Full-day tour of Matera and Altamura by bus from Bari

Matera and Altamura Day Trip

It was a great day with a small group of 8. The sites of Sassi were beautiful and an interesting place to explore. Altamura was a small town with the old bakery that was a good experience to see. Plenty of different options of focaccia which was nice to eat. Our driver was excellent and informative. An enjoyable day out.

via Tripadvisor

Biggest disappointment of our visits in Italy this year.

Do not take this tour, much less the tut-tut part for an extra 30 Euros per person. The driver of the mini-bus to Altamura and Matera was friendly, but did not offer much of any explanations of the places visited other than the oldest bakery in Altamura. The driver of the electric tut-tut cart in Matera did not explain anything and did not even answer questions in Italian. He just played a pre-recorded audio of some of the places visited. Worst yet: my wife and I were charged $222 both for this tour. Another couple sitting next to us paid only 40 Euros each for the minibus part. My wife and I felt cheated and were totally disappointed with this tour. If you want to visit those two cities, take a bus or train, and then find a walking tours that will offer ample information of the cities' histories, churches, etc. DO NOT get this tour.

Response from the operator: Dear Sir, We normally respect every review, including negative ones. However, we cannot accept a public accusation suggesting that our company “cheated” you when the facts and the numbers tell a completely different story. You state that you and your wife paid approximately $222, which corresponds to roughly €198. What you conveniently fail to mention is that you booked through TripAdvisor/Viator, not directly with our agency. From approximately €198, around 30% is retained by the booking platform in commissions and fees. This means that our agency receives less than approximately €140. Furthermore, the price you paid included the tuk-tuk experience in Matera, which costs €30 per person (€60 for two people). Once that €60 service is deducted, the actual amount remaining to our agency for the minibus excursion is approximately €35–40 per person. Therefore, the comparison with the other couple who told you that they paid €40 each is not evidence that you were “cheated.” In fact, the amount effectively received by our company for your transportation was comparable to — and potentially even LOWER than — what those passengers paid. There is another very important fact missing from your review. When you arrived, we specifically offered you the possibility of doing a walking guided tour of the Sassi or taking the tuk-tuk. Because your wife had difficulty walking due to problems with her knees, you chose the tuk-tuk yourselves as the more suitable option. You cannot voluntarily choose an alternative service because walking would have been difficult and then publicly blame our company because that service was not a walking guided tour. If you believe that the final amount charged through TripAdvisor/Viator was excessive, your complaint regarding the price should be addressed to TripAdvisor/Viator, since they determine what the customer pays on their platform and retain their commissions. It is simply incorrect to imply that our agency pocketed the entire $222. We are always prepared to accept legitimate criticism and improve our services. What we cannot accept is being portrayed as dishonest when the actual figures demonstrate exactly the opposite. We therefore strongly reject any suggestion that you were “cheated” by our company. Dreams for Tourists

via Viator

Amazon ancient place

The tour was very interesting

via Tripadvisor

Enjoyed both tours of...

Enjoyed both tours of Altamura and Matera. Glad we took the tuk-tuk tour add on in Matera as it covered a lot of ground. I only wish the driver had kept the English audio on so we could get more of the history.

via Viator

Not highly recommended if you need to learn about the towns history

It was great to see Altamera and Matera however it would have been great if the tour included tour guide to explain to us or at least in the car can give us a background on each town before dropping us off. I would have taken the train and made it by myself cheaper

Response from the operator: Thank you for your feedback. We would like to clarify that you purchased our basic low-cost tour option, which is designed mainly as transportation between the destinations with free time to explore independently. We always offer the possibility to add a professional guide at an extra cost, especially for Matera, and we strongly recommend it because of the historical importance of the city. This option was available but was declined. For this reason, we feel it is a bit unfair to complain afterward about the absence of a guide, since the guided service was optional and clearly offered before the tour. In any case, we are happy that you enjoyed visiting Altamura and Matera, and we truly appreciate your feedback.

via Viator