This detailed 1 Day in Matera itinerary and guide shares where to stay, tips for the city, the best places to eat, and the must-see sights!
Matera is one of those magical places that is hard to put into words. It has gone from being the โshame of Italyโ to a UNESCO World Heritage Site to one of the 2019 European Capitals of Culture. The city is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited settlements in history, has been the filming location for many movies, and is split into two areas, the โSassiโ (old city) and the new city.
One second youโre walking in the new city and the next youโve entered a whole other world. The ancient architecture, the cave dwellings, views at every turn, and less touristy feel made it one of our absolute favorite spots during our two week Italy trip and we had a goofy smile on the entire day!
We spent one day in Matera and felt like we were able to explore so much of the city and learn tons of history. While we couldโve spent more time there just wandering around or exploring the surrounding area, if youโre short on time, one day in Matera is perfect!
PS: For more Italy ideas, watch our Italy vlog series and check out the rest of our Italy guides:
Before embarking on your adventure, please review theย Leave No Trace principlesย to ensure you leave every place better than you found it, so that others can enjoy these beautiful places for many years to come!
These seven principles include planning ahead and preparing, hiking and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly (pack out what you pack in!), understanding campfire rules and always fully extinguishing your fires, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors.ย
Tips for a Great Trip
Matera Tips
- One thing that was different in Matera than other spots we visited in Italy is that many places shut down midday. We also noticed, almost more so than other areas in Italy, that hours were inconsistent with what we found online.
We tried multiple restaurants our first night that said they were open and sure enough, they werenโt. ๐ So to avoid disappointment, donโt get too excited about a place. - Many things are closed on Mondays or Wednesdays. We arenโt sure why this is, but we visited on a Wednesday and had to skip a few restaurants we wanted to try because they were closed.
- There are a lot of stairs, so if you do not like stairs or are unable to walk up and down many flights, Matera may be a bit challenging for you.
- It gets very hot during the day in the summer. There is no cover and youโll be getting lots of sunshine, so make sure to wear sunscreen and drink lots of water!
General Italy Tips
- Wake up early to beat the crowds. Itโs 100% worth it!
- In Italy, they do not drink lattes (especially flavored ones) or many of the other coffee drinks we are used to in the US. The main drinks to order are: an espresso, macchiato, or a cappuccino (but only before 10:30 AM). We drank lots of macchiatos and loved them! Coffee is also way cheaper than in the US! You also usually drink your coffee and then pay, which is different than we were used to.
- Tipping is not expected in Italy like it is in the US. Some places do charge a small service fee or charge a little more for table service though.
- There is a rumor that gluten and dairy sensitive folks (NOT celiac) can eat gluten and dairy in Europe. Kathryn is gluten free in the US (and doesn’t eat much dairy) and decided to test the theory and felt fine the whole trip (and we ate a TON of gluten)!
- If youโre driving, make sure to get an International Driving Permit. You can get this from AAA for only $20. Make sure to bring your actual driverโs license with you too!
- We highly recommend getting an internet plan for your phone or SIM card. Relying solely on wifi can be a bit stressful at times and itโs worth the cost to be able to use your phone freely. We also suggest downloading offline Google Maps so you can use maps without eating up data.
- Buy an adapter before you go! Also, make sure your hair dryer and straightener (and other electrical items) are dual voltage. We took this hair dryer and this straightener with us during the trip and they worked great!
- None of our Airbnbโs had keypads so we had to meet the hosts in person, which wasnโt a huge deal, but this can be a tad trickier if you arrive somewhere late so keep that in mind. You also have to pay a tourist tax for all Airbnbs (this should be in their listing) and they will ask to see your passport, so donโt be alarmed when they ask!
- Bring Euros! We used Euros WAY more than we thought we would. We took out some Euros at our bank beforehand to ensure we had some on hand, but then used bank ATMs the rest of the trip (the ones in actual banks, NOT the ones just on the street in the big citiesโthose will charge you massive fees).
We ended up spending around 500 Euros in cash over two weeks. In the smaller cities, donโt expect everywhere to take a credit card, but even in some of the larger cities, some gelato spots or restaurants only took cash. You also need some coins handy if you want to use public restrooms.
- If youโre staying at Airbnbs and need somewhere to store your bags, we recommend checking out Luggage Hero. We have used this in many cities and it is a huge help!
- Sometimes restaurants/coffee shops/gelato spots werenโt open when Google said they would be (and we never knew why). We ran into this issue in almost every city, both big and small. We learned to not trust Google for hours and to not get too set on going somewhere because there was a chance it wouldnโt actually be open. Being flexible is key!
- Last, but not least, get travel insurance! We recommend using SafetyWing, which is travel medical insurance that will cover you outside of your home country for however long you need it. We have purchased their Nomad Insurance plan for international trips, which not only gives us travel medical insurance, but also provides coverage for lost baggage and travel delays. We hope to never have to use it, but it gives us great peace of mind to have it!
