’s food is different because of geography and poverty. While northern Italy had butter, cream and rich meat dishes, Puglia was historically one of Italy’s poorest regions. People worked with what they had: olive oil (loads of it), wheat, vegetables and whatever came out of the sea. No fancy ingredients, no complex sauces, just really good produce cooked simply.

These are a few Bari foods to keep an eye out for:

• Orecchiette – Ear-shaped pasta. This is THE signature Bari dish. You’ll see nonnas hand-rolling the pasta in Bari Vecchia daily.
• Braciole di cavallo – Grilled or pan-fried horse meat rolls, often stuffed with cheese, herbs and breadcrumbs. They’re a local delicacy and you’ll find them on menus at traditional trattorias.
• Riso, patate e cozze (tiella barese) – Baked rice, potatoes and mussels cooked in a terracotta pot. It’s comfort food at its finest.
• Focaccia barese – Not your standard focaccia. This one’s topped with cherry tomatoes, olives and loads of olive oil. It’s sold by weight and eaten for breakfast or as a snack.
• Panzerotti – Fried half-moon shaped pockets stuffed with mozzarella and tomato. Think of it as a fried calzone. They’re sold from street vendors and best eaten scalding hot.

• Sgagliozze and popizze – Fried polenta squares (sgagliozze) and fried pizza dough balls (popizze). Classic Bari street food, cheap and incredibly addictive.
• Raw seafood – Ricci di mare (sea urchins), polpo (octopus), cozze (mussels) and ostriche (oysters) eaten raw at the harbor. Locals crack them open and eat them on the spot with lemon.

🌟 Highly Rated Bari Food Experiences

Less Touristy Than Northern Italy

If you’ve ever taken a trip to Italy’s northern destinations you will know that although beautiful, the crowds are torturous. The duomo you’ve been wanting to visit is barely visible among the sea of people, that tiramisu shop has queues out the door and the restaurant you’ve had saved for months is booked out weeks in advance. It can be frustrating and let’s be honest, off-putting. The good news is Bari is much less touristy than Italy’s other cities.

In 2024 Bari received approximately 2.4 million overnight stays. Compare that to Florence’s 13 million, Rome’s 35 million and Venice’s 13.3 million in the same year. Bari gets a fraction of the tourist traffic, which means you can actually enjoy the city without fighting through crowds at every turn.

I’ve visited most of Italy’s main cities and found Bari to be noticeably quieter and far more relaxed. I could walk around the old town and basilicas with ease, get entire alleyways to myself, take photos inside attractions without being wedged between people and actually eat at those popular restaurants without booking weeks ahead. If you’re wondering is Bari worth visiting just for this reason alone, honestly, yes. The lack of crowds makes the whole experience infinitely more enjoyable. It remains one of Italy’s best-kept secrets, which honestly surprises me given how good it is.

Affordable Compared to Other Italian Cities

Ever visited somewhere and felt like every time you took a step you spent money (looking at you Rome!)? Bari is significantly cheaper than Italy’s tourist hotspots and you’ll notice the difference immediately. A sit-down meal at a local restaurant will cost you €12-20 per person, compared to €30-40 in Rome or Venice. An espresso at the bar? €1-1.20. A slice of focaccia from a street vendor? €2-3. Even accommodation is more reasonable, you can find decent three-star hotels in or near the old town for less than €100 per night, while the same standard in Florence or Venice would easily run you €150+.

You can actually have a fantastic long weekend in Bari without hemorrhaging money, which is refreshing when so much of Italy has become painfully expensive.

Beautiful Old Town (Bari Vecchia)

Bari Vecchia isn’t one of those old towns where everything’s been scrubbed clean and turned into an Aperol Spritz photo op. People actually live here. Proper local families who’ve been in the same building for generations. You’ll see laundry strung between medieval archways and kids kicking footballs down narrow alleys.

The whole area is a maze of whitewashed lanes that haven’t changed much in 800 years. Every evening my sister and I got lost trying to find our way back to our apartment. It’s chaotic and definitely rough in places with a little graffiti and the occasional dodgy corner.

Staying in the heart of old town, every morning I could hear the locals chatting and laughing, while at night I’d often spot them sharing a beer. I could feel the community spirit which was also extended to me by a friendly hello whenever I’d enter or leave the house. This is something I’ve never experienced in any other old town.

That said, not everyone in Bari Vecchia is your friend. I’m pretty sure we got scammed by one of those pasta ladies everyone loves. The lady was surrounded by fresh pasta and when we asked for a bag she went into her house and handed us a mass produced bag, clearly from a factory. Maybe it was the heat but we only realised after we paid €4 and felt disappointed.

