SARDINIA CHEAP HOLIDAYS?
Yes, it is possible! Read the guide to discover how!
Latest updated October 2018
WANT TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT ITALY?
After reading this one, check out my in-depth article on the best ITALY ROAD TRIP: a marvelous itinerary starting in Rome and ending in the stunning Lake Como!
Have you always wanted to visit Sardinia but never managed to organize the perfect holiday? Do you think it would be too expensive for your budget? Relax, there is always a solution to everything and, as a local, I’m here to help you in achieving your goals!
Further reading: Things to do in Sardinia in Winter
I know that not everyone can afford to take time off from work in September/October or May/June, and if you are one of them, you will have to be a little more flexible with the crowds and try to beat them by waking up very early in the morning (I do this ALL THE TIME in July August). Also… the tip of all tips:
Book way in advance, usually people start booking the hotels as early as January and February to score the best hotel deals!
If you are lucky to be able to book in the low season, then read on as in this post, I will give you five excellent reasons which will make you want to start packing right now (don’t forget your swimsuit, the water is still decently warm in low season).
If you are still not sure whether my island is the right place for your holidays or not, then I recommend you read my article on the best beaches in Sardinia. I’m pretty confident that you won’t have doubts anymore.
Not only will I list some of the most jaw-dropping beaches around, pointing out the pros and cons of visiting Sardinia in high season, but I will also help you find the best accommodation and the cheapest hotels nearby.
If you are more of a visual person, then check out my latest video on the best beaches in Sardinia on my favorite coast: The Golfo di Orosei area in the east part of the island… Enjoy it… It’s short but to the point! 🙂
If that isn’t enough to convince you, I’ve also published another massive guide: “Where To stay in Sardinia (Also for couples),” which turned out to be a huge resource not only for couples but for all the people who want to visit the Island, with detailed guides on popular destinations such as Porto Cervo, Castelsardo, Cagliari, Cala Gonone, and Alghero. Check it out!
Now that July and August, the two hottest months of the year have passed by, is it still worth it to visit this magical island? There is only one answer to this question: YES, absolutely. If anything, booking your holidays in September/October is even better because Sardinia is at its best when the hordes of tourists have left.
Being Sardinian, I definitely know what I’m talking about. The locals mostly enjoy the island’s beauty during the months of May/June and September/October.
Further reading: Sardinia in One Week Itineraries
WHY SARDINIA IS PERFECT IN THE LOW SEASON?
Main Ferry Routes To Sardinia From Italy’s Mainland, Corsica, and Spain.
Whilst in July/August you will need to book your tickets way in advance to find good prices and availability, in September/October you can book your flights last minute or just a few days in advance. Seat availability for the flights to and from Sardinia is not an issue this time of the year, and the prices are significantly lower compared to high season (this is valid for both flights and ferries).
1 |CHEAP BOATS AND FERRIES TO SARDINIA
Traveling to Sardinia by ferry in September will cost you around 30 to 50 Euros for a one-way ticket if you choose the basic option (no bed/cabin included – I recommend buying an inflatable mattress), and around 100 to 150 Euros -one way- if you pick the more comfort-oriented option, which includes a private cabin with bed and private bathroom.
COST OF TRAVELING TO SARDINIA BY FERRY WITH A CAR
The prices might vary depending on the route and the company you choose and are valid for one person traveling without a car. If you are traveling with your own vehicle, the price is calculated based on the size and model of your car.
How much will you pay extra for the car? Usually, it starts at 70/80 Euros for a small car, depending on the route and the operating company.
I think traveling by boat is the best way to reach Sardinia. I love spending time on the deck, admiring the sunset and the sunrise. It definitely adds some poetry to the trip!
To find and book the best deals for ferries to and from Sardinia, you can check Traghetti line (more on that below), the official website that will find the best prices for you, comparing the offers from the main maritime companies on all the available routes from mainland Italy, Spain, France and more.
BOOK YOUR FERRY TO SARDINIA DIRECTLY FROM HERE!
Below is the tool I always use to book my Ferry tickets.
HOW TO FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS TO SARDINIA
Depending on where you are flying from, there are 3/4 airlines flying to Sardinia all year round. To find the best deals on the web, my best bet is to check out Skyscanner.
It will show you all the airlines flying on a certain date and allows you to compare them and find the lower price (useful to see how the prices go up and down depending on the season).
You can also check out the Sardinia General Info page on my Sardinia section for further information on the best airlines.
2 | BEAUTIFUL DESERTED BEACHES IN SARDINIA
Cala Brandinchi: Deserted Sardinia beach in September, just in front of Tavolara Island
Having the beach all for yourself, who wouldn’t have such a wild dream? If you visit Sardinia in September or even at the beginning of June, your dream might become a reality.
When most people are back behind their desks, you will enjoy kilometers of white sand and turquoise water in paradise. Many beaches in Sardinia are almost deserted by mid-September, even the most popular and touristic ones.
It happened to me more than once, both in June and September, and it’s been such a surreal experience: I went to Chia Beach, located on the island’s southwest coast, and I could finally enjoy that huge beautiful beach all to myself.
TIP: If you want to try the experience, avoid going to the beach on weekends, as the locals still go there to break their weekly work routine.
Not only will you find deserted beaches, but also deserted roads, which is such a relief and a massive bonus for your nerves! During peak season, it might take a few hours to reach the most popular destinations and even more on your way back to your hotel if you are not staying nearby the beach*
*This is valid for all the major touristic beaches all around Sardinia but even more for tourists and locals who have their base in Cagliari and surrounding villages and want to spend a day in Chia, Tuerredda beach, or Villasimius/Costa Rei Beach.
3 | CHEAP ACCOMMODATION AND HOTELS IN SARDINIA
What about spending half the price for a place like this?
This is a valid statement for all tourist destinations, “low season” always means lower accommodation prices. Sardinia can be bloody expensive, especially in July/August (the average cost for a small villa or apartment is around 700/1000 euros per week), but during the months of September (and if you want to risk a bit more, October) the prices go down, sometimes even by 50%.
This is even truer if you don’t choose a very touristic area (which I strongly recommend, as there are amazing places still not very popular that deserve all your attention).
Which are these less touristic places? Some examples are the Carloforte, Oristano, and Piscinas areas. They are stunningly beautiful and rich in culture with a great atmosphere. I’ve been there, and I can not recommend them enough. If you don’t like discovering new areas, no problem, the tourist areas can be cheap too if you know when to book your accommodation.
Below are some links to agencies/websites I personally used to find accommodation for my many mini-breaks around the island. Every year my family and I decide to discover a different part of Sardinia, and we usually rent a small villa/apartment (called “Villetta” by the locals) close to the sea.
This way, we can also save money by cooking our own meals and going to the beach on foot or by bicycle. If you want to know more, read my article about Sardinia holidays for families with kids
TIPS FOR FINDING THE BEST HOTEL DEALS IN SARDINIA:
Finding the best hotels/accommodation is not always easy, especially in Sardinia. That is why many people use travel agencies to avoid the hassle of searching online. But from my experience, it’s truly easy to do it yourself, saving a lot of money sometimes. I’ll tell you how I have done it for more than six years on the road 🙂
Click on this link to find out the best deals for cheap hotels and resorts in Sardinia, they have a truly massive inventory, with every possible solution for any budget. From the “Villetta” to all-inclusive hotels and even cheap hostels.
I always recommend them because I use their website whenever I book my hotel, and most properties have a free cancellation policy. A massive bonus when I need to book way in advance. I usually book three hotels and cancel the others last minute once I have made up my mind just before the trip.
4 | TRULY ENJOY THE TRADITIONAL STREET FESTIVALS IN SARDINIA
Traditional Sardinian costumes
You can find Sardinian festivals (gastronomic, religious, and cultural) all year round, but September and October are the best months to enjoy the experience to the full. The weather is still very nice, and you can experience the thrill of being surrounded only by locals, making the interactions much easier (especially if you are visiting Sardinia as a solo traveler)
There are plenty of festivals all over the island, and it is rare to visit a village and not find a traditional festivity in one of the nearby villages. Even religious processions can be quite something. Don’t dismiss them as, during these religious events, you will witness the real Sardinian culture.
Below are some links to websites with a list of festivities for you to check out so that you can organize your stay according to these dates if you want to be there during the event.
In my opinion, these festivals are, together with the beaches, the very core of Sardinia. Every tourist should be part of them at least once in their life.
Nothing gives you more sense of Sardinia culture than being in the middle of the action, with all the smells, sounds, local food, and the magical experience of being surrounded by Sardinian people who have nothing to do with the tourist business.
5 | WEATHER AND AVERAGE TEMPERATURES IN SARDINIA:
Source: sardiniaplaces.com
The weather in Sardinia is almost always pleasant, especially during the summer months. It starts getting warm in April/May, with temperature peaks in July and August, and it is still sunny and nice until October.
During September/October, you will experience the most pleasant temperatures. It’s not too hot but still warm enough for swimming and sunbathing without melting under the scorching sun.
