Puglia has 27 Blue Flag towns in 2026. That puts it joint second in Italy with Calabria, behind Liguria’s 35, out of 257 Blue Flag municipalities nationwide. The official list comes from FEE Italia, the Italian branch of the Foundation for Environmental Education, which runs the Bandiera Blu (Blue Flag) program. The awards were announced in May 2026 and apply to the 2026 bathing season.
Compared with 2025, two Salento towns joined the list, Tricase and Morciano di Leuca. Two others near Santa Maria di Leuca, Patù and Castrignano del Capo, dropped off. The total stayed at 27.
Below you’ll find every Puglia municipality and beach on the 2026 list, grouped by province, with a short note on whether each is sandy or rocky and some tips for choosing a beach with children.
What a Blue Flag means (and what it doesn’t)
Blue Flag is a voluntary certification program, awarded each year to specific beaches. To qualify, a beach has to meet FEE’s mandatory criteria. These include excellent bathing water quality, with regular sampling, and no sewage discharges affecting the beach. It must also be kept clean, with bins and recycling, and have toilets or changing rooms, lifeguards and/or rescue equipment, and first-aid equipment. In each Blue Flag town, at least one of the listed beaches must have access and facilities for people with physical disabilities. A drinking water source is recommended but not required.
Two caveats are worth knowing. First, the flag applies to the named beaches, not to a town’s whole coastline. Second, it’s an annual award based on the previous seasons’ results, so it isn’t a daily reading. For current bathing-water status, including any temporary swimming bans, check the Ministry of Health’s Portale Acque map.
Choosing a Blue Flag beach with kids
The biggest practical difference between Puglia’s beaches is sand versus rock. With young children, a sandy beach with a gentle slope into the water is usually easier than a rocky coast, where you often get in from rocks or ladders into deeper water.
- Sandy beaches on the 2026 list: Salve (Pescoluse, Posto Vecchio, Torre Pali), Ugento, Gallipoli’s Litoranea Sud, Torre dell’Orso and San Cataldo in Salento. On the Adriatic further north: Ostuni’s dune coast, Torre Canne, Margherita di Savoia and Zapponeta. On the Ionian: Castellaneta Marina, Marina di Ginosa, Campomarino and San Pietro in Bevagna. On the Gargano: Rodi Garganico, Vieste and the Peschici bays.
- Rocky or pebbly, better for confident swimmers and older kids: Polignano a Mare, Castro, Tricase, Roca and Torre Sant’Andrea, and Santa Caterina and Santa Maria al Bagno near Nardò. Water shoes help on rocks and pebbles.
- Lido or free beach: many Blue Flag beaches mix beach clubs (lidi), which rent umbrellas and loungers and usually have a bar and toilets, with free public stretches (spiaggia libera). With small children, a lido’s shade and facilities can make a long day easier.
- Flags on the lifeguard tower: a red flag means swimming is not allowed. Lifeguard cover is usually limited to the summer season and set hours, so check what’s posted at the beach.
- Timing: July and August, and especially the week around Ferragosto on 15 August, are the most crowded. June and September are calmer, and the sea is often still warm in September.
If you’re based in Lecce without a car, our guide on how to get to the beach from Lecce by bus covers routes to the nearby Adriatic coast. If a child gets sick while you’re in Salento, we also keep a list of English-speaking pediatricians in Lecce. In an emergency, call 112.
