How to get around Puglia in general

Bari Area

From Bari Centrale train station (and the streets around it), it’s easy to catch buses and regional trains to many destinations across Puglia. Note that it can be hectic and crowded, so have patience and watch your belongings.

Train tickets are easy to purchase on-site, as you’ll find a ticket office and machines inside the station, as well as a digital board with the departure times, train numbers, and platform numbers.

Note that the digital board shows the final destination of the train, which usually isn't mentioned on your ticket (only the departure and arrival towns are printed). For example, if you travel from Bari to Polignano, you need to look for the departure in the direction of Fasano). But there are more than enough ways to understand which train and platform is yours:

1. When you purchase your ticket in the machine and choose the destination town and the exact train ride you want to take, look at the train number. It looks like "R x" or "Regional x" (x=train number, for example, Regional 4369). Sometimes this number won't be printed on your ticket, so remember it to find it on the departure board.

2. If you purchase your ticket through the office, ask the office workers.

3. Look at the departure time that matches your ticket (usually, you won't see overlapping train times).

4. Insert your route into Google Maps, which does show the train's final destination.

Since most tickets only show the date, you also need to validate them using one of the machines on the platform (there are no machines on the train itself). On the back side of your ticket, you’ll see arrow marks showing you how to insert it into the machine.

If you're basing yourself in Polignano or Monopoli, it's just as simple to buy your train ticket at their stations.

Tickets for intercity buses to nearby towns can be bought at Dea Cafe on Via Giuseppe Capruzzi, on the other side of the station (you can pass through it), where these buses also depart. There are no proper bus stops, and you'll just see buses parking/stopping here.

There's usually a sign on the bus mentioning its destination, but sometimes, you just need to ask. The only exception is the bus to Alberobello, which has attendants because of its popularity, so it's easy to find it. This is something that could be much clearer and more organized, but it shouldn't stop you from using public transport.

In many cases, I prefer consulting timetables and booking my tickets online on Omio, which compares bus and train prices in one place, or on TrenItalia (you can use their websites or apps). An e-ticket will indicate both the date and hour of the train ride, so validation isn’t necessary. It will also show the train number, so it's easier to find it on the departure board. If you’re visiting in the high season, the queues at the station or the cafe might be long, so having an e-ticket will also save you time.

Last but not least, there are stations in other towns that curiously don't even have a ticket machine (I usually don't purchase a round-trip ticket in advance), so online bookings will save you the confusion of wondering where to buy it to get back to Bari or continue to another town.

Lecce Area

Lecce's train station is much less hectic and offers fewer trains and routes, so it's easy to just use its ticket machines. For buses, many of which (but not all) depart from the area near the train station, I recommend an online booking.

Last tip: Most ticket machines accept both cash (coins or bills) and credit cards. For those that don't, it's best to have spare change and a credit card in hand.