Puglia has a 500 mile-long coast, spanning two seas: the Adriatic to the east, and the Ionian to the southwest. Adriatic beaches tend to be rocky, with dramatic rock formations, though there are also great sandy stretches. On the other side, the Ionian coast has calm seas and gentle white-sand beaches.
The best beaches tend to be on the Gargano peninsula or Salento in the south. Beach days are shaped by the winds: the Tramontana (“across the mountain”) will mean a calm day on the Ionian coast, while the southern Sirocco calms the Adriatic. In high season, private beach clubs dominate, where you’ll pay for shade and sunbeds.
All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best beaches in Puglia. Find out more below, or for more Puglia inspiration, see our guides to the region’s best hotels, restaurants, bars and things to do.
Adriatic Beaches
Baia delle Zagare
Close to Mattinata, cliff-framed Baia delle Zagare (orange blossom bay) is carpeted in pristine white pebbles, and overlooks two water-sculpted limestone stacks in the luminous Adriatic. In summer, Hotel Baia delle Zagare’s lido dominates the beach.
Insider tip: Without a permit, walk from Baia di Vignanotica, via the 0.6 mile (1km) Path of Love.
How to get there: To access via the lift or steps from Hotel Baia delle Zagare, obtain a free pass from Mattinata Municipality town hall. Alternatively, approach via less direct paths.
Baia di Portogreco
This secluded, tiny Gargano beach has a tactile mix of white pebbles and sand underfoot, with rocks ideal for leaping into the water, and an embracing backdrop of thick greenery and limestone cliffs.
Insider tip: Bring a picnic and water; there are no facilities on the beach.
How to get there: Parking can be tricky, but usually visitors park off the SP road, from where it’s a 400m walk down a rough path.
Torre dell’Orso
Torre dell’Orso is an 800m white-sand Adriatic stretch, backed by pine forest and overlooked by the ruined 16th-century Bear Tower. There are some beautiful rock formations here, including twin sea stacks le due sorelle (the two sisters).
Insider tip: This is a good place for water sports, you can rent kayaks, SUPs and body boards.
How to get there: Head for the paid parking near El Chiringuito restaurant.
Torre Guaceto
Torre Guaceto is a protected marine reserve on the Adriatic, named for its medieval fortified watchtower. Its beach is called Punta Penna Grossa, a pristine area where sand, dunes and Mediterranean scrub meet and turtles come to breed.
Insider tip: To find the quietest area, walk towards the tower.
How to get there: There’s a car park, from where there’s a bus service in season – otherwise it’s about a half-hour walk.
Baia dei Turchi
The “Bay of the Turks” sits 3.7 miles (6km) north of Otranto. Walk through the fragrant pine forest against a cicada soundtrack. Sandy dune paths open onto a wild, beautiful beach, backed by maquis.
Insider tip: Best avoided when there’s a tramontana (the north wind): come when the sirocco (warm wind from Africa) is blowing.
How to get there: There’s paid parking next to the pine forest. Bus 101 runs from Otranto to the nearby Club Med, then it’s a 1.2 miles (2km ) walk.
Il Ciolo
Look down from the bridge to this dizzyingly dramatic rocky cove, framed by prickly pear cacti. Beneath you is a narrow inlet flanked by limestone cliffs, part of the Regional Natural Coastal Park.
Insider tip: The drive from Otranto to Ciolo is Puglia’s most epically beautiful coastal route.
How to get there: A long, steep staircase from the bridge provides direct access, while putting off feebler holidaymakers. There’s parking at the top.
Ionian Beaches
Porto Selvaggio
Porto Selvaggio means “wild harbour”, and this is a rocky bay with flat sun-basking rocks, close to the lovely town of Nardò in Salento, and overlooked by the 16th-century defensive Torre Dell’Alto.
Insider tip: Paths to the beach cross dense Aleppo pine forest, an ideal retreat for a lunchtime picnic in summer.
How to get there: The shortest walk (20 minutes) is from the paid parking next to Villa Tafuri.
Pescoluse
Nicknamed the “Maldives of Puglia”, Pescoluse is 6.2 miles (10km) from Santa Maria di Leuca. The beach is backed by dunes, has fine white sand and gently shelves into the gin-clear Ionian sea. Sometimes pebbles get washed in by the tide, making the water trickier to access.
Insider tip: Avoid in July and August, when its Maldivian charms are obscured by a gazillion other holidaymakers.
How to get there: There is paid parking close to the beach.
Punta Prosciutto & Torre Lapillo
These Caribbean-like beaches span 20 miles (32km) of white sand and shallow waters. “Ham Point” sits behind Mediterranean scrub and 8m dunes, while Torre Lapillo lies between two medieval fortified towers.
Insider tip: To see these at their best in summer, arrive as early as possible in the morning or late afternoon.
How to get there: Bus 104 from Lecce takes about an hour. Paid parking is nearby, but fills up quickly.
Spiaggia di Punta della Suina
“Swine Point beach”, so-named for its snout-shape promontory, is backed by the untamed coastal wilderness of the Parco Naturale Regionale di Punta della Suina.
Insider tip: Italy’s LGBTQIA+ community voted this Italy’s best gay beach in a recent poll: the naturist and gay section are close to the pine forest.
How to get there: Reach via a short drive or bus ride from Gallipoli. There’s paid parking, then walk through the pine forest to the beach.
How we choose
Every beach in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We consider a range of needs and styles, from lively bar-lined beachfronts to quiet coves – to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest developments and provide up to date recommendations.
About our expert
Abigail Blasi, Telegraph Travel’s Puglia expert, fell for the region – and her Puglian husband – over 20 years ago. She loves its spring flowers, summer sagre, burrata, and discovering hidden corners of Italy’s heel.