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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Brindisi
Give Brindisi one night as a ferry or flight gateway, or a half-day on foot; sleep in Ostuni or Lecce if you came for Puglia.
Brindisi is Puglia's ferry and airport gateway, not its highlight. The historic centre is small enough to walk in an afternoon: one Roman column, a Romanesque round church, a cathedral and a sailor monument over the harbour. Most travellers use it for one night before a Greece or Albania ferry, or as a cheap flight base for Ostuni, Lecce and the Salento coast.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot and humid, peak ferry traffic), Nov–Dec (rain)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 112 · Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at the bar | €1–1.50 |
| Orecchiette with cime di rapa or spaghetti alle vongole | €10–16 |
| Pizza in a centre pizzeria | €6–12 |
| House wine, glass / half litre | €3–5 / €6–10 |
| Taxi, centre to airport | €20–30 |
| Regional train Brindisi → Lecce | €2.80, about 30 min |
| Museum or church entry | free–€3 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BDS · Brindisi Airport (Aeroporto del Salento)
- About 6 km (3.7 mi) north of the centre, next to Santa Maria del Casale church; bus or taxi to the station area.About 3.7 mi (6 km) north of the centre, next to Santa Maria del Casale church; bus or taxi to the station area.
Typical fares
- Bus AP, station → ferry terminal (Costa Morena)
- €1.10, on-board €2.00
- Train Brindisi → Lecce, regional
- €2.80, about 30 min
- Train Brindisi → Taranto, regional
- about €5, about 1 h 15 min
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre is about 1 km (0.6 mi) from the train station to the Roman columns and can be covered on foot in an afternoon. Bus line AP runs from Piazza Crispi (station) to the ferry terminal at Costa Morena. Beaches north of town and the surrounding coast are easiest by car; military land limits walking north and south of the centre.The centre is about 0.6 mi (1 km) from the train station to the Roman columns and can be covered on foot in an afternoon. Bus line AP runs from Piazza Crispi (station) to the ferry terminal at Costa Morena. Beaches north of town and the surrounding coast are easiest by car; military land limits walking north and south of the centre.
See and do
Known for
- Roman column at the end of the Appian Way
- Ferry port for Greece, Albania and Turkey
- Brindisi Airport (BDS), Aeroporto del Salento
- Gateway to Ostuni, Lecce and the Salento coast
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ostuni | Train toward Bari or Lecce, then local bus or taxi up to the white town | About 45–60 min |
| Lecce | Regional train, about 30 min, or Frecciabianca in 15 min | About 45 min |
| Fasano | Train toward Bari, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Carovigno | Train toward Ostuni/Bari, about 20 min, then walk or taxi uphill | About 45 min |
| Oria | Train toward Taranto, about 30–40 min, then a walk uphill | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Historic centre (Duomo and Corso Umberto I)
- Walkable to the columns, cathedral and ferry bus; best for one night with bags.
- Station area (Piazza Crispi, Piazza Cairoli)
- Train and airport-bus access; plain hotels, useful for early departures.
- Costa Morena / ferry terminal side
- Only if you have a morning ferry; little else around.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | ScusiSKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsyeh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fah-VOH-reh |
| Where is the ferry terminal? | Dov'è il terminal dei traghetti?doh-VEH eel ter-mee-NAHL day trah-GET-tee |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Many shops close roughly 13:00–16:00 out of season.
- Ferry check-in and boarding are at Costa Morena, not in the centre: allow time for the bus.
- The station has stairs only, no lifts or ramps: heavy bags need hands.
- Summer Sirocco winds can bring thunderstorms and red Saharan sand.
Brindisi is a normal southern Italian port city: petty theft around the station and ferry area is the main risk, and the centre is quiet at night. Use 112 for anything urgent.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Brindisi yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Roman column at the end of the Appian Way
- Ferry port for Greece, Albania and Turkey
- Brindisi Airport (BDS), Aeroporto del Salento
- Gateway to Ostuni, Lecce and the Salento coast
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Trenitalia: www.trenitalia.com/en.html
- STP Brindisi (local buses): www.stpbrindisi.it/
- Wikivoyage: Brindisi, revision 5241701 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5241701
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Brindisi
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Brindisi; the US consulate general is in Naples and most embassies are in Rome. Check your own country's list before you travel.
Ferry tickets can be bought online or from offices near the station; show any Interrail or Eurail pass for a discount.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/brindisi). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.