I spent a week in Monopoli with my family, and honestly, it’s the best base in Puglia. It’s a beautiful little port town, there are great beaches 10 minutes away, and almost every big sight in the region is an easy day trip.
But where you stay in Monopoli changes your trip a lot. The old town is gorgeous, but you can’t drive into it. The coast is great for beaches, but you’ll be driving to dinner. And the countryside is full of masserie, old fortified farmhouses turned into hotels, which you won’t find many other places.
Here are the best areas to stay in Monopoli, who each one is for, and the best-reviewed places in each.
Quick Answer: Where to Stay in Monopoli
For atmosphere: the old town. Luxury pick: Don Ferrante. Value pick: B&B Borgo San Martino.
For beaches: the coast south of town. Pick: La Peschiera.
For the full Puglia experience: a masseria in the countryside. Pick: Masseria Il Melograno.
For families and groups: a villa with a pool on the edge of town. That’s what we did.
Note: Please use my links if you’re ready to book! They’re affiliate links, so you pay the same price, but I get a small commission that helps keep this blog going.
The Best Areas to Stay in Monopoli
The Old Town: Best for Atmosphere
Monopoli’s old town (the centro storico) is a maze of white stone alleys wrapped around the old port, with the sea on two sides. Staying here means walking out your door into the prettiest part of town: dinner by the water, an evening stroll along the walls, coffee in a tiny piazza in the morning.
The catch: the old town is a ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato), a limited traffic zone with cameras. You can’t drive in without a permit, so you’ll park outside and walk in with your bags. Ask your hotel where to park before you arrive. It also gets lively on summer nights, so light sleepers should ask for a quiet room.
Best for: couples, first-timers, and anyone who wants to walk everywhere at night.
Just Outside the Old Town: Best for Value and Parking
Right outside the old town is the newer part of Monopoli, built around the main square, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. It’s a normal, lively Italian town center: shops, bars, gelato, and locals out for their evening walk.
You’re still only a few minutes’ walk from the old town, but prices are lower and parking is much easier. If you’re doing a lot of day trips, this is the practical choice.
The Coast South of Town: Best for Beaches
South of Monopoli, the coast turns into a long string of rocky coves and beach clubs, around areas like Capitolo. Stay down here and you can be in the water before breakfast. The best quiet beaches near Monopoli, like Cala Verde and Cala Sottile, are all along this stretch (I wrote a whole guide).
The downside is that you’re about 10 minutes’ drive from the old town, so you’ll need a car or scooter for dinner.
Best for: beach lovers and anyone visiting in peak summer.
The Countryside: Best for a Masseria Stay
Head inland and it’s a whole different vibe. The hills start rising, empty except for olive groves and masserie: fortified farmhouses, some of them hundreds of years old, many now turned into hotels with big pools, gardens and restaurants serving food grown on the property.
It’s a very different way to experience the region – a quieter, country vibe. But you’ll need a car for everything.
Best for: couples, honeymoons, and anyone who wants a slow trip.
A Villa on the Edge of Town: Best for Families and Groups
This is what we did. The edges of Monopoli are full of rental houses and villas, many with their own pool. You get space, a kitchen, parking, and a pool, and you’re still a few minutes from the old town.
Since the beaches near Monopoli are mostly rocky, a pool is a big deal if you’re traveling with kids, or anyone who just wants an easy swim.
Best for: families, groups of friends, and longer stays.
Where I Stayed: A Villa With a Pool
We stayed in a rental villa on the western edge of Monopoli, about 2 km from the old town, so a few minutes by car or a 25-minute walk.
We were seven people, and the house was pretty much perfect.
Having a pool to come back to after a long day trip was fantastic. It was also just very quiet and relaxing. Staying in the old town is nice, but there’s something to having a place away from the busy streets.
Our house isn’t listed anymore, unfortunately, but the edges of Monopoli are full of villas just like it, most with a private pool and parking. These are worth a look.
The Best Hotels in Monopoli
Note: I stayed in a rental villa, so the hotels below are researched picks, chosen for their location and their reviews. Ratings are from Booking.com as of October 2026. Each pick has a backup option underneath, in case it’s sold out for your dates.
Best Luxury Hotel (Old Town): Don Ferrante
9.1 rating from 400+ reviews on Booking.com
Where: on the sea walls of the old town, Via San Vito
If you want to splurge, this is the one.
