The ultimate motorhome trip to Puglia!

The official English name for this region is Apulia, but many will know it as Puglia. This Italian region is a popular vacation destination, with good reasons. Admit it, who wouldn't want sun, sea, the beach, historical cities, pizza, pasta, and delicious wines during their vacation?! With our motorhome route, you will see the best of Puglia in only one to two weeks’ time. Andiamo!

The best time to travel to Puglia are the months May and June or September and October. In the summer months July and August, the Italians will have vacation as well, which means that it will be even busier everywhere in Puglia. The months just before or after summer do have that great summer weather but are just that little bit less crowded.

If you decide to travel to Puglia by motorhome from the United Kingdom, a long trip awaits you. It might take you a couple of days, but luckily there's enough to do on your way there. You will drive past big cities such as Milan and Bologna, but you could also choose to stop in Florence for a couple of days.

Still don't feel like a long drive? Consider renting a motorhome! This isn't all too expensive in Italy and is a way quicker way of transport than driving yourself. The region has two major airports, in Bari and Brindisi, both easily accessible from the UK. You can also easily rent a motorhome from one of these two cities, so that you're entirely ready to explore Puglia!

The motorhome trip starts in National Park Gargano. This Italian peninsula is also known as the heel of Italy's boot. Here you will find many beautiful villages, lemon and orange groves and, above all, beautiful nature! There are two villages you definitely cannot miss in Gargano, namely Vieste and Peschici. Located on the coast, these two villages are popular seaside resorts.

Are you looking for Gargano's most beautiful beaches? Take a look at the bay of Zagare, the Pizzomunno beach and the bay of Vignanotica. All of these beaches are exactly what you'd expect from Gargano: white limestone cliffs with bright blue water. If you want to go on a fun trip from Gargano, then we recommend you go to the Tremiti islands. These three beautiful islands lie just before Gargano's coast and are definitely worth visiting.

You can stay with your motorhome in Vieste or Peschici. In Vieste you can park your motorhome at Parco Vacanze Eden Blu. In Peschici you can go to Camper Marina Piccola or Lido Azzurro. Do you really want to take some time to explore Gargano? Then we advise you to stay here for about 2 to 4 days.

- From the motorhome stopover Lido Azzurro you'll have an amazing view over the water!

After a short 130 kilometres by motorhome, you will arrive in Trani. This idyllic fisherman's village lies halfway on the route to Puglia's capital, Bari. You should definitely stop here for a while, since you will find a gorgeous cathedral, multiple fish restaurants, charming streets and even some beautiful beaches over here. This is the perfect pit stop!

After a visit to Trani you'll continue your way to Bari, where you will also spend the night. Park your motorhome at Gran Parcheggio Alberotanza and use the rest of your day to explore Bari. Bari consists of an old and a new part of the city. The old part, Bari Vecchia, is bursting with picturesque streets that run right through each other. The new part, on the other hand, consists mostly of broad streets. When you take a stroll through Bari, you definitely cannot miss the Via delle Orecchiette. This small street lends it name to all the nonne (grandmothers) that are up early in the morning to prepare orecchiette (a type of pasta shaped like a little ear). Other sights in Bari include the harbour and the basilica of Saint Nicolas. Make sure that you spend an entire day visiting all the sights and trying the best streetfood of the city!

- In Bari, you are obliged to eat orecchiette! 

Tonight, you will stay in Alberobello, located at 65 kilometres distance from Bari. But before you park your motorhome at the motorhome stopover, there are a couple of stops on the way where you should definitely have a look. The first one being Polignano a Mare. This town is located near the water and has a beautiful medieval centre with white houses, street poetry and more than enough restaurants and cafés. The highlight of a visit to Polignano a Mare? A couple of hours spend at Lama Monachile, or - according to the locals - Cala Porto. This beautiful pebble beach is the perfect place to enjoy the sunshine and take a refreshing dive, but it is also a wonderful place to take pictures!

After Polignano a Mare it is time to drive to Monopoli. This place, too, is a beautiful Italian town with an authentic historical centre and a harbour where fresh fish is stalled all day every day! Take a look in the fascinating churches of Monopoli and don't forget to enjoy a cappuccino at the central square, Piazza Garibaldi.