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When to visit Matera
We visited Matera in July, which is the peak tourist season in Italy. Despite that, we found the crowds in Matera to be super bearable, especially compared to Rome and Florence. However, it was hot! With the sun out and walking around the Sassi, which is pretty exposed, we definitely got a bit toasty, so beware of that if you choose to visit in the summer.
One other thing to know if visiting in the summer is that the city isn’t as green in the summer, specifically in the Parco della Murgia Materana. The grass and plants were pretty yellow and brown, but it was still beautiful!
Similar to the other cities in Italy, we’d highly recommend visiting in the spring and fall if you want to experience less crowds, lower prices, and lower temperatures. Winter is also a good time to escape the crowds, but hours at some attractions may be limited and it will be pretty cold!
Getting to Matera
Getting to Matera is where we made a few mistakes. We planned to take trains between the other cities on our trip and didnโt even look to see if there were other options to get to Matera…oops *facepalm*. We took a train from Venice to Naples and then a bus from Naples to Matera.
It was about a 9 hour travel day. And little did we know, we couldโve flown into Bari and taken a bus or train from Bari to Matera for way less time. Although we loved the long travel day to knock out some work, we did waste some vacation time.
So donโt be like us! Fly into Bari, which should be relatively cheap from any Italian city, and then take the train into Matera (or bus if a train isnโt available).
As for leaving Matera, we went to Positano after Matera and took a BOLT bus from Matera to Salerno (and then a ferry to Positano), which wasnโt bad at all, but we had to walk 30 minutes with our luggage to the bus stop.
While itโs maybe not as easy to get to and from Matera, itโs 100% worth it!
Where to Stay in Matera
As we mentioned above, Matera is full of cave dwellings. From the outside, the buildings look like buildings, but when you enter, youโre in a cave! Itโs SO DANG COOL! Our biggest tip for Matera is to stay in one of these caves!
We stayed at this Airbnb and it was the coolest Airbnb we have ever stayed at (and it had an espresso machine that we used probably too much). Some other Airbnb options are:
- Option #1: A beautiful 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom cave dwelling
- Option #2: A 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom loft style cave dwelling
- Option #3: A 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom more modern apartment with an amazing view of the Sassi
If you prefer hotels, check out: Corte San Pietro, Locanda Di San Martino Hotel & Thermae Romanae, San Giovanni Vecchio Residenza
Getting Around Matera
One reason we loved Matera is because it is super walkable! We walked allll over town and although itโs very hilly and has lots of stairs, it was so much fun! We wouldnโt recommend renting a car here, as it would be a bit harder to park in the Sassi.
1 Day in Matera Itinerary
The wonderful thing about Matera is that you donโt even need to be doing much to be in awe and having a great time. We usually arenโt ones to just wander around without much of a plan, but in Matera, we spent half of the day just walking around and seeing what we could find and it was perfect! So with that said, this guide will be a little looser than our others, but just as fun!
- Kick off your morning with coffee and a pastry from Caffe Schiuma or Gran Caffe
- Take a tour of Parco della Murgia Materana! This park is just across the ravine from the Sassi and not only has great views of the Sassi, but also has tons of caves, frescos, and rock churches to explore. We took a tour with Silvio and he was the absolute best!
Getting to Murgia is a bit challenging without a car, but thankfully Silvio was kind enough to drive us for an extra fee. While you could explore without a guide, having a local guide gets you access to many of the rock churches, as they are able to get the keys to open them. - After spending a couple hours touring Murgia, grab lunch at Il Rusticone or Quattroquarti – Crostaemollica. We unfortunately never got the chance to eat at Quattroquarti because they were closed both days, but we went to Il Rusticone and LOVED it! It was affordable, the service was great, and the puccia (which is kind of like a panini, but with pizza crust instead of bread) is delicious!
- Grab some gelato from I Vizi degli Angeli. This was in our top 5 favorite gelatos of our entire trip!
- Wander around the Sassi. We spent hours just wandering around and loved every minute of it! Make sure to go to Belvedere di Piazza Giovanni Pascoli for an awesome view of the city and walk up to the Church of Santa Maria de Idris. We didnโt go inside, but the big rock itโs on was fun to explore.
- Enjoy a nice dinner! Here are a few good options: Da Zero (great pizza!), Kapunto, Osteria Al Casale, and La Grotta nei Sassi.
- If youโre looking for post-dinner drinks, check out Area 8, which is a super cool bar!
- Cry because your time in Matera is over ๐
If you have extra time…
Food
- Trattoria del Caveoso
- Osteria Pico
- Baccanti
- Dimora Ulmo
- Panificio Perrone Il Forno di Gennaro to try some fresh bread! Matera is known for its bread ๐
- Pasthello Gelato Autentico for gelato
Activities
- Explore more of Puglia: we cannot wait to come back and explore more of this region in Italy! Lonely Planet has tons of ideas of things to do!
- Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario
- Cripta del Peccato Originale
- MUSMA Museum of Contemporary Sculpture
- MOOM Matera Olive Oil Museum
Ready to fall in love with Matera?
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Matera sounds so cool!
It’s such a unique gem!