Why
It is easy to see why Puglia makes a wonderful family friendly destination for your family holiday. A family holiday in Puglia allows you and your family to experience a vast range of activities. There are beautiful beaches with gently shelving sand and a quirky range of things to see and do with the kids. In particular the kids will love the Trulli which are dotted all over the area and are no more than the size of a garden shed.
Pass through city walls that protect labyrinths of streets, piazzas and centuries of culture which will fascinate the kids or have an ice-cream at a café overlooking one of the many piazzas. Italians love children and have always a great welcome for them.
Puglia is not very developed and is great for a relaxing break with some quirky sights along the way.
When and How
Puglia is a great year round destination. Travel if you can outside of school holidays if your children are still young as you will get better value and there are fewer tourists. May and June are best.
You can fly to Bari (you may have to go via Rome or Paris from Dublin for scheduled flights) or fly to Naples and drive over. There are charter flights with Sunway to Naples. Ryanair fly to Bari, Brindisi and Pescara from the UK. You can check many budget and scheduled flights here.
Hiring a car is pretty essential to get to see all of the best of Puglia and explore this wonderful area even if it is just for a few days. You can book car hire here.
Family friendly accommodation
There are a wide range of family friendly accommodation options available. Most hotels welcome children even if there are no special facilities and you can check for special offers and deals here with booking.com.
Italy specialists Citalia are one of the leaders in the upmarket package market for Italy and you can check their hotel and self catering accommodation only and full packages here. They have a 5% discount for online bookings.
For self catering with a difference why not stay in a Trulli which the kids will love. Monuments of the UNESCO World Heritage since 1996, the Trulli are round tiny stone houses, noted for for their architectural structure. Check what facilities are available as they may be limited so a short stay may be better. You can you can book one with Trulli Holidays through booking.com.
Authentic Italy specialise in a wide range of villas and apartments if you want to book a self catering option. Self catering is generally a high standard and in stunning locations.
Masseria Torre Coccaro is a family-friendly boutique hotel in Puglia set in a historic fortified farmhouse a short distance from the Adriatic. The hotel has an Aveda spa, turkish baths, gym and large outdoor pool.Superior Rooms and the Junior Suite are large enough to accommodate a family of four with ease. Deluxe Junior Suites have a separate living room.
During the summer season (1 June to 15 September), the Mini Club at this child-friendly hotel's nearby beach is open from 10am–1pm and 3pm–5pm and caters for children aged three to 10 years. Children can let off steam in the hotel's garden or in the surrounding farmland (the Masseria is a working farm). There are bikes to borrow free of charge and the beach is close by. The hotel also has a private yacht for guests use on request. You can book this directly here with booking.com with Mr and Mrs Smith who have a number of family friendly properties in Italy, Puglia, Masseria Torre Coccaro
or with Citalia.
The Hotel del Levante is a lively family-orientated hotel situated directly on its own private sandy beach close to Torre Canne. The Mediterranean style guestrooms at this modern hotel are fresh and cool with interconnecting rooms and 3, 4 and 5 bedded rooms available which are perfect for families. In the pleasant landscaped gardens are two swimming pools, one of them especially for children, and a poolside bar that overlooks the sea. There is a Kids' Club (mid Jun-mid Sep) for children from 4 yrs. You can book this here or with Citalia.
What to do with the kids
A highlight with the family is sure to be a trip to Alberobello which is covered with over 1000 trulli. They are tiny conical roofed houses constructed of local limestone each no larger than a garden shed. This is a World Heritage Site and children will love the pint sized proportions.
Visit the town of Ostuni and walk through the whitewashed streets that give this town the name of the White City.
Visit the Grottoes of Castellana which children will enjoy especially those who have started to study geography.
Enjoy the many beaches dotted along the coast.
Take a trip to Tremiti Islands.
You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday.
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