The Best Day Trips from Ostuni: Towns, Coast and Countryside

Why base your day trips around Ostuni

We're based in Lecce, further south in Salento, but Ostuni sits at the geographic centre of Valle d'Itria and the Adriatic coast towns covered below — which is why this guide, unlike a day-trip list built around Lecce or Bari, measures every distance from there. If you're based in Bari instead, the realistic day trips look different, weighted more toward the coast and toward Valle d'Itria from the north rather than the south; see our day trips from Bari guide for that version of the itinerary.

Riding around Ostuni yourself? See bike rental in Ostuni — we deliver from our Lecce base, with the surcharge quoted for your address.

Valle d'Itria: places to visit near Ostuni inland

Alberobello

Alberobello is the best-known day trip from Ostuni: a UNESCO World Heritage old town built almost entirely from trulli, whitewashed conical-roofed houses unique to this part of Valle d'Itria. It's about 35 km (22 miles) from Ostuni by road, around 40 minutes by car. Half a day covers Rione Monti, Aia Piccola and the Trullo Sovrano house-museum; see our full things to do in Alberobello guide for opening hours and a walking route.

Locorotondo

Locorotondo, Valle d'Itria's circular old town, is about 26.5 km (16.5 miles) from Ostuni, around 30 minutes by car, and easy to add to an Alberobello day out, since the two towns are only 9 km (5.6 miles) apart. The old town is compact, walkable in under an hour, and known for Locorotondo DOC white wine. Full detail in things to do in Locorotondo.

Martina Franca

Martina Franca, the largest town in Valle d'Itria, is about 23 km (14 miles) from Ostuni, around 28 minutes by car — the shortest drive of any destination in this guide, and 7 km (4.3 miles) from Locorotondo. Its Baroque old town centres on the Basilica di San Martino and Piazza Roma, and every summer the Festival della Valle d'Itria brings open-air opera to the streets. We don't have a dedicated guide to Martina Franca yet — see the Valle d'Itria section of the best places to visit in Puglia for what's there in the meantime.

Monopoli and Polignano a Mare: things to do around Ostuni on the coast

Monopoli

Monopoli, a working fishing port on the Adriatic, is about 42 km (26 miles) from Ostuni, around 40 minutes by car — and one of the few destinations in this guide reachable by train too, since Trenitalia's fast regional "collegamento veloce" service between Lecce and Bari calls at both Ostuni and Monopoli. The old town is flat and compact, built around the Cattedrale della Madia and the 16th-century Castello di Carlo V. Full detail in things to do in Monopoli.

Polignano a Mare

Polignano a Mare, Monopoli's clifftop neighbour, is the furthest coastal stop in this guide: about 50 km (31 miles) from Ostuni, around 45 minutes by car. It's best known for Lama Monachile, the cove crossed by the Ponte Borbonico, and for the Grotta Palazzese restaurant built into a sea cave. See things to do in Polignano a Mare for the old town and viewpoints, or beaches near Polignano a Mare if swimming is the priority — it pairs naturally with Monopoli, 13 km (8 miles) further down the coast.

Brindisi: a day trip from Ostuni for the port and airport

Brindisi, Salento's main port and airport town, is about 40 km (25 miles) from Ostuni, around 35-40 minutes by car, and also a stop on the same Lecce-Bari rail corridor as Ostuni and Monopoli. It isn't a cycling or sightseeing destination the way the hill towns above are — our own things to do in Brindisi guide says so plainly — but the Colonne Romane, the old town around Piazza Duomo and the harbour fortress on Isola di Sant'Andrea are worth two to three hours if you're already passing through, for a flight or a ferry.

Ostuni's own countryside: olive groves and masserie

Not every worthwhile stop needs a day trip. The land immediately around Ostuni — olive groves and converted farmhouses known as masserie — is where most of our bike deliveries here actually go, rather than the old town itself, according to our own bike rental in Ostuni page. If you're staying at a masseria, the coast at Torre Canne is a real, if long, ride from Ostuni's old town, covered with full distances in our things to do in Ostuni guide.

