Discover Ostuni: all you need to know, why you’ll love it

Travel guide to Ostuni, one of Puglia’s delightful white cities. Learn what to expect, best things to do, where to eat, stay and our travel tips

Ostuni white city is one of the prettiest towns in Puglia and one of the most popular tourism destinations in the region.

Perched on top of a hill and surrounded by walls, the city is made of whitewashed houses that gleam under the Apulian sun. As soon as you get a glimpse of Ostuni from afar, you know the place will be special and indeed, it doesn’t disappoint!

Ostuni is just what it promises to be: a little jewel of whitewashed alleys, flowery balconies and pretty corners that make you feel you entered into a Puglia postcard.

Whitewashed houses are not unique to Ostuni and other towns in the area share many of the elements of this white town: Locorotondo, Cisternino and Martina Franca share many of Ostuni’s charms and fulfills the same desire for a whitewashes southern escape.

Ostuni however adds to the mix a well developed set of tourism services, most of which now well adjusted to the specific wishes of overseas visitors.

So, if you like to holiday taking classes and tours, you may find Ostuni even more appealing than it’s neighbors!

I adore Puglia and, if you’ve been on this site before, you know the area of Bari / Monopoli / Ostuni is my favorite of all. Today, I share all my best tips to visit pretty Ostuni!

These are all the things you can do in Ostuni and my personal tips for a great visit. If you are traveling as a family, see also my specific tips for visiting Ostuni with kids here.

Safe travels!

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Why visit Ostuni

I recommend you visit / stay in Ostuni if you want to:

See one of the pretty ‘white towns’ of Puglia, which are unqiue to this area

Spend a few hours strolling in a small town with plenty of restaurants, souvenir shops and pretty corners for photos

You are looking for a well served, small town to use as a base to explore the area

Why not to visit Ostuni

The only reason i can think of to elect a different town as your base is tourism.

Ostuni is better known to tourism than other localities and especially overseas visitors tend to be more familiar with its name than with other towns in the area.

Therefore, if you re looking for a lesser known place or off the beaten path location, you may prefer one its smaller, lesser known neighbors (with kids, I adore Monopoli. Without, I adore Monopoli and Locorotondo).

The best things to do in Ostuni

Explore the town center

Ostuni is a small town with typical whitewashed alleys, and the main thing to do in Ostuni is literally just take a stroll in the center and feel the pleasure of being immersed in such as pretty place!

Fun fact! Do you know why Ostuni is white? In the Middle Ages, a time when the plague was a constant threat, people used white lime as as hygienic material with disinfectant properties, effectively a way to sanitize the towns and combat contagion!

Ostuni town center is compact and easy to explore on foot, so you do not need a guide or an itinerary, you can just stroll with the confidence you’ll never be ‘lost’ for long here.

As you stroll, however, you want to pay attention to some specific landmarks and places of exceptional beauty of interest. In particular, I recommend you try see the places below.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is a gem of Gothic- Romanesque architecture dating from the 1400s.

The facade is simple and elegant, with distinctive curve elements that add grace to the structure and a beige color that is typical of the stone of this area and makes it stand out from the white walls of surrounding buildings.

The Scoppa Arch, a stunning archway with beautiful architectural details, inspired by the Bridge of Sighs of Venice

Piazza della Liberta’ and Sant’Oronzo Column,the main town square and the center of city life, with them impressive Column of Sant’Oronzo, which celebrates the city’s patron saint

Take a walk along Ostuni’s walls

Ostuni is perched on a hilltop and surrounded by wall which date from the 1300s and partially still standing.

Due to the town’s geographical position, a walk along the walls is one of the best things to do in Ostuni for views: from that vantage points, you catch a lovely sight of the countryside surrounding the towns and its historic, stunning olive groves and, a little further away, the sea!

Spot and learn about the colorful doors of the city and take a photo of ‘Casa dalla Porta Blu’ (or not!)

Ostuni is usually mentioned as a white town yet there is color here, in the forms of colorful doors! As you walk around the town, you’ll notice doors in a very specific set of colors: green, brown and blue.

Historically, the colors revealed the profession of the house owner: green for land workers, brown for artisans and blue for fishermen.

Nowadays the doors are pretty to spot and there is one in particular that has become a tourists’ favorite thanks to its instagrammable look. It’s address is via F. Incalzi Antonelli 72017 Ostuni (yes, it’s literally just a door but boy it is a popular one!).

Catch a stunning view of Ostuni from Piazzetta Martiri delle Foibe

Ostuni is lovely inside but also from the outside! Thanks to its peculiar location, color and the presence of the town walls, Ostuni is also lovely if seen from a afar. The best view point for a bird-eye view of Ostuni is Piazzetta Martiri delle Foibe, from where you catch a lovely view of the city and surrounding countryside

Best tours and activities in Ostuni and nearby

Ostuni is well equipped with tours and activities that help visitors make the most of their stay and learn about the traditions of the areas.