From my 20 years of experience living in Sardinia, sometimes in September, it might rain for a couple of hours, very rarely for a few days, but even so, the temperatures during the day never go below 24/25 degrees.
SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2019:
Sunny days and I’m still going to the beach! 🙂
The beautiful beach of Cala Domestica, on the southwest coast of Sardinia, at the beginning of October 2019. Super sunny, semi-deserted beach and warm water to swim!
Additional Tips:
Bring a light jacket with you for the evenings as sometimes (not every year, but it can happen) the temperatures go down a bit after the sunset.
Also note that certain areas are more subjected to the winds, especially the “Maestrale,” which is quite strong and blows from north to south. It usually lasts for 3 to 5 days.
During these days, I suggest you find more secluded beaches as the wind (especially on the south coast) will blow the sand all over your towel, making your stay very uncomfortable.
Also, be extra careful when you swim during Maestrale windy days as it might be tricky to go back to shore if you are on the South coast of Sardinia (this obviously doesn’t apply to the beaches in the north).
Do you still have doubts about visiting Sardinia in the low season? If you need more information or suggestions about where to go or what to see, send me an email, and I’ll try to help! Don’t miss my latest massive Sardinia Guide!
SAVE IT FOR LATER…PIN IT!
DISCOVER MORE OF SARDINIA:
- Where To stay in Sardinia for Couples: A Local’s guide!
- One week in Sardinia: the Best Itinerary For you!
- Best Sardinia Beaches You can’t miss on Your Trip
- Amazing Things To Do In Sardinia in Summer
- Unique Things To Discover in Sardinia During Winter
- Best Costa Smeralda Beaches With Map
- Sardinia By Car: The Ultimate Guide on How To Get Around the Island!
- Sardinia Photos: My 15 favorite Instagram Pictures!
- Sardinia Travel Guide: Unmissable Places To See and Things To Do!
- Sardinia Holidays for Families: Where To Stay with your kids!
- Sardinia Solo Travel: A Backpackers guide by a Local!
- Sardinia Camping: Your Guide (By a Local)
- Sardinia Travel Guides
- Sardinia in 2 weeks: Best Itinerary
- Sardinia in 3 weeks: Best Itinerary
Comments
Thank you for sharing these informations about Sardinia, very useful!
Thank you for sharing all this helpful info about Sardinia! I’m planning my trip next summer in June, and it’s been very helpful, now on to find a great hotel! We are going to the Golfo di Orosei (Thanks to your other article about the best Sardinia beaches), and we can’t wait!!
Hey Mada, so glad I could help you with your Sardinia trip! I LOVE LOVE Orosei! You’re gonna have the time of your life! Don’t forget the boat trip to the major beaches and the hike to Cala Goloritze’ 🙂
Thanks for sharing this wonderful article about this beautiful place Sardinia. Great place to spend quality time with friends and family.
Dear Clelia,
We have booked 5 nights and 5 days in November (arriving late on Thursday, departing late on Tuesday in and out of Cagliari).
We have booked a car as we are coming to explore the island with the view of buying a holiday home to eventually retire to.
We are fully aware that this isn’t anywhere close to enough time but have to do it bit by bit, whether it takes 3 or 333 trips!
But seeing as this will be our first visit, our plan is on the first visit to go to as many main cities as possible.
Once we have visited as many places we can (however many trips it takes), we will look to limit it down our top few locations and from then look to do a visit to view homes. Obviously lots of factors need to be included, in particular different prices of properties, however we have to do it step by step!
So after all that waffling, my question to you is, seeing the time we are visiting (November), which cities/towns would you think would be must sees on our first visit (flying in to Cagliari), obviously we might as well spend some time in Cagliari, but is there anywhere else you would consider must sees on our first visit? We are happy to spend each night in a different location. I think considering the time of the year, the purpose of this visit will be to see which towns still have a good vibe and a bit of life at this time of year.
Many thanks!
Rachael
Hi Clelia!
I’m glad to find you blog 🙂
We are planning to go to Sardinia on the last week of September until first week of October, have doubt about the weather. Since we are really longing to laying on the beach and swim.. what do you think?
Clelia, we decided to go to Sardinia next year probably late June and when I started to research up you came! Brilliant. So we are retired can walk a few miles, will hire a car, and like to be off the tourist trail. Probably about 10+ days but flexible. I thought Olbia flight and Castelsando and then Cala Gonone. I wondered about the route across to Cal Gonone, we do mountain roads and love the real villages of the interior. Maybe spend a night in the mountains? all ideas appreciated we’d like to do a festival but maybe wrong time of year
Richard
Hello. Hopefully you can help with our Sardinia holiday. We are going early September with a 11 month old baby. We enjoy chilling out round the pool and going to a beach with sun beds for shade etc but also want the option to have a drive out and do some sightseeing. We would like to be able to walk into a town in the evening for dinner and a few drinks, nothing too crazy! A travel agent has recommended a apartment at Resort Cala di Falco where we can walk into Cannigione. We will be flying into Olbia. Are there any other Places you know that would be good? Thanks in advance!
Hi Jo
I think I’ve already replied to you for the Cannigione post, right?
Have a fantastic trip!!
Hello. I haven’t seen a reply? Thanks Jo
Hi Joanne
You wrote another one in a generic Sardinia page where I have replied 🙂
Cheers
Hi Clelia
I have just come across your site and I must say it is one of the best I have found so far. I would love your suggestions on my upcoming holiday to Sardinia in mid September. I will be travelling with my other half, we are in our mid-late 30’s and will be staying 7 nights after spending a couple weeks on the mainland in Italy. We are from Melbourne, Australia.
The number 1 reason for us to go to Sardinia is what looks like beautiful beaches. This will be the relaxation part of our holiday and would love your suggestions to what area we should look at staying in where we will be surrounded by beautiful beaches that we can swim in? I see all these photos or amazing blue and clear water and that’s what I want. I have been told that the north is best and that Costa Smeralda is very flashy and maybe to stay away. Mixed opinions have confused me. We are happy to hire a car so we can explore areas, but don’t want to be driving hours every day. I would love to get out on boats if it is worth exploring any islands or parts of the coast to go snorkelling. What would you suggest here and where does the sun set?
As we have 7 nights would you recommend we stay in the one place or would you suggest we split our time between two places? We love our food and wine so staying in places where we have a few options of restaurants would be good.
Thanks so much,
Kelly
So glad i found your blog. My husband and I planned to go to Sardinia this month but it just didn’t happen. Then I thought about October but wasn’t sure on the weather. Hopefully we end up going this time
Hey Rebecca, sorry to hear you didn’t make it to Sardinia this month… I surely hope the weather holds because I also want to enjoy my island in that period. Some years are better than others and this year it was pretty weird in May when it’s usually already hot and sunny, so who knows, maybe it will be super nice in September and October. Unpredictable but if you are lucky, you TRULY WILL BE! The beaches almost deserted and loads of fantastic places to discover!
Hi Clelia,
I have a weird question. 😀 Is water in Sardegna turquoise in late September? I’m asking because we were there in May ’18 and got the only raining week in 20 years :))) it rained literally all 5 days we were there and obviously the water wasn’t the “tropical” blue we were expecting. and we are thinking of visiting again in September and wondering if the water is the light/turquoise blue only in July and August, the extremely hot months or if we’ll see it in Sept too.
Thanks so much!
Georgiana
Hei Georgiana! Sorry to hear about your bad luck with the weather! The water is obviously turquoise also depending on which beach you choose the colors might differe, for example if you go to the west coast there are a few nice beaches that for the color of the sand make look the sea a bit darker. If you are going to one of the “tropical-like” beaches, and the sun is shining, no matter what month it is… they will be gorgeous and turquoise 🙂 Good luck to you (and to me too!) because in September my boyfriend is coming to visit and we certainly hope to find lovely weather so I can show him the best parts and our famous turquoise waters!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia
What a wonderful blog and articles. Thank you for taking the time to share these wonderful insights into Sardinia.
Myself and my 15 year old daughter are flying into Olbia on 20th April for 7 days. My husband was due to come but due to a bad knee unable to fly- so we are coming just the two of us- a big change for us. We are overwhelmed with information and cannot decide where to stay. We won’t have a car so have to rely on public transport. We would love to immerse ourselves in the culture,people and food. Don’t want to travel too far away from the airport of possible. Could you suggest a place(s) that would be good that time of year. Enough to keep us occupied for the 7 days at a leisurely pace. We like to do all things mothers and daughters do, eating,shopping,bit of sightseeing and wandering about. Many thanks and looking forward and grateful for your knowledge. 🙂
Hey Louise, thanks for stopping by and for your nice words. It’s always a pleasure when I know I’ve somehow helped my readers.
As for your question(s). It’s a bit difficult because you won’t have the car so the choices are a lot more limited in this instance (unfortunately Sardinia public transport is not exactly ideal). That said, you could certainly find a suitable place for you and your daughter. Given that you are coming in April, you are in a way lucky as you’ll experience more of the real Sardinia without the hordes of tourists.