Easy Access to Beaches

Bari sits right on the Adriatic coast which means you can combine city sightseeing with beach time without any hassle. For once you can actually have your cake and eat it. Pane e Pomodoro beach is a 15-minute walk south of the old town, it’s a popular local beach with clear water and a relaxed vibe. If you want something quieter head north to Torre a Mare or Mola di Bari (both easily reached by train in 20-30 minutes).

They’re where locals actually go to swim and you’ll pay a fraction of what you’d spend at Amalfi Coast beach clubs. Having a beach option right on your doorstep is a huge bonus, especially if you’re visiting in summer. It’s great not having to choose between city or beach.

Grab a foccacia from Antica Forneria Di Altamura Rosalinda for €2.50 and enjoy it on the beach. It’s under 15 minutes walk from Pane e Pomodoro.

Cons Of Visiting Bari

Limited English Spoken

A trip to Bari is not set up for international tourists in the way Florence, Rome or Venice are. English is not widely spoken outside of hotels and major tourist sites, and even then don’t expect everyone to be fluent.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it forces you to engage more authentically with the city and locals generally appreciate any effort you make to speak Italian. Download Google Translate, learn a few key phrases and embrace the chaos. Our accommodation host had no English, we communicated through Google Translate and random hand signals. His warmth and humour still came across.

Additionally, many locals speak Barese dialect rather than standard Italian, which is influenced by Greek, Albanian and Spanish. Even if you speak textbook Italian you might struggle to understand conversations in Bari Vecchia.

Fewer Attractions

Bari doesn’t have the big attractions that other Italian cities do. There’s no Colosseum, no Uffizi Gallery, no Grand Canal. The biggest attractions here are Basilica di San Nicola and Basilica San Sabino which are both beautiful and historically important but they are not going to blow your mind if you’ve already seen the basilicas in Rome. The old town is atmospheric but there’s no single “wow” moment like climbing the Duomo in Florence.

You can easily see all of Bari’s attractions in one day. I’m fine with slow travel so this didn’t bother me. But my sister kept asking ‘so what are we doing today?’. If you want stimulation, Bari could bore you.

Rougher Around the Edges

Bari Vecchia in particular has a gritty, unpolished feel that won’t appeal to everyone. You’ll see a few crumbling buildings, graffiti on medieval walls, stray cats wandering the alleys and the occasional sketchy corner that makes you wonder if you should turn back. Parts of the old town can feel slightly intimidating, especially at night if you’re not used to southern Italian cities.

Although lively, Piazza Mercantile had a few dodgy characters on scooters each night, looking at people at bit too suspiciously. It made me feel like we could be pickpocketed so I advise keeping your belongings close.

Can Feel Industrial in Parts

Bari is a working port city, the waterfront outside the old town is dominated by commercial docks, ferries and industrial infrastructure. Walk in the wrong direction and you’ll end up in bland residential neighborhoods or near the port’s cargo area which is about as charming as the bottom of my Birkenstock.

Most of the modern city center feels concrete heavy, you could be in any shopping street in any city, anywhere in the world.

Who Should Visit Bari

Foodies

If you’re traveling to Italy primarily for the food, Bari should absolutely be on your list. This is where you’ll eat like locals actually eat; cheap street food for breakfast, raw seafood at the harbour at lunch, family-run restaurants for dinner. No reservations needed, no English menus, no tourist markup. Just exceptional regional cooking at prices that’ll make you wonder why you ever paid €40 for pasta in Rome.

Plus, Bari’s food scene is still primarily aimed at locals which means quality stays high and prices stay reasonable.

Road Trippers

Bari is the perfect starting or ending point for a Puglia road trip. The city has a major airport with good connections across Europe, car hire is straightforward and from here you can easily reach Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, Alberobello, Ostuni and Lecce.

Using Bari as your base for a few nights before or after exploring the region makes sense. The roads in Puglia are generally good and driving gives you the freedom to explore smaller towns and beaches that are harder to reach by public transport. Just be prepared for chaotic city driving if you’re picking up or dropping off a rental car in Bari itself.

Slow Paced Travellers

Bari doesn’t have 47 museums to tick off or a packed itinerary to stress about. Instead, you can spend your mornings getting lost in Bari Vecchia’s alleyways, your afternoons sitting at a cafe watching the world go by and your evenings eating seafood by the harbour.

The city moves at a slower southern Italian pace – shops close for siesta, people linger over meals and there’s no sense of urgency to see everything immediately. Don’t get me wrong, this can be frustrating when you are looking for the bill or you want to eat but no restaurant opens until 7 or 8 PM. But it does make you slow down, which is always a positive in my book. If you’re someone who gets anxious about “missing out” or feels the need to maximize every moment of a trip, Bari might feel too quiet. But if you prefer experiencing the atmosphere over rushing between attractions, this is your kind of place.

