Bari: Guided Tour of the Old Town with Street Food
Description
Join a guided walking tour of Bari Vecchia and uncover the hidden treasures of the San Nicola District. This medieval neighborhood, set on a peninsula, features 29 historic churches and countless stories waiting to be discovered. Starting at Piazza Ferrarese, we’ll explore the vibrant Piazza Mercantile and visit the Basilica of San Nicola, a revered pilgrimage site and a symbol of unity among Christian faiths. Discover the Catedral of San Sabino and the imposing Svevo Castle. Step into the Marnarid shop, a living relic from 1866, to experience Bari’s culinary heritage. On Arco Basso Street, meet the women crafting fresh orecchiette pasta by hand—a tradition so iconic it’s celebrated by global brands like Dolce & Gabbana. End your tour with Bari’s famous focaccia or artisanal gelato, a delicious conclusion to an unforgettable experience.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your guide and group fellows at our headquarters in Strada Vallisa 81 in Bari Vecchia.
Start your guided tour from the square at the border of the medieval district and one of the Bari ports. From here, you will walk up to Piazza Mercantile.
Once in the heart of Bari's "dolce vita", you will enter the Nicolaian district, where the majestic Basilica of San Nicola stands.
Enjoy the visit to the marvelous Basilic of San Nicola - an important pilgrimage site, especially following the fall of communist regimes.
Our next stop is the monumental Cathedral of San Sabino, where you can admire the highest bell tower in Bari. The historic "Marnarid" grocery store - active since 1866 - is another pit stop near the Cathedral that will let you step back in time.
Afterward, the walk takes you to the impressive Norman-Swabian Castle, a medieval fortress that offers a fascinating look into history, for a panoramic visit.
Just in front of the Castle, crossing the arch named "Strada Arco Basso", you will enter the most well-known streets in Bari. Here, you will observe the authentic life bustling through the alleys, while the smiling and experienced women are creating homemade traditional pasta named "orecchiette".
Treat yourself to the traditional "focaccia" that will be offered to you at the end of the tour. If the focaccia is not available for any reason, you will be pampered with the homemade gelato.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Shared tour. This experience will be shared with other guests
Reviews(44)
Good walking tour but NOT a food tour, shouldn’t be listed as such. They give you 1 piece of focaccia. Nice time tho
Barbara, our guide, was excellent. She was very informative and made the tour interesting.
Thank you, Carolyn! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the tour with Barbara and found it informative and engaging. We hope to welcome you back for more wonderful experiences.
They did not have our reservation through you so we had to pay them to take the tour. They said you / Trip Advisor would give a refund if it came through ??? It came thru so we paid double; you and direct to them
We’re very sorry for the inconvenience you experienced. Since the reservation was not found at the meeting point, you had to pay again. Please rest assured that if you were charged twice, you are entitled to a refund through TripAdvisor. We recommend contacting their customer service directly to process it quickly.
The tour was a great intro to the beautiful city of Bari and our tour guide was very personable and knowledgeable and engaging. It was a dual language tour and it would have been easier to have one language tour only. We had a hard rime always following.
Visit planned in French and cook pasta but it was not possible due to 15/08 ... Federica was very enthusiastic and made us travel through time and the city .... thank you to her. The band was nice.
I read quite a bit before going on this trip, and having a guide like Ciara, was so much more enlightening. She is educated in history and architecture, and knows the locals so you get a much richer experience. I'll savor everything I learned.
Thank you, Rosario! We're thrilled Ciara enriched your experience with her expertise and connections. It’s wonderful to hear how much you valued her guidance and knowledge. Your kind words mean a lot!
A very nice walk through the old town of Bari. We saw a lot worth seeing and learned a lot from the very nice tour guide. Delicious focaccia was also available during the tour. Highly recommended.
Es freut mich zu hören, dass ihr einen schönen Spaziergang durch die Altstadt von Bari hattet! Es klingt nach einer tollen Erfahrung, bei der ihr nicht nur viele Sehenswürdigkeiten entdeckt, sondern auch interessante Informationen von eurer freundlichen Reiseleiterin erhalten habt. Und eine leckere Focaccia während der Tour ist natürlich das i-Tüpfelchen! Vielen Dank für die Empfehlung, das klingt nach einer Tour, die man nicht verpassen sollte.
My main criticism is that it's never a good idea to offer a two-language tour. The tour company seems well-populated enough to be able to offer a separate tour for each language group. This resulted in waiting around while the guide had to speak to one group in Italian and then repeat for the English group. I feel it would have been a better experience.
Very very light content for the price paid; departure 3:15 p.m. end 4:45 p.m., for a given duration of 2 hours. Including the ice cream stop and the musical episode, nothing historic. The guide is certainly friendly but that is not enough.
Merci beaucoup d'avoir partagé vos commentaires sur votre expérience avec nous. Nous sommes vraiment désolés pour l'incident et le fait que la visite n'ait pas répondu à vos attentes. Nous attachons une grande importance à offrir des expériences de haute qualité et nous sommes désolés que cela n'ait pas été le cas cette fois-ci. Nous prenons très au sérieux vos commentaires et les utiliserons pour améliorer nos services à l'avenir. Nous espérons avoir l'opportunité de vous accueillir à nouveau à l'avenir et de vous offrir une expérience beaucoup plus satisfaisante. Merci encore pour vos commentaires et pour nous avoir choisis. Cordialement.
The most memorable part of the tour was tasting the wonderful focaccia. Our guide showed us the historic parts as well as the food and pasta making laneway. Very enjoyable. Our guide did so well explaining everything in both English and Italian.
