When we first booked to visit Puglia in October, I began to worry we’d made a mistake. Autumn in southern Italy can be beautiful, but it’s more risky weather-wise, with less chance of sunshine.
It turned out (as usual) that all my worrying was for nothing.
We visited Puglia in October and enjoyed warm days, blue skies, and only the occasional shower. On most days, the sun was even warm enough for a few hours at the beach.
While I wasn’t brave enough to swim in the sea, there were plenty of locals taking a dip.
In case you’re also planning a trip to Puglia in October, I’ve put together this quick guide to help you get the most out of your trip. It includes top things to do in autumn, festivals and events happening in October, the weather, and what to pack.
If you have any questions that aren’t answered in this guide, let me know in the comments! I’d love to help plan your trip to Italy this autumn.
Puglia in October at a Glance
Where to Stay: Since the weather in Puglia in October is mixed, I recommend basing yourself in Alberobello and taking day trips to the coast on good weather days. You can stay in an authentic accommodation such as Romantic Trulli.
What’s the Weather Like: Typically warm and sunny with occasional bouts of rain and cloud. Getting cooler towards the end of the month. Average daily high 20°C (68°F).
Best Things to Do: Take a pasta-making class, ride e-bikes to a winery, take a day trip to Matera and visit the caves of Castellana.
What’s On in October: Local wine and harvest festivals, honey festival in Ostuni, Halloween parties and events.
Top Tip: The evenings are much cooler, so you’ll want to bring a jacket and make restaurant bookings indoors.
10 Things to Do in Puglia in October
1. Stay in a Traditional Trullo in Alberobello
After much deliberation, we decided to base ourselves in Alberobello when visiting Puglia in October.
The fairytale town is centrally located in the region, making it easy to do daytrips to the other towns and villages on your itinerary.
Because it’s one of the most popular places to visit in Puglia, Alberobello was still very busy during the daytime. Staying there overnight meant we had the place almost to ourselves each morning.
There’s something very special about strolling around this enchanting town on a mellow autumn morning with a coffee in hand. Plus, you get to see all the dreamy sunsets.
Even if you only choose to stay in Alberobello for one or two nights as part of your Puglia itinerary, I promise it will be worth your while.
For the full experience, stay in a traditional trullo. That’s the word for those white circular homes you see in all the Instagram photos with the cone-shaped roofs.
Here’s the trullo accommodation in Alberobello I recommend:
- Romantic Trulli for swoon-worthy accommodation in the heart of town.
- Le Alcove for a touch of luxury in traditional trulli suites.
- Naiira Luxury Trullo for a stunning one-bedroom suite with self-catering facilities.
2. Take a Pasta-Making Class
A cooking class is a fantastic way to get under the surface of a destination, especially in Italy.
You get to learn the authentic art behind your favourite Italian dishes and meet local people who are passionate about their cooking, with recipes handed down through the generations as your souvenir.
I wrote a whole review on doing a cooking class in Puglia with all the details about what the experience includes and top tips, but for those in a hurry, the pasta-making classes I recommend are:
- Alberobello: Pasta-Making Class in a Local’s Home: Make pasta and tiramisu in the heart of Puglia’s UNESCO World Heritage town.
- Polignano a Mare: Apulian Food and Wine Class: Enjoy a wallet-friendly workshop in a gorgeous Puglian coastal town.
- Martina Franca: Mozzarella and Pasta Workshop on a Local Farm: Farm-to-table dining at its finest. Find out how mozzarella is made at an artisanal cheese farm before pairing it with a pasta-making class.
3. See Puglia’s Underworld at Grotte di Castellana
Visiting the incredible caves of Castellana is a fantastic activity for a rainy or cooler day – but honestly, they’re worth seeing either way.
I wouldn’t have thought caves were my thing, but these are not just any caves. The Grotte di Castellana is an incredible complex of caverns that sprawl for miles beneath the surface.
Water has carved the rock over millions of years into fascinating shapes and formations, and a tour includes a guide to help you understand the geology of it all.
The guided tour of the caves only takes about an hour and a half, but it’s worth working into your autumn Puglia itinerary.
It’s a bit of a walk through the whole cave system, so you’ll need a decent level of mobility, and I recommend wearing shoes with some grip since the walkways can be slippery.
No matter the weather outdoors, the caves remain cool, so bring a jumper or a jacket along with you.
