Don’t call it a comeback, but Bari, which has long served as a jumping-off point for tourists en route to Puglia’s big hitters further south, has got a spring in its step – the once down-at-heel port city protruding from Italy’s Achilles is enjoying a renaissance that’s been a decade in the making.

A reinvigorated old town sets the tone, the boarded-up shop fronts replaced by family-run eateries where grandmothers dish up plates of ear-shaped orecchiette in pretty piazzas. But the changes here are more than cosmetic: cultural spaces are reopening, from the ornate Teatro Piccinni theatre to once-condemned heritage hotels like the Oriente; not forgetting the art nouveau Teatro Margherita, a former playhouse repurposed as a striking art space on stilts over the sea. With the nightlife better (cocktails in a former ticket office, anyone?), the streets safer and the surrounding beaches cleaner, Bari is bouncing once again.

Bari City Escape

The best way to get acquainted with the Heel of Italy and discover the Apulian Capital city!

Price from €250 per person

Regular excursions in Bari

• Bari Rickshaw Tour, from €26 per person
• Bari Street Food Tour, from €65 per person
• Bari Shopping Tour, from €45 per person
• Bari Pasta Experience, from €60 per person
• Bari City Walk, from €26 per person
• Bari City Bike Tour, from €35 per person
• Southern Puglia by Bike

A week by bike, cycling around the very Heel of the Boot, with the sea on your side! Price from €720 per person sharing.

Flights are extra. Tailormade holidays on request.

Gallery

Enquire Now