Lecce

The closest airport is in Brindisi (BDS ^IATA) located 35 km (22 mi) north of the city centre. There you will find differents bus services providing fast links to the town. It is also the best way to reach the town from central and northern Europe. There are discount flights available from London, Rome, Milan, etc. For a complete list, check out the Apulian airports website.

National operator Trenitalia runs long distance trains from most major cities in Italy. Even as the trains travel on high-speed tracks, journey times can be long. Especially from cities in the northern parts of the country. Overnight trains are available from Milan and Rome, which might be a better option.

An extensive network of regional trains connecting Lecce with smaller towns across the peninsula is available too. Rural routes are often scenic, but can be slower compared to driving or taking the bus.

• 🌍 Lecce railway station (Stazione di Lecce) (1 km from the city center). Taxis anywhere can be expensive (expect to pay up to €15 to the center, especially if you have luggage items), so you may want to check with your hotel the public transportation options available. (updated Mar 2023)

• From Bari: at the Bari Nord exit of motorway, keep on the and reached Fasano continue on the until Brindisi, then go on the to reach Lecce.
• From Taranto: take the until Brindisi, then merge onto the towards Lecce.

The town is ringed by a freeway called Tangenziale di Lecce that you can join to bypass the city center.

These are the main private bus operator to get in the town:

• Marino (main continental Italy cities, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland)
• Marozzi (Avellino, Benevento, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Siena)
• Miccolis (Caserta, Matera, Naples, Pompeii, Salerno)

From June to September the province of Lecce manages the bus service Salentoinbus, that gives you the occasion to reach the town from the main seaside resorts of the territory.

• 🌍 Port of Brindisi, ☏ +39 0831 522203, info@porto.br.it. It is the closest port and provides ferry services to/from Corfu, Durrës, Igoumenitsa, Kefalonia, Patras, Vlorë and Zakynthos. (updated Jun 2018)

Public transport is managed by SGM company, with 20 bus lines and 4 trolleybus lines. Single tickets can be purchased at most of tobacconists and newspaper sellers around the city. The cost of a single ticket is €1.00 (€1.50 if bought on board), a 90-min ticket is €1.30; a day ticket costs €2.50 while a seven-day ticket costs €9.70.

LecceTaxi covers the town and other destinations in the Salento area.

Here is a list of useful parking lots:

• 🌍 Piazza Carmelo Bene (Ex Foro Boario). It is near the Bus City Terminal with interchange to lines 29, 30, 31. €0.60/hr. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Oberdan Parking, Via G.Oberdan, 43, ☏ +39 0832 454601, info@oberdanparking.it. 24 hr. It also provides a service of car and bike rental. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Metropark, Via di Ussano, toll-free: +39 800650006. 24 hr. 189 parking spaces 100 m from the railway station. €1.00/hr. (updated Jun 2018)

Through the Ciclovia Adriatica that connects Trieste with Santa Maria di Leuca, the coastline follows a riviera rich in beaches. The part from the Po Delta in Trieste is included in EuroVelo 8.

Walking is without doubt the best way to discover the main attractions of Lecce, since the whole old town is a limited traffic zone (ZTL). This feature gives the opportunity to move between monuments, churches and archaeological sites free from the stress of traffic.

Lecce has more than 30 historic churches, these are the most representative ones:

• 🌍 Church of the Holy Cross (Basilica di Santa Croce), Via Umberto I, 3, ☏ +39 0832 241957. 09:00-12:00 and 17:00-20:00. It represents the main example of Lecce baroque style. It was built between 1549 and 1695, thanks to three well-known architects: Gabriele Riccardi, who devoted himself to the general plan and the lower part of the façade; Francesco Antonio Zimbalo who made the twin column porch and the portal aside; Cesare Penna who conceived the high level of the façade. The big Romanesque central rose window, the rich frame, the four columns, and the niches as well as the telamons, the imaginary creatures, the animals, the mythological and historical characters of the façade are all what makes this church unique and renowned over the world. free. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Cathedral (Duomo di Lecce), Piazza del Duomo, ☏ +39 0832 308557, info@cattedraledilecce.it. A wonderful example of baroque style, most of the cathedral was designed by Giuseppe Zimbalo and it was completed in 1689. free. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Church of Saint Irene (Sant'Irene dei Teatini), Via Vittorio Emanuele II. A majestic baroque church with an elegant and quite sober exterior that hides a richly decorated interior. Free. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Church of Saint John the Baptist (Basilica di San Giovanni Battista), Via Giuseppe Libertini, 5, ☏ +39 0832 308540. A magnificent façade characterised by two grooved columns, completed in 1728. It is just few steps away from Porta Rudiae. Free. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Church of Santa Chiara, Piazzetta Vittorio Emanuele II, ☏ +39 0832 241915. Built in 1429 and renovated in 1691, its main features are the octagonal interior plan and the lavish altars. Free. (updated Jun 2018)

