In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Polignano a Mare
Base here 2 nights: swim at Lama Monachile before 09:00, walk the old town at dusk, and day-trip by train to Bari or Alberobello.
Polignano a Mare is a small Puglia town on a limestone cliff above the Adriatic, 35 min by train from Bari. The old town takes an afternoon; the reason to sleep here is the sea and the early-morning and evening light on Lama Monachile, when the day-trippers have gone. Two nights is enough, three if you add Monopoli, Alberobello or a beach day.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–early Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds, heat, higher prices), late Oct–Mar (many sea businesses shut)
- Stay
- 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 €60–95 excl. bed · Mid €95–160 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 |
|---|---|
| Caffè speciale | €2–3.50 |
| Panzerotto or slice of focaccia barese | €3–6 |
| Plate of orecchiette or seafood pasta | €12–20 |
| House wine, glass / bottle in a trattoria | €4–6 / €15–25 |
| Gelato | €2.50–4 |
| Regional train Polignano → Bari | €4–5 |
| Taxi Bari airport → Polignano | €70–90 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BRI · Bari Karol Wojtyła
- About 48 km (30 mi); shuttle or light metro to Bari Centrale, then a Trenitalia regional train to Polignano a Mare, about 35 minAbout 30 mi (48 km); shuttle or light metro to Bari Centrale, then a Trenitalia regional train to Polignano a Mare, about 35 min
- BDS · Brindisi Salento
- About 83 km (52 mi); shuttle to Brindisi station, then a train towards Bari, about 1 hAbout 52 mi (83 km); shuttle to Brindisi station, then a train towards Bari, about 1 h
Typical fares
- Train Polignano → Bari Centrale
- €4–5, about 35 min
- Train Polignano → Monopoli
- €2–3, about 10 min
- Taxi Bari airport → Polignano
- €70–90 (check)
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
On foot. The station to the old town is about 10 min, the old town to the Modugno statue about 5 min, the old town to Grotta Palazzese about 5 min. Trains along the Bari–Brindisi line link Bari, Monopoli and Fasano; a car helps only for the countryside and trulli villages, and the old town itself is car-free.
See and do
Known for
- Lama Monachile cove and the Bourbon bridge
- Old town alleys with poems painted on the steps
- Statue of Domenico Modugno
- Caffè speciale
- Red Bull Cliff Diving
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bari | Trenitalia regional train from Polignano a Mare station | About 1 h |
| Monopoli | Regional train towards Brindisi | About 45 min |
| Alberobello | Train to Monopoli or Bari, then the FSE line to Alberobello | 2–2.5 h |
| Locorotondo | FSE line via Bari or Monopoli | 2–2.5 h |
| Molfetta | Regional train towards Bari | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Centro Storico (old town)
- White alleys, sea views, walk to everything; no cars, stairs and noise in summer. Book months ahead for Jun–Sep.
- Near the station / Viale Trieste
- 10 min walk to the old town; easier with bags and cheaper parking.
- Lungomare and Cala Paura side
- Sea-facing rooms and the small beach at Cala Paura; 10–15 min walk from the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Good morning | Buongiornobwon-JOR-no |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsee-eh |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fah-VOH-reh |
| A table for two | Un tavolo per dueoon TAH-voh-loh per DOO-eh |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| Where is the beach? | Dov'è la spiaggia?doh-VEH lah SPYAH-jah |
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
- Lama Monachile is pebbles, not sand, and there is no shade: bring shoes for the water and go early.
- Parking near the centre fills by mid-morning in summer; use signed lots outside the old town.
- Cliff edges and wet rocks around the coves are unguarded: stay behind the railings.
- Restaurant terraces with a sea view cost more than the same food one street inland: read the menu first.
- Many beach clubs, boats and some restaurants close from late October to April.
A small, calm town; the real risks are summer heat on the cliffs, slippery rocks at the coves, rip currents when the sea is up, and pickpockets in the crowded Lama Monachile stairways in August.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Polignano a Mare yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Lama Monachile cove and the Bourbon bridge
- Old town alleys with poems painted on the steps
- Statue of Domenico Modugno
- Caffè speciale
- Red Bull Cliff Diving
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
- Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE): www.fseonline.it/
- Aeroporti di Puglia — Bari: www.aeroportidipuglia.it/en/bari
- Wikivoyage: Polignano a Mare, revision 5276795 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5276795
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/polignano-a-mare). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.