A Local’s Guide to Otranto, Puglia
Otranto is a seaside town on the Adriatic coast of Puglia's Salento Peninsula. It's 30 minutes southeast of Lecce and 2 hours south of Bari.
In the easternmost point of the country, facing a narrow stretch of water that separates Italy from Albania and Greek islands like Corfu, it's a pretty little village of about 5,000 people.
Because of its good location near to some of Salento's main attractions (and best beaches) the town's population swells to almost 15,000 people over the summer months, turning it into a lively beach city bustling with vacationers.
Its old town has a pretty seaside promenade, an impressive castle, a historic cathedral, and a good city beach.
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My favorite hotels in Puglia
- Palazzo de Noha - gorgeous boutique property in Lecce. $300/night
- Locanda Don Ferrante - Monopoli's best hotel. $300+/night
- Borgo Canonica - Trulli hotel in Valle d'Itria countryside. $200/night
- Masseria il Frantoio - rustic-chic farmhouse in Ostuni. $200/night
- B&B Murex - excellent value in Bari's old town. $100/night
Guided tours and activities
- Private guided tours with Paolo (me!)
- Valle d'Itria day trip: Alberobello & Ostuni
- Polignano a Mare boat ride
- Walking tour of Bari
How to get around
- Car rentals with DiscoverCars
- Train tickets from Trenitalia
- Bus routes and schedules at Moovit and BusBud
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Why visit
Otranto seen from a viewpoint in the new town
A passageway in the city walls
The harbor
Otranto is mostly famous as a beach town, but its cathedral is also renowned for two reasons: an incredible mosaic floor that dates back to the 12th century and a chapel containing the bones of over 800 Christian martyrs who were killed during an Ottoman invasion of the city in 1480.
If you've ever been to Greece, I think that Otranto will remind you of it. Within the small walled center are little white houses with blue and green shutters, tight alleyways, souvenir shops, and a shimmering marina.
Pleasantly, even when it is packed with people over the summer, you never really hear loud music, screaming teenagers, or families of Italians who, when on vacation, tend to lose all sense and reputation! I'm Italian too, so I'm allowed to say that!
For me, Otranto is worth visiting primarily because of its lovely old town and seafront location, but also because it's so close to Lecce and along a stretch of coast that is beautiful and full of good beaches and pleasant beach towns. It's a nice place to base yourself for a few days if you want to stay by the water but still have access to the benefits of a real town; grocery stores, restaurants, a few bars, etc.
A brief history
Otranto has always been important; so important, in fact, that what we today call Salento was known in the past as Terra di Otranto (the land of Otranto).
The town has been settled since antiquity, first by the Greeks and then the Romans, but its greatest period of prosperity was during the 11th and 12th centuries, when pilgrims, crusaders, and merchants of all types passed through here on their way to/from the Balkans and the Middle East.
Over time, the Mediterranean became a dangerous place for business as the Ottoman Empire started to assert itself. Eventually, a war began, and its first major “salvo” was right here in Otranto. In 1480, Ottomans (or Turks, as we used to say) attacked and conquered the city, occupying it for a number of months. During that period, they are said to have slaughtered over 800 Christian inhabitants who refused to convert to Islam. It is their bones that we store and worship in the cathedral.
Interestingly, it was this occupation and destruction that pushed the Aragonese (the ruling power in Puglia and southern Italy at the time) to reinforce the coastline, constructing all the watchtowers and castles that you're sure to see.
In more modern history, from the 1940s up until the 1980s, Otranto was mostly visited only by locals, who liked to come here for the summer months to escape the heat, spending up to two or three months at a time. In the 90s the town began to become popular with people from other parts of Italy and the occasional visitor from elsewhere in Europe, but it wasn't until the 2000s that tourism really arrived in earnest.
As locals used to regard the Salento's coastal towns as places only really worth being in over the summer, Otranto and the rest of the coast used to be practically empty from October through May. Tourism is bringing new ideas and now the town is busy from spring through late fall, and even in the winter people now like to come here for a walk on sunny days.