So… where should you go? Given that you have no car and you still want to stay close enough to the airport (Olbia), the first place that came to my mind is Santa Teresa di Gallura. It’s 2 hours and a half from Olbia airport and it’s a lovely city where locals live all year round. From there, there are buses that go to Palau if you want to visit the Costa Smeralda (not sure whether the boat trips to the Archipelago Della Maddalena will be running at the end of Apri, but depending on the weather they might).
You can also rent a bike or take the local buses to reach some nice beaches, capo testa, archaeological sites and dine at the local restaurants (mostly with the locals!). Just choose your accommodation carefully (in my opinion it’s better in the city center so you will find also tour operator companies to book daily trips, restaurants, shopping etc). I usually always find my accommodation on booking.com as they don’t just have hotels but also B&B and other solutions and they are very reliable. For Santa Teresa di Gallura you can see what options they have in here. I usually try to find 2-3 places with free cancellation to secure the booking and then cancel the ones I don’t need anymore last minute 🙂 (I save money and stress by doing that).
Let me know if you need some more help! If not, I wish you a great time in Sardinia!
Cheers
Clelia
Thank you for your wonderful suggestions .Can you please tell me where/ village/ town to stay in that’s not in the south coast of the island as I would like to avoid the winds.
Hi Ava, thanks for stopping by! Just one mention about the winds 🙂 You probably are referring to a specific wind (the Maestrale or Mistral) which is quite strong and might last for days. In South Sardinia is pretty annoying, yes but it blows everywhere. We also have other winds but usually, they are milder in intensity. As for the recommendation for a place to stay… I would check out the Ogliastra region (I love it) and it’s also good for when the wind blows because of the rocks and mountains in the proximity of the most stunning beaches in the island as well. I’d recommend Cala Gonone, Baunei or Orosei in that area.
Hope it helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Hello, I have checked out your article, its just awesome and amazing content with beautiful pictures of Sardinia. Thank you so much for sharing this useful information. I have seen your blog, you never visit India. What about India tour with Palace On Wheels Luxury Train? It;s all about luxurious facilities. So what;s the plan.
Thanks for the lovely comment Ankita! Yes, you are right I’ve never visited India but it’s on my list since a very long time so I will definitely be visiting the country one day! Not sure how I’d love to visit it, probably for my way of traveling, I’d rather choose the local trains to have a more genuine experience and interaction with the locals 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Very Nice Post! Thank you so much for sharing this useful 5 reasons to visit Sardinia. I will definetely visit it soon. During September/October is perfect.
Thanks Tony! Yes Sardinia in low season or even in winter is absolutely magnificent!
Clelia- hi! This is a wonderful post! Another greeting from Australia (Canberra). My husband and I are planning to go to Sardinia for 6 weeks (yay!) in 2019 with our 4 year old boy. We will probably arrive at the beginning of September and stay until early October. We are looking to stay in a lovely village or town, rich in culture and food, ideally near a beach but we don’t mind mountains either. We want to experience the culture and festivals, cook and learn a bit of the language. Where would you recommend we look to stay? And do you have any long term accomodation website suggestions (aside from Air BnB)?
Hi Danielle, Thanks for your comment and wow such a coincidence as I am working on an article to discover Sardinia just the way you want! And another coincidence (that has nothing to do with Sardinia 🙂 Is that I’m going to Australia for the first time in less than a month!
Anyway, coming back to your questions. Not sure whether you have subscribed to my mailing list for Sardinia, if not you can do it in here and I will tell you when my article will be ready. It is already published but it’s so long and detailed that I am working on It and it will be ready hopefully within 1 month (but you have time).
You can even have a look at it right now, but just for the titles mainly as I copy and old post that is not Sardinia related to create the layout (long work!), but the list is complete and you can start forming an idea of what to do. Once is FINALLY completed you’ll receive an email!
I hope it helps, I’m putting my soul in that article as I want people to explore Sardinia beyond the beautiful beaches and experience its true essence and traditions.
Here is the article still work in progress (it’s not just winter but all of the off season):
Sardinia in Winter
I hope it helped! Let me know with a comment if you need any specific info!
Cheers
Clelia
Danielle, my wife and I are thinking of doing the same trip in 2 weeks. Can you please share your experience from your trip.
Hi, thank you very much for the useful content… These are really high – quality posts!
Thanks!
Hi Clelia,
Greetings from Australia.
Thank you for the great information you provide. I love reading through it.
You have probably already addressed this question so apologies if you are repeating yourself again but can you recommend best area to stay for 3 middle aged couples in early to mid September for 6 days?
Looking for village atmosphere near a beach with restaurants we can walk to for dinner. We will have a car so are happy to do daytrips to see the sites. We are planning on finding a villa so we can also cook some meals so advice on markets to buy fresh produce would also be great.
We have been to Italy before but not Sardinia and are all really looking forward to it as we have heard great things.
Regards Sharon
Hey Sharon! Thanks for your comment. Totally unrelated but when I read that you are from Australia my heart skip a bit as I recently bought my flights to finally go there for 3 weeks:) As for your question, don’t worry… I receive so many questions about Sardinia that it would be impossible to read them all and people sometimes ask slightly similar questions, that’s normal 🙂
According to your preferences… to me, one of the best places would be Cala Gonone in the enchanting Golfo di Orosei Area on the east Coast. Given that you have a car, you can also drive around to discover other beaches or (depending on the weather) you can also take the one-day boat trips from there.
I am assuming that you are talking about next year, right? Because if it was a typo and you meant like… now in October, then probably it’s going to be a bit more challenging to find the companies offering these boat trip still operating.
Another great option is Santa Teresa di Gallura (North east side), a lovely village, local beach and plenty of restaurants. Depending on where you are located (preferably a “villetta” or villa near the sea is top but you’ll have to book as early as Jan/February as the best deals will be very difficult to find later on).
Both Cala Gonone and Santa Teresa di Gallura are not just tourist locations which means that local people also live there all year round so you won’t have any issue in finding supermarkets and shops where to buy your groceries and cook at home!
Hope it helps
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
Thank you for such great advice, I now know where to start my search.
If I can return the favour and assist at all with your trip to Australia then please let me know. We live in Queensland and have worked in tourism for the last 10 years.
Cheers
Sharon
Hi Sharon, glad you found my advice useful, and thanks for your kind offer! I will be based in Melbourne so having just 3 weeks available I was thinking about visiting the gold coast and its surroundings… I still haven’t decided whether to fly to other parts of Australia for a few days, I think that after a 24hr flight I will need some time to recover from the jet lag first, such a pity that I can’t stay longer but being this a vacation i can’t leave my website for more than a couple of weeks. If you have any advice for the Melbourne area, about something I can’t miss… let me know!
Thanks again
Clelia
Hi again,
Melbourne is certainly a great place to visit, we lived there for a few years but it really depends on the time of year you are visiting as to what to recommend to see, so let me know.
As for Gold Coast, it is very vibrant but touristy, doesn’t really show the true essence of Queensland but if you are going to visit then I recommend you look at Broadbeach or Burleigh Heads. Both are great areas to base yourself to see everything but Burleigh has the best beach and nice restaurants. South of the boarder look for kingscliff, Lennox heads and Byron bay.
Try and head a couple of hours drive north to the Sunshine Coast and visit not just the beach area but also our amazing hinterland area. Noosa, especially has wonderful dining, a cosmopolitan atmosphere and the most beautiful national park to walk through. You won’t be disappointed.
Australia is a big country so with only 3 weeks maybe think about half your time in Melbourne and the other half in Queensland – again depending on the time of the year as Melbourne has very seasonal weather.
Sharon
Thanks so much for the tips Sharon! I feel a bit overwhelmed as Australia is a massive continent, taking a few notes now to plan my itinerary better!
Hey,
Mu husband and I are traveling to Sardinia 2nd week of October. We want peace and quiet but at the same time don’t want to feel like we are in a ghost town. Is there any advise of where to stay for 4 days in order to still enjoy some sort of city feel with beautiful beaches? Any help please!!!!
Hi Vicki! October is a “weird” month in Sardinia, meaning that the season is almost over (depending on the weather of course) but that doesn’t mean you can’t find places to visit without feeling like you are in a ghost town! Many touristy places are villages and cities where local people live all year round so you will find everything opened to the public, including restaurants, attractions, bars & co. I think your best option would be to base yourself in Cagliari, given that you only have 4 days this will give you a few advantages:
1) Super close to the airport, no time wasted to get there!
2)Cagliari has so much to offer even offseason, including the beach town “Poetto”, the hike to admire the views at “La Sella del Diavolo”, the view from the Bastione, the historical center, a stroll on the main street in front of the pier… endless possibilities!
3) If you are renting a car you can still enjoy the view of some of the most amazing beaches in Sardinia on an easy day trip (like the locals do!) on the east side you can visit Villasimius and Costa Rei and on the west side Chia and Tuerredda, all of them are fabulous!
