Self-Launched Discover Puglia: Italy's Ancient Heel
8 days · Puglia, Italy
Exodus Travels charges £2,420
No-markup version: ~£620 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Recreate Exodus Travel's classic Puglia adventure as an independent self-launched trip through the sun-baked heel of Italy's boot. Spend two nights in the astonishing cave-carved city of Matera (a UNESCO troglodyte settlement), wander the fairytale cone-roofed trulli lanes of Alberobello, glide through the whitewashed cliff-top village of Polignano a Mare, feast on home-made pasta and olive oil at a working masseria, then finish among the golden baroque piazzas of Lecce. Everything the group version delivers — sights, food, wine and coastal charm — done on your own schedule and budget, connecting towns by train and bus at a fraction of the tour price.
Day-by-day
Arrival in Matera, the cave city
Matera
Make your own way to Matera (nearest airports: Bari or Naples, then train/bus). Check into a boutique B&B carved into the Sassi district, then spend the first evening wandering the honey-lit lanes and stone stairways of this extraordinary troglodyte settlement. Climb to a panoramic piazza for sunset over the Gravina canyon before settling into a trattoria for your welcome dinner.
🚌Flight/rail to Bari or Naples, then bus/train to Matera (~£30-50)
🛏B&B or guesthouse in the Sassi district (~£45-60)
- →Arrive in Matera independently
- →Sunset walk through the Sassi cave districts
- →Dinner at a traditional cucina in the old town
Guided walk through the Sassi district
Matera
Book a local walking tour (2.5km) through Matera's cave-dwelling quarters with an English-speaking guide to learn how this limestone settlement became the most intact troglodyte town in the Mediterranean. Spend the afternoon independently — visit the rupestrian rock churches carved into the cliff, some with 13th-century Byzantine frescoes, and the Casa Grotta museum showing how families lived in caves until the 1950s.
🚌Walking; local bus within town (~£2)
🛏B&B in the Sassi district (~£45-60)
- →Self-booked walking tour of the Sassi di Matera (~2.5km)
- →Visit the rock-cut rupestrian churches
- →Explore the Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario museum
Polignano a Mare and Alberobello's trulli
Alberobello
Take the regional train along the Adriatic coast, stopping at Polignano a Mare perched dramatically on a limestone ravine. Stroll the whitewashed lanes and catch sea views from the panoramic terraces above the coves. Continue by train to Alberobello, the UNESCO town of cone-roofed trulli houses, where you can wander the pretty (if steep) streets of the Rione Monti district before enjoying a wine tasting of local Primitivo in the evening.
🚌Regional trains Matera–Bari–Polignano–Alberobello (~£15)
🛏Budget hotel or trulli guesthouse in Alberobello (~£40-55)
- →Self-booked train from Matera to Bari, then coastal to Polignano a Mare
- →Stroll Polignano a Mare's cliff-top old town
- →Wander the trulli lanes of Alberobello's Rione Monti
- →Primitivo wine tasting at a local enoteca
Free day: Castellana Caves or Monopoli
Alberobello / Itria Valley
A free day to explore the Itria Valley at your own pace. Take a guided tour of the Grotte di Castellana, Italy's largest cave system, dropping 60m underground to see vast stalactite chambers and canyons. Alternatively catch a train to the fishing port of Monopoli for seafront restaurants, a stroll around its baroque old town and a swim from the harbour walls on a warm day.
🚌Local train/bus to Castellana or Monopoli (~£6)
🛏Budget hotel or trulli guesthouse in Alberobello (~£40-55)
- →Guided tour of the Castellana Caves (~3hrs, self-booked)
- →OR day trip by train to Monopoli's seafront and old town
- →Evening seafood dinner in the Itria Valley
Masseria lunch and the White City of Ostuni
Ostuni
Travel south into the orchard country and visit a working Apulian masseria (fortified farmhouse). Book ahead for an olive oil tasting and a pasta-making cooking demonstration followed by a farmhouse lunch — the heartland of Puglia on a plate. Continue to Ostuni, the dazzling 'White City' atop a hill with 360-degree views over olive groves to the Adriatic, and wander its lime-washed lanes, ideally at sunset.
🚌Local train/bus Alberobello–Ostuni (~£8)
🛏Masseria or budget hotel near Ostuni (~£45-60)
- →Cooking demo and olive oil tasting at a masseria (self-booked)
- →Foodie lunch of home-made orecchiette
- →Explore the whitewashed old town of Ostuni
Otranto's medieval centre, then on to Lecce
Otranto / Lecce
Take the train east to Otranto, Italy's easternmost town, famed for its sun-drenched medieval centre, the enormous rose-windowed cathedral and the mosaic floor showing the tree of life. Walk the seafront, visit the 15th-century Aragonese castle, then follow the easy coastal path (roughly 6km) along the Salento coves and creeks or simply relax on the clear-water beaches (seasonal). Travel on to Lecce in the late afternoon.
🚌Trains via Martina Franca or Brindisi; local buses (~£10)
🛏Budget hotel or B&B in central Lecce (~£40-50)
- →Explore Otranto's cathedral and Aragonese castle
- →Coastal walk along the Salento coves
- →Beach time (seasonal)
- →Train transfer to Lecce
Baroque Lecce, the Florence of the South
Lecce
A final full day in baroque Lecce, chiselled from soft local 'pietra leccese' stone that glows gold in the morning sun. Join a self-booked walking tour to take in the Basilica di Santa Croce and its fantastical façade of beasts and allegories, the vast Piazza del Duomo and the Roman amphitheatre. Use free time to browse the artisan papier-mâché workshops and pastry shops before a farewell dinner on a piazza.
🚌Walking within Lecce
🛏Budget hotel or B&B in central Lecce (~£40-50)
- →Self-booked walking tour of baroque Lecce
- →Visit Basilica di Santa Croce and Piazza del Duomo
- →See the Roman amphitheatre
- →Shopping for local ceramics and pastries
Departure from Lecce
Lecce
The trip ends in Lecce after breakfast. Depending on your flights, take a regional train to Brindisi airport (about 40 minutes) or to Bari airport (about 1h40), or extend your stay to explore more of the Salento coast and the baroque towns of Gallipoli and Santa Maria di Leuca further south.
🚌Regional train to Brindisi/Bari airport (~£8-12)
🛏N/A — final day
- →Depart Lecce by train to Brindisi or Bari airport
- →Optional extension into the deep Salento
- →Final breakfast at a local bar
Self-launched vs. Exodus Travels
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Exodus Travels | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£620 | £2,420 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,800 per person (74%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Exodus Travels-style trips? Check them out here.~£620
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Discover Puglia: Italy's Ancient Heel cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £620 per person for 8 days in Puglia, Italy. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Exodus Travels?+
Yes — Exodus Travels charges around £2,420 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £620 — a saving of roughly £1,800 (74%) per person.
How long is the Puglia, Italy trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Puglia, Italy.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, foodie, city-breaks trip through Puglia, Italy, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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