4. Go Shopping in Locorotondo
While small, Locorotondo is one of the most beautiful spots in Puglia, with stunning hilltop views and a spaghetti of streets that make up the Centro Storico (old town).
It’s known for its beautiful white-washed buildings and winemaking heritage, but more recently, the town has become a thriving hub of beautiful artisanal boutiques.
I recommend visiting in the morning or evening to make the best of it – the shops are often closed for a few hours in the afternoon. It’s the perfect place to shop for a ceramic olive oil dispenser or leather purse to remind you of your trip to Puglia in October.
If you decide to go to Locorotondo in the evening, I recommend having a glass of wine at the vineyards of Azienda Agricola Bufano for sunset. Afterwards, book a table at Osteria Il Rosone for dinner.
See more things to do in Locortondo.
5. Walk the Lungomare in Monopoli
A fantastic activity for when the weather is sunny but not quite warm enough for the beach, the Lungomare is a seafront promenade in the town of Monopoli.
Monopoli is definitely worth a visit on your trip to Puglia in October – it’s got an antique fishing harbour your camera will love and a beautiful old town with winding streets and colourful shutters.
Once you’ve had a stroll around the old town, head past the fishing harbour onto the Lungomare. There’s a historic bastion at the start called Castello Carlo V.
You can follow the Lungomare all the way around to Cala Porta Vecchia, where you’ll find locals crammed in on strips of rock and a tiny slither of sand beside the sea.
There’s a car park a short walk away from the old town on Via Cala Fontanella (Google maps location here).
6. Visit the Famous Beach at Polignano a Mare
Polignano a Mare is a place you’ve probably seen on Instagram or TikTok – there’s a restaurant inside a sea cave that goes viral from time to time.
We personally didn’t visit the restaurant because it has terrible TripAdvisor reviews. Most people said that while the food was fine dining prices (€250 per person for three courses minimum), it did not live up to fine dining standards.
Some also complained of a bad sewage smell, and on that basis, we decided it was probably one of those Insta vs reality situations.
Instead of visiting the poorly rated restaurant, I recommend heading to Polignano a Mare on a warm sunny day to see the famous Lama Monachile beach.
Tucked between two sun-bleached cliffs and backed by a historic bridge, this beach is a treat for photographers and sun-worshippers alike.
If the weather’s warm enough, you can head down and pitch your towel with the locals or take a dip in the crystal Adriatic sea.
7. Visit an Olive Oil Farm in Ostuni
If you fly into Bari airport to get to Puglia, you’ll understand why the region is one of Italy’s top olive oil producers. The landscape is blanketed in endless olive orchards, with thousands of trees arranged in neat rows as far as the eye can see.
If you’re a foodie or just curious about the production of one of the world’s most popular condiments, I recommend a visit to an olive oil farm.
There’s one just outside Ostuni, the famous White City, and you can take a tour of the farm with an included tasting session. It’s a great option to add to a day trip to see the city’s old town.
8. Take a Day trip to Matera
Okay, Matera’s not technically in Puglia, but you can’t miss a day trip to see the oldest city in Italy!
Matera looks and feels like something from another era, with hundreds of buildings and churches carved right into the bowl-shaped sandstone. It’s called the Sassi and you might recognise it from the car chase in the James Bond movie No Time to Die.
It’s about an hour’s drive from Alberobello, and you could either visit for the day or stay overnight in one of the famous cave hotels.
There are lots of big multi-storey car parks on the outskirts of town. I recommend arriving early to get a good spot.
A few things you can do in Matera include visiting the incredible Palombaro Lungo – a vast cistern beneath the city that provided running water in Ancient Roman times.
You can take a guided tour of the Sassi to learn more about this enchanting city and the cave dwellings found here.
I recommend staying until after sunset, there’s something particularly special about this city as the lights from the Sassi flicker on.
Try dinner at La Nicchia Nel Sassi, there’s a sensational view of the city and the food was incredible – think Puglia specialities like octopus with an upscale twist!
9. Get Lost in Lecce
Not far from Salento, right down in the heel of Italy’s boot, Lecce is a beautiful city known for its Baroque architecture.
It’s a little bit of a drive from places like Alberobello and Polignano (about 90 minutes), but worth it if you have the time.
The city is quite big compared to some of the other towns on this guide, so you might want to consider a rickshaw tour to explore it all.
In just a few hours, you can tick off all the big-ticket sites in the Florence of the South, including the duomo, the Roman amphitheatre and the old city entrance known as Porta Napoli.
