Monopoli is a city not to be missed during your stay in Puglia. We recommend you to get lost in its small streets with white houses where it is so pleasant to stroll.
We will detail our itinerary to visit the old town as well as the beaches to explore around Monopoli, so as not to miss anything on the spot as well as our good addresses, as always our goal is to help future travelers to easily organize their trip.
Sommaire
- Our itinerary to visit the old town of Monopoli
- Our recommendations in Monopoli on our map
- Our most beautiful beaches (spiaggia) around Monopoli [carte]
- A charming hotel with a view of the sea at a very reasonable price
- Guided tour to discover Monopoli and its gastronomy
- How to reach the lovely town of Monopoli
- Parking, 15 minutes walk from the old town, in a free parking lot
- Our good addresses of restaurants, pizzas, pucceria… with local products
Our itinerary to visit the old town of Monopoli
We stayed two nights in Monopoli, we needed to take the time to rest and fully enjoy our stay. As you know, we don’t really like to make one visit after another without a pose!
We visited the old town when we arrived in the middle of the afternoon. Then we walked through the streets again the next morning after a good sleep in, and then we headed to the coast, to explore the beautiful beaches south of Monopoli.
Let’s go for the visit of the city, let’s go into the old town, to get lost in the narrow and white streets of Monopoli.
Allow about 2 hours to explore the old town, its waterfront and its picturesque harbor.
If you want to optimize your time, we recommend you to book a 2-hour guided tour of Monopoli in French.
The old town, its beautiful narrow streets and all white
- Start your visit to the old town with the majestic Maria Santissima della Madia Cathedral. The exterior is only imposing in its size, but don’t miss the baroque interior with its omnipresent marble.
- Walk through the narrow white streets until you reach the only beach in Monopoli, Cala Porta Vecchia.
Come back in the evening to enjoy a beautiful sunset.
- Then walk along the waterfront and enjoy the beautiful views to the castle of Charles V. For your information, free art exhibitions are offered at certain times of the year.
- Continue your exploration of the old town by the Porto antico, a small picturesque port with its pretty white and blue boats.
Don’t miss the lovely little passageway that leads to the old town.
- Then end your itinerary at Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi, a small and pleasant square surrounded by restaurants and bars.
Our recommendations in Monopoli on our map
Our most beautiful beaches (spiaggia) around Monopoli [carte]
You will find many beaches and coves a few kilometers south of Monopoli. White sand, translucent water and beautiful rock formations, we fell completely under the spell. We reveal you below our favorite beaches.
La Scaletta Beach
It is our favorite beach of the area, white sand and translucent water, several small creeks follow one another. This beach can be reached after a 5 minute walk, it has remained wild because there is no bar or restaurant. Ideal if you are looking for a little privacy.
Free parking at 5 minutes walking distance
Beach of porto marzano
Beautiful cove, with sand and always translucent water. Perfect for a lazy afternoon.
Deckchair and parasol, bar/restaurant, parking 3€.
Paradiso Beach
It is the closest to Monopoli and therefore very popular in high season. Beautiful sandy beach with some rocks, clean, and translucent water. If there is no room on the sand you can also put your towel on the rocks.
Deckchair and parasol, bar/restaurant, parking 5€.
A charming hotel with a view of the sea at a very reasonable price
B&B e Case Vacanza Carpe Diem is in the heart of the old town. We slept very well, the bedding is comfortable and the rooms are impeccably clean. The big plus, the terrace with sea view, on which breakfast is served, the paradise!
Guided tour to discover Monopoli and its gastronomy
If you would like to book a guided tour of Monopoli, to learn more about the history and all the anecdotes and good addresses of the locals in English, we recommend this excursion.
How to reach the lovely town of Monopoli
From Bari
Monopoli is located on the Adriatic coast south of Bari, only 44 km away by car. If you choose to start your exploration of Puglia from the Adriatic coast, after about 50 minutes of driving along the coast, you will reach Monopoli with beautiful views of the sea.
From Alberobello
We spent the previous night in Alberobello, we first reached the town of Polignano a mare after 30 minutes of driving, then in about fifteen minutes we reached Monopoli.
Parking, 15 minutes walk from the old town, in a free parking lot
We have indicated a free year-round parking lot , a 15-minute walk from the old town on our map below. Don’t hesitate to ask your hotel for recommendations on how to park safely and free of charge.
Attention, there is once again, as in all the cities of Puglia, a ZTL in the historic center.
This limited traffic zone is reserved for local residents. Overall in this region we recommend parking outside of the historic centers to avoid being in a ZTL and to avoid having to maneuver in the tight little streets.
Our good addresses of restaurants, pizzas, pucceria… with local products
King street food
The King Street Food restaurant offers pizzas at very attractive prices, a little away from the tourist street on a small and pleasant square. Don’t miss the excellent lancia pizza with scamorza (smoked cheese) or the one with mozzarella di Bufala always a sure value and often at an exorbitant price in France…
Magnapulia
A great bakery/sandwich shop, before you head out to explore the coast, buy yourself a sandwich/pucceria with fresh, local ingredients.
We don’t recommend Bella Blu Gelateria Monopoli, their ice creams are very sweet and without much flavor…
Now we continue our exploration of the Apulia region, we take you to discover Lecce!
We thank you for having read all the way to the end, don’t hesitate to leave us a note below to tell us if you are planning this trip, or to ask any questions you may have, we will answer you with great pleasure!