All 27 Blue Flag towns in Puglia at a glance
| Province | Municipality | Blue Flag beaches 2026 | Beach type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foggia | Isole Tremiti | Cala delle Arene | Sandy |
| Foggia | Rodi Garganico | Riviera di Ponente, Riviera di Levante | Sandy |
| Foggia | Peschici | Sfinale, Gusmay, Baia di Calalunga, Baia di Manaccora, Baia San Nicola/Zaiana, Procinisco, Baia di Peschici | Mostly sandy |
| Foggia | Vieste | San Lorenzo, Scialara | Sandy |
| Foggia | Zapponeta | Lido | Sandy |
| Barletta-Andria-Trani | Margherita di Savoia | Centro Urbano-Cannafesca | Sandy |
| Barletta-Andria-Trani | Bisceglie | La Salata, Salsello, Scogliera Scalette | Mixed |
| Bari | Polignano a Mare | Cala Paura, San Vito, Ripagnola-Coco Village, Cala San Giovanni, Cala Fetente | Mostly rocky or pebbly |
| Bari | Monopoli | Castello Santo Stefano, Capitolo, Lido Porto Rosso, Cala Paradiso | Mixed |
| Brindisi | Fasano | Egnazia Case Bianche, Savelletri, Torre Canne | Mixed |
| Brindisi | Ostuni | Creta Rossa, Lido Fontanelle, Lido Stella, Litorale Parco Dune Costiere, Litorale Rosa Marina, Litorale Torre Canne Sud | Sandy |
| Brindisi | Carovigno | Mezzaluna, Pantanagianni, Punta Penna Grossa, Specchiolla | Mostly sandy |
| Lecce | Lecce | San Cataldo, Acquatina e Idrovora di Frigole | Sandy |
| Lecce | Melendugno | Roca, San Foca Nord/Centro/Torre Specchia, Torre Sant’Andrea, Torre dell’Orso | Mixed |
| Lecce | Castro | Zinzulusa, La Sorgente | Rocky |
| Lecce | Tricase | Marina Serra, Tricase Porto | Rocky |
| Lecce | Morciano di Leuca | Torre Vado | Mixed |
| Lecce | Salve | Torre Pali/Marina di Pescoluse/Posto Vecchio | Sandy |
| Lecce | Ugento | Torre San Giovanni/Torre Mozza/Lido Marini | Mostly sandy |
| Lecce | Gallipoli | Litoranea Sud, Litoranea Nord | Mixed |
| Lecce | Nardò | Porto Selvaggio, Sant’Isidoro, Santa Caterina, Santa Maria al Bagno, Torre Squillace | Mixed |
| Taranto | Manduria | San Pietro in Bevagna | Sandy |
| Taranto | Maruggio | Commenda, Campomarino, Acqua Dolce | Sandy |
| Taranto | Leporano | Lido Gandoli, Porto Pirrone, Portosaturo, Baia d’Argento | Mixed |
| Taranto | Pulsano | Marina di Pulsano | Mixed |
| Taranto | Castellaneta | Riva dei Tessali/Pineta Giovinazzi/Castellaneta Marina/Bosco della Marina | Sandy |
| Taranto | Ginosa | Marina di Ginosa | Sandy |
In the lists below, a beach name is linked to Google Maps when a search for that name leads to a single beach. We left names unlinked when the search returned several places or only the town.
Blue Flag beaches in Foggia (Gargano and Tremiti Islands)
- Isole Tremiti: Cala delle Arene. The only sandy beach in the Tremiti, on San Domino, reached by ferry.
- Rodi Garganico: Riviera di Ponente, Riviera di Levante. Long beaches on either side of the town.
- Peschici: Sfinale, Gusmay, Baia di Calalunga, Baia di Manaccora, Baia San Nicola/Zaiana, Procinisco, Baia di Peschici. A string of bays, several backed by pine woods.
- Vieste: San Lorenzo, Scialara. San Lorenzo runs north of town. Scialara is the town beach below the castle, next to the Pizzomunno sea stack.
- Zapponeta: Lido. A long, flat Adriatic beach on the Gulf of Manfredonia.
Blue Flag beaches in Barletta-Andria-Trani
- Margherita di Savoia: Centro Urbano-Cannafesca. A long town beach next to the salt pans.
- Bisceglie: La Salata, Salsello, Scogliera Scalette. Small beaches and rocky stretches along the town’s coast. “Scogliera” means rocky shore.