Don Ferrante is a five-star boutique hotel with only about 10 rooms, built into an old stone building right on the sea walls of the old town. It’s one of the very few luxury hotels inside the old town itself. There’s a small pool, and since you can’t drive in, reviewers say the staff ferry you and your bags from the parking in a golf cart.
Backup Option: Palazzo Indelli. A hotel in an old palazzo right by the old port, at the entrance to the old town. It’s less of a splurge than Don Ferrante, rated around 8.5 from 800+ reviews, and reviewers keep mentioning the friendly staff and the breakfast.
Best Value (Old Town): B&B Borgo San Martino
9.5 rating from 470+ reviews on Booking.com
Where: the old town, Vico San Martino, about 300 m from the harbor
This is the best-reviewed place in the old town on this list: a family-run B&B in a 17th-century building, with big rooms and everything (the port, the restaurants, the beach in town) a short walk away.
It’s run by two sisters, and a 9.5 from nearly 500 reviews is hard to beat. Just know there’s no parking and no elevator, so be ready to carry your bags up the stairs.
Backup Option: Dimora Antica Via MiLord. A small B&B with a garden on the edge of the old town, a couple of minutes’ walk from the old port. It’s rated 9.6 from 140+ reviews, and reviewers keep mentioning the host Domenico, so he must be great.
Best by the Sea: La Peschiera
8.9 rating from 80+ reviews on Booking.com
Where: on the coast south of Monopoli
A luxury hotel right on the water, with no less than six pools.
It’s the place to stay if you want to spend your days by the sea and don’t mind driving into town for dinner. It’s pricey, but you’re paying for the location.
Backup Option: Torre Cintola Greenblu Sea Emotions. A big seafront resort at Capitolo, south of town, with two pools and its own stretch of (rocky) coast, rated 8.2 from about 1,500 reviews. A more affordable way to stay by the sea.
Best Masseria: Masseria Il Melograno
9.1 rating from 230+ reviews on Booking.com
Where: the countryside about 5 km outside Monopoli
One of the best-known masserie in Puglia. It’s a restored 16th-century farmhouse surrounded by olive groves, with flower-filled courtyards, a big pool, tennis courts and a fantastic restaurant.
If you want one splurge night in a masseria, this is a classic choice. You’ll want a car, since taxis into town add up fast.
Backup Option: Masseria Spina Resort. An 18th-century masseria on the edge of town, about 4 km from the center, with a pool, free parking and apartments as well as rooms. Rated around 9 from 200+ reviews.
Best Apartments With a Pool: Masseria Mammella
9.5+ rating on Booking.com (but fewer than 20 reviews)
Where: the countryside outside Monopoli
A good middle ground between a hotel and a villa. These are self-catering apartments in a masseria, with a shared pool, so you get a kitchen, free parking and space without renting a whole house.
Backup Option: Masseria Torrepietra. Another masseria just outside Monopoli, with a big pool that reviewers keep praising. It has rooms rather than apartments, but far more reviews: around 9.1 from 700+. One thing to know: it hosts weddings, so some guests mention music late into the evening.
Compare All the Places to Stay in Monopoli
If none of these fit, here’s everything available in Monopoli for your dates:
Tips for Staying in Monopoli
Watch Out for the ZTL
Monopoli’s old town has cameras at the entrances, and if you drive through without a permit, you’ll get a fine in the mail in a few months courtesy of your rental company.
Look for the round white sign with a red border. If you’re staying in the old town, ask your hotel where to park.
Get a Place With Parking (or Rent a Scooter)
Most of the best things to do around Monopoli need wheels, so parking matters. Or rent a scooter: they’re much easier to park, and the drives around here are a lot of fun. I cover the best drives in my day trips from Monopoli guide.
Book Early for July and August
Summer is peak season, and mid-August is when half of Italy is on holiday. The best-rated places and villas with pools sell out early, so book months ahead. June and September are just as warm, cheaper and calmer.
Like seriously – I went from late August into early September and the drop-off in people was crazy the second September 1st hit.
A Pool Is Worth It for Families
Most of the beaches around Monopoli are rocky, with a few small sandy coves that get crowded. If you’re traveling with kids, a pool makes everything easier.
Final Thoughts
For a couple, stay in the old town. For a family or a group, get a villa with a pool. And if you want one night that feels really Puglia, book a masseria.
Wherever you stay, Monopoli is a great base. Here’s what to do from there, and the quietest beaches nearby.
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