Coach & Minibus Hire in Italy

Matera's Sassi and the Trulli of Puglia

Matera feels like nowhere else: two cave districts carved into a ravine, rock churches and a skyline of stone. A small group sees it on foot, and a minibus with a driver links it to the airport, the Murgia viewpoints and the trulli towns over the border in Puglia.

Where the minibus sets you down

Since 18 June 2026, buses arriving in Matera use Viale delle Nazioni Unite, under a town ordinance meant to ease congestion on Via Ugo La Malfa. Passengers get on and off there, but the vehicle cannot stay: it moves on to a coach park. Piazza Matteotti, which sits over the station, has been the usual welcome point for groups.

At the busiest times Matera may shut its centre to tourist buses. That happened over Christmas 2024, when groups left their vehicles at the Matera Sud intermodal terminal in Serra Rifusa and rode the train in. Something similar can happen around Easter, Christmas or a big event, so check before you go.

Minibus interior with individual seats
Minibus interior with individual seats

Walking the cave districts

Both Sassi, Barisano and Caveoso, can only be explored on foot, with steep steps and uneven paving. Sturdy shoes are a must, and for anyone with reduced mobility, check the route with your guide before the day. Highlights include the cathedral on the ridge between the two districts, the furnished Casa Grotta and rock churches such as Santa Maria de Idris.

Across the ravine, the Belvedere di Murgia Timone in the Parco della Murgia Materana faces the whole town, and it is best late in the afternoon.

Flying in to Matera

Stops worth making in Matera

  • Alberobello — Town of trulli (dry-stone houses with conical roofs) in Puglia, a UNESCO World Heritage site
  • Casa Grotta and the rock churches — Furnished cave house and rock-cut churches such as Santa Maria de Idris
  • Belvedere di Murgia Timone — Viewpoint across the ravine, in the Parco della Murgia Materana, facing the Sassi
  • Cattedrale di Matera — Romanesque cathedral on the hill between the two Sassi
  • Sassi di Matera — Cave districts of Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, a UNESCO World Heritage site with rock churches; on foot only, with many steps

Easy pickup points

  • Alberobello and the Valle d'Itria (Puglia)
  • Around Piazza Matteotti and the station
  • Piano, the upper town (Piazza Vittorio Veneto, Via Ridola)
  • The Sassi (cave hotels)

Festa della Bruna

On 2 July every year Matera celebrates its patron with a procession and, in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the "assalto al carro". Roads in the centre close, so plan to arrive early and on foot.

Trulli, caves and castles

Allow about 1 h 45 min to reach Alberobello. Passengers leave the bus at a checkpoint in Via Michele Viterbo and walk roughly 700 m to the trulli of Rione Monti, while the vehicle heads to a designated coach park, and a daily bus access ticket applies. These rules change often: confirm them at booking.

Closer to home, Altamura is about 30 minutes and Gravina in Puglia about 45. Craco, the abandoned village, is about 1 h 15 min away. Castel del Monte, alone on its hilltop, needs about 1 h 30 min, and the Castellana caves around 1 h 40 min.

What travellers ask us

Where do groups usually fly in?

Into Bari. Its airport lies some 65 km from Piazza Vittorio Veneto, roughly 1 h 15 min by road. Bari's city centre is about 71 km, close to 1 h 25 min.

Is there a train to Matera?

Yes, the narrow-gauge Ferrovie Appulo Lucane line from Bari, which arrives at Matera Centrale under Piazza Matteotti.

Can we stay in the Sassi?

Many cave hotels sit inside them. Since vehicles cannot reach them, plan the luggage handover at the set-down point and allow time for the walk down.

More trips we arrange

Other vehicles with a driver