NEW Departure Stuttgart Airport: Puglia & Southern Italy by air (April 4-Day Weekend)
Sip cappuccino in a cafe where only Italian can be heard. Wander underground through Neolithic caves. Travel back to simpler times in untouched Alberobello, the heart of Puglia, Italy. From the soothing shores of the Adriatic Coast to the quaint homes of the Trulli Valley, authenticity presides everywhere you go on a Southern Italy trip!
Let us handle the details
- Round-trip airfare
- Private Transportation
- Experienced Trip Leader
- Handpicked Hotel
- Daily Breakfast
- Local Tour Guide
Your trip includes
• Round-trip airfare & airport transportations in Italy
• 3 overnights in handpicked 4-star hotel
• Breakfast buffet daily
• Guided sightseeing tour in Bari
• Guided sightseeing tours of Alberobello & Matera
• Explore Europe Trip Leader
• Hotel city taxes
Your trip highlights
• The extraordinary limestone trulli houses of Alberobello
• Explore Matera, known as the Subterranean City
• The medieval streets of Bari’s Old Town Vecchia
• Ostuni’s picturesque cathedral and whitewashed Old Town homes
• Fresh and bright, Southern Italian cuisine
Itinerary
Day 1: Travel day and arrival in Bari (Fri. April 7)
Your trip begins with a regularly scheduled flight from Stuttgart Airport to Bari in Southern Italy.
Departure from STUTTGART AIRPORT at 12:15 (PM)
Arrival in BARI AIRPORT at 14:05 (PM)
Welcome to Puglia! Relax and unwind then enjoy an included guided sightseeing tour of Bari by private bus, covering the most important sights and attractions with an expert local guide:
- See Bari Cathedral, built atop the ruins of an Imperial Byzantine church destroyed in 1156 by William the Wicked
- Explore the Old Town, the castle, Piazza Mercantile, and Piazza Ferrarese
- Enter the Basilica of St. Nicholas, which contains the remains of the bishop whose penchant for anonymous gift-giving inspired the legend of Santa Claus
After some free time for dinner, settle in to your 4-star hotel and enjoy a free evening in Bari.
Day 2: Free day (Sat. April 8)
After an included breakfast buffet, spend the day at your leisure in Bari or add optional excursion:
Half Day Guided Optional Excursion – Monopoli & Ostuni incl. Olive Oil Farm 59€ pp
Our first stop is Monopoli, a small town located on the picturesque shores of the Adriatic Sea. Take a guided walking tour of the historic center, making stops to view the charming port and the Baroque Monopoli Cathedral. Then, head inland to visit the farmhouse and groves of one of the largest olive oil-producing areas in the world. The thousand-year-old olive trees and perfectly preserved underground mill, both of which date back to pre-Roman times, make this farmhouse one of the most famous in Puglia. Enjoy learning about the history of olive oil production and how the family uses a 19th-century oil mill to create their oil. After some free time in Ostuni to visit its picturesque cathedral and whitewashed Old Town homes, head back to Bari.
Day 3: Sightseeing tours of Alberobello & Matera (Sun. April 9)
After an included breakfast buffet, travel south to Alberobello with a local expert leading the way. Here, we’ll explore more of its UNESCO-listed collection of almost 1,500 trulli dating back to the 14th century. Enjoy a lunch (not included) in Alberobello, before we travel through orange and olive groves of Puglia to the ancient cave city of Matera! On arrival:
- Visit the 9,000-year-old Sassi di Matera cave dwellings, including the Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario and the chiese rupestri, or “rock churches”
- View Matera Cathedral, Palazzo del Sedile, and the Tramontano Castle, which has sat unfinished since the early 16th century
Enjoy some free time for sightseeing and dinner in Matera.
Day 4: Return day (Mon. April 10)
This morning continue to discover Bari at your own pace before checking out from hotel and transfer to the airport for your return flight home.
Flight times:
Departure from BARI AIRPORT at 13:00
Arrival in STUTTGART AIRPORT at 14:55
*Price is based on 2 persons sharing a room, price for single room €135 extra.
BOOK IN ADVANCE AND SAVE
Early Bird: Book this trip by February 1 for only €599 and save €50!
