Monopoli is small. The centro storico, harbour, train station, and central beaches are all within a fifteen-minute walk of each other. A car is useful only for reaching the beaches and trulli country further south — and a nuisance to park in the old town, where the lanes are pedestrian-only and the resident-permit zones extend over much of the modern town.
For day trips along the coast, the regional Trenitalia line connects Monopoli to Polignano a Mare (10 minutes), Bari (40 minutes), Brindisi (1 hour), and Lecce (1h45). Buses link the centre to Capitolo and the southern beaches in summer. Bike rental from the harbour is the easiest way to explore the coastal cycle path that runs south to Egnazia.