In this chapter you will find out how to get around Bari by public transport, how much tickets cost and where to buy them.
Public transport - buses
The main backbone of public transport is buses, which take you around the city and especially to the tourist sights. The vast majority of bus routes have a central transfer point at the Bari Centrale train station right outside the station building.
Public transport in Bari is operated by AMTAB with its red, white and grey buses on around 30 routes.
Usually each line runs once every 15 to 30 minutes, but usually in the main directions there are several lines running at the same time, so the resulting interval is much shorter.
Connection searches, route maps and timetables are also well displayed by the well-known Moovit app.
Bus tickets
In Bari, you can use 3 types of public transport tickets that are valid only on AMTAB buses:
- 1 ride - 1 eur
- 90 minutes transfer - 1,20 eur
- All day per calendar day - 2,50 eur
You can buy tickets at all Tabacchi newsagents, of which there are several in the city and at the station, as well as in selected grocery stores, bookstores or souvenir shops.
Tickets can also be purchased on the MUVT mobile apps after registration (Android / Apple) or DropTicket.
Useful bus routes
You'll probably walk around the centre itself, but use the buses to get to the train station or beaches, for example. We've picked out the most useful bus lines for you to hop on if you see this number on the streets of Bari.
- Bari Centrale Station - Old Town: lines 1, 2, 6, 22, 27, 50, 53 (stop Teatro Piccinni about 250 meters from the center), 12 (stop Cavour-Piccinni about 300 meters from the center)
- Station - San Francesco Beach: lines 22, 27, 53
- Old Town - San Francesco Beach: lines 2/, 22, 27, 42, 53
Metro and trains in Bari
Although Bari boasts that it operates a metro system, in reality it is more of a suburban train system that runs on regular tracks, but with more stops than long-distance and regional trains.
When moving purely around the city, you will hardly use the "metro", the lines are mainly used for transport to the neighbouring towns of Barletta, Bitonto or Andria.
For tourists, however, the metro is most useful when travelling between the airport Bari BRI and the station, where it is the fastest transport.
Train tickets can be purchased from a machine at each station, and can be paid for with cash or card. Examples of ticket prices:
- Airport - Bari Centrale: 5,20 eur
- Bari Centrale - Barletta: 5,70 eur
For detailed information on timetables, current ticket prices or route maps, visit the official website ferrovienordbarese.it.
Rent a car
Bari, as the largest city in Puglia with a major international airport, is the ideal place to rent a car if you will be going on trips away from the more remote towns and villages that are not accessible by bus or train.
For trips in Bari itself and the surrounding area, it's not worth renting a car otherwise.
Prices from smaller rental companies start at 0 eur 18 eur for 4 days, but the more serious rental companies currently offer prices from 275 eur, which are about twice the prices before the covid pandemic.
You can compare all car rental companies in Bari, for example, on booking.com, where you can also book a car directly.
