If you’re heading to Puglia and are thinking about renting a car – smart choice! The area is best explored by car. There are multiple places to pick up a rental car in Puglia, but if you’re flying into Bari (highly likely), the Bari airport car rental location is your best bet.
I find the car rental process at the Bari airport to be stress-free and easy. The airport isn’t that big, and you can walk to the car rental lot (no shuttle buses needed).
I’ve been traveling to (and driving around) Puglia since 2004. I’ve driven cars, vans, and trailers and I’ve rented cars at the Bari airport multiple times.
Let’s walk through the process of renting a car at the Bari airport, from pickup to drop off.
I’ll go over:
- Whether or not you
- How to reserve a car for pickup at the Bari airport
- What you need to rent a car in Bari
- Bari airport car rental pick up process
- Driving out of the airport
- Returning your rental car to the Bari airport
- Info for renting a car at the Bari airport if you’re traveling with kids
If you’re renting a car in Puglia, be sure to read my guide to Driving in Puglia
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Should You Rent a Car in Bari?
As I mentioned above, if you really want to explore Puglia, it’s best to rent a car. You can reach some destinations in Puglia by train or bus, but having your own two wheels gives you:
- Flexibility
- Access to any town, village or beach
- Ease of getting your bags from A to B
- Easier travel with kids (pull over for a bathroom break whenever you want, head back to your hotel if someone’s getting tired, etc)
However, if you’re just planning on spending time in Bari, you do not need a rental car. You can get around the city fine on your own two feet, with taxis, or with the bus.
Good To Know: You can rent a car at the Bari airport even if you don’t fly into the airport. You may (or may not) find a better rate at the airport than at city locations, especially if you’re flying out of the airport (in this case, you’d avoid a one-way rental fee).
Need some Puglia destination inspiration? Check out
Visiting Monopoli
One Day in Ostuni
Quick Guide to Locorotondo
One Day in Polignano a Mare
How to Reserve Your Bari Airport Car Rental
The main companies (that you’ve likely heard of) at the airport in Bari are:
- Avis
- Budget
- Dollar
- Europcar
- Hertz
- Maggiore
- SicilyByCar
- SIXT
- Thrifty
There are other lesser-known companies as well, like Noleggiare and Locauto. And, the rental companies sometimes change. Know you’ll see a mix of established international brands and Italian/local companies.
You can rent directly from the company or from a consolidator.
What do I do?
I like to use a search consolidator like DiscoverCars.com or AutoEurope.com.
I recommend checking both DiscoverCars.com or AutoEurope.com and the individual car rental companies for the best prices and vehicle availability.
I rent from DiscoverCars.com. I don’t stick to a particular company when checking the results – I’m looking for the best rates for the type of car I want.
Tips for reserving your car in Bari:
- Reserve an automatic. Driving in Puglia will likely be different from driving in your home country. Make things easier and rent an automatic.
- Choose as small a car as you can. Parking and driving on narrow roads through olive groves can be challenging with a large vehicle.
- Consider one-way rentals. If you’re heading to Rome after visiting Puglia, you may want to rent your car in Bari but then return it in Rome. Evaluate the cost and time aspects of this decision.
- Make sure you have insurance. I always add the full insurance with Discover Cars (even though I live here, have been driving here for over two decades, and feel totally comfortable on Italian roads). Things happen – dents from car doors opening, rocks in windshields, theft, etc.
- Look at customer ratings. I make sure the company has an 8.0 or higher customer rating on DiscoverCars.com.
Requirements for Renting a Car at the Bari Airport
Like other places in Italy, make sure you have:
- Driver’s license from your home country.
- International Driving Permit if you are not a resident of the European Union. It’s required by law. The rental car company may or may not ask, but you can be stopped by the police and asked for it.
- International ID (passport)
- Credit Card (unless you have made arrangements with the car rental company to NOT use a credit card). I have seen someone not be able to pick up their car at the Bari airport because he only had a debit card.
You may want to read
Renting a Car in Italy (tons of useful tips and advice here!)
