The Itria Valley from Bari: Polignano, Ostuni and Locorotondo in One Day
Updated October 18, 2026 · 6 min read
Three towns, three very different shapes, one day. That is the idea behind the Itria Valley day trip from Bari, and it is one of the most booked ways out of the city, alongside the Matera and Alberobello combination covered in Alberobello and Matera from Bari.
The route is always some version of the same three stops: Polignano a Mare on the coast, then inland to Ostuni and Locorotondo.
What each stop is
Polignano a Mare sits on limestone cliffs above the Adriatic, about 35 km south of Bari. Its setting is the most dramatic of the three: a small old town on the edge of the rock, narrow lanes and views straight down to the sea. The tour listing describes “breathtaking cliffs”.
Ostuni is the “white town” on a hill. Its houses are whitewashed, stacked up the slope and wound into a maze of steps and arches. It is a place for walking uphill slowly rather than for ticking off sights.
Locorotondo is the smallest of the three and the easiest to enjoy in an hour. The name means “round place”, and the old centre follows a circular plan. It is known for its cummerse, steep pitched roofs of local limestone slabs typical of this part of Puglia.
Time is the real limit
The most booked tour runs between seven and a half and ten hours depending on the date, and that range tells you something: the day is not fixed. With three stops and a drive between each, you should plan on roughly two hours per town at best.
That is enough for a lap of Polignano and a lunch stop, a climb through Ostuni’s lanes and a coffee in Locorotondo. It is not enough for a swim, a long lunch and a museum on top. If one of the three is the reason you are going, pick a tour that names it as the main stop, or plan it separately.
The three tours that cover it
All figures are per person and come from GetYourGuide; check the booking page for inclusions, meeting point and language before you pay.
| Tour | Price | Length | Rating | Reviews | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valle d’Itria: Polignano, Ostuni and Locorotondo from Bari | from €45 | 7.5 to 10 hours | 4.6 | 1,172 | The most booked, and the cheapest for this exact route |
| Polignano, Ostuni and Locorotondo: between the sea and the Itria Valley | €60 | 10 hours | 4.6 | 67 | Same three towns, visits led by a tour leader |
| Guided day tour of Alberobello, Monopoli and Polignano by private bus | €52 | 8 to 10 hours | 4.8 | 935 | Different route: trulli and the coast instead of Ostuni and Locorotondo |
How to choose
For most people, the first one. It has by far the most reviews and the lowest price for the Polignano, Ostuni and Locorotondo route. The €60 tour covers the same three towns for €15 more, with only 67 reviews to judge it by.
If Alberobello matters more than Ostuni, the third tour swaps the route: Alberobello, Monopoli and Polignano. It has the highest rating of the three at 4.8 from 935 reviews, and the listing says the guide works in Italian, English and Spanish with an audio guide in five languages. It is a good fit if you want the trulli but not Matera’s long day.
If you can only do one of the two big combinations, think about what you want to see. The Itria Valley is about white lanes, sea views and lunch; the Matera trip is about two UNESCO sites and a longer drive.
Getting there without the tour
Polignano a Mare is easy to reach from Bari on a regional train, which makes it the easiest of the three stops to do alone. Ostuni and Locorotondo are harder to combine in one day without a car. If you would rather set your own pace, compare car hire for Bari and check the cost of parking near the old centres before you decide.
More options sit under day trips from Bari.
