We discovered thehe town of Lecce, on our visit to Puglia in Italy, has a sophisticated architecture that has earned it the nickname of “Baroque Florence” – a promising future! We loved visiting Lecce and wandering through its narrow streets. You will immediately fall in love with this beautiful city full of history.
If you’re here, it’s because you’re wondering how to visit the magnificent city of Lecce and not miss a thing. You will find in the article below, all our tips and recommendations for visiting the historic center and not forgetting the magnificent beaches nearby.
And all our good addresses in Lecce on our map (restaurants, hotels…). We wish you an excellent reading!
What to do in Lecce Our itinerary so you don’t miss a thing [carte]
We suggest a walking itinerary to visit Lecce, to be completed in around 3 hours, with 10 points of interest, which we think are unmissable!
Entrance to the main churches is charged since January 2021. A combined ticket for 9€ allows you to visit 4 churches(Duomo, Santa Croce, Chiesa Santa Chiara and San Mateo) and the Museum of Sacred Art.
1. ❤️ Porta San Biagio and its palaces
Located in the south of Lecce, the San Biagio is one of the three gates surrounding the city. This majestic door with beautiful columnscarved in the tuffeaua typical soft stone of Lecce with a caramel blond color, will put you directly in the architectural atmosphere of the city.
Do not miss the majestic palaces that surround this gate and then enter the old town of Lecce.
2. ❤️ Chiesa San Matteo
Like most cities in Italy, the beautiful beautiful churches are not lacking. His baroque façade will keep you busy for a while. Then its interior of the same style is just as interesting to observe. We visited it for free on Sunday morning before mass.
3. ❤️❤️❤️ Piazza duomo
This majestic squaresurrounded by magnificent monumentsThe square is almost entirely enclosed, as it is accessible through a single entrance, giving it a special charm that you will not find anywhere else.
Several buildings surround the square:
- The cathedral (the duomo) with its huge 70m high bell tower
- The palazzo Vescovile
- The Palazzo Seminario which houses the Museo Diocesano, a collection of religious art (Museum of Sacred Art)
In short, this place is an unmissableA must-see during your visit to the city. We visited it out of season so it was under renovation, we mostly saw tarps. This is a good reason to come back to Lecce!
4. Chiesa di Sant’Irene
This beautiful church, still in baroque styleYou will find the city centre on your route between Piazza Duomo and the Basilica of Santa Croce. It does not appear on the traditional circuit of churches to see in Lecce, so few tourists stop there and its entrance is free.
We therefore advise you to visit it if it is open. We were able to enter on Sunday morning, this time after mass.
5. ❤️❤️❤️ Basilica santa croce
This is another of your visit to Leccejust by observing its its baroque façadecovered with many details, you will be amazed. We couldn’t go inside because it was mass time!
6. Piazza Sant’Oronzo and its Anfiteatro
It is the main square of the citySeveral buildings from different periods surround it, the most important being the ruins of the ruins of the Roman amphitheater.
In our opinion, this place is more a place of passage, than a place to linger on.
7. ❤️❤️ Chiessa santa Chiara
Another beautiful baroque church, we warned you, there are absolutely everywhere in this city. The entrance is not free, included in the 9€ pass, as we did not take it because we could visit it for free, we did not visit the interior of Santa Chiara.
8. ❤️❤️❤️ Pizza by the slice, Il Pizzicotto
It’s a pizzeria by the slice, the products are fresh and local, especially everything is excellent. There’s even a nice little terrace on the street.
Little tip why not us: you can have a drink, a spritz, at random, at the bar next door to enjoy the toilets.
9. ❤️ Bakery
The last two points are not located in the hyper-center. As you can see, the historical center is a succession of religious buildings, souvenir shops and bars/restaurants.
We wanted to discover to discover where the inhabitants of Lecce really livedso we walked to the Mazzini squareand we started to see grocery stores, hairdressers… and we came across the sign “The bakery“where we enjoyed pizza, croissants with chocolate filling…
10. ❤️❤️ Cemetery
As is often the case in Italy, the cemetery is a city within a city, and it is close enough to the center to reach it on foot. The Most of the tombs are very well workedthe walk is pleasant in the middle of the cypresses.