• 🌍 Roman amphitheatre (Anfiteatro romano), Piazza Sant'Oronzo, 42, ☏ +39 0832 253791, sar-pug.centrooperativo.lecce@beniculturali.it. The structure was built during the 2nd century AD and it was able to seat more than 25,000 people. It is used for various religious, music and art events. Adults €3.00; groups €1.50; students €1.00. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Roman theatre (Teatro romano), Via Arte della Cartapesta, 10, ☏ +39 0832 682985. In the heart of the old town, it was built in the 1st century AD and it had a capacity of 5,000 people. It is now seat of events and performances. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Rudiae archaeological park (Parco archeologico di Rudiae), Via S. Pietro in Lama. Site of an ancient Messapian and then Roman town, 3 km south from the city center. Here you can see the remains of the amphitheatre, a necropolis and walls. (updated Jun 2018)

• Piazza S. Oronzo - It's in the heart of the city and named after the patron saint's statue erected in 1666 after the population had defeated the plague which had broken out ten years before.
• Paisiello Theatre - Once the permanent theatre of the town. Founded in 1758 and rebuilt in 1870, it was opened with the performance of Giuseppe Verdi' s 'Un ballo in maschera". Because of its rich decorations, this theatre - which can only contain 320 spectators - is nicknamed "The wedding souvenir".
• 🌍 Castle of Charles V (Castello Asburgico). A majestic medieval castle rebuilt during the first half of XVI century. It is seat of several exhibitions, events and conferences. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Triumphal Arch (Porta Napoli), Piazzetta Arco di Trionfo. It was erected in 1548 to pay homage to Charles V and thank him for having fortified the town. It is known as "Neapolitan Gate" since there started the road leading to Naples, capital of the kingdom. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Porta Rudiae. The oldest gate of the town, rebuilt in 1703 in baroque style. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Porta San Biagio, Piazza d'Italia, 8. The southern entrance to the old town, dedicated to Saint Blaise. It is 17 m (55 ft) tall and it's topped by the coat of arms of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Park Tower (Torre del Parco), Viale Torre del Parco, 1, ☏ +39 0832 347694. A fortress symbol of Lecce's medieval period, built in 1419. It is now seat of meetings, weddings, cultural events and a 4-star hotel. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Obelisk (Obelisco), Piazzetta Arco di Trionfo (In front of Porta Napoli). 10 m (33 ft) high structure built in 1822 in honour of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. (updated Jun 2018)

• 🌍 Palazzo dei Celestini, Via Umberto I, 13 (beside Basilica di Santa Croce), ☏ +39 0832 332463. The seat of Province of Lecce in an impressive baroque building completed in 1695 (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Palazzo del Seggio (il Sedile), Piazza Sant'Oronzo, ☏ +39 0832 682102. 09:30-13:30 and 15:30-19:30. Ancient city hall, it represents an interesting mixture of gothic and renaissance architecture. It is in the middle of the vibrant Piazza S.Oronzo, contiguous with the small Church of San Marco. Free. (updated Jun 2018)
• 🌍 Museo Archeologico Faggiano (Faggiano Museum). 9:30AM to 8PM. Private residence converted into a museum after discovering ruins underneath the house during renovation in the year 2000. €5. (updated Mar 2022)

• 🌍 Agriturismo Arangèa, S.P. San Pietro in Lama/Monteroni angolo Via Vecchia Copertino, 20, info@arangea.it. An old farmhouse of a previous mansion, in the heart of Salento peninsula. 
• Hotel Casina Copini, Via S. Angelo 73038 Spongano, ☏ +39 0836 945352 - Fax +39 0836.945352. Hotel Casina Copini offers visitors a swimming pool and a park in the context of a 19th-century villa in the province of Lecce.
• Hotel Casina dei Cari, S.P. Presicce-Lido Marini, 73054, Presicce Lecce - ☏ +39 0833 711284, Fax +39 0833.711284. Immersed in verdant Salento, amidst olive trees and stone walls, the Hotel Casina dei Cari has inherited a historical farmhouse between Presicce and Lido Marini.
• Masseria Scinata Dimora Antica B&B, Strada Santa Caterina, 201, 73048, Nardo', S.Caterina Lecce, ☏ +39 339 4985458, fax: +39 0833 872821. Scinata Dimora Antica is an holiday villa in Puglia, in the Salento region, a luxury B&B in Santa Caterina di Nardò near Gallipoli (Lecce). 
• Motel Aloisi, Via Taranto 297, ☏ +39 0832 243786, fax: +39 0832 243786. 3-star hotel on the Salento peninsula. 
• Tenuta Monacelli, SS Quinzano Località Cerrate-Casalabate - Contrada Monacelli, 73100, Casalabate-Lecce - ☏ +39 0832 382037, fax +39 0832.382037. Tenuta Monacelli, a farmhouse in Lecce.
• Villa delle Palme, Via kennedy, trepuzzi, 73019, ☏ +39 0832755557. In the heart of Salento in Trepuzzi.