Bari is a beautiful city on the Adriatic Sea with an important harbour. There’s always a lot going on in Bari. You can shop for hours here and you will not only find bargains, but also fashion by famous designers. Borsalino has its own shop for people who love beautiful hats.
Lungomare
Take a walk along the beautiful promenade ‘Lungomare’. It is wonderful and you’ll encounter all kinds of things, including fishermen who often sell their products on site. In summer it can be very busy along the promenade in the evening. You will see families having picnics and barbecues, men playing cards, children who are still playing, snacks and drink stalls and fried polenta. This continues until well after midnight when the houses cool off after the heat of the day.
Lungomare takes you automatically to the Basilica of San Nicola where the crypt with St Nicholas’ remains is to be found in the Russian/Greek orthodox part of the Church.
St Nicholas
is patron of Bari, Greece and Russia and his remains were abducted from Turkey. The orthodox part of the church is much older and there are very special pillars. Behind the Basilica lies the ancient part of the city with several particular churches, very picturesque!
Every town and village has its old town and it is very special to wander through the narrow streets. Smell the food scents, discover unexpected nice spots and women making fresh pasta in the middle of the street. Nearby you’ll find the Swabian Castle, one of the many castles Frederick II built. Inside there is a museum with archaeological finds from the region.
There are several theatres in Bari and in the second half of July, the jazz festival
‘Notti di Stelle’
takes place. Famous artists (not only jazz) perform here, thanks to a heavily sponsored program, for a very friendly price. For the current program, 
visit the site.
Often the easiest way is not to drive to the centre of Bari, but park your car at the edge of Bari behind the IKEA near the Stazione Mungivaccha and to take the slow train to Bari Centrale.
At the edge of Bari there’s also a Botanical Garden.
OPENING HOURS:
The gardens are open to the public all year around.
From 09.00 AM till 04.00 PM from October 21 till April 20.
The rest of the year from 09.00 AM till 01.00 PM and from 04.00 PM till 09.00 PM.
There is a restaurant, but it is only open on Sundays.
In Bari there are many beautiful shopping streets. Via Sparano is very well known. In Bari you can find shops for every budget.
It is possible to take a ferry from Bari to sail to various destinations, for example Greece, Albania and Croatia.
Renting Bikes
Both in Lecce and Bari it is possible to rent a bike and I am told, by people who did this, that it is very worthwhile.
