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Apulia · Italy
A pilgrim basilica, a Norman-Swabian castle and fresh pasta drying in the old town lanes.
Pilgrims come to the Basilica di San Nicola, the church of St Nicholas, Bari's patron saint. The Castello Svevo guards the way into Bari Vecchia, where fresh pasta dries at front doors along Arco Basso.
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See Pilgrimage
Bari Vecchia, 0.65 mile
The basilica of St Nicholas, Bari's patron saint, is a fine example of Apulian Romanesque, the regional tourism board says. It opens 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday and to 10 p.m. on Sunday.
Check Opening Hours (opens a new tab)Unwind Waterfront
Waterfront, Bari
The regional tourism board calls Bari's seafront the longest promenade in Italy, lined with grand palaces. Pane e Pomodoro, the city's public beach, is about 2 miles from the berths.
Read About Bari (opens a new tab)Taste Old Town
Bari Vecchia
The regional tourism board sums up the old town by its fresh-baked focaccia and fresh pasta drying at front doors. Look between Piazza Ferrarese, Piazza San Pietro and the Santa Scolastica monastery.
Read About Bari Vecchia (opens a new tab)Explore Castle
Piazza Federico II di Svevia, 0.7 mile
The regional tourism board calls the towered castle the gateway to the old town: first a fortress, later a Renaissance residence. A full ticket costs €10, and it is closed on Mondays.
See Castle Hours and Tickets (opens a new tab)Skip the excursion desk
Ships use berths 10 to 14 in the New Port, and the port authority puts the main sights about half a mile away.
The port authority puts Bari Airport about 4 miles from the port and the rail station about 1.2 miles.
If you do one thing here
Bari Vecchia, the old town, is a maze of lanes, courtyards and old palaces with about 30 churches. Along Arco Basso, fresh pasta is laid out to dry in front of the doors, the regional tourism board says.
Arco Basso is about 0.1 mile from the Castello Svevo and 0.3 mile from the Basilica di San Nicola in straight lines, so it fits on a walk between the two.
Reported pickpocketing and robbery in the province of Bari are well below the Italian rates.
Crime figures: ISTAT, BES dei territori 2025 (Interior Ministry data), reports per 100,000 residents, province of Bari and Italy, 2023; the percentages are our sums. Weather: WMO 1991-2020 climate normals supplied by Italy, Bari/Palese station, NCEI archive. Distances: OpenStreetMap coordinates, straight lines, our sums.
Make it part of your voyage
MSC makes most of the calls at Bari, with Viking and Costa next.
In 2023 the province of Bari recorded 68% fewer pickpocketing reports per resident than Italy as a whole, and 34% fewer robbery reports. The UK government warns of bag-snatching and pickpocketing in city centers and at major attractions.
In the New Port, on berths 10 to 14. The port authority lists berths 10, 11, 12, 12bis and 13-14 as cruise berths. Your boarding pass shows yours.
About half a mile, according to the port authority. It puts the main monuments and shopping streets about half a mile away.
Yes. From the berth 10 area in a straight line, the Basilica di San Nicola is 0.65 mile, the Castello Svevo 0.72 mile and Via Arco Basso 0.81 mile.
Bus line 50 links Terminal Crociere and Bari Centrale in about 11 minutes. A single ticket costs €1.00. The port authority puts the station about 1.2 miles from the port.
Take the train: 15 minutes, 34 trains a day, €5.30. A trial night shuttle also runs at 1, 2 and 3 a.m. for €1.00.
The city's reference fare is €13.50 for a city ride of about 3 miles with 5 minutes of waiting. The first bag is free.
Visit the Basilica di San Nicola, the Castello Svevo and the pasta lanes of Arco Basso in the old town, all within a mile of the berths. Then walk the seafront promenade.
The port authority names Polignano a Mare, Alberobello, Castel del Monte, Castellana Grotte and Matera. A train ticket from Bari to Monopoli costs €4.80.
Pane e Pomodoro, the city's public beach, is about 2 miles from the berths. The city bans bathing there after heavy rain.
Hot, dry summers and a wetter autumn. In 1991 to 2020 at the Bari/Palese station, July highs averaged about 87°F and January highs about 55°F. November is the wettest month.