The weather is unpredictable so you might not be able to go for a swim but nothing beats an almost (or totally) deserted beach in Sardinia in October! The temperatures at the moment are still quite nice (26 degrees on average) but in October they usually go down to 18-22 degrees. Still very enjoyable!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia, just came across your site by accident and so pleased I did, such great info, as a first timer to Sardinia, we arrive 27th sept for a week, I have very little knowledge of the area other than it all looks beautiful. We are staying in Grande Baia hotel in San Teodoro and on checking the alternatives to transfer from Olbia airport find they are around £180 which seems rather a lot of money….not sure if public transport is an option, having not driven in Europe before would this be a good time to do it in your opinion? Any information would be appreciated. Sue
Hi Sue,
Sorry for the super late reply but I was having some IT Issues with the comment section! As for your question, depending on how much luggage you have, public transport might be an option as Olbia is well connected with San Teodoro by buses, and 180£ is wayyy too much!! I always suggest to rent a car also to be able to discover the surrounding areas while on vacation in Sardinia, but if you plan to just relax in your Hotel you won’t need it. Check out the public transport as it’s super cheap and convenient for that area!
Hello Cleilia
Love the knowledge you have about Sardinia. We went to your beautiful island last year in August and followed a lot of advice you were kind enough to send us. We stayed in Green Village as we usually have to go self catering owing to my Son,daughter and wife are all vegetarian. This year we hope to go again but owing to a delayed house move we can’t go until September or October. Thankfully you latest blog gives us hope that we can enjoy Sardinia again, Just two questions 1 we all love swimming in the sea, will it be warm enough? 2 Have you any suggestions for good self catering apartments.. Also big thank you for the fab advice last year.
Take care
Trevor
Hi Trevor, I’m so glad when I receive this kind of feedback from people like you that have used my advice and were happy with it 🙂 (you have no idea of how much work and sleepless night I put to try to help people writing these articles!) so thanks again!
As for this year, it really depends. I was in Sardinia in between May and June and the weather was totally unpredictable, one day was sort of warm and normal for that time of the year, but other days were rather “chilly”.
I wish I had a magic ball to predict what is going to happen this year in September. From my experience, the fact that early in June wasn’t still as warm as it should have been, it doesn’t affect how the weather will be in September/October. Some years these months are the best and some others the weather starts to deteriorate at the beginning of October.
Your safest bet, if your schedule allows you, is to book as early in September as possible as the weather is more predictable than on October. For the water, as you might have experienced last year, the Mediterranean sea is not as warm as the Caribbeans, so the water might get slightly colder than what it was in July/August but if it’s sunny and the temperature still in the range of 25 degrees Celsius or more, you can still swim.
I hope it helps!
Cheers
Clelia
hi. im glad i found your blog! my husband and i are planning to go to Sardinia this October for our 5th yr anniversary, like on the 15th til the 25th. we might just follow your itinerary since we found those places really interesting and best suit our type of trip. We will fly to Cagliari from NY. We love the beach, we make sure we go to a nice beach vacation almost every year. Our only concern is that if the weather would still be pleasant for swimming and boating. We also love exploring the towns and its culture, but mostly spending time on the beach. would love to hear from you. thanks
Hi Sheila! Sorry for the delay but I’m receiving way too many messages lately! For October, to be honest is quite risky. This year I was in Sardinia between May and June and usually, the weather is already spectacular by then, but this time it was very unpredictable with beautiful days and quite “cold” ones (compared to the average). Also for the boat trips, it usually depends on the weather as they try to prolong the season as much as they can if the condition allows them to navigate but in October (especially towards the end) the season is officially over and maybe your best bet is to ask locally if someone is willing to take you out on a boat if the conditions are good.
Maybe you are super lucky and what we didn’t have in May- June, it will come in October this year, who knows? These months are so unpredictable and I wish I could give you a more specific answer but not even the Meteo guys can 🙂 If you are looking for a beach holiday, if possible, your safest bet is to book a little bit before, like the end of September/ beginning of October. Usually, most of the tours are still available on those dates!
If you can’t change the dates, then… maybe you should either think about coming another time and change the destination for this year or keeping your fingers crossed for the weather 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Dear Sheila, The little known beaches, one after another, to the west and east of the northern town of Vignola, are among the best, most deserted, and easily accessible. I’ve been to Sardinia many times. Another special thing to do is to hire a ‘gomoni’, or rib boat, and travel around the coastline and offshore island, especially near Tavolara.
Thanks for your input Marcus. I just want to say that I’m very spoiled when it comes to rating beaches and those around Vignola (for my super high standards) are nice but not “jaw-dropping”. In any case, I know many people would be super happy and would love them. The idea of renting a Gommone (the right word or Sardinian people might get confused) 😀 it’s awesome. The best way to discover the most beautiful beaches. Tavolara and the Golfo di Orosei as well are magnificent if discovered by renting your “gommone”.
Hi Sheila,
My wife and I are planning a trip to Sardinia in mid-October this year. Would you care to share your experience of going at the same time of the year in 2018?
Thanks!
Hi Patrick, I thought about replying to you as well, I hope Sheila will reply with her experience, what I know from personal experience is that everyone has a different perception (some people are totally fine with the crowds and/or bad weather, others think the water is too cold or perfectly fine in October). If you need to know something specific other than curiosity for someone else’s experience, let me know and I will try to reply! Cheers
Hi Clelia, what a great and useful bog you have, especially for first time travelers to Sardinia like myself.
My partner and I are planning 5 nights in Sardinia at the end of September 2018. We initially are thinking of staying in Porto Cervo but am worried that a lot of the town will be closed by then. Do you have any suggestions? Should we stick to the Porto Cervo area or venture somewhere else? Will it still be warm enough to swim in the ocean?
We love beautiful beaches, great restaurants, wine and nightlife. We also really want to hire our own boat for half a day. Would love and appreciate your help!!
Johanna
Hi Johanna, Thanks for your kind comment! The end of September can be a bit tricky to predict, some years the weather is awesome, while other years it’s unpredictable.
In theory, if the weather holds, you should still be able to enjoy Sardinia to the fullest, in Porto Cervo or any other place. The business owners decide when the “season is over” mostly based on the weather.
Porto Cervo is mainly a touristy area, Sardinian people don’t really live there all year long so it can be slightly more risky to book something in town. You could opt to book your accommodation in a “normal” village nearby as the restaurants and nightlife will still be the same independently of the tourist season.
My recommendation is to try Santa Teresa di Gallura Instead, plenty of restaurants, nightlife, and shops. If you have a car and still want to visit Porto Cervo, it’s just a one-hour drive. The beaches in Santa Teresa are also great and you can move around pretty easily as being on the very top of Sardinia you can explore the beaches in the north and the one on the east coast.
For the boat rental, there are several companies that provide this service in Santa Teresa di Gallura as well. Swimming, if the weather holds is still a great option, the water might not be as warm as in August (and it’s never super warm anyway in the mediterranean sea)but even I have swam in September and I hate cold waters 🙂
Hope this helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Hey Cleilia,
Any advice for surfing areas?
Sorry for the super late reply Alissa, great spots for surfing are Porto Pollo, isola dei Gabbiani and in the South also Chia/Capo spartivento. But don’t expect huge waves like the ones in the ocean, the mediterranean sea is a closed one so the waves are not super massive!
Hi Clelia,
Your blog is stupendous! Such a wonderfully useful travel resource.
My wife and I are coming to visit Sardinia from late in September into early October. We’ve allotted 7-8 days for our trip in which to experience things in both the North and the South, but we’re undecided on which airport to land at to begin touring by rental car. We’re mainly interested in your country’s history, art, culture, wine and food, though a beach day or 2 is not out of the question. We want to visit both Alghero and Santa Teresa di Gallura and then continue our exploration southward, returning to Rome from Cagliari. Given that we’re going to end up in Cagliari, which airport do you recommend we arrive at? Should we begin our road trip from Olbia or from Alghero?
Hey Joe, glad you found my website useful! Ok, let’s see 🙂
If you want to visit both Alghero and Santa Teresa and I guess you will be renting a car, then the best option for you would be Landing at Alghero, explore that area, then head towards Santa Teresa and further down to Olbia. This is the best way to end your journey in Cagliari. I recommend taking a few days to go from the coastline to the inland part of the Island towards Oliena, Nuoro, Jerzu, and further down, if you love history and culture you can’t skip a visit to the Barumini Nuraghe of course! That is not even very far from Cagliari (my grandma used to live in the village after Barumini and we often went there on an easy day trip from Cagliari).
So to answer your question again: Landing in Alghero is the best choice. If you find a deal for Olbia, that’s not the end of the world, but you would have to change your itinerary in my opinion and since the beaches are not on top of your list, you could even skip Santa Teresa and Olbia and decide to continue on the west coast to Bosa Marina, Oristano/Tharros ruins, go inland to visit the Nuraghe complex in Barumini and if you have some time you could also take the Arbus/piscinas road which is super nice with its abandoned mines in the mountains.
As you can see, there are plenty of options to discover a bit of Sardinia culture/food! If you want, there are some great tours available for the wineries and to get to know the food traditions in Sardinia in here.
Hope it helps!
