The best areas to stay in Bari

Are you off to discover southern Italy and the Adriatic Sea? Find out about the best neighborhoods to stay in Bari!

Located above the “heel” of the Italian “boot,” Bari is the capital of Puglia and the nerve center of cultural and commercial exchanges between Eastern Europe and the West since antiquity. With a population of 325,000 inhabitants and more than 700,000 in the metropolitan area, Bari is the ninth largest city in Italy and the third largest in the south of the country. Accommodation to stay in Bari can be expensive because of the high influx of tourists from May to October.

Stay in Bari and visit the province of Apulia which boasts a rich historical, cultural, gastronomic and architectural heritage. Between the old town – Bari Vecchia – and the modern part – the Murat district -, discover the city’s diverse atmospheres. Here’s our selection of the best places to stay in Bari.

Bari Vecchia

Photo credit: Flickr – Xiquinho Silva

Bari Vecchia is the oldest part of Bari. Home to the city’s historical center – “centro storico” in Italian -, it is characterized by a maze of winding and narrow streets, which were initially intended to prevent enemy soldiers from entering the city walls. The area houses many palaces and churches, such as the Basilica of St. Nicholas, the Cathedral of St. Sabin, and the Norman-Swabian Castle. The port of Bari is considered the gateway to Eastern Europe: it is the largest passenger port in the Adriatic Sea.

From the Fort of St. Anthony to the Archaeological Museum of St. Colastic (where you can discover the history of Puglia’s civilization from the 7th century to the 3rd century BC), stretches the eastern coast of the district. Take a walk along the waterfront along the Lungomare Imperatore Augusto to the Pasquale Sorrenti community garden. To the west of the area, visit the Norman castle and the garden Isabella of Aragon. A few bars, restaurants, and hotels dot the cobblestone pavements of the old town. Bari Vecchia is a central area to stay in Bari, ideal if you want to discover the Bari of yesteryear, sheltered from the city’s bustling thoroughfares.

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Murat quarter

Photo credit: Flickr – Paolo Margari

Otherwise known as the 19th-century district, the Murat quarter was named after the Frenchman Joachim Murat (1767-1815), Marshal of France and King of Naples from 1808 to 1815. Inaugurated by Murat, the area was the site of a construction project south of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the old medieval town. Orthogonally shaped, the district sits in the modern part of Bari, between the railway and the coast, south of the old town. This area is home to the vast majority of the city’s shopping centers, hotels, bars, and restaurants.

You’ll find Murat to be a lively district, whether you’re in Giuseppe Garibaldi Square, strolling through the gardens, attending a show at a theatre (Margherita or Petruzzelli theatre), having a good time at the bar, or gambling at the casino. The Murat district is an ideal area to stay in Bari if you’re keen to stay in the modern and vibrant part of the city. The areas outside these two districts are of little interest, except if you want to stay close to the beaches of Spiaggia Torre Quetta, Pane, and Pomodoro.

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