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

All you need to know about visiting Ostuni with kids: why visit, best family accommodation in Ostuni, kid-friendly restaurants, best beaches plus travel tips from a mama for a pleasant stay.

Ostuni white city is one of the of the most popular tourism destinations in Puglia, and a pretty place also to explore with kids.

Perched on top of a hill and famous for being almost entirely whitewashed, Ostuni is a small town with a pretty and historic town center and at first glance it may not strike as an obvious family destination.

Indeed, this is not a place with large playgrounds, all inclusive resorts with water slides or the most typical entertainment offerings of the most typical family resorts. It not even very stroller friendly (it is, sort of!)

However, Ostuni has a lot to offer to families and is a fantastic place to call home for a while and use as a base to explore the area.

In a previous post, I have written a travel guide to Ostuni.

On this page, I share my tips to visit Ostuni with kids – as you know, I am a mama of two and I adore Puglia, you can find all my tips about Puglia with kids here!

Safe travel planning!

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Bet things to do in Ostuni with kids

Ostuni is a small, historic town, so the best things to do in Ostuni with kids are a mix of things in the town itself and in its surrounding area.

‘Collect’ colorful doors while exploring Ostuni town center

Ostuni town center is a delightful small village with whitewashed alleys and the most pleasant thing to do here is strolling leisurely taking it its pretty corners. I know an aimless stroll may not sound appealing to kids, but we found a way to keep little ones entertained: finding as many colorful doors as possible!

Ostuni has a very peculiar tradition, when it come to doors.

As you walk around the historic town, you’ll notice doors in three main colors: some green, some brown, some blue (nowadays, some also have red but green, brown and blue are traditional).

These doors are all over the city and they have a meaning: green ones where houses of farmers, brown ones of artisans and blue ones of sailors!

With our kids, we like to challenge them to pick one color each and see how many they can find. A simple trick but works surprisingly well to keep them walking!

Fun fact: there is one very famous door in Ostuni all social media users love for its ‘instagrammable’ aspect. I’ll give you the address: Via F. Incalzi Antonelli, 72017 Ostuni BR, Italy But there are many more with a fraction of the crowds, so I highly recommend you find your own favorite!

Go souvenir shopping

Ostuni town center is full of adorable shops with souvenirs and trinkets for kids from colorful statuettes, to whistles, hats…

In some of the shops you have embroidery artisans who can add your name to your souvenir on the spot.

This is something we have come across all over Italy so it is not unique to Ostuni by my daughter is always fascinated and it is indeed mesmerizing to watch them work!

We also all loved the colorful pottery: picking a favorite patterns to bring home kept us busy a while!

Enjoy the indoor play center Luan Park

A great place for toddlers and small kids and a great rainy day escape, Luan park is an indoor play center in Ostuni with soft play area, climbing frame, family friendly restaurant and facilities.

The center is aimed to kids age 0 to 12 and is about 10 mins by car outside of the historic town center. Their website is https://www.luanpark.it/

Spend an afternoon at Adventure Park Ciuchino Birichino

Just outside Ostuni, about 10 minutes by car, there is one of the best attractions in Puglia for kids, the adventure park Ciuchino Birichino. Website: https://www.ciuchinobirichino.it/

The park is a fantastic resource for families as you here you have activities that:

Treetop trails for kids and adults

Archery (from age 8)

Falconry – amazing! And enjoyable form age 3

Climbing wall – from age 6

Need to know: the park has picnic tables but no restaurant. I highly recommend you buy a picnic in Ostuni (go to a supermarket deli counter or salumeria for budget friendly, delicious options!) and bring your own.

Take an Ape tour (tuk tuk)

Ape cars, or tuk tuks as they are often called in English are a fun and typical mean of transport of this area and make for an easy way to discover Ostuni with kids without having to walk much or at all.

You can book the tour here: as you can see, the tour is short enough so that kids won’t get bored but the info given about the city fascinating.

Take a kid-friendly cooking class

Puglia has some of the best food in Italy and is therefore a great place to learn how to cook!

In Ostuni, there is a lovely, kid-friendly cooking class by Cesarine, which has you learn to make two types of pasta and tiramisu in a local’s home (special price young kids and families with an infant / toddler).

Pasta and tiramisu are not specifically from Puglia but they are Italian staples and they are made with local ingredients so this is a lovely way to entertain the kids, learn a skill and tap into a local tradition.

Kid-friendly things to do in Ostuni area (beaches, places to see, attractions)

Ostuni is a small towns so many of the best things to do with kids here are outside of the town itself. these include:

Visit the best family friendly beaches near Ostuni, such as wonderful Lido Morelli and Baia dei Camerini. if you have a car, which i highly recommend in this area, you can also go further afield and explore some of the best family beaches in Puglia towards Monopoli and Fasano

Treat the kids to a day in FasanoLandia Safari, one of the best things to do in Puglia with kids, only about 30 mins by car from Ostuni

Aqua Park Egnazia, a the biggest water park in Southern Italy, perfect for summer, about 30 minutes by car from Ostuni

Castellana Caves, absolutely stunning caves with easy trails inside them suitable for most visitors

On top of these, pretty towns in Puglia such as Monopoli, Polignano, Alberobello (with the trulli!), Locorotondo, area nearby and cool to visit for a day.

Family friendly restaurants in Ostuni

Ostuni has plenty of great restaurants, cafes and bistros that are great for family meals. Some addresses I recommend you check out are:

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

Sax Risto Pub Pizzeria Pucceria, casual gastro pub with excellent pizza and pasta. Very informal, local atmpshere and good service.

Osteria da Nonna Ia, kid-friendly local restaurant with genuine home made dishes

Da Pasquale Caffe’ – a great place for breakfast and snacks. Thing coffee, milk, sodas, juices and amazing pastries – cornetti (Italian croissant), pasticciotto, Italian donuts, cream pastries, biscuits…

Where to stay in Ostuni with kids

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.

personally, I like to stay in the town outside of summer an in a more rural accommodation with pool when visiting mid-June to mid-September.

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. The hotel has rooms for up to 4 people (large duble bed and two single beds), cribs are available – request at the time of booking.

Masseria Cervarolo (out of the town), 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.

Ostuni a Mare (out of the town), a great resort with private beach excellent for the summer months. The hotel has rooms that can take up to 4 guests, restaurant onsite, outdoor swimming pool and lovely green grounds. Kids can also participate in the mini club activities available in summer evenings.

If you want more ideas on where to stay in the regions, check also our shortlist of the best places to stay in Puglia with kids.

Buying baby and toddler essentials in Ostuni

Ostuni has several shops with daily essentials such as fruit pouches, diapers, toiletries etc. The biggest ones tend to be outside of the historic town, yet still walking distance from it.

Useful addresses are:

Despar, Via Armando Dias 17, 72017

Carrefour, Piazza Firenze 1, 72017 Ostuni

The best time to go to Ostuni with kids

if you are hoping for water play and swimming, the best time to bring the kids to Ostuni is the summer. July and August are hot and busy but have the best swimming conditions usually and the most activities, while June and September are quieter and enjoy better temperatures.

We also love autumn and spring in this area, but only if you are happy with more sightseeing oriented activities.

Getting 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.

Good to know! If looking at renting a car, I find DiscoverCars to be an excellent option. Using the menu on the left (on desktop) you can select transmission, size of car and even filter by companies that offer a car seat.

Travel guide to Ostuni with kids – pin this!