Where to stay in Bari

Bari Vecchia is the old town on its peninsula between the old and new harbours, with the basilica of San Nicola, the cathedral and the castle. The Murat, the grid of streets next to it, runs down to the seafront promenade; the old town is about 1 km away and the airport about 12 km.

On the coast south-east of the city, Polignano a Mare sits on the cliffs above the Lama Monachile cove, about 36 km from the Murat. Monopoli, about 13 km further on, keeps its old town by the harbour, with the Capitolo beaches about 6 km south.

Inland, Alberobello is the trulli town, about 68 km from Bari airport and about 76 km from Brindisi airport, with Locorotondo about 9 km and Martina Franca about 15 km away.

Treat Bari Vecchia as closed to a rental car. The whole old town is a limited traffic zone with seven gates, its inner streets are for permit holders, and since 1 July 2026, according to the local press, the Piazzale Mincuzzi car park inside has been reserved for residents. Entering a ZTL without authorisation costs EUR 83 to 332, and the fine goes to the rental company.

In the Murat and the other regulated streets, blue bays cost EUR 2 an hour in zone A and EUR 1 in zones B and C, Monday to Saturday from 08:30 to 20:30. AMTAB's park and ride car parks, at Corso Vittorio Veneto, Pane e Pomodoro, Largo 2 Giugno and the Polipark, charge EUR 1 a day with the shuttle bus into the centre included for the driver.

Polignano a Mare published a parking guide in June 2026: paid street parking at San Francesco d'Assisi is closest to the centre, the seafront car park at Parco del Lauro is paid, and Via Marconi behind the station is free; the comune advises arriving in the morning and allowing 10 to 15 minutes on foot. In Monopoli the bays in the Murat centre cost EUR 1 an hour and are paid every day, until 01:30 from June to September. Alberobello charges EUR 2 an hour in its two paid zones, every day.

For the airport, the A14 and the free state roads, GetCar's guide Driving in Bari: the Airport Train and Taxi Fares, the A14 and the Free State Roads, the Bari Vecchia ZTL after July 2026, Park and Ride, Matera's Gates and the Gargano Road Closure covers the driving side.

Each comune sets its own imposta di soggiorno under Legislative Decree 23/2011, and the host collects it. Bari charges EUR 2 per person per night in B&Bs, holiday homes and short lets and EUR 1.50 to 4 in hotels by stars, for up to four consecutive nights in a calendar year, with children under 14 exempt. Monopoli has charged EUR 2 per person per night, or EUR 4 from four stars up, since 1 March 2026, for every night of the stay. Alberobello charges EUR 3 a night in most lodging and EUR 4 at five stars, for up to three consecutive nights. Polignano a Mare taxes up to seven consecutive nights, with children under 14 and people over 80 exempt; its current rates were unverified as of September 2026.

Every licensed stay shows the national CIN outside the building and in every listing, and non-hotel stays in Puglia also carry the regional CIS, a 19-character code that must appear in every advert. At check-in every guest shows an identity document or passport, and the host registers each guest with the police within 24 hours. A 2024 Interior Ministry circular, upheld by the Council of State in November 2025, requires the host to verify the guest in person or by a video link at the door; a key box with a code sent after an ID upload does not meet it.

Summer changes the parking on the coast. From June to September, Monopoli's central bays are paid until 01:30, its seasonal seafront bays every day, and the Capitolo beach car parks from 09:00 to 19:00 at EUR 3 a day. Alberobello's zone B is paid until midnight in July and August. Bari's blue bays are paid Monday to Saturday from 08:30 to 20:30.

A flat in Bari Vecchia means leaving the car outside the zone for the whole stay, so ask the host about the nearest park and ride before booking. In Monopoli, ask whether the host holds the comune's accommodation parking subscription, which covers every paid zone except Piazza Vittorio Emanuele.

The old town on foot, without a car: Bari Vecchia.

A city base with a car: the Murat.

Cliffs and the sea close to Bari: Polignano a Mare.

A harbour town with beaches and the Itria valley in reach: Monopoli.

The trulli and the small towns of the valley: Alberobello.