Regular price after February 1 is €649 per adult
Price per infant under 2 years old is €199.
IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING PASSPORTS: A valid tourist passport is required for this trip. Please make sure that you are traveling with the appropriate passport.
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Puglia
Passport and Visa Requirements
A tourist passport is required for all trips outside of Germany.
Important passport rules are as follows:
If you have a passport with a SOFA stamp on any page (a “No-Fee” passport), you are provided permission to reside in Germany, NOT to travel outside of Germany. You have to have a tourist passport in addition to the SOFA/”No-Fee” passport to travel outside of Germany. You cannot travel with a RED Official passport as that is used only for the purpose of a mission or deployment. If you have a passport with a detachable SOFA card clipped inside, it is acceptable to travel with as that was issued originally as a tourist passport. If you are not sure: a tourist passport will be BLUE and will be valid for 10 years for adults. It cannot contain a SOFA stamp on any page or it is not acceptable. A child’s tourist passport (under 15 years of age) is valid for 5 years, but will not have a SOFA stamp in it anywhere. All of this information has been verified to be correct with the Grafenwoehr Passport Office.
Baggage Allowance
· One 12 kg (approx. 22 lbs) checked in bag
· One personal item such as a purse or backpack: max size 40cm H (16”) x 20cm W (8”) x 20cm D (8”).
Clothing & Packing
We recommend packing lightweight, loose-fitting clothing that can be easily layered. For sightseeing, we suggest bringing a sturdy pair of walking shoes or sneakers, as well as a lightweight jacket or rainwear. If you’re planning a visit to a high-end restaurant or performance, you may also want to bring dressier attire. Also, please be respectful and avoid showing bare legs or shoulders when visiting churches or other religious sites (entrance may be denied on this basis).
Health
There are no major health risks associated with traveling to Italy. However, it’s always advisable to check with your doctor or healthcare provider for the latest updates, or visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov.
Cuisine
The cuisine of Southern Italy is often what diners think of when imagining Italian flavors—pasta with tomato sauces, olives and olive oil, zucchini, veal, and fish are all featured prominently on menus throughout the region.
In Puglia, the fertile countryside produces great quantities of olive oil, tomatoes, artichokes, fennel, peppers, and onions. The region’s simple cuisine exalts these natural ingredients alongside the abundant fresh seafood and local lamb and beef. Puglia is renowned for its homemade pasta, made from local durum wheat and often formed in unusual shapes such as the orecchiette (little ears). A hearty meal in Puglia is often finished with homegrown yellow or white melons, watermelons, or grapes.
For more authentic meals, try local trattorias, small restaurants set away from the main piazzas.
Transportation
Round-trip flights arrive in and depart from Stuttgart airport. An Explore Europe representative will meet you at the airport in Stuttgart. Included transportation in Puglia is by private bus with expert local tour guide.
Italy operates on the European standard 220-240 volts and use Types C, F, or L plugs with two or three small, round pins. We recommend packing a universal adapter, as well as a voltage converter if you plan on using your own hairdryer or other device without a built-in converter.
The strength of the air conditioning in European hotels is often not as strong or as cool as what you might be used to in the U.S. When air conditioning is available, it is usually regulated seasonally and controlled centrally by the hotel.
Currency
The euro is the currency you’ll be using on your trip. We strongly advise that you take debit/bank cards and credit cards, which can be used to withdraw cash at local banks as needed. You can use most debit/credit cards at ATMs on the international networks Cirrus and Plus, but make sure to check with your home bank about withdrawal fees. We suggest that you inform your bank and credit card company of your travel plans, so that they won’t confuse your international purchases for fraudulent charges.
Tipping
At the conclusion of your trip, it’s customary to offer your Trip Leader a gratuity. We recommend tipping €1-2 per person per day for your Trip Leader. Tips can only be paid in cash.
Travel Insurance
We recommend you get travel insurance to reimburse you for unforeseen trip cancellation. Please follow this link to get a quote through Travel Insured.
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We recommend you get travel insurance to reimburse you for unforeseen trip cancellation. Please follow this link to get a quote through Travel Insured.