Blue Flag beaches in Bari
- Polignano a Mare: Cala Paura, San Vito, Ripagnola-Coco Village, Cala San Giovanni, Cala Fetente. Small coves along a cliff coast. Cala Paura is a pebble cove close to town, and San Vito sits below the old abbey.
- Monopoli: Castello Santo Stefano, Capitolo, Lido Porto Rosso, Cala Paradiso. Sandy coves south of town, with a busier sandy stretch at Capitolo. Cala Paradiso is rockier.
Blue Flag beaches in Brindisi
These three towns sit below the Valle d’Itria, so they’re an easy beach day if you’re staying among the trulli of the Valle d’Itria.
- Fasano: Egnazia Case Bianche, Savelletri, Torre Canne. Low rocky coast with small sandy patches at Egnazia and Savelletri. Torre Canne is sandy.
- Ostuni: Creta Rossa, Lido Fontanelle, Lido Stella, Litorale Parco Dune Costiere, Litorale Rosa Marina, Litorale Torre Canne Sud. Long sandy beaches, much of it backed by the dunes of the Dune Costiere regional park.
- Carovigno: Mezzaluna, Pantanagianni, Punta Penna Grossa, Specchiolla. Around the Torre Guaceto nature reserve.
Blue Flag beaches in Lecce (Salento)
- Lecce: San Cataldo, Acquatina e Idrovora di Frigole. Lecce’s own coast, about 10-15 km from the city.
- Melendugno: Roca, San Foca Nord/Centro/Torre Specchia, Torre Sant’Andrea, Torre dell’Orso. Torre dell’Orso is a sandy bay with two sea stacks offshore. Roca and Torre Sant’Andrea are rocky, with sea stacks and inlets.
- Castro: Zinzulusa, La Sorgente. Rocky coast by the Zinzulusa sea cave, where you get into the water from rocks or ladders.
- Tricase: Marina Serra, Tricase Porto. New for 2026. Marina Serra is known for its natural rock pool.
- Morciano di Leuca: Torre Vado. New for 2026. Low rocks and short sandy stretches.
- Salve: Torre Pali/Marina di Pescoluse/Posto Vecchio. A long, shallow sandy coast, nicknamed the “Maldives of Salento”.
- Ugento: Torre San Giovanni/Torre Mozza/Lido Marini. Long beaches with dunes on the Ionian side.
- Gallipoli: Litoranea Sud, Litoranea Nord. The coast road south of town has long sandy beaches. The northern stretch is rockier.
- Nardò: Porto Selvaggio, Sant’Isidoro, Santa Caterina, Santa Maria al Bagno, Torre Squillace. Sant’Isidoro is a sandy bay. Santa Caterina and Santa Maria al Bagno are rocky. Porto Selvaggio is a pebble cove in a nature park, reached on foot.
Blue Flag beaches in Taranto
- Manduria: San Pietro in Bevagna. A long sandy beach on the Ionian coast.
- Maruggio: Commenda, Campomarino, Acqua Dolce. Sandy beaches with dunes around Campomarino.
- Leporano: Lido Gandoli, Porto Pirrone, Portosaturo, Baia d’Argento. Small bays south of Taranto. Lido Gandoli is sandy.
- Pulsano: Marina di Pulsano. Sand and low rocks.
- Castellaneta: Riva dei Tessali/Pineta Giovinazzi/Castellaneta Marina/Bosco della Marina. A long sandy beach backed by pine forest.
- Ginosa: Marina di Ginosa. A long sandy beach on the western edge of Puglia’s Ionian coast.
Sources
- FEE Italia, Bandiera Blu 2026 beaches (official list), and the Blue Flag beach criteria.
- Ministry of Tourism, full list of the 525 Blue Flag beaches for 2026 (PDF).
- Regione Puglia, “La Puglia conquista 27 Bandiere Blu per il 2026”, 18 May 2026.
- Ministry of Health, Portale Acque, for live bathing-water status.
