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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Matera
Spend 1–2 days in Matera to see the Sassi, a few churches and a short hike; longer only for cave‑hotel stay.
Matera, population ~60 000, is famous for its Sassi cave dwellings (UNESCO) and historic churches. The compact old town fits a half‑day walk, but a night in a cave B&B adds a special experience.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat, crowds on Sundays)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
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 €45–70 excl. bed · Mid €70–120 excl. bed · High €120+ 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
- Police 112 · 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 |
|---|---|
| Train Bari → Matera (one way) | €6 |
| Bus Bari Airport → Matera | €3.4 |
| Cave church entry (four main) | €6 |
| Ape tour in Sassi | €15–25 |
| Coffee at Café Stone Age | €2–3 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BRI · Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport
- —
Typical fares
- Bari → Matera (FAL train)
- about €6 each way, 1 h 30 min (check)
- Bus Bari Airport → Matera
- about €3.4 each way, 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
From Matera Centrale walk 20 min downhill to the Sassi; “Linea Sassi” buses every 30 min to the old town; most sights are pedestrian.
See and do
Known for
- Sassi di Matera
- Cave churches
- Cave hotels
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Belvedere di Murgia Timone | Walk north‑east across the ravine, 30 min uphill | ≈45 min round trip |
Sleep
- Sant'Angelo Luxury Resort
- Cave‑hotel, double €95
- Hotel Casalnuovo
- Standard hotel, €87
- B&B Casastella
- Cave B&B, breakfast included
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Scusiskuˈzi |
| Thank you | Grazieˈɡrat.t͡sje |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?ˈkwan.to ˈkɔs.ta |
| Where is the toilet? | Dove è il bagno?ˈdo.ve ɛ il ˈbaɲ.ɲo |
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
- FAL train does not run on Sundays; substitute bus replaces it.
- Tourist groups can clog narrow alleys, especially on Sundays and holidays.
- Only licensed guides are reliable; beware unofficial street offers.
Matera is safe; main risks are crowded alleys on Sundays and unofficial guides; keep valuables close.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Matera yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Sassi di Matera
- Cave churches
- Cave hotels
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- FAL train tickets: eticket.ferrovieappulolucane.it
- SITAsud transport: sitasudtrasporti.it/basilicata/
- Wikivoyage: Matera, revision 5237102 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5237102
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/matera). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.