From Bari: Boat Ride and Free Time in Polignano a Mare

The boat was the only part of the experience that was not good. It was too small for the number of people. Six passengers out of 10 had to be packed into the rear benches because extra weight was needed there due to rough seas. And because the bridge was located in the middle of the boat viewing many of the sites, especially the caves and grottos, was difficult because there was always an obstruction in front. A very uncomfortable ride except for the few riding in front who had plenty of room and unobstructed views of everything.

The trip was awesome! the van ride there was super comfortable with plenty of room & amazing views of the Adriatic Sea. But there’s was a bit of chaos when we got to the boat ramp because there were so many people waiting to get on. Fortunately there were 6 different boats so we didn’t have to wait long. Our boat captain Danilo was super attentive and made sure that everyone was happy. The coastline was spectacular . I would highly recommend this day trip!

The app asked us to be there at 8:15, but the minivan arrived at exactly 8:30, which was a little confusing. That said, the boat trip, sea caves and swimming were absolutely amazing, and the beach where we were dropped off in Polignano a Mare was beautiful. We knew the pick-up point was in the centre of Polignano a Mare, but we didn’t realise it was a 50-minute walk from the beach. This could have been highlighted more clearly in the information. In the end, we had to spend an extra €20 on a taxi for the four of us to make it to the bus stop on time. To sum it up - the boat tour with swimming was excellent!

It wasn’t an amazing tour by any means but it was awful either. It was very commercialized not individual at all it seemed almost more of a production line, from the beginning until the very end. Even the transportation into the city center was poorly organized we waited 25 mins for the driver to show up to tell us that he has 8 spots only for about a tour of 20 people so we had to stay back and wait an additional 20 mins. All in all I wouldn’t say the tour was horrible but if you’re expecting something quaint and not have that “tourist vibe” I would not recommend.

Everything was actually very well, but the captain on the boat did not even ask me, which language I am speaking and as the majority were Italians, he was telling all the info about the caves in Italian, so I did not I erstand anything. Otherwise it was a great trip and I would recommend the boat tour to anyone who does not want to stay on the overcrowded beach :)

A kommunikáció kicsit olyan ‘olaszos’ volt. A lefoglalt program 14:30ig tartott volna, előtte nap kaptam üzenetet, hogy a visszaindulás 15:30kor lesz. Majd a kirándulás napján az mondták és írták, hogy 15 órára kellett a megbeszélt helyszínen lenni, mivel akkor lesz az indulás, ehelyett 15:30kor jött a busz. 40 percet vártunk rá a melegben, ami nem volt túl kellemes. Ezt a kis kellemetlenséget leszámítva szuper kirándulás volt, ennyi hajózás bőven elég volt, tudtunk nyugodtan fürdeni is és utána pedig a városban is bőven volt időnk sétálni, enni/inni és úszni egyet.

This was a fabulous experience and the boat tour was magical. The captain was so skilled at navigating in and out of the rocky caves and was really knowledgeable, giving us loads of interesting facts. He was also generous with the prosecco and even had juice for my son. The bus transfers were rather stressful. We arrived 15 min early as requested and couldn’t find the bus or the guide, but there were loads of other big tour buses going to other places! Fortunately Tony, our guide was really helpful. He shared his location so I could find him and we realised that our bus hadn’t arrived yet. It was uncomfortable waiting ten min in the hot sun for the boat tour at the port, and then for the van transfer. It would have been helpful to know if we had time to get a drink and use the toilet at the cafe, or for the van to be waiting and ready for us after the boat tour. Free time in town was great, it’s an amazing place with such beautiful caves and waters and views.