Which road trip from Matera is worth hiring a car for?
Updated October 26, 2026 · 5 min read
The car-hire day that makes most sense from Matera is Alberobello, with one deliberate stop in Altamura rather than a rushed list of Puglian towns. Allow roughly an hour and a quarter each way, then verify live traffic before departure. Drive if you want control over the pace; choose a tour if nobody wants to navigate or if lunch will include wine.
Leave Matera before the day gets fragmented
Collect the car outside the Sassi and set Alberobello as the main destination. The road crosses the inland landscape between Basilicata and Puglia, so this is a regional outing rather than a quick transfer. Starting early creates time to park, walk to the trulli districts and absorb the lanes before the middle of the day.
Alberobello rewards slow walking more than repeated photo stops by car. Park in a signed public area outside the densest lanes and continue on foot. Do not treat a shop inside a trullo as equivalent to an interpreted house: decide whether you want atmosphere, an interior visit or architectural context.
Make Altamura the one stop
Altamura sits naturally on the route and gives the drive a second purpose without turning it into a race. Stop for the historic centre and bread culture, either outbound for a break or on the return when Alberobello has been the long visit. One meaningful stop is better than adding Locorotondo, Martina Franca and the coast merely to collect names.
In summer, heat and busy parking favour an early departure and a restrained plan. In shorter winter daylight, leave margin for the return and do not depend on a long late lunch. Weather does not change the road into an attraction; it changes how much walking at both ends remains pleasant.
When the guided day is better
Choose the organised option when you have only one free day, dislike searching for parking or want both Matera and Alberobello interpreted. The trade-off is a fixed timetable and less freedom to linger. Our Matera and Alberobello comparison explains how the guided format differs from travelling independently.
A tour is also the responsible choice when every potential driver wants wine with lunch. Conversely, a car wins for families carrying their own child seat, photographers waiting for a quieter moment and travellers continuing into Puglia rather than returning to Matera.
Our verdict
Hire the car for Alberobello when it is part of a wider self-drive itinerary or when an unhurried trulli visit matters more than commentary. Skip the rental for a single tightly scheduled day if the guided departure matches your dates. Whichever you choose, keep the plan to Alberobello plus Altamura; the route becomes less worthwhile when most of it is spent chasing extra towns.