Cheers Clelia
Hi Clelia,
I plan to visit Sardinia in the 1st week of October, I’m a solo traveler. I would like to know which beach is nice where have no a lot of wind and also not far away from the airport (which airport I must to take?).
Do you have any recommendation any hotel also close to the beach?
Is it possible from Sardinia to Pisa with ferry?
Thank you, greetings from Holland
Hey Loury, thanks for the message 😉 Regarding a beach near the airport, it depends on how near as all of the Sardinian airports are not super far from the beaches by using public transport. My family lives near the Cagliari Airport and from there (I would suggest staying in Cagliari city which is also lovely to explore especially at that time of the year) you can take either the Metropolitan buses to the main beach “Poetto” In Cagliari or go to Piazza Matteotti where there is the train station and the regional Bus station and take one of the buses to the main beaches (on the east coast Villasimius and Costa Rei and on the west coast Chia/Su Giudeu beach, and Tuerredda, but if you don’t have a car I wouldn’t recommend Chia because the bus stop is on the main road and you would have to walk A LOT to get to the beach).
If you want to book a hotel close to the beaches then you have plenty of options also for the north Sardinia. Santa Teresa or San Teodoro (even better as it’s a lot closer to Olbia airport and very well served by public buses) and in October the beaches are not super crowded of course which makes it for a great experience.
For the wind, it’s tricky to say which one is better, our island can get quite windy but not always so it’s a bet. The worst wind for the south beaches is definitely Mistral (maestrale) and when it blows you can’t stay on the beach, but yet again, it’s not always blowing and there are days where there is no wind at all.
The other wind is Levante, less strong especially on the south beaches and same goes for this. It’s not always blowing.
As for your question about the ferry, there is one route from Sardinia to Livorno port operated by Moby lines, and from there to Pisa is only like 20 minutes via public transport.
Hope this helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Hello
I’m so glad I found your site. My husband & I are traveling Oct 2 for 5 nights to explore Sardinia & im so excited but we live in Southern California & I am a wimp about cold water & cold temps outside. Since it’s the very beginning of Oct do you think it will still be sunbathing/swimming weather? What do you think about Isola di Santa Maria, there is a eco hotel there but is that more of a day trip by Maddelena. Is it best to rent a car or scooter? And if we want to go to the south for 2 nights do we hire a car or I read something about a flight?
Thanks Samantha
Hey Samantha, sorry for the late reply! I hope I can still help you out 🙂
I can totally relate to your fear of being cold (I feel cold even when other people find the weather still very warm!)
October in Sardinia, even if it’s the very beginning, is definitely more unstable weather wise than September but we have had seasons with lovely warm days, so you never know! If I were you I will bring some jackets but also a swim suit as maybe one day is not perfect but the next day you can still swim! Be aware that the water might be quite cold at the end of the season, unfortunately Sardinia doesn’t have the warm waters of the Caribbean (not even during high season) but it is bearable if the day is warm. I swam in October a couple of times during a sunny day and it wasn’t that bad 🙂
As for going from the north to the south I’d rather rent a car than fly! Yes there are flights from Olbia to Cagliari but 1) they are more expensive than renting a car 2) if you include the time it takes to get to airport, check in and all… you won’t save much time in the end and you will lose the opportunity to actually see Sardinia from your car!
Hope it helps
Cheers
Clelia
Hi,
We would like to visit Sardinia for a week near the end of September. We are concerned about the weather. Is the water warm enough and is it sunny enough to lay on the beach?
Thanks,
Michal
Hey Michal, unfortunately, as you know, the weather can not be predicted 100% but I can give you an idea of it based on my experience over the years. September weather is usually still warm and nice, especially the first half of the month then it can be a little unpredictable. But there were years I was able to swim and sunbathe even in October, while other years some days in early September where chilly and then the weather turned warm again in a few days.
So the end of September is slightly less “secure” but Sardinia is super fascinating even if the weather is not perfect. Obviously, if you want a beach holiday, I can not give you the 100% guarantee of good weather (but there is no 100% guarantee anywhere, not even in the tropics where I have lived for a long time).
I am currently in Sardinia and we had some very hot days in August but also days where the temperature dropped and it was super windy, but no rain so far, this is a very dry season as far as I can tell.
Cheers
Clelia
Fantastic site. Lots of useful information here.
I am sending it to a few pals ans also sharing in delicious.
And certainly, thank you to your effort!
Thanks Lilla, Sorry I completely missed your lovely message
Hi Clelia, I enjoyed your article. I was looking to travel to Sardinia in early/mid September. I’m a solo female traveler. Do you have any recommendations? I may spend around 5-6 days, and since I’m by myself, I don’t want to rent a car. Is it possible to do this, or is it better to save Sardinia for when I travel with someone else?
If you think it’s possible, what would be some good locations in Sardinia for me to go to? (The first half of my vacation will be very active, on a bike tour in Spain and then several days in Rome, so I want to relax.) I am mainly interested in relaxing on a beautiful beach and eating great food. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Dara! I think that traveling Sardinia by yourself I not only possible but a great way to visit my island! The public transport is not super ideal but if you only chose a specific area it can certainly be done! I have another page about Sardinia where I recommend yoga retreats, hiking and more with a local nearby Alghero.That is one of the things you could explore for example.
If you want to connect with other travelers, why don’t you try camping? There are great camping sites in both San Teodoro and Cannigione (Isuledda, near Palau on the north east coast). I visited both places by using public transport so I know first hand that it’s doable and you will find fellow travelers as well. I recommend early September as there is still some movement and if you like to meet people is better of course!
Hope this helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi!
I am flying to Alghero with my boyfriend in mid-September. However we would like to go to another city but we are to young to rent a car in a reasonable price. Would you suggest us to stay in Stintino, Santa Teresa di Gallura or maybe another place? We would like to live somewhere where there is a simple acces to the beaches and also restaurants, shops etc. Do you have any suggestions? I read a lot about your beautiful island but without seeing the citiesI am confused looking after accomodation.. I would really appreciate your advices!
Hi Alex,
If you can’t rent a car and want to discover a bit of Sardinia using public transports I suggest you go from Alghero to Olbia (you can check out this website to find how to get there by train/buses) and from there there are several local buses to reach the beaches. As for the cities, I wouldn’t suggest you stay in Olbia as there is not much to see in there and if you are on a budget you can still enjoy these beautiful places by checking out Arzachena and Cannigione Village or try your luck in San Teodoro, also very easy to reach by public transport and the beach is within walking distance as well as restaurants, bars, and supermarkets!
Hope it heps 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
hi
I have 5 nights booked late Sept 28th here Bay of Santa Reparata, 07028, Santa Teresa Gallura, Sardinia, Italy
However we are arriving on the 23rd so looking for some suggestions for a few days road trip.
Thanks Anita
Hey Anita, sorry I just saw your message! A nice Road trip would be to get to the Golfo di Orosei! it is truly an amazing place to discover by car, find a place to settle in the area (maybe Dorgali, Baunei or Cala Gonone) and from there you will see how many incredible things you can visit during your road trip! Not sure whether you have already read it, if not, check out my other article ” Sardinia for couples” which has a special chapter dedicated to Cala Gonone with all the activities and things to do in the Golfo di Orosei area. That might help you. And it could also help you in finding another road trip, for example at Costa Paradiso or discover the nearby area of Arzachena and Costa Smeralda. It all depends on your budget and taste in the end.
Hope it helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi,
We are looking to visit Sardinia in October as a celebration of my big 50! Do you have any suggestions for a relaxed holiday enjoying food, wine, beech and sunsets?
Regards
Tracey
Hey Tracey! Qhat a great way to celebrate your 50!! I am about to celebrate my own milestone too (40) and for the occasion I’m obviously going back to sardinia (from Mexico, where I currently live) so I get your choice, good one! 🙂
For a relaxing holiday, if you want to enjoy the sunset then you will have to either choose the West Coast or the Alghero/Stintino area. I have a page, in cooperation with a lovely Sardinia girl, Gabrialla, who specializes in customized cultural /food tours in Sardinia which I highly recommend, she is very skilled and what she offers is great. You can take a look at the page and ask her what you would like to experience and she will give you suggestion and tell you what she can do for you.
If you want to do all by yourself, then I’d still stick to the Alghero area (for the beautiful sunsets, food etc)
Cheers!
Clelia
Hi,
I’m thinking of going to Sardinia for 5 days in October. I am just curious to know if Air bnb would be a good option and if so, is Cagliari a nice city to stay in?
Thanks, any help is very much appreciated!
Guy
Hey Guy
I don’t have direct experiences with Airbnb in Sardinia. The times I have booked a property was either via people who recommended a private that was renting a place or using booking.com. However, I think that Airbnb is now well established everywhere, including Sardinia. I know some people booked their stay with Airbnb but I don’t have any feedback on how that went. as for everything, it always depends on how the owner deals with the renting. This is why I recommend Booking.com as they have a massive amount of reviews and in my experience (not just in Sardinia but everywhere I booked with them, based on the reviews) they were pretty much spot on. That’s why I trust them.
