Apulia by road bike | Bari - Lecce

Individual arrival in Bari. Depending on your arrival time, you can spend the afternoon exploring the city and its two historic districts - the elegant Murat district and the impressive old town.

After a brief route overview and handover of your rented bicycles, road book and GPS, your cycling tour begins! Today you will cycle through the hinterland of Bari and see the beautiful Roman cathedrals of Apulia in Bitonto and Ruvo di Puglia. You will also get to visit Castel del Monte, the castle of Frederick II.

Your destination: Matera. The 'Matera Sassi' are a series of cave dwellings connected by winding streets and wide stairways and have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. These world-famous caves are in themselves reason enough to visit the Basilicata region.

After breakfast, it's back on your bike! After passing through the southern part of Murgia, you will reach Alberobello, the only village consisting entirely of trulli (cone-shaped stone houses). You will then cycle through the Itria Valley. The hilly landscape is characteristic of Apulia, with almond and olive groves and many trulli rising up from the surroundings like white pointed caps. On your way to Ostuni, you will pass the white villages of Locorotondo and Cisternino.

Today you will stay in the Itria Valley. After breakfast, you will first cycle to Martina Franca and then to Ceglie Messapica. Set in a typically Apulian landscape of trulli, farms, olive groves and karst caves, Ceglie Messapica is a hidden gem between the Itria Valley and Salento.

A 'city of art and land of gastronomy', Ceglie boasts a fine gastronomic tradition. Among the most popular local delicacies is the 'Biscotto Cegliese', made with almonds, lemons and cherry jam.

Leaving Ostuni and its famous white buildings behind, you will cycle through beautiful countryside to San Vito dei Normanni where you can admire the magnificent castle.

After a few kilometres, you will reach the small town of Mesagne. Soon after Lecce, you will reach the historic fortress of Acaya. Continuing along the coast, you will arrive at your destination: Otranto, the easternmost town in Italy.

You will cycle through the hinterland of Salento towards Specchia, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, before reaching the southernmost point of Salento: Santa Maria di Leuca. Here, the Gulf of Taranto and the Strait of Otranto separate the Adriatic and Ionian Sea. In the afternoon, you will cycle back to Otranto.

From Otranto, your journey takes you first to Gallipoli and then to Lecce. Gallipoli is one of the most popular destinations in Salento. Overlooking the Ionian Sea, it is divided into two parts: the village and the town, which are connected by a bridge.

The old town of Gallipoli is surrounded by walls, a special architectural feature which, combined with the beauty of the coast, makes it a very popular destination. Lecce, the 'Florence of the South', is one of the most fascinating cities in southern Italy thanks to its typical 17th-century Baroque architecture.

Arrivederci! We look forward to seeing you again in Apulia. Of course, you can also simply stay a little longer. We would be happy to book your additional nights.