Piazza del Duomo, Lecce, Puglia, Southern Italy
Puglia is clearly not a cheap place to travel!
Type Of Travel
Puglia was the second road-trip we undertook with our 3 kids (aged 5, 5 & 7 at the time of travel in April 2025). So clearly, we did not try to cut costs.
Of course it was no high-end trip, as we wouldn’t have enjoyed it anyway… But we rented a car, stayed mostly centrally located apartment rentals, and enjoyed our trip, …
Itinerary & Time of the Visit
We traveled 9 days in April 2025 and drove a loop starting from Bari Airport, taking us to:
- Matera,
- Gallopoli,
- Otrante,
- Lecce,
- Monopoli,
- and back to Bari Airport.
Global Budget
Puglia has become touristy and is not a cheap place to visit. But it is easily doable on a mid-range price level, though.
Side notes on this budget: it is not realistic to allocate a budget per person with 3 kids. This is why I not only present a budget per person per day, but also a global budget.
| Total Costs in € | Total | Per Person
per Day |
| Car Rental, Parking, Gasoline | € 800,00 | € 17,80 |
| Total Transport | € 800,00 | € 17,80 |
| Accommodation | € 1.475,00 | € 32,80 |
| Restaurants & Food | € 1.470,00 | € 32,70 |
| Total Living | € 2.950,00 | € 65,50 |
| Visits & Tours | € 85,00 | € 1,90 |
| Activities | € 100,00 | € 2,20 |
| Total Tours & Activities | € 185,00 | € 4,10 |
| Total Country: | € 3.935,00 | € 87,40 |
Accommodation
We chose to stay in centrally located apartment rentals, which is much easier with kids than a hotel (where we would have needed 2 rooms). This is surely more expensive than a budget hotel, but so much more convenient!
| City | Hotel Name | Type of Accommodation |
Price per Night (€) | Duration (Nights) |
Evaluation (1-5 Stars) |
| Matera | Visitazione Holiday Sassi Suite | Appartment | 193,79 | 1 | **** |
| Gallipoli | Waterfront Gallipoli 150 mt dal mare | Appartment | 172,31 | 1 | *** |
| Otrante | Casa Paolina (Uggiano la Chiesa) | Appartment | 114,47 | 2 | ***** |
| Lecce | Delfino Apartment – Lecce Selection | Appartment | 186,53 | 2 | *** |
| Monopoli | Masseria Lacatena (Gorgofreddo) | Masseria (Suite) | 168,67 | 3 | ***** |
| Total Italy | 163,79 | 9 | |||
Restaurants & Food
With 3 little kids, we did not focus on restaurants, as we wouldn’t have enjoyed it anyway, though people are extremely friendly and understanding with kids in Puglia.
That is a shame, as Puglia is definitely a great place to sample some really nice Italian cuisine, at a reasonable price.
| City | Restaurant Name |
Type of Meal | Type of Restaurant |
Price (€) | Evaluation (1 to 5 Stars) |
| Matera | Brunch Bar U’Ciddar | Diner | Local Restaurant | 57,00 | ***** |
| Matera | Ciboom | Lunch | Restaurant | 68,00 | *** |
| Gallipoli | Manangi | Diner | Restaurant | 87,00 | ***** |
| Gallipoli | Martinucci | Breakfast | Café | 33,90 | ***** |
| Ostranto | Bar Alla Torre | Aperitivo | Bar | 32,00 | ***** |
| Ostranto | Restaurant Cala Dei Normannoi | Diner | Restaurant | 99,00 | ***** |
| Specchia | Martinucci | Breakfast | Café | 21,50 | ***** |
| Ostranto | Restaurant Cala Dei Normannoi | Diner | Restaurant | 90,00 | ***** |
| Lecce | Il Pizzicotto | Lunch | Street Food | 23,90 | **** |
| Ostuni | Gelateria Borgo Antico | Breakfast | Café | 33,50 | *** |
| Cisternino | La Pignata | Lunch | Restaurant | 72,00 | **** |
| Monopoli | Carlo Quinto | Diner | Restaurant | 95,00 | **** |
| Polignano a Mare | Beija Floor | Breakfast | Café | 30,00 | **** |
| Monopoli | Mameli | Lunch | Restaurant | 60,00 | ***** |
| Polignano a Mare | Martinucci | Breakfast | Café | 22,70 | *** |
| Locorotondo | La Pizzeria | Lunch | Restaurant | 84,00 | **** |
| Total Italy | 56,84 | ||||
Transport
We have no idea how public transports work, as we never investigated this. But it seems that it is not an option except if you have significant amounts of time at hand. Renting a car is a very good way to discover the country.