If you decide to go with Airbnb, and you have a second after your vacation, let me and the readers in here know how it went!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
Firstly – a great website! We are a couple in our 30’s and want to go to Sardinia this summer. I read many of the other comments here to avoid repeating questions but still:
– Is mid June warm enough for sunbathing? I already figured that May-June is your favourite time but I like hot weather in general and it needs to get pretty warm in order to put on my swimsuit so just wandering if vacation starting June 16 would be ok..
– I am pretty picky on beaches and based on everything I’ve read so far I am thinking: fly to Cagliary, hire a car, stay 4 nights in Vilasimius to check out the beaches in the nearby are incl Costa Rei. Then move to Pula for 4 nights and see the beaches of Chia and Porto Pino. Do you think that this is a good idea or is this too much travel? I didn’t see Porto Pino anywhere in your recommendations and it looks fantastic on pictures. Is there a reason for this beach not being on your list? 🙂 I saw your favourite part is around Golfo Di Orosei but we need to fly to Olbia for it, right? Also – if we go there, we won’t be able to see beaches around Chia and Vilasimius and I am so confused now…
– We haven’t booked anything yet (air and accommodation) and when I started searching in booking.com I realized almost all places with reasonable price-quality ratio are booked so need to hurry-up…
Regards,
Galina
Hey Galina
Sorry for the late reply, but I was taking a much-deserved break! 🙂
I’ll, try to reply to all of your questions below:
1) Mid-June is usually PERFECT, not super hot to melt like butter, but I’m also very sensitive to the cold (like for me 22 degrees celsius is cold!) and in June I sunbathe and swim without a problem.
2)Staying 4 nights near Villasimius and 4 nights near Chia is actually an excellent Idea to see more of the south without rushing too much. Just consider the day you are moving from the southeast to the southwest (or vice-versa) as a day of travel, unless you depart super early, it will take at least 4 hours by car to get from Villasimius to Chia.
3) Porto Pino is a nice beach, but I’m possibly even more picky than you are, so picky that aftr 5 years checking out beaches all over the world I’m frequently disappointed from the most popular ones. Is porto Pino beach bad? Not at all, but to me it doesn’t have the WOW factor and even with the crowds in July and August, I’d rather go to Tuerredda or Chia Beach for its waters and scenic views. My personal preference, I guess. Maybe you have other parameters when it comes to rate beaches as it’s quite subjective. Recently I discover a beach in Mexico that to me is spectacular, and I had a few people telling me that they were not impressed at all and I was shocked. Then I realized that they were rating the beach (the are was not super wild) but for me the water itself, the incredible colors and cleaniness, made it a 10.
4) Golfo di Orosei: I know, I know… I push that area a lot as the baches are incredibly beautiful and wild but they can also get crowded. It’s a matter of choice I guess. If you like super wild nature, beaches that are not easy to reach by car (sometimes impossible) then the Orosei area is for you (and yes you will need to fly to Olbia or get ready to drive for 3-4 hours to get there from Cagliari). To me both the south and the east coast are beautiful, different but both worht it and if you choose one and just have one week, I recommend sticking with that area only.
5) Yes for the bookings… I can0’t repeat it enough, after 5 years checking out the bookings, I can see that the best deals are grabbed as soon as january! What I always recommend is to read the articles and book maybe 2-3 places that have the free cancellation policy and when the time get near, cancel the one you are no longer interested in. That’s exactly what I also do all the time.
Good luck and I hope you will have a great time in Sardinia! 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
Just wanted to say you website is great – so many awesome tips!
My husband and I are planning a trip to Sardinia in August (busiest time of the year I know!). We will be travelling with a 6 month old and planning to hire a car. We’re looking at the Costa Smeralda area as this looks and sounds amazing however is there anywhere else you would recommend? Will be booking self contained accommodation to keep the cost down and cause we’ll have to prepare meals for the baby.
Look forward to any tips 🙂
Thanks,
Anna
Hey Anna
Sorry for the delay! If you like the Costa Smeralda area but still want to reduce the cost of your vacation, why don’t you look places like Santa Teresa di Gallura or (closer to Costa Smeralda) Cannigione or Arzachena? They are quite nice villages with everything you need and they also have a more “Sardinian vibe” than the Costa Smeralda. Some people love the Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo vibe but it can get quite expensive and finding a self contained accommodation can be more difficult. Not impossible, but definitely less easy. Check out the link I put in here, when I use the website I usually filter by type of accommodation and there is always something for everyone, and if you book reasonably early, also good deals!
I hope it helps and that you will have a great time!
Clelia
Sardinia in off-season.
For more than 50 years Ruti and I have been travelling to places around the world – always going “slightly” off-season. Same applied to Sardinia. Not only lower prices, but less crowd crush.
We go by bus and train, rarely book in advance, and stay wherever we especially like the place.
Sardinia (this October) was wonderful, with real “gems” (Cagliari, Algheo and Bosa I especially like). We found the people warm and friendly, going out of their way to help us.
We missed out on most beaches, and a lot of ancient ruins, but wandered around towns and villages instead.
If I may make a suggestion – bus and train terminals should display maps of their town or city, clearly showing where you are on the map, and the nearest tourist information (important if you are travelling alone).
As we are in our eighties, I wonder if we’ll go back to see what we missed. We’ll try.
Mike Porter, Israel
Hey Michael, such a lovely comment about my beautiful Sardinia. Thank you! And yes, I can attest that October was spectacular weather wise, even better than September this year, so you were very lucky! Regarding you suggestion, ah…we know, it’s not hat easy to change things in Sardinia, maybe that’s also the beauty of it. I hope you will be able to come back for more!
Cheers
Clelia
Michael again –
You have a comment about bus travel. Maybe it was once not too reliable, but we found it very reliable and convenient, and a great way to see the country.
Train travel was also good.
Just thought I’d add the above.
Regards
I’m actually surprised you said that as to me (well, compared to other countries) the transport in Sardinia is not that great. Not in terms of comfort but in terms of routes. There are still areas that are poorly connected, making it difficult (sometimes impossible) for people who don’t have a car to reach certain destinations. Just to add a bit more info to your comment!
Hi there,
Just looking to get your opinion.
I will heading to Sardinia October 11th for roughly 10 days.
What would you recommenced. I know there are so many options I just thought I would ask.
My partner and I would love to see beautiful towns and also explore some great beaches.
We are coming over from Sydney Australia.
Thanks a mill…
Rob
Sorry Rob
I completely missed your comment! Sometimes it truly gets overwhelming when you receive more than 20 comments about Sardinia holidays per day!
Hi Clelia…
I will be visiting lovely Sardinia for a week on October 15th….I know I can’t expect too much with the weather but I’d love to know your thoughts on how warm & sunny it usually is around this time? Also if you had to choose a place that allows nice scenery, is close to beach and also some nightlife where would you pick?
Thanks so much….Dan
Hi Dan
At this time of the year I would suggest staying in Cagliari and rent a car to make the most of the nearby beaches and beautiful scenery around (Villasimius, Tuerredda offer some amazing views from the road!) and in Cagliari, being a big city, the life goes on as usual so you will have nice restaurants, cocktail bars and more!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi, I’m enjoying your blog a lot, thanks! Me, my beloved husband and our 6-months old sweetheart are going to go to Sardinia and Rome late August or September. We are in doubt which resort to choose as we don’t drive and from what I’ve read the island is easy to discover by car and public transport is not reliable. Maybe you could suggest any specific family-friendly hotel with easy access to the sea or/with a good swimming pool if that’s not too much to ask? Not only we are interested in simply lying on the beach but also in exploring the Island as we are the nature-lovers, we’re looking forward for Sardinia adventures. We’d better stay somewhere close to the main attractions and restaurants and zoo maybe? At least to where we could get a taxi or to take a bus?
Thank you! Wish you all the best!
Hi Oleysa!
I always struggle when people ask me to recommend a place and they don’t have a car. I know it is possible to get around without a car, but I also know how difficult it is! To be honest, I only recommend traveling without a car for teenagers or very young people (I did it in my 20’s) and it was hard enough to carry everything on a bus with me and I was by myself! For a family, especially with a 6 months old child is really not advisable.
I’ve been thinking and thinking and the best bet for you is to find a base in Villasimius. Why? Well, a few reasons:
1) It’s connected with Cagliari (and Cagliari airport is also well connected)
2) Being a big Village, you will find everything you need in there (restaurants, shops, pharmacies and so on)
3) The local beach is lovely
4) There are plenty of agencies for day trips you can take
The buses also operate around the area but depending on where you stay, they are not very convenient and not reliable.
As for where to stay in Villasimius, I could suggest a few places but I think it’s pointless as you’ll have to check the availability and you’d rather check what is still available for those dates. There are great places to choose from in Booking.com (I use it a lot and always found good deals in there, plus the reviews are verified and so far I never had any surprise).
For Villasimius, you can check in here. My only suggestion is to book asap as we are now in peak season! When choosing the hotel, make sure it is in Villasimius center so that you will have everything close to your location.
Best of luck and I hope you will enjoy my island!