Renting a Car in Italy as an American
Can I Rent a Car in Italy with a US Driver’s License?
International Driving Permit for Italy – How and Why to Get One
Picking Up a Rental Car at the Bari Airport
To pick up your rental car at the Bari Airport, walk out of arrivals and into the main hall. You’ll see the car rental desks in front of you.
Find your company and wait in line. Lines can be long in the summer month, but it’s not a given that you’ll need to wait in a long line.
After signing your contract, you’ll need to walk to the car rental lot. You may get your key at the rental desk, or from an attendant at the lot.
Here’s the walk on a Google Map:
Find your company’s little building and a staff member will give you your key and/or help you find your rental vehicle.
Before the attendant leaves, make sure you know how to use the air-conditioning, how to open the gas tank, how to shift into reverse (if you’ve got a manual transmission). Check that the gas level is what’s noted on the contract.
IMPORTANT: Check your car for damage – dings, scratches, dents, and working equipment.
Open the gas tank, try the windshield wipers, inspect outside and inside the vehicle. Italian rental cars will likely be a little more ‘dinged up’ than cars you’ve rented in other places.
Check to see the marks are on the diagram or notes of the contract. The contract will either be on paper or on a tablet.
If you see damage on the car that’s not noted, ask the attendant to update the contract. If he/she won’t (this has happened to me at the Bari Airport), make a video and/or take photos of the damage and email it to the rental office so there’s time-stamped proof of the damage. The video will likely be too large for the rental company’s mailbox, so you’ll need to send it as an attachment from your Google Drive (or something similar).
Yes, I know this seems like overkill, but at least you can enjoy driving around Puglia without wondering if you’ll be charged for that big scratch on the hood that was already there when you picked the car up (but not noted on the contract).
Drive away and begin your Puglia adventure! You can use your GPS navigation in your rental car or your phone (I use Google Maps) to get to your destination. Leaving the car rental area, you’ll end up at this traffic circle, heading towards ‘BARI,’ ‘autostrade,’ or ‘tangenziale.’
Read more about
Autostrade in Italy
Driving in Puglia
Driving in Italy
Returning Your Rental Car at the Bari Airport
Get gas before you get to the car rental return. We’ve gotten gas here, and there are other gas stations in the area.
Helpful Tip: Even if you like to pay for your gas with a credit card, have some cash handy. If you’re topping up with the station is closed, you’ll need to use the machines, and they don’t always accept foreign credit cards without a PIN.
Follow signs for Bari Aeroporto. Depending on where you’re coming from, there may not be a sign at each intersection pointing where you need to go. So, I like to follow my GPS or Google Maps.
Once you get to the airport, follow signs for autonoleggio (with an icon of a car and a key) or for your company (there are a couple of companies, like SIXT, that have a different lot, but they’re all in the same general area).
Drive in and check in with an attendant. Your car will most likely be ‘cleared’ here, so I like to stick around and get the ok that there is no damage (and extra fees). If there are any questions, I have my photos/videos that I took when I picked the car up. Make sure you’ve got all of your belongings out of the car!
Walk to the terminal. At the time of writing, it’s a blue path that walks you around the outside of the car lots, and then crosses the street at the traffic circle, where you join the red path on the sidewalk (the same way you arrived when you walked from arrivals to pick up the car).
Read more about Italian Gas Stations – Getting Gas in Italy
Bari Car Rental with Kids
Use the toilets inside the terminal, as I haven’t noticed any in the car rental lot area. The toilets in the terminal have diaper changing tables.
The walk from the rental car offices in the terminal to the car lots is short and easy for all ages. Unlike other places in Italy, you don’t need to have someone pick up the car and come get you back at the terminal. However, if you have a ton of luggage or baby equipment, you could have someone pick it up and meet you back outside of arrivals.
You can rent car seats at the Bari airport, but I always recommend reserving them when you rent the car.
Read more about
Puglia with Kids
Monopoli with Kids
Ostuni with Kids
Polignano a Mare with Kids
Alberobello with Kids
Matera with Kids