Doing it by bike

This is where a day trip from Ostuni differs from one based in Bari: three of the six destinations above are realistic to ride, not just drive to.

Martina Franca, at 23 km (14 miles), and Locorotondo, at 26.5 km (16.5 miles), are both comfortable day rides out and back on a road or gravel bike — call it 46-53 km (29-33 miles) round trip, mostly on secondary roads through olive groves, similar terrain to the Locorotondo-Alberobello-Martina Franca loop covered in our Valle d'Itria guides. Alberobello, at 35 km (22 miles) each way, is a longer day out — 70 km (43 miles) round trip — realistic for a fit rider on a road bike, more comfortable on an e-bike, especially on the way back.

Monopoli and Brindisi are a different case: both sit on the same regional rail line as Ostuni, so riding out and taking the train back is a genuine option if 80-85 km round trip isn't what you want from a day out.

We haven't ridden and logged any of these five routes ourselves, since none of them are ones we cover regularly from our Lecce base — treat the distances above as verified road figures, not first-hand track data, and check current road conditions locally before taking a group out on narrow tyres. For the Locorotondo-Alberobello-Martina Franca loop itself, we do have a track generated and checked against OpenStreetMap routing, rather than ridden and logged by us: about 30.4 km for the full loop, with roughly 251 m of climbing.

Rent the right bike for whichever of these you're riding through bike rental in Ostuni — road or gravel handles the paved sections fine, and an e-bike takes the edge off the Alberobello return. Turn a day trip into a bike ride - check availability.

How much time each day trip needs

Getting around without a car

Two of the six destinations above are realistic without a car or a bike. Ostuni sits on Trenitalia's fast regional "collegamento veloce" service between Lecce and Bari, which also calls at Brindisi and Monopoli — check current timetables on Trenitalia's official site before you travel, since schedules change. From Monopoli, a further short hop by train reaches Polignano a Mare — check the current timetable for the journey time rather than relying on a published figure.

Alberobello, Locorotondo and Martina Franca don't sit on this line — FS Sud Est serves them instead. We haven't confirmed whether a direct connection reaches the Valle d'Itria towns from the Ostuni area; check current connections on the official FS Sud Est site before relying on rail for this leg. A car, bike or organised transfer is more practical for those three.

FAQ

Can I do these day trips without a car? Brindisi and Monopoli work by train, since both sit on Trenitalia's fast regional service between Lecce and Bari that also calls at Ostuni. Alberobello, Locorotondo and Martina Franca don't sit on that line, so a car, bike or organised transfer is more practical for those three.

Which of these day trips can I do by bike from Ostuni? Martina Franca (23 km), Locorotondo (26.5 km) and Alberobello (35 km) are all realistic day rides, out and back, on a road or gravel bike. Monopoli and Brindisi are further, but both sit on Ostuni's regional rail line, so riding one way and training back is an option.

How is a day trip from Ostuni different from one based in Bari? Ostuni sits closer to Valle d'Itria's hill towns, several of which are rideable by bike from here. A Bari-based day trip leans more on the coastal towns and the regional train network — see our day trips from Bari guide for that version.

Can I combine two towns in one day? Yes — Locorotondo and Martina Franca are only 7 km (4.3 miles) apart, and Monopoli and Polignano a Mare are about 13 km (8 miles) apart by road, a flat ride or a short train hop. Either pair fits comfortably into one day.

What's the best time of year for these day trips? April-June and September-October give the mildest weather for driving and cycling alike. July-August gets hot, and the coastal towns — Monopoli and Polignano a Mare especially — get busy by mid-morning; November-March is quiet, though some sites reduce their hours.

Is there anywhere to see the countryside without picking one specific town? Yes — the olive groves and masserie immediately around Ostuni don't need a day trip at all. Most of our bike deliveries here go to a masseria rather than the old town; see bike rental in Ostuni for how delivery works.

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