How long to spend
If you're coming from elsewhere and just stopping by Otranto, you really only need an hour or two to visit its sights and enjoy some of the views.
That said, if you want to relax, have a meal, take a swim, go for a hike, and get a gelato or aperitivo, then you could spend a very nice half day here.
If you're visiting Salento for a few days, Otranto and the surrounding area makes for a very nice base. With 3 days in/around here, you could see the town, enjoy time at the beaches to its north, drive the coastal road to its south, and take a day trip or two to some nice villages and even Lecce.
If considering Otranto as a base, know that in March lots of businesses will still be closed and that July and August are, in my opinion, extremely overcrowded.
What to see & do
1. Wander around the old town
As I said before, Otranto's old town if very small and there are really only a couple of streets. Walking around, even at a leisurely place, you'll be able to see all the "sights” in an hour.
As you walk, be sure to look out for the following:
The Cathedral - Built in the late 11th century, Otranto's cathedral is a wonderful example of Romanesque architecture. It has a pretty rose window on its facade and a great mosaic floor on the inside. Don’t forget to walk down the right nave to see the chapel that contains the bones of the 800+ martyrs who were killed during an Ottoman invasion of the city in 1480. Also go downstairs to see the crypt that is full columns that date back to the the Greek and Roman periods.
The Aragonese Castle - Otranto's castle is, like most castles in Puglia, a purely defensive fortification that was built during the Swabian period and then heavily reinforced by the Aragonese. You can admire it from the outside, but the rooftop offers good views over Otranto's port and there's a museum inside that houses temporary exhibits, some of which can actually be quite good.
The city walls and passages - Otranto's city walls are some of the thickest you'll see in Puglia and they cut by a series of gates and passageways. Meandering through the center and walking through them is always fun.
Bastions near the port - As you get over to the southern side of the port (where the boats are all docked) there are some bastions/ramparts that you can walk along - they offer the best views in town.
A section of the castle
The walls of the old town
Otranto's cathedral
A street in the center
2. Go for a walk along the seafront promenade (and take a dip at the city beach!)
Where the old town meets the sea is a gorgeous seafront promenade that runs all along along Otranto's seafront, from the new town to the old town. The section of coast in front of the old town is rocky (but with a jetty you can jump off), but as you move towards the new town there's a wide sandy beach. It certainly isn't the best beach in Puglia, but it's great for a city beach!
The seafront promenade
The jetty in front of the seafront esplanade
Otranto's city beach
3. Visit the Giardino Botanico La Cutura
This botanical garden is not in Otranto, but rather 15 minutes away by car in the countryside nearby. The closest town is Palmariggi, which is also worth a quick look around.
The garden is a bit of a hidden gem and it features some manicured gardens and a great collection of succulents. There's also a nice on-site restaurant.
Check it out on the official website.
4. Relax on the good beaches north of town
Most of the eastern coast of the Salento peninsula (where Otranto is) is rocky, but immediately to the city's north are a series of good sandy beaches as well as some really picturesque rocky ones.
Here are my favorites:
Baia dei Turchi
Spiaggia degli Alimini
Torre dell’Orso
Faraglioni di Sant’Andrea (rocky)
Grotta della Poesia (rocky)
Torre dell’Orso beach
Torre Sant’Andrea
Also Torre Sant’Andrea
5. Go for a hike
There are a series of good hikes near to Otranto, some of which you can actually start directly from the southern side of the town's port.
Right from town, you can hike to an old watchtower called Torre del Serpe, the hidden beach of Le Orte, the lighthouse of La Palacia (the easternmost point of Italy), or an abandoned Bauxite mine with red soil and green water.
