The capital of Apulia (Ita: Puglia), Bari is the most important city in the region. Standing on the Adriatic Coast, it’s one of the gateways into the country, as well as an important exit point.

Served by a port, an airport, a train station, and a bus station, Bari is an excellent base to explore Puglia.

The city itself has a lot to offer to the visitor and is certainly worth several days to explore. However, a lot of outstanding places are located nearby and can be either visited as a day trip or during a tour.

That’s why, in this article, I’m sharing the top Bari tours, excursions, and experiences to add to your bucket list (in 2025), no matter your budget. Also, free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance applies to all the suggestions below.

Day Trip – Bari, Polignano a Mare and Alberobello

This 7–8-hour tour is also available year-round, and costs from US$691 per group (of up to 4 persons) and varies for more. You’ll visit Bari, both the old town and downtown, explore Alberobello’s Trulli dwellings, and visit Polignano a Mare.

The package includes private transportation, wi-fi and AC in the vehicle, and tea/coffee. You need to consider additional costs, such as getting to Bari, as well as the food and drinks you’ll purchase during the day trip.

Visit of the marine caves of Vieste

Make your way to Vieste, on the Gargano coast, and join this 3-hour boat tour to experience the splendor of this area. You’ll navigate from Vieste to Baia delle Zagare, about 12 miles along the coast, passing by wonderful bays and hidden coves.

Prices start at $27 per person.

We’ve done a similar tour on the same boat (Desirèe) some years back. Our guide was Italian and we’ve even seen dolphins on the way back.

UNESCO’s Alberobello and Matera from Bari

These might just be two of the most beautiful and intriguing places to visit when you are in Bari. Stop by Mater and check it out, including the Sassi area, a complex of cave dwellings carved into the mountainside. Then, head over to Alberobello to see the trulli. The tour leaves from Bari’s cruise port and the price starts at $167 per person.

Bari Walking Tour with Pasta Experience

Do you like pasta? Then you should learn how to make orecchiette, the traditional pasta in Puglia. Take a walking tour in Bari and combine it with a home cooking experience. Make your way around the enticing Old Town lanes, discovering landmarks such as the Basilica of St. Nicholas and hearing the city’s history, the city’s French neighborhood, and the fish market. Then, you’ll visit the home of a local to make fresh pasta pomodoro and try the local primitivo red wine. You’ll enjoy all this (and more) for prices starting at $46 per person.

The Original Street Food Waking tour in Bari

Both a culinary and a sightseeing adventure, this approximately 3-hour walking tour will take you, with the help of a guide, around the hidden streets of Bari, exploring culinary and cultural gems.

Walking around history and historical places like the Basilica of St. Nicholas, and its crypt, Castello Normanno Svevo, Via Appia, Piazza Mercantile and many more historical buildings and narrow streets, you will discover both the touristic face of Bari and the one only the locals know and love.

The tour price starts at 62.98 USD per person.

WINES Tastings and Countryside! from Bari

Love the outdoors and sunshine? Enjoy an amazing and relaxing day in the company of some good wine, exploring Bari’s countryside.

This experience will be a car ride along the countryside with a wine tasting stop, where you can discover the local tastes at one of the local wine and oil producers.

Tour prices start at 169.90 USD per person.

Visit Alberobello, Monopoli, Polignano: Private tour

We all know the beauty of Italy and the Italian coast. Embark on an outdoor adventure and discover three of the most iconic places in Southern Italy: Alberobello, Monopoli, and Polignano a Mare.

This 7h trip from Bari will take you to Alberobello and its narrow streets with its ancient stone houses, the Trulllis, the IRL Smurf village. The second stop will bring you to Monopoli and its picturesque fishing port from where you can enjoy views of the nearby sandy beaches. The final stop is Polignano a Mare, a rocky see façade with amazing caves and beautiful terraces.

The experience ends with some free strolling but not before enjoying a good meal at one of the local taverns. This is really an itinerary worth remembering and experiencing.

Prices start at 236.18 USD pe person.

Day tour by car and on foot among the Apulian beauties of Matera

Discover the beauty of the historical settlement of Matera (Sassi) and Altamura.

Embark on a historical ride, discovering the beauty of Italy like locals do. Visit two of the most ancient bakeries, dating back to medieval times, and witness the places actors enjoyed when filming some of the big screens’ most iconic movies.

Be one of the 00 agents and discover good times and history.

Tour prices start at104.97 USD per person.

Street Food Tour in Bari Old Town – Do Eat Better Experience

Every one of us is a foodie. And if you aren’t, you probably haven’t found the right food yet. Discover hidden gems and different local foods, with this culinary experience in Bari. Let the local guide bring you around and help discover what you like, from focaccia (a fluffy bread) to gelato (similar to ice cream) and seafood. Everyone can find something they’d like in Bari. Maybe not as famous as Naples for its street food, I guarantee Bari won’t disappoint either.

And to keep your body in shape, there is no better way than to enjoy those foods while walking around and discovering the beauty and history of this Mediterranean city.

The tour price starts from 78.73 USD per person.

Bari Walking City Tour

You enjoy the Italian cousin a bit too much!? Need some motivation to start exploring?

Get on this walking tour and get all the motivation you need from a local guide. This approximately 2-hout long tour will guide you through the Old Town and places such as the Basilica of Saint Nicholas and its crypt, Cathedral of Sanit Sabinus, the millenary Swabian Castle and many more. The tour ends with a comeback to modern day Bari, in the French part of the city. It’ll definitely give you the spark to start taking on the challenge and finding more hidden places.

The tour price starts from 28.34 USD per person.

Alberobello and Matera Small Group Tour from Bari

Another outdoor adventure from Bari is this small group tour that guides you through iconic Matera and Alberobello.
An alternative to the Walking Tour in Alberobello this 8 and a half hour long day trip will show you the amazing Trullis of Alberobello and natures stone house (caves) of the Matera. At the end of the tour and exploration you can decide who did it better… the humans or the nature. Read the history form between the stones and experience it for yourself.
The tour starts from 115.47 USD per person.

Grotte di Castellana Guided Tour from Bari

A more niched experience, that isn’t for the faint hearted is the tour that lets you explore the caves of Castellano from Bari.

If you like the underground and the legends that come with it, you will be guaranteed a good time. An approximately 4-hour long exploration trip of the cave system and its ancient stalactites will amaze you for sure.

Please double-check availability as many times the tour can and will be cancelled because of the weather conditions and other factors, being available only on certain days.

Prices start at 155.35 USD per person.

Bari Walk Through History

Walk through history and discover the streets, art, and architecture of Bari from the viewpoint of locals. Let your local guide take you around the most hidden and interesting corners of this historically rich city called Bari.

This 3-hour walking tour starts from Teatro Margherita and touches places like Cattedrale di San Sabino, Teatro Petruzzelli, Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese, Quartiere Umbertino – Madonnella, Citta Vecchia – Bari, Castello Normanno Svevo, and Strada delle Orecchiette, Lungomare e Murat. It’s a good starting point to motivate you to explore more on your own.

Prices start at 68.23 USD per person.

>>Click here to discover other tours, excursions, and experiences in & around Bari

Note: This article includes links that may qualify as affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a commission.
The prices have been updated as of Jan 2025, are correct at the time of publishing and may change without notice.