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Living in Bari

Bari isn’t a place to visit: it’s a place to live

Bari isn’t a place to visit: it’s a place to live. A city by the sea that cooks pasta on the doorstep, that blends Norman stone with Liberty-style cafés, that at seven in the evening fills the seafront with people out walking. Staying in an apartment, not a hotel room, is the right way to get inside it: at your own pace, with your own coffee, the bakery right downstairs.

An alley in the historic centre of Bari Vecchia

Bari Vecchia, the white heart of the city

The neighbourhoods where you’ll sleep

Bari changes face from one area to the next. Each has a soul: pick the one that fits the trip you have in mind, or let yourself be guided by our guides and the home collections.

Bari

Bari Vecchia (Old Town)

Bari Vecchia is the city within the city: a maze of whitewashed alleys winding between the Basilica of San Nicola and the Cathedral, down to the seafront. Here the front doors stay open, the local women shape pasta on their doorsteps and every corner has a little square to sit in. Sleeping here means waking up inside the most authentic Bari, on foot from everything that matters.

  • On foot from the Basilica of San Nicola and the Cathedral
  • Fish market and fresh-pasta workshops right downstairs
  • Seafront and Margherita Theatre a few minutes away
See the homes in Bari Vecchia (Old Town) →
Bari

Murat District

Murat is the orderly, bourgeois Bari laid out in the early 1800s: a grid of elegant buildings between the sea and the station. It’s the district of via Sparano shopping, of historic cafés, of the Petruzzelli Theatre. Handy for those travelling on business and for anyone who wants everything within walking distance, with the old town on one side and the station on the other.

  • Via Sparano and the city-centre shopping a couple of steps away
  • Petruzzelli Theatre and Piazza Aldo Moro nearby
  • The perfect hub between sea, old town and station
See the homes in Murat District →
Bari

Central Station area

Around Piazza Aldo Moro and the Central Station beats the most practical Bari. Trains across all of Puglia, a direct link with the airport, buses to Polignano, Monopoli and the villages of the Itria Valley. It’s the perfect base for those using Bari as the gateway to the region, without giving up the centre: Murat and the shops are just around the corner.

  • Central Station and airport link a few minutes’ walk away
  • Direct trains to Polignano, Monopoli, Alberobello
  • Centre and shopping reachable on foot
See the homes in Central Station area →
Bari

Libertà

Libertà is the Bari that works and speaks its mind out loud: a working-class, industrious district, next to the Central Station and a couple of steps from Murat. Here prices are more down-to-earth, historic shops hold their own beside new multicultural signs, and you do the shopping at the via Brigata Regina market rather than the supermarket. Sleeping in Libertà means being inside the real city, the one that doesn’t dress up for tourists, with the centre reachable on foot and every connection within reach.

  • A few minutes’ walk from the Central Station and Murat
  • Neighbourhood markets and multicultural food downstairs
  • An authentic district, great value for location
See the homes in Libertà →
Bari

Madonnella

Madonnella is the Bari that looks onto the water just beyond the Margherita: the district of slightly faded, beautiful Liberty-style buildings, of bars where you breakfast facing the sea, of an evening scene that grows year by year. The monumental seafront runs through here, here are the Archaeological Museum and the former Fish Market, and from here the centre is a short walk. It’s the right area for those who want the sea on their doorstep without giving up city life, with a creative soul that sets it apart from everything else.

  • On the monumental seafront, a couple of steps from the sea
  • Liberty-style buildings, bars and evening nightlife
  • Centre and Bari Vecchia reachable on foot
See the homes in Madonnella →
Bari

Poggiofranco

Poggiofranco is the Bari where you sleep well: a modern residential district, orderly and green, made of wide avenues, recent buildings and plenty of services within reach. It’s the favourite area for those coming to the city for work or medical visits to the Policlinico, for those who want a quiet base and easy parking, for those staying a few weeks who need a comfortable home more than a postcard. The centre is a few minutes away by car or bus, but in the evening here you return to real quiet.

  • Quiet residential area, easy parking
  • Handy for the Policlinico, the Fiera del Levante and offices
  • Ideal for work stays and longer visits
See the homes in Poggiofranco →
Bari

Japigia

Japigia is the Bari of the sea to the south, where the city ends and the city beach of Pane e Pomodoro begins: the free lido where the locals head for a swim the moment the sun comes out. It’s a wide, modern district, well connected to the ring road and therefore very handy for those arriving and leaving by car, close to the 2 Giugno park and the Fiera del Levante. A practical, airy base for those who want the sea within walking distance and the freedom to move easily across all of Puglia.

  • A few steps from the Pane e Pomodoro beach
  • Quick access to the ring road and the routes across Puglia
  • Near the 2 Giugno park and the Fiera del Levante
See the homes in Japigia →
Bari

San Girolamo and the north seafront

San Girolamo is the seaside Bari to the north, the fishing district facing the seafront towards Santo Spirito: free beaches, rocks, fish restaurants and sunsets mirrored on the Adriatic. It’s the area where the city slows down and takes on the rhythm of the sea, perfect for those who want to wake up with the water in front of them and dine on the day’s catch, while staying connected to the centre along the seafront and by public transport. For anyone after a beach holiday without leaving Bari, this is where to look.

  • On the north seafront, beaches and rocks a couple of steps away
  • Fish restaurants and sunsets over the Adriatic
  • A seaside feel, with the centre reachable along the coast
See the homes in San Girolamo and the north seafront →

Things to do in Bari

Tips from locals, not from a guidebook. The things we’d do ourselves with a few free days in the city.

To see

Basilica of San Nicola

The spiritual heart of the city and a place of pilgrimage from all over Eastern Europe. Apulian Romanesque in its purest form, a few steps from the sea.

Cathedral of San Sabino

The cathedral of Bari Vecchia, quieter and more intimate than the Basilica. Seek out the transept window and the crypt.

Petruzzelli Theatre

One of the largest theatres in Italy, reborn after the 1991 fire. An opera season and concerts in the heart of Murat.

To eat

The raw-seafood ritual

At the harbour and the Molo market, sea urchins, small cuttlefish and octopus are eaten just caught. A Bari experience to try at least once.

Focaccia and panzerotti

Bari focaccia with cherry tomatoes and olives is a religion. The fried panzerotto is the perfect street food for a stroll.

To experience

The orecchiette street (Arco Basso)

The alley where Bari’s women shape pasta by hand in front of their homes. A scene of living city life, not a show staged for tourists.

Seafront and Margherita Theatre

The monumental seafront is the city’s open-air drawing room. The Margherita Theatre, out on the water, is now a space for exhibitions and events.

A day trip to the Itria Valley

From Bari, by train, you reach Polignano a Mare, Monopoli and Alberobello in under an hour. The whole region is within a day’s reach.

Articles about Bari

Our guides to the city and practical tips for those who book, gathered in one place.

Explore Bari

Before you book

Now all you need is a home

From Bari, half an hour by train, you can reach Polignano a Mare and the Itria Valley. Pick a neighbourhood and book your stay.

See the apartments