Some I recommend you consider are:

Ostuni Countryside Ebike Tour with local product tasting: this is a lovely, fun tour perfect for the mid-season (spring, autumn) when the weather usually allow for active endeavors and pleasant vineyard visits.

The tour lasts 3 hours, requires the ability to cycle and walk among olive groves, and it’s a nice way to see cultivation and landscapes typical of this area and taste some of the local produce

Take a pasta and Tiramisu Class: while not specifically from Ostuni, pasta and tiramisu’ are Italian stapless and this is a nice class to learn how to make them and have lunch with like minded people. A lovely way to spend a few hours in Ostuni.

Olive Oil tasting: Olive Oil is the most typical production of this areas and a fascinating food to taste and learn about. The real thing is absolutely delicious and so different from what many of us usually think of as ‘oil’, it is likely to be a real taste buds revelation!

Where to eat in Ostuni

The standard of food in Ostuni is so high, you genuinely don’t need many restaurants tips at all, but some places I recommend you check out are:

Terra Nostra Salumeria e Osteria, delicious restaurant with outstanding quality of produce and professional service. Also family friendly!

Osteria Piazzetta Cattedrale, at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of style, this is an excellent, refined restaurant just in front of Ostuni’s cathedral. Reservation highly recommended as the place is small and the raving reviesws abundant, it is definitely (and rightly) known!

Il Fienile, at the bottom of the white town, this is an excellent restaurants serving refined traditional fare

Borgo Antico Bistrot, for aperitivo with a view (no reservations, there may be a line: leave your name and usually you get a place quickly enough as there is a good turnover of people).

Other places that are good and basically Ostuni’s institutions you may want to try are Da Pasquale for breakfast / pastries / coffee etc and new Life Caffe Fanelli, which is good for breakfast and light lunch / aperitivo too with a central location just on the main square.

Where to stay in Ostuni

The biggest decision you’ll have to make about staying in Ostuni is if you want to stay in the town or in a masseria (country stay) nearby. In this second case, a car is a must.

Some addresses I recommend you check out are:

Primo Ostuni Hotel, an excellent hotel walking distance from the old town with a modern, clean feel, well equipped rooms, air conditioning and bar and great breakfast.

Airport transfer can be arranged upon request, parking available. This is a great spot especially for couples, if you have a car or pets as the hotel is pet friendly. Double and triple rooms available.

Hotel La Terra is a beautiful hotel in Ostuni that mixes traditional feel (the floors! the wooden furniture!) with the comforts of a newly renovated structure.

The hotel is inside Ostuni white city, it has wifi, air conditioning and a restaurant on site. Double and triple rooms available.

Masseria Cervarolo, a stunning country stay with a main accommodation area and additional stays in typical trulli all on gorgeous private grounds.

The masseria is outside of the town and has an outdoor seasonal swimming pool, a lovely garden, a restaurant on site and free parking. Rooms for up to 4 guests are available.

This is a fantastic place to use as a base to explore the area.

The best time to visit Ostuni

Ostuni is nice all year round but depending on what you want to see and do, you may find some season better than others.

The best time to visit Ostuni for small towns, food tastings and tours is the spring and the autumn (May, early June, September and October).

At this time the weather is usually nice to enjoy blue sky and time outdoors yet not scorching hot to the point of having to stay out of the sun.

The best time to visit the best beaches near Ostuni is the summer (mid June to mid September)

How to get to Ostuni and how to get around

The closest airports to Ostuni are Brindisi (38 km, about 30/40 mins drive) and Bari (96km, about 1h15 mins by car).

The closest main train stations are Bari and Brindisi, which get trains from Rome, and therefore are connected to the rest of Italy.

By far, the best way to explore the area of Ostuni is by car. You can read here all you need to know about driving in Puglia.

Some of the towns around Ostuni are also reachable by train. You can read here all you need to know about visiting Puglia without a car.

What to see near Ostuni – best beaches in Ostuni

The best beaches near Ostuni are:

Torre Guaceto – stunning, WWF protected beach perfect for nature lovers

Pilone – beach area that alternates lidos and free stretched. Very popular, tends to get very busy in high season

Lido Morelli – the BEST beach in Ostuni for families with kids and people who love sand and shallow waters

Torre Pozzelle – great if you like rocky shores, snorkeling and swimming

Baia dei Camerini – a popular beach for families with kids thanks to its soft sand and genlty degrading waters, with some free areas and some lidos.

What to see near Ostuni

Places I recommend you visit from Ostuni are:

Monopoli – 40 mins by car

Locorotondo– 30 mins by car

Alberobello – 45 mins by car

Martina Franca – 30 mins by car

Ostuni Travel Guide – pin this!