Getting around

By air

Taranto has no airport of its own. The nearest is Brindisi (Salento airport), under an hour away by train or bus; Bari’s larger airport is about an hour and a bit further. For long-haul you’ll route through Bari, Brindisi, or a European hub.

From the airport into town

From Brindisi airport, a regional train or a Cotrap coach reaches Taranto in around 50 minutes for a few euros.

By train

Taranto's station sits on the regional network linking the heel of Italy. Bari is about an hour north, Brindisi about an hour east, and the Ionian and Adriatic towns are within reach (times below).

On foot and the swing bridge

The centre is flat and walkable, and getting between its parts means crossing the water, above all by the Ponte Girevole, the swing bridge that links the old-town island to the modern city and opens to let naval ships pass between the two seas. Most central daily life happens on foot, with the bridges as its hinges.

Buses and the ferry (Kyma Mobilità / AMAT)

Taranto’s buses are run by Kyma Mobilità (AMAT), which also runs a small passenger ferry across the Mar Piccolo lagoon, a genuine local shortcut, not a tourist ride. A single ticket is €1.30, with cheaper 90-minute carnet tickets at about €1.10 (Kyma Mobilità, 2026).

Intercity buses (FlixBus and Cotrap)

A budget option for other cities and the Puglian towns, on FlixBus and Cotrap. On the rail corridor the train is often simpler, but the coach can win on price or reach the airport and towns the train serves awkwardly.

A note on driving

Taranto's old town and centre have limited, tight streets and the usual port-city parking squeeze, so a car is a mixed blessing in the core. But it earns its keep for the wider region, the Ionian beaches, the Valle d'Itria and the trulli of Alberobello, the Salento, all of which reward having your own wheels.