Bari Vecchia

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
3
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
6
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
5
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
5
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
4
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
4
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
50 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
373rd/457
Bottom 20%
continent
Europe
country
Italy
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$30 (typically $10 - $50)
Time of year visited
October
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
All Tags
Wow Factor
Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100.
⭐⭐

Summary

Bari Vecchia gets missed in most Puglia itineraries other than a stop off for the airport. For sure it’s not up there in wow factor with the likes of the nearby white-washed hill towns in the Valle d’Itria of Alberabello, Locorotondo, Ostuni and Martina Franca, or the sensational and Matera. But Baris’ old town (Bari Vecchia) is really cool to wander round and definitely worth half a day.

 

For a full list of the highlights of Puglia and to see a recommended week-long itinerary, see A week in Puglia.

 

Highlights Bari Vecchia

1. Wandering through the narrow alleyways and arches that make up so much of the Bari Vecchia Old Town. Definitely worth a wander

1. Wandering through the narrow alleyways and arches that make up so much of the Bari Vecchia Old Town. Definitely worth a wander

2. Seeing the local women selling Orecchiette, a pasta typical of Puglia and the name comes from the Italian word for 'ear', a reference to their shape.

2. Seeing the local women selling Orecchiette, a pasta typical of Puglia and the name comes from the Italian word for 'ear', a reference to their shape.

3. The San Sabino Cathedral practically hidden amongst the Bari Vecchia streets

3. The San Sabino Cathedral practically hidden amongst the Bari Vecchia streets

4. The feeling of space before you walk into the narrow alleyways of the dramatic Bari Vecchia Old Town

4. The feeling of space before you walk into the narrow alleyways of the dramatic Bari Vecchia Old Town

Experiences Nearby

Wow Factor Score Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100. LowHigh
  • Elite, unmissable
  • World-class, downsides
  • Meets the Wow Factor
  • Worth it
  • Meh
  • Gash

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences - from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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