Cheers
Clelia
Great post, I can only agree, we love Sardinia in September and also in october. Water is still pleasantly warm, if you are int owater sports like wudsurf and kiting this is an awesome season. Weather is nice and less toursists gives all opportunity to be spontaneous and enjoy local restaurants and trips without having to pre-book. A great area to stay is in or around Santa Teresa di Gallura. The town is very much alive all year around and the beaches in the area are great.
Admin note: I removed the link as my comment policy doesn’t allow to insert links to commercial websites. Thanks for respecting this rule. Clelia Mattana.
Thanks for your Input on your holidays in Sardinia Nikolas! I agree, Santa Teresa di Gallura is one of the top places to visit!
Hi Clelia , i am interested in coming to sardinia this september. i am coming with my boyfriend we really enjoy snorkelling and going for nice meals and seeing the less touristy areas. we are only able to come for 5 nights can you please advise the best area to stay in please?
is there a difference in weather between the north and south?
thanks in advance
Hi Nicole!
In September you should be in luck as the main crowds will be gone, seeing less touristy areas…mhhh it really depends on how picky you are for the beaches. Let me explain this 🙂 I am SUPER PICKY, but I’ve noticed that foreigners find the beaches I think are “just fine” to be beautiful. So it’s a bit tricky to give you an advice on this as the best beaches (for everyone) are the most touristy ones. Which makes sense as if a beach is beautiful who wouldn’t like to go there?!
The “least” touristy areas you can find in Sardinia are around Oristano or even better the Iglesias area (south-west coast). I loved Cala Domestica and also Scivu beach and Piscinas are nice (but not so much for snorkeling). The best I’ve tried for snorkeling in the less touristy areas are Cala Domestica and Nebida, located not far from Iglesias city.
If you want to try the north, well, finding non touristy areas in there is almost impossible if you ask me, but being September it’s obviously better. The best of the best for me remains the Golfo di Orosei area, perfect for snorkeling, food, culture, nature.. everything really! Or as an alternative, Santa Teresa di Gallura is also very nice (I had a person writing me the other day saying that they had a great holiday in Santa Teresa, as I recommended it). But it’s definitely more touristy than the other areas, the beaches are superb and it’s located very well, near some nice villages and not far from Palau where you can have a boat trip to the Arcipelago della Maddalena).
Ok, as you can see, there is so much to choose from and I get it’s not easy but the equation still remains: Best beaches/touristy area – Just “OK” Beaches/less touristy
I hope I didn’t confuse you even more but Sardinia is big! Oh, and in regards to the weather, there is not so much difference between the north and the south. Not in Temperatures anyway.
Cheers
Clelia
We are planning a trip to Sardinia in the first two weeks of September but someone has just said that most of the restaurants and outlets start to close from early September – is this true..?? Thank you for your help.
Hi Gordon, the first 2 weeks of September is low season but usually everything is still open! (unless the weather is exceptionally bad but it usually is not the case), I wouldn’t worry, especially because you are going at the very beginning of september!
Cheers
Clelia
Helo 🙂
I am traveling to Sardinia soon, im landing in Olbia, Are there any good places/beaches in the north of Sardinia? Also, could you please help me with the ferry, because after i am done with Sardinia im going from cagliari to Palermo, and i tried many ferry booking websites, i want to book a cabin but there is no option for a cabin to select. I dont know whats wrong 🙁 Thank you so much!
Hi Szabo, you can check out my other guides to find great beaches in north Sardinia:
1) Sardinia for Couples (don’t worry, it’s a super big guide for everyone!)
2) Top 10 Sardinia Beaches
3) One week Itineraries Sardinia (you can find the maps with some info on the best places and beaches)
As for the Ferries, can you tell me which website are you using? I find it very weird that you don’t have the option for the cabin!
Cheers
Clelia
Dear Clelia,
Thank you for this very helpful website! My husband and I are travelling from Munich to Costa Rei for a week in early September and we had some questions-
1. How to get from Cagliari airport to Costa Rei?
2. Is renting a vehicle to move around important? Where can we rent scooters from?
Thank you again!
Hi Donia,
So, to get from Cagliari to Costa Rei, the best way is obviously by car. It’s super easy to reach that area from Cagliari! Renting a vehicle in Sardinia is SUPER important! You can still visit without a car, but it gets very difficult to explore the island properly. Scooters are a good option if you rent a place and just want to move to the nearby beaches. I wouldn’t suggest it for long trips…
Cheers
Clelia
Clelia ma sei tropp bedda! I’m originally from Sicily but I live in the states and I will be going to your homeland for the first time… I’m 28 years old, mi piace a mangare…go to the beach and dance my culo off!please set an itinerary for me since you’re the queen of this thread! When you come to palarmo or Chicago I will do the same!:) my email is mcalo04@gmail.com faccia libro marco Calo! Grazie milla bedda!
Hey Marco! ahahah your comment cracked me up! 🙂 As for your itinerary, since you like to dance and all I would suggest San Teodoro! I went there many times, camping or renting a small Villetta with my friends and we had a great time! The beach is also very nice (crowded during July and August but if you have a car or a scooter you can find some other calettas to explore). Oh and shame on me as I’ve never seen Sicily, or Chicago.. I’m now living in Mexico and maybe one day I will pay a visit, thanks for the hospitality 🙂
Hi Clelia
Thanks for all the information on Sardinia.
we are visiting from 27 August (1 night in Olbia, 4 nights Alghero, 4 nights Cabras, 2 nights Olbia before we fly home)
Are there any towns, villages, restaurants you really recommend we should not miss on our route?
Hi Steve!
BEACHES YOU CAN’T MISS:
Alghero: Definitely you can’t miss Stintino La Pelosa Beach, also le Bombarde is nice.
Cabras: San Giovanni di Sinis beach and Is Arutas beach
Olbia: I’d recommend you go to Palau for the boat trip to La Maddalena and Caprera Island, it’s unmissable!
TOWNS:
Alghero: Stintino is a nice village, if you have time to drive, a visit to Bosa marina is recommended too. Lovely village!
Cabras: Is already one of my favorite villages actually! If you have time, a couple of hours drive and you could see the Villagio Nuragico di Barumimi, it is a place I know very well, a World Heritage site and definitely worth a visit, also for the traditional Sardinian villages nearby. My grandma lived in the village right next to Barumini, and we used to go to the beach in Cabras on a day trip, so it is doable.
For the restaurants, I always check them out when I’m there as sometimes they change the owner and the results can be brilliant or not 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
This post has made my mind up to definatley visit Sardinia in September always wanted to go thankyou for your honest and intresting views
Hi Beverley, I’m so glad you decided to visit Sardinia! I hope you’ll have a great time 🙂
Hi Clelia,
First of all, thank you so much for sharing these great insights / tips about Sardinia, very very helpful! My husband and I are planning to visit the island next year and we would like your opinion on the following:
Which is the best month to sunbath and swim: Mid-June or Mid-September?
Is it worthy to take a day trip to Corsica?
And the other thing is: We have only 5 nights to stay in Sardinia and we intent to stay in Costa Esmeralda. Do you think it makes sense to spend 3 nights there and the other 2 nights in a different place? Do you have any suggestion of a second place to book a hotel?
Thank you so much!
Best regards,
Hi Luiza
Thanks for your lovely comment 🙂 As for your questions:
1) I think that in June you might have better chances to find good weather (it’s not always like that, as some years September was better than June, but I’m giving you an average here). On the other hand, September it usually a lot quieter than June because 90% of the locals are back to their normal routine, got their tan for the season and are less likely to be found at the beach by mid-September. Depending on your luck, if the weather is good, both June and September are totally Ok to sunbath and swim.
2)I’d say, if you had more nights, the day trip could be a good Idea but having just 5 nights, I would probably recommend to just stay in Sardinia and take day trips from your base in Costa Smeralda. There are so many places nearby so a second location is not necessary if you have a car (Day trips to Santa Teresa di Gallura, San Teodoro, Budoni, not to mention the fabulous beaches in the Costa Smeralda that will be a lot less crowded in low season!).
3) If you Really want to change the place for 2 nights, I’d say go to Santa Teresa di Gallura, it’s at reasonable distance from Costa Smeralda and it’s very nice, but as I said, maybe a day trip would be sufficient, given that you don’t have much time.
Hope this helps 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Dear Clelia,
Yes, it helped a lot!
Thank you so much.
Cheers,
Amazing post. thanks for this post. after reading our mind is flying for going there. we have made a plan for going in sardinia . Thanks for this post.
Thank you! I hope you had an amazing holiday in Sardinia!
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Hi Clelia,
Me and my husband are planing to visit Sardinia in end of May- beginning June. Is it a good time weather wise? Also would it be already very crowded at the time? Do we need to book accommodation in advance or we can do as we go? Would like to be flexible.
And finally are there small hikes/walks you can recommend? Thanks a lot in advance!