The lake at the Bauxite mine. Photo: Madi.c.ph, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Torre del Serpe and the coast beyond. Photo: Paolo Damiano Dolce, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
6. Check out some of the small villages nearby
All of Salento historically had strong Greek presence (this was a part of Magna Graecia in antiquity), but the little inland villages near to Otranto preserve this heritage particularly strongly. In fact, some of the oldest residents still speak a local dialect that is actually a version of ancient Greek. It's dying out, but it's not gone yet.
This alone makes the towns interesting in my opinion, but they're also pleasant in a very unassuming way. They have no major sights, but you'll occasionally stumble across a noble palazzo and even a castle. As much of the coast can be rather touristy, I find that they also provide a nice contrast - these are totally untouristy places where you can get a real window into local life.
Giurdignano - This little village has an incredible collection of “menhir” and “dolmen”, prehistoric rock installations made thousands years before Christ.
Corigliano - A small but charming little village with a nice castle open to visitors that also has a good cafe.
Carpignano - There are several little things to be seen in this village, but the most beautiful one is a rock cut church with valuable frescoes from the 10th Century.
Acaya - a tiny hamlet that has a rather cool Aragonese castle with full streets inside and it has not been spruced up for tourists, so it truly feels like a place stopped in time (which, I suppose, it is….).
Soleto, Palmariggi, Corigliano, Carpignano, Sternatia are more sleepy little villages.
Piazza San Antonio in the town of Borgagne
7. Drive (or bike!) the SP358 coast road
The SP-358 road is a route that runs about 60 km from Otranto to Santa Maria di Leuca, the town at which the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet. The entire stretch of road hugs the edge of the cliffs, offering jaw dropping views of the sea and, on clear days, the mountains of Albania across the Adriatic.
Adding to the appeal, you’ll pass by a host of lovely little towns, almost all of which have nice marinas from which you can jump straight into the stunning sea.
My favorite towns along the route are Santa Cesarea Terme, Castro, and Tricase, but you’ll pass through many.
Driving the route is always a pleasure, but for the best experience, rent a bike and cycle it!
A section of the coastal SP358 road
A view of the coast seen from the road
The town of Castro Marina along the route
Where to stay
If you won't have a car, then staying in Otranto town itself makes sense. Because it's so small, there's no real difference with staying in the old town versus the new town - everything is close no matter where you are.
For those with a car, I actually think it's nicer to stay in the countryside or on the coast outside of town. This is because Otranto is small and most of what you'll want to do is near to town, but not in it.
In town
Palazzo Papaleo is a beautiful hotel adjacent to Otranto’s stunning cathedral and only 2 minutes from the seafront promenade. It has a great terrace overlooking the sea. $150-300 USD per night.
Palazzo de’ Mori - Pleasant B&B in the old town with a great terrace facing the sea. $200-300 USD per night.
Hotel Bellavista has a terrific location right next to Otranto’s city beach, public gardens, and seafront lungomare. The hotel was recently renovated, so the rooms are super modern and very comfortable. $100-150 USD per night.
Outside of town
Le Capase is a luxury option on the coastline south of Otranto. It’s built on a cliff looking out over the Adriatic. Their pool is unbelievable and the on-site restaurant is excellent. $400 USD per night.
Muntibianchi - Very nice resort-style hotel a few minutes from town. $200-400 USD per night.
Masseria Montelauro is a slice of pure relaxation in the countryside just outside of town. Its a 4-star hotel owned by a local family. It’s elegant, but rustic and never stuffy or stuck up. It has a great pool, a lovely garden area, and a pretty good restaurant. $200 USD per night.
Masseria Panareo near to the little town and beach of Porto Badisco is a pretty hotel with nice grounds, a good pool, and views of the coast. Because it’s a bit further from Otranto, it’s good value too. $100-200 USD per night.
More Puglia travel info
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Paolo Maragliulo
Puglia Expert based in Lecce
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Hi, I'm Paolo, and I've been a tour guide and travel consultant here in Puglia for the last 20 years. If you're looking for some local advice on your trip, I'd love to help!
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