Train stations in Bari

Bari Centrale is the station most visitors need. Frecciarossa, Intercity, Italo and regional trains all arrive here, and the airport train and the Matera line leave from stations right beside it. The old town and the port are a short bus ride away.

Arriving at Bari Centrale

Frecciarossa trains link Milan, Turin, Venice and Bologna with Bari. Rome has about six direct Frecciarossa trains a day, taking around four and a half hours, and one a day runs to and from Naples in about 3 hours 30 minutes. Intercity trains run daily between Bologna and Bari. Italo runs one direct train a day each way between Turin and Bari, calling at Milan, Bologna, Florence and Rome, and takes about 4 hours 40 minutes from Rome.

Two other railways have their own stations next to Bari Centrale, and each also calls its station Bari Centrale in its timetable. Ferrotramviaria runs the airport trains, and Ferrovie Appulo Lucane runs the trains to Matera. A pedestrian tunnel connects the Ferrotramviaria station with the main station, and a lift links it with the Appulo Lucane platforms.

From Bari Centrale to the old town and port

AMTAB bus 50 is a circular route that starts at Bari Centrale. It reaches Castello Svevo in about 7 minutes, Porto fronte and Terminal Crociere in 9 to 11 minutes and Stazione Marittima in about 15. Buses leave the station about every 20 minutes during the day, from 7.15am until about 10pm.

A single ticket costs €1, a 90-minute ticket €1.20 and a day ticket €2.50. Tickets bought from the driver cost €1.50. Scan the ticket's QR code on board to validate it.

Bari Vecchia, the old San Nicola district, sits within the ancient walls on the peninsula between the city's two ports. Get off at Castello Svevo for the Norman-Swabian Castle, then explore the Basilica of San Nicola and the Romanesque Metropolitan Cathedral of San Sabino.

From Bari Centrale to the airport

For most travellers the train is the better choice. Ferrotramviaria trains reach the airport in about 20 minutes, and the airport stop connects to the arrivals hall by a 300-metre tunnel. Trains run once or twice an hour from Monday to Saturday and every 50 minutes on Sundays. The first leaves Bari Centrale at about 5am and the last at 10.50pm, or 10.30pm on Sundays. A single costs €5.30 as of October 2026. You can tap a contactless bank card at the gates, and each passenger can carry up to three bags free of charge on this route.

AMTAB bus 16 is the cheaper alternative. It takes about 35 minutes and runs roughly hourly, from 5.20am to 11pm Monday to Saturday and from 5.40am to 10pm on Sundays. The fare is €1, or €1.50 from the driver. The train also avoids road traffic, which makes it the safer choice at busy times.

Rail passes and reservations

As of October 2026, an Interrail pass is valid on Trenitalia's Frecciarossa, Intercity and regional trains at Bari. Reservations are compulsory on Frecciarossa and Intercity trains: €13 for Frecciarossa and €3 for Intercity, in both classes. Regional trains need no reservation. Trenitalia is Italy's participating railway, so Italo tickets, the Ferrotramviaria airport train, the Appulo Lucane line to Matera and city buses are all bought separately.

Onward from Bari

Regional trains run south to Lecce roughly every hour and take 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours, calling at Monopoli, Ostuni and Brindisi. Two fast regional trains leave Bari in the afternoon and reach Lecce in 1 hour 27 minutes, but they need a ticket bought for that train, and ordinary regional singles are not valid on them. Heading north, Italo's daily train also calls at Barletta and Foggia.

Ferrovie Appulo Lucane trains reach Matera Centrale in 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, with a change at Altamura. They do not run on Sundays or public holidays, when replacement buses leave from the bus terminal on Via Capruzzi instead.