PTG Tours · Escorted tour

Vintage Puglia (Italy)

Vintage Puglia (Italy), a rail journey with PTG Tours

Next departs 12 April 2026. On this tour we visit Puglia (Apulia), a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east and the Ionian Sea to the southeast, with 800 kilometres (497 miles) of coastline. Its most southerly portion, known as the Salento Peninsula, forms the high heel on the boot of Italy. All by train of course.

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Bari

    Arrival in Bari

    Flights from London airports to Bari, then a train transfer to Bari, where the group stays for the next 5 nights in the 4-star Hotel TBA, opposite the railway station. Welcome dinner.

  2. Day 2railovernight: Bari

    Bari old town

    Guided walk around the medieval city centre of Bari, the region's capital and the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy, including the tangled streets of Bari Vecchia and the Basilica di San Nicola (Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, built 1087-1197). Free afternoon, with the option of a Ferrotranviaria train north of Bari.

  3. Day 3railovernight: Bari

    Castel del Monte and Trani

    Ferrotranviaria train to Ruvo or Andria, then a shuttle bus to Castel del Monte, a 13th-century UNESCO World Heritage octagonal citadel built by Frederick II. On to Trani by bus for a guided visit to its seafront cathedral. Return to Bari by local train.

  4. Day 4railovernight: Bari

    Matera

    Ferrovie Appulo Lucane (FAL) train to Matera, a UNESCO site, for a guided tour of the old town and its 'Sassi' (stone) houses dug into the limestone (setting for Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ'). Lunch break and free time before the train back to Bari.

  5. Day 5overnight: Bari

    Alberobello and Taranto

    Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE) line to Alberobello, famous for its UNESCO-listed conical-roofed Trulli houses, with time for lunch. Return to Bari via Taranto for a quick stroll in the old town.

  6. Day 6railovernight: Lecce

    Travel to Lecce

    FS train south to Lecce in the Salento Peninsula, travelling along the east coast via Brindisi. Check-in at the hotel opposite Lecce railway station, home for the next 4 nights. Lunch break, then a 2-hour guided tour of Lecce's baroque old city centre, including the Piazza del Duomo and its 12th-century cathedral.

  7. Day 7railovernight: Lecce

    Tuglie and Gallipoli

    FSE local service to Tuglie to visit the Museum of Rural Life, set in the gardens of a 17th-century ducal palace, with a tasting of local foods. Local train in the afternoon to the west coast at Gallipoli, an old town on a limestone island linked to the mainland by a 16th-century bridge.

  8. Day 8railovernight: Lecce

    Gagliano and Santa Maria di Leuca

    Free day in Lecce, or for train enthusiasts an FSE ride to Gagliano, the southernmost station on the heel of Italy, followed by a chartered bus to Santa Maria di Leuca, with its lighthouse and the De Finibus Terrae sanctuary marking the 'end of the land'.

  9. Day 9railovernight: Lecce

    Otranto

    FSE local service via Maglie to Otranto, the easternmost Italian town, to see its cathedral (consecrated 1088) and Aragonese Castle, with views to Albania across the Strait of Otranto in clear weather. Return by train or private bus depending on timetable, then an afternoon visit to the local railway museum. Farewell dinner in Lecce.

  10. Day 10

    Departure

    Coach transfer to Brindisi/Bari airport for flights back to the UK.

Included

  • All travel and excursions as outlined in the itinerary
  • Accommodation as detailed
  • Meals as shown in the itinerary (B = Breakfast, D = Dinner)
  • Services of our tour manager

Similar journeys, different answers