Route 1
A walk around Brindisi
About 2 hoursLungomare Regina Margherita
The promenade along the port
Roman column
It marked the end of the Appian Way
Brindisi Cathedral
Port guide · Italy
Brindisi (Lecce)
The port city on the "heel" of Italy, where the Roman Appian Way ended. The seafront and the Roman column take an hour or two; most people prefer the train to Lecce and its golden Baroque, or a tour to Alberobello and its white, cone-roofed trulli.
Brindisi at a glance
- To the centre
- 2–3 km away
- To Lecce
- 30–55 min by train
- To Alberobello
- 1 h by car
- Time needed
- A full day
From the ship to the centre
Large ships usually berth at Costa Morena, an industrial quay east of the port, 2–3 km from the centre: not walkable. On cruise days there's usually a shuttle into the centre, and taxis too; trains to Lecce leave from the central station.
ShuttleRecommended
Time: 10–15 minApprox. price: As announced at the terminal
Drops you in the centre, near the seafront
Taxi
Time: About 10 minApprox. price: Metered; ask the price first
The handiest way to go straight to the station for the train to Lecce
Shuttle stops and fares are announced at the terminal. If you take the train to Lecce, check the return train first and allow at least an hour and a half to get back to the ship.
Suggested routes
Route 2
Lecce, the Baroque of the south
About 5 hoursLecce's old town, built of golden stone and full of carved Baroque churches, is known as "the Florence of the South". The train from Brindisi takes 30–55 minutes and the fare depends on the train; the station is 10 minutes' walk from the centre.
Train to Lecce
Piazza del Duomo
An enclosed square surrounded by Baroque buildings
Piazza Sant'Oronzo and the Roman amphitheatre
The amphitheatre sits half-buried in the square
Basilica of Santa Croce
A facade covered in carved flowers and animals
Route 3
Alberobello and its trulli
About 6 hoursA whole town of little white houses with conical stone roofs, the trulli, a World Heritage Site. It's an hour away by car and awkward by public transport: an organised tour is the easiest way.
Want it easy? Join an official MSC shore excursion, timed around the port call. If you booked your cruise with VIAJES FH, ask your advisor to add it for you.
Brindisi Airport to the cruise terminal
Embarking in Brindisi? The airport is north of the city, about 6 km away.
TaxiRecommended
Time: 15–20 minApprox. price: Metered
Easiest with luggage: it takes you to the terminal
Train from Bari
Time: 1–1.5 hApprox. price: Standard station fares
If you fly into Bari, take the train to Brindisi and a taxi to the terminal
Brindisi has more than one cruise quay: show the driver the one on your boarding documents.
Good to know
- Try Apulia's orecchiette and, in Lecce, the cream-filled pasticciotto.
- In southern Italy many shops and churches close from midday until mid-afternoon: check opening times.
- If you have a paper ticket for a regional train, validate it in the platform machines before boarding.
- It's very hot at midday in summer: hat and water.
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Transport and ticket prices are approximate, checked in November 2026, and may change. The latest all-aboard time is the one announced on board.
Cover photo: Berthold Werner / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0