Matera and Alberobello tour from Bari: Two UNESCO sites

Both UNESCO sites fit inside a single nine-hour day without arranging your own transport.

A guided tour from Bari to Matera and Alberobello, Italy's two most famous UNESCO World Heritage sites, with hotel pickup, professional guides in English, Spanish or Italian, and all transport and parking included. You walk through the Sassi di Matera (a 1,016-hectare troglodytic settlement of over a thousand cave dwellings carved into the Murge plateau), then explore the trulli of Alberobello, the cone-roofed stone houses that have defined Puglia's landscape since 1996.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Sassi di Matera3h
2. Trulli of Alberobello2h · entry included

Visit Matera and Alberobello UNESCO sites

• Travel from Bari to Matera
• Explore Sassi di Matera with guide
• Travel to Alberobello
• Visit Trulli of Alberobello
• Return to Bari

The experience

You're picked up from your Bari hotel and driven south toward Basilicata. The route takes roughly two hours to reach Matera, where a professional guide meets you at the Sassi di Matera. This is not a museum behind glass: you walk directly into the ancient settlement itself, moving through narrow stone streets lined with the dwellings, shops and rupestrian churches built into the natural caves of the plateau. The guide explains the history and the architecture: why these structures were carved this way, how they were inhabited, what the symbols carved into the stone mean. The Sassi covers 1,016 hectares and contains over a thousand of these structures, so the scale becomes clear as you move through it.

After Matera, the driver takes you north into Puglia and Alberobello, where the landscape shifts entirely. The trulli appear: hundreds of cone-shaped stone houses with whitewashed walls and grey roofs, built with an eco-sustainable design that predates modern sustainability by centuries. Another guide walks you through the town, pointing out the details: the symbols on the roofs, the way the structures fit together, why they were built this way. The trulli have been a UNESCO site since 1996, and seeing them in person shows why: the uniformity and the precision are unlike anywhere else. You have time to walk, photograph, and absorb the place without a schedule pressing you forward.

The driver waits throughout both stops and handles all the logistics: parking, the route, timing. You bring only your camera. Transport, parking fees and WiFi are included. Entrance tickets to paid sites and lunch are separate. The itinerary may shift slightly due to weather or traffic, and you'll receive the final schedule the day before via WhatsApp.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off from your accommodation.
• transport by bus or minivan.
• parking fees at both sites.
• guided visits to the Sassi di Matera and the trulli of Alberobello in English, Spanish or Italian.
• free WiFi on the vehicle.

Options for this experience

3 options

Guided UNESCO tour of Matera and Alberobello, departing from BariGuide in English, Spanish or Italian · 09:00Pickup by bus or minivan. Meeting point: Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato e Agricoltura - Bari, Corso Cavour, 2, 70121 Bari BA, Italy

Departs from Polignano a MareGuide in English, Spanish or Italian · 08:00Pickup by bus or minivan. Meeting point: Polignano a Mare - Via Grazia Deledda 8, 70044 Polignano a Mare, Metropolitan City of Bari, Italy

Departure from MonopoliGuide in English, Spanish or Italian · 07:30Pickup by bus or minivan. Meeting point: Lega Navale Monopoli, Cala Curatori, 70043 Monopoli BA, Italy

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 07:30, 08:00 and 09:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Youth (7 to 17 years) · Child (3 to 6 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 50

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Pugliamare

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want to see both Matera and Alberobello in a single day without renting a car or navigating between sites yourself. The nine-hour itinerary packs both UNESCO settlements into one trip, and hotel pickup means you start and end at your accommodation with no separate transport to arrange.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (7 to 17 years); Child (3 to 6 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is the Sassi di Matera and what will I see there?

The Sassi di Matera is an ancient troglodytic settlement covering 1,016 hectares on the Murge plateau in Basilicata, containing over a thousand dwellings, shops and rupestrian churches carved directly into natural caves. You walk through the settlement with a guide who explains the history, architecture and meaning of the carved symbols, moving through the narrow stone streets where people actually lived.

Are the trulli of Alberobello just for looking at, or can I go inside them?

The trulli are cone-roofed stone houses throughout Alberobello, and you explore the town on foot with a guide who shows you the details and explains their design and history. Some trulli function as shops, cafes or small museums that you can enter independently. The guide points out which ones and what they contain, but entrance to individual buildings is your choice.

How much time do I spend at each site?

The tour runs nine hours total from Bari. Matera and Alberobello each receive substantial time for walking and exploring with your guide. The rest covers the drive between Bari and each site, plus the drive back to your hotel. The exact breakdown depends on traffic and your departure point, but both UNESCO sites get enough time to walk through them properly rather than rush through.

Can I book this tour if I'm staying in Polignano a Mare or Monopoli instead of Bari?

Yes, the tour offers departures from Polignano a Mare and Monopoli as separate booking options. You choose your departure point at checkout, and the driver picks you up from your hotel in that town and returns you there at the end of the day.