At the end of the day, you will continue your trip to Alberobello, where you park your motorhome at Parcheggio Nel Verde. This motorhome stopover is the perfect place to relax before you start exploring Alberobello!

- The idyllic bay of Polignano a Mare.

We advise you to stay for one entire day in Alberobello, so that you leave after two nights at the motorhome stopover. This will leave you with enough time to explore the capital of the trulli, better known as Alberobello. Trulli are basically the figurehead of Puglia; the cute white houses with the cone-shaped roof must be seen on a trip to Puglia. And let Alberobello have thousands of them...

After a full day in Alberobello it is time to travel to another beautiful town, Locorotondo. This is one of the most beautiful places in Puglia, with all its white houses, balconies with vibrant flowers and laundry that is hanging out of the windows. Take some time to walk around before continuing to Ostuni. Ostuni, too, is a beautiful white town where you must take a look. When you walk around over here, you almost have to keep making pictures, that's how beautiful it is! Have some lunch in Trattoria Fave e Fogghje or enjoy a fresh gelato at Cremeria Alla Scala.

At the end of the day, you continue your trip towards Lecce, where you can spend the night at Salento Sosta Camper.

- The world-renowned trulli are one of the absolute highlights of Puglia! 

Lecce is one of the bigger cities in Puglia and you should definitely stop around here! This city is filled to the brim with beautiful architecture, historical monuments, white houses, fun bars, cosy cafés, and authentic Italian restaurants. The one thing you cannot miss during a visit to Lecce? The tasting of a pasticciotto. This small pastry made with shortbread is filled with a lemon custard, and sometimes it even has a juicy black cherry in it. How delicious!

- Admire the Basilica di Santa Croce in Lecce. 

After a few busy days sightseeing in all of Puglia's beautiful towns and villages, it's time to rest on a pleasant beach. Just a 45-minute drive from Lecce, you can already find such a beautiful beach, namely Baia dei Turchi! This vast beach is the perfect place to unwind and of course enjoy the amazing weather! You can spend the night at Area Camper Fontanelle, a motorhome stopover at a stone's throw distance from the beach.

- Time to relax at Baia dei Turchi!

After a day of relaxing at the beach it is time for the next beautiful Italian city: Gallipoli. A long time ago, the Greeks named this town kalí polis, which roughly translates to beautiful city in Greek. The Italians ultimately bastardised this to Gallipoli, the name the city still wears to this day.

Gallipoli also has a beautiful authentic harbour and cosy streets you can spend a full day wandering through. Take a look at the baroque church Basicila Cattedrale di Sant'Agata and lay down your towel on the city beach 'Beach of Purity', a beautiful golden beach with pristine water. Spend the night with your motorhome at Gallipoli, this motorhome stopover is right in the centre of the eponymous town.

- The colourful streets of Puglia are just so beautiful! 

Looking for Puglia's most beautiful beach? Then you have to go to Punta Prosciutto! At 40 kilometres distance from Gallipoli lies this paradisiacal beach, which belongs to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world! Punta Prosciutto is known for its long white sandy beach that stretches for several kilometres with, of course, beautiful blue waters where you can take a refreshing dip in the Ionian Sea.

After a visit to Punta Prosciutto, you will follow your trip to Matera. Admittedly, this city is not in Puglia, but rather in the Italian region Basilicata. Still, this historical city cannot miss on a motorhome trip to Puglia. Matera is known for its cave homes, also called sassi. Here you can get lost in the maze of stone houses, cosy streets, beautiful (rock) churches and small alleys. The direct environment of Matera is also perfect for hiking, there are a couple of nice viewpoints in the surrounding area that look over Matera. A couple of recommendations are Piazza Vittorio Veneto and Parco della Murgia Materana.

To stay in Matera, you can park your motorhome at Area Camper Matera, located at just 3,5 kilometres distance from the centre of Matera.

- It should come as no surprise that Matera is used as a set in many movies, right?!

Want to explore more of Italy? Go on a motorhome trip to Italy's most beautiful lakes! And if you don't feel like spending too much money on your motorhome trip, then you can spend a night at a free motorhome stopover in Italy! We wish you lots of (motorhome) fun!