Seeking Authentic Italy

If you’re tired of tourist-trap restaurants with laminated menus in five languages, streets clogged with selfie sticks and locals who’ve been priced out of their own neighbourhoods, Bari offers something real. This is Italy, chaotic, unpretentious and unapologetically local.

You’ll eat where locals eat, shop where they shop and experience a side of the country that most international tourists never see. There’s no pretense here, no performance for visitors. Bari doesn’t try to be charming or photogenic, it just is what it is.

If you made it this far you already know my answer. Book the trip. Skip Polignano for accommodation. Stay in Bari. Thank me later.

Bari FAQ

How Long To Spend In Bari

You only need 1-2 days to see the attractions in Bari, but I recommend 4-5 days so you can visit the surrounding Puglia region.

If you’re using Bari as a base to explore Puglia (which I’d recommend) then 4-5 nights makes more sense. You’re not constantly packing and unpacking, you’ve got better restaurant options than the smaller towns and you can do proper day trips without the logistics nightmare. Plus the accommodation is cheaper than staying in somewhere like Polignano where everything’s geared towards tourists.

One night is doable if you’re really pushed for time but you’ll barely scratch the surface. A week is also probably too long unless you’re the type who likes to properly settle into a place and live like a local for a bit.

Best Time To Visit Bari

Bari is one of Italy’s sunniest cities, getting around 300 days of sunshine per year, which makes it a solid choice even in shoulder season.

April to June is the peak season. The weather’s warm but not brutal, everything’s open and the beaches are not packed yet. May especially is gorgeous with long days, temperatures in the low to mid 20s and fewer tourists than summer.

September to October is the other great time to visit Bari. Still warm enough to swim, the crowds have thinned out and locals are back from their August holidays so restaurants are open again.

July and August are insanely hot. Most days are between 35-40°C, and the humidity is also high. Bari’s a working city so it doesn’t completely shut down like some Italian towns do in August but a lot of locals do disappear for the month. Accommodation prices spike and honestly it’s just uncomfortable to be wandering around the old town in that heat. We visited in August and I did find it very difficult in the heat.

Winter (November to March) is quiet with some restaurants and hotels temporarily closing, the weather’s unpredictable and beach time is off the table. However, if you’re just there for the food and don’t care about swimming, winter in Bari should not be written off. It’s cheap, there are a handful of tourists and you’ll have the place to yourself.

Is Bari Safe

Bari’s safe but it has a reputation for being dodgy which honestly isn’t totally undeserved.

Bari Vecchia especially used to be rough with drug dealing and petty crime. The local government cleaned it up massively over the past 15-20 years but it still looks a bit intimidating if you’re not used to southern Italian cities.

Yes, keep an eye on your stuff. Don’t wave your phone around like an idiot. But the actual crime risk for tourists is very low. Pickpocketing can happen in crowded areas but it’s nowhere near the levels Barcelona or Rome.

The train station area is the one place I’d be more careful especially at night. It’s not dangerous exactly but it just feels a bit grim. Walk through it quickly and you’ll be fine. We took a wrong turn out of the train station and ended up having to walk all around the area, there is nothing there for tourists so you shouldn’t find yourself there anyway.

The bottom line: use common sense, don’t leave valuables visible in your car and you’ll have zero problems. Bari’s far safer than its reputation suggests.

Bari VS Other Puglia Towns

Bari gets compared to other Puglian towns constantly and people always want to know which one’s “better.” Here are my thoughts:

Bari vs Lecce – Lecce wins on looks. Stunning baroque architecture, polished streets, very Instagrammable. Bari’s grittier and more real. Pick Lecce for pretty photos, Bari for authentic chaos. Or visit both – 90 minutes by train.

Bari vs Polignano a Mare – Polignano is a gorgeous tiny clifftop village. It’s also absolutely rammed with day trippers and influencers clogging up Lama Monachile beach. You’ll see the whole town in 2 hours. Stay in Bari, day trip to Polignano. Trust me.

Bari vs Monopoli – Monopoli’s lovely. Smaller, prettier, more relaxed. But there’s less to do and fewer restaurants. Better beach base but Bari wins for food and nightlife.

Bari vs Ostuni – Ostuni (the white city) is gorgeous and sits on a hill overlooking olive groves. It’s more picturesque than Bari but it’s tiny and gets absolutely mobbed in summer. Again, I’d day trip there from Bari rather than staying there.

Bari isn’t the prettiest. But it’s the most functional base, has the best food, best transport links and costs half as much. Stay in Bari, visit the pretty towns as day trips.

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