Which beaches to visit
Puglia’s Valle d’Itria is not our top destination for a beach based vacation. Puglia’s best beaches are in Gargano and Salento.
The stretch of the Adriatic coast from Bari south has more rocky coves than the endless strips of sandy beach you will find on the Ionian coast. Nevertheless there are some fine sections to enjoy, especially around Ostuni. From family friendly to gay and naturist, here are some of our favourites.
Savelletri
Long stretches of sandy beach. Many private lidos with loungers, umbrellas, bars and restaurants but fewer free public beaches. Great for seafood.
Torre Canne
Long stretches of public, sandy beaches. Popular with families and sports enthusiasts, there is canoeing and kite surfing.
Pilone
Sandy beach, popular with residents of the camping and touristic villages nearby, who often arrange for residents’ beach club activities for kids, so it can get noisy!
Torre Pozzelle | Lamaforca
Small sandy beaches in rocky coves, surrounded by pine forest. Both are popular with the families who stay in the nearby camping touristic villages. They are also locally well known, but fairly discreet, popular gay beaches.
Punta Penna Grossa
The family friendly end of Torre Guaceto. Extremely popular, but you need to park in the not so nearby pay car park and take the shuttle trolly train (around 4 mins).
Torre Guaceto
One of Puglia’s most popular naturist beaches, but difficult to access. After parking it’s still a 35-45 minute walk. There is a dedicated gay section at the very end towards the tower, after passing through the main, mixed naturist section.