Where to sleep in Lecce
Vittoria Luxury House is a beautiful hotel so well renovated, with a big favorite for the huge bathroom. The welcome is great and we got lots of great tips for visiting Lecce.
Are you looking for a place to stay during your stay in Puglia ? To help you, we give you all our advice in this article on Where to stay in Puglia in Italy, and share our best hotel addresses and unusual accommodations.
Activities to book in Lecce
Before your departure, you can book your excursions to leave in all serenity and not lose time once on the spot:
➡️Réservez your 1h30 to 2h guided tour, the ideal way to learn all about the history and architecture of Lecce and its Salento region, in French!
➡️Réservez your guided tour by tuk-tuk, to discover as many places as possible and get plenty of Lecceanecdotes in no time!
Our good addresses restaurant and bar in Lecce
Il Pizzicotto, excellent pizzas by the slice
We already talked about it in our itinerary, it is a pizzeria with fresh and local products, and above all everything is excellent.
Caffè Letterario
A good address in Lecce to have a drink in a relaxed and very cosy atmosphere!
The unforgettable beaches around Lecce [carte]
You will find many white sandybeaches and beautiful rock formations just a few kilometers south of Lecce. We list below our favorite beaches.
Grotta of poetry
Our favorite of the area, the site is absolutely beautiful, it is a natural pool that communicates with the sea. Most of the visitors bathe even if it is forbidden, but it seems to be tolerated. It is nevertheless a stop to foresee, to observe this small natural wonder.
Parking 3€ per day at a hundred meters, entrance to the site 3€, good plan Why not us, the site is free after 19h and in winter
Beach of Alimini
This is our favorite beach, it is large and partly wild in the middle of the pines. The sand is fine and the turquoise sea is low for several meters, a perfect place for a lazy afternoon with the family.
Parking 3,50€ per day, sunshade and deckchair 20€ per day
Rocky formations of Torre Sant’Andrea
This set of rock formations is just beautiful, you can take great pictures. The water is, as often in Puglia, completely transparent. We are pleasantly surprised by all the treasures that abound on this coast.
There is no beach, you can put your towel on the rocks and jump into the crystal clear water.
Small parking lot, prefer a visit early in the morning or late afternoon to enjoy a beautiful sunset
Beach of the Isole Asce
It is one of the closest to Lecce. It is certainly less incredible than the ones mentioned above, so there must also be fewer people in the middle of the season. It has all the characteristics of an Apulian beach, the sea is clear, warm and the sand is fine.
Small parking lot
Beach of Frassanito
This beach is accessible after having crossed a small pine forest, we appreciated the wild side and little frequented. On the other hand, there is little space to land and rocks for the first 20 meters and then crystal clear water. There are restaurants on stilts, where you will eat with your feet in the water in an incredible setting.
Parking 3€.
Find all the beaches mentioned on the map below:
How to reach Lecce?
From Bari
Lecce is located 1h30 south of Bari bycar.
From Monopoli
We spent the previous night in Monopoli, we reached the city of Lecce after 1h30 driving along the sea at the beginning of the route. From Polignano a mare it takes another 15 minutes.
Free parking
On our map, we’ve indicated a large, free, year-round parking lot1.5km from the old town.
Be careful, 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.
What to do after visiting Lecce
Otranto
The city ofOtranto is located south of Lecce. Its historic center is protected by ramparts. If you walk along the Adriatic coast, you will have beautiful views of its lovely little port and its beach with crystal clear waters.
Galipoli
It is still a city protected by walls, it is located on an island, a bridge separates the historic center from the modern city. Don’t hesitate to get lost in its small streets.
Don’t forget to explore the famous Sassi of Matera and the trulli of Alberobello before leaving the area.
Now we are going back to Bari to take our flight! Bye bye Puglia, we will come back for sure.
We wish you an excellent trip! Don’t hesitate to leave us a little note or 5 stars below, if you’re planning this trip, to ask any questions you may have, here or on Instagram, we’ll answer you with great pleasure.