Best regards,
Jolly
Hi Jolly! Definitely May and June are, together with September my favorite months! The beaches are not crowded and the weather is usually quite nice! As per the accommodation, in one of my other articles what I suggest is : book as soon as you can!!! (I know people start booking from January!), so that you will find the best prices and locations still available! For the Hikes/walks, I strongly recommend you go to the Golfo di Orosei area, it’s perfect! If you didn’t already, you can check out my other articles where I talk about this area and give some suggestions for nice places to stay! One is Top 10 Sardinia beaches and the other one is Sardinia for couples. Hope it helps! 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Hi, Clelia!
I’m planning to visit Sardinia around October 18th, 2016. What do you can say about the sea temperature?
Thanks from Rio!
We are planning on coming from the us the last week in September. We want to rent an apartment for 7 days. Can you tell us the best town. Would love to be close to the beach but most important great restaurants. My husband hates to drive so what town is the best? We will find a driver for day trips. What airport should we come into?
Hi Shannon
I just saw your comment here… but since you are planning on coming to Sardinia in September I can still give you some insights.
If you want to stay in a nice town, not far from lovely beaches you have 2 options (well definitely more than 2 but these would be my first choices):
Villasimius (East coast close to the South and to Cagliari airport)
San Teodoro (East coast close to the north and to Olbia airport)
These would be your safest choices for what you need!
Cheers
Clelia
Hey Fabio, mmhhh in October? If it’s the very beginning of the month you MIGHT be able to still have a swim but honestly, the water is rather cold… I guess it all depends on how you cope with cold as i saw people from northern Europe swimming in Sardinia in December.
But don’t expect warm water, that’s for sure! 🙂
Hello!!
i have been looking since yesterday for dome info about sirdina. and now i get many valuable information from your blog post.
Thank you for sharing
Greeting from Barcelona
Thank you, glad you find the article useful!
Thank you for posting this lovely post.
Thanks Pamela!
Hi Clelia.,
Is it absolutely made to hope for a sun bath and some sea swimming in middle of November at Sardinia?
We would love to go to Sardinia, my husband is crazy with the idea to travel to Sardinia, however i am afraid we will only catch rain and bad/cold weather. What do you think, what do you recommend?? We love the sun, sea, nature, walkings…
thanks a lot!
cheers,
Rebecca
Hey Rebecca, ah well… I hate to give you bad news but November is definitely not good for visiting sardinia given that you are still hoping to swim and have sunny, warm days. Don’t get me wrong, a walk on a deserted beach in November, if you catch a sunny day is something incredibly special, but it is not warm.
Depending on the years the temperatures can vary from a minimum of 8/10 degrees to (if you’re lucky 18/20 degrees max). I saw people from northern Europe swimming in December but that’s another story 🙂
Now I’m in Sardinia and there have been a few days that were still quite warm and pleasant. I can even wear short sleeves some days, but from mid october on, the weather is totally unpredictable.
I’d say, if you can take the risk, just come and enjoy Sardinia and its beautiful landscapes and deserted beaches, otherwise just wait till May, when the weather starts to get very nice and you can swim and enjoy warm and sunny days at the beach!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia, I want to come in Sardinia from 3,4 to 11 October… How was the weather in the past years in this period?
For this period I have in plan to rent a car in Alghero and make the tour of beaches (center north) Alghero – Oristano ( 2 nights) – Orosei ( 2 nights) – Porto Cervo ( 2 nights) – Porto Torres ( 2 nights)…
I have looked for acco;odation and booked some properties. Can you recomand me some hotels/villas/houses and some places (to eat, bars, beaches, etc…) that I can’t miss for this route?
Hi Bogdan!
The weather at the moment is quite unpredictable. A few days ago I had to add a blanket to my bed and now i’m sweating again! The sun comes and goes but overall the weather is not bad so far and if it stays like this you can easily enjoy some beach life.
As for your itinerary, i wrote a comprehensive post (link below) on where to stay and eat in Porto Cervo, Alghero and Cala Gonone (I also went to Orosei recently but i stayed for just 2 days so I didn’t get the chance to try the restaurants, except for a pizzeria called “La Marina” in the center and it was pretty good.
I stayed in a B&B just outside the village, but I wouldn’t recommend it as if you don’t know your way around it’s rather difficult to find and it actually has no… breakfast included.
As for the things you can’t miss… I strongly suggest you to read my article here. You will find a lot of useful info on sites and beaches along your route!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Celia:), me and 2 other girls are coming to Sardinia in september 18th , can you suggest us were to go for good partys and nightlife ? we are stying in Olbia. thank you
Hi Tena, Definitely San Teodoro for partying 🙂 You should rent a car and I’m sure you’ll have a great time!
Hi Tena, I’m coming out to Sardinia a couple days after you arrive. I was planning to stay in the south, but do you know some good accommodation in Olbia? I want to be near a good sandy beach.
Dave
Hi
I want to live in Sardinia for 6 months.
My wish is to try the food, the people, the customs. To live an a small town and get to know everybody and learn more Italian. I know that transportation is not easy on the island.
Where can I go to find my dream (on a budget) and rent a small apartment.
Any suggestions?
Regards,
Susana
Hi Susana
Wow, that is a great idea! But you should give me some more details as what is your “budget” (as it can vary a lot from people to people) and when you’d like to move in here as the prices migh vary depending on the seasons of course!
let me know and I’ll try to help you more!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
Great info on the article. I am planning to holiday in Sardinia Early September. Family of 3 including a 3yr old boy. We are looking to spend about a week and with our 3 yr being hyper active going around too many places gets stressful. So the idea is to take a relaxed break for a week. What would you suggest – Villas or Hotel and also how do you suggest we plan our week ?
-Vinod
Hi Vinod,
Sorry I have missed your message, please always make sure to follow up with a reminder if you really need my advice and don’t see a reply within a week or so as I’m literally inundated by email, paid services to create tailored itineraries and much more so that it’s becoming challenging to reply to all the messages immediately.
Thanks for your understanding, I hope you had a great time in Sardinia!
Hey Clelia,
Me and my friends were planning to come to Sardinia but we were a little confuse about few things. I’m glad i found your blog and it will be really helpful if you can tell which all places(beaches) should we include in our itinerary and also when is the perfect time to visit Sardinia.
Thank you
Hi Luv, did you check out my other article about the Top 10 Sardinia beaches and the guide for a romantic getaway to Sardinia (which actually turned out to be a massive guide for everyone with good suggestions on beaches you should check out). I think these articles can really help you out in choosing which beaches you shouldn’t miss. I always recommend the Golfo di Orosei area as it’s stunning so make sure you won’t skip that part!
As for the best time to visit, this article really says it all..for me the best months still remain June and September, hands down!
Have a great time in Sardinia!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia, im hoping to visit Sardinia with my partner and young child of 1 in Mid October, can you recommend a good area and hotel which has good family facilities and also not too remote
Thanks Neil
Hi Neil,
Do you want to stay by the beach? as mid-October can be a bit tricky for the weather. If you give me a little more details I could help you better.
Thank you!
Clelia
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I would love to know what residence the villa on the picture is? (Under 3. CHEAP ACCOMMODATION AND HOTELS IN SARDINIA)
It is on this exact site (http://www.keepcalmandtravel.com/5-reasons-to-visit-sardinia-in-september-october/)
Thank you so much
Sanne
Hi Sanne, the place is called “Villa del Sol” and is located in the Costa Smeralda area (Porto Cervo), it’s a private Villa. You can see all the pictures in here
Cheers
Clelia
I am thinking of booking with my girlfriend in the second week of september but I am so confused where to go! I have done a lot of research and there are so many options of what part of the island to stay! Can you recommend the best area to stay in mid september for mainly a beach holiday but a place where there is some life nearby too for a drink/dinner in the evenings.
I can fly to Alghero, Olbia or Cagliari but I dont know which is the best for a beach holiday?! I was thinking to stay in either Chia/ Golfo di Orosei/ Porto Cervo/ Isola Rossa/ Stintino/ Alghero/ Costa Rei.
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Hey Akshay,
If you are looking for a beach holiday with a bit of evening life then I would start by excluding Chia, which is pretty isolated from everything. Depending on your budget Porto Cervo might be the right choice for you. The Alghero area is definitely lively but the beaches nearby (with the exception of La Pelosa beach in Stintino) don’t have what I call the “Wow” factor. Unless you want to drive to that beach every day, but it’s a shame to just see one beach while you are in Sardinia.
Costa Rei is very nice, but the village in mid-September tends to be quieter than other places (there are still restaurants open but less than in other locations), whilst in Cala Gonone you will still find good places to eat and bars open during low season.
You should obviously have a car to move around, otherwise it can get difficult to reach the small coves around.
The Orosei area still remains my favorite place in the Island. It’s so worth it.
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
Thanks so much for this great post! My boyfriend and I are thinking of visiting Sardinia in late Aug/beg September. We’re looking for beautiful beaches/waters, great food, and are trying to avoid overly touristy areas. We’ll probably spend at least a few days near Cala Gonone. I was wondering if you know how mountainous the roads are in the area, and in Sardinia in general. We are both terrified of narrow, curvy, mountain roads – we came across a few in Crete on a trip – and will avoid at any cost.
I appreciate any information you have on this. Thanks!!
Natalie
Hi Natalie