10. Ride E-Bikes Through the Countryside
If you came to Puglia in October to escape an impending winter at home and enjoy mellow, lemony sunshine, this activity is for you. E-bikes are perfect for this time of year since it’s not too hot for pedalling, but the bikes give you a little extra push.
Setting off from Cisternino, a charming hilltop village, you’ll get to cruise through the olive orchards and sweeping scenery of the Itria Valley.
What’s more, the bike ride ends at an authentic local winery and includes three tastings. What more could you ask for?
Festivals and Events in Puglia in October
October is harvest month for much of Puglia, which means many of the local towns and villages host small festivals to celebrate the end of a successful season.
You might struggle to find information for these online, so the best thing to do would be to ask your accommodation provider if there are any harvest events happening nearby on the dates you plan to visit.
Other events in Puglia in October with a more set schedule include:
Honey Festival in Ostuni
An important date in the calendar for the families of Ostuni, the honey festival is a kid-friendly event that usually takes place in mid-October in the streets of the White City. It’s all about celebrating the importance of bees, with stalls selling honey and beeswax products, plus bee-related activities for children.
Halloween and All Saints’ Day Celebrations
There’s a lot going on at the end of October to celebrate Halloween and All Saints’ Day. You might find lantern carving workshops in local stores and Halloween parties being held in some of the bars. The Grotte di Castellana puts on a show called Hell in the Cave, which showcases light, sound and aerial performances in a dramatic natural setting.
Weather in Puglia in October
The weather in Puglia in October is typically warm and mild, with blue sunny skies and daily highs of around 20°C (68°F). The start of October could be significantly warmer, while temperatures start to drop towards the end of the month.
Cloudy days and rain are possible, but not too common, with an average of around nine days in the month that might see a small amount of rain.
You’ll notice a chill in the air as soon as the sun starts to set, so bring a jacket to wear after dark, especially if you plan to stay outdoors after sunset.
What to Wear in Puglia in October
Dressing for Puglia in October is all about layers. It can feel really warm in the middle of the day, so you’ll want to be wearing something short-sleeved and breathable.
The mornings can feel a little cooler, and the wind can make things feel chilly too, so make sure you always have a warm jumper or jacket to hand. Most days, I opted for a long maxi dress or skirt with a camisole top or t-shirt and a cardigan or linen jacket to throw on over the top.
In the evenings, you’ll want to wear long trousers, skirts or jeans, and bring a jacket or jumper, as it can feel very cool once the sun has set.
I recommend bringing some shoes with a good grip (old town cobbles can be slippery!), some nice sandals for the evenings and a swimsuit in case your accommodation has a pool or you plan to go to the beach.
Puglia in October: FAQs
Is Puglia hot in October?
The first few weeks of October in Puglia can feel hot during the daytime, particularly if you’re coming from the UK, where winter is fast approaching. We even spent a few hours by the pool sunbathing on some days.
Generally, though, I would describe the weather as ‘warm’ as opposed to hot, and it can start to get a lot cooler towards the end of the month.
Is Puglia worth visiting in October?
Puglia is definitely worth visiting in October, particularly if you love strolling around quaint old towns, seeing the sights with fewer crowds, and enjoying a little bit of mellow sunshine.
The beaches and lidos won’t be too busy, but there’s still plenty of locals swimming in the sea at this time of year.
How to get to Puglia?
The biggest airports in Puglia are Bari and Brindisi. We found flying in Bari had more options from the UK – you’ll probably have to fly from a major city like London or make a connection.
Alternatively, you can drive or catch the train to Bari from elsewhere in Italy. Public transport around Puglia is not the best, so I recommend hiring a car once you arrive in Bari or Brindisi.
Where to stay in Puglia?
I believe the best place to stay in Puglia in October is Alberobello.
As one of the region’s most picturesque towns, it stays popular with daytrippers right through autumn, so staying here gives you the chance to see it without the crowds in the mornings and evenings.
It’s also quite centrally located, making it easy to make daytrips to lots of the other towns and villages in this guide. For authentic Trullo accommodation, try Romantic Trulli.
How to get around Puglia?
Getting around Puglia is best done by hiring a car. Public transport is limited, and you won’t be able to cover as much ground if you’re tied to a timetable.
The vast majority of towns and cities in Puglia have plenty of options for free and paid parking, and car hire from Bari airport is usually quite reasonable.
Have more questions about visiting Puglia in October? Let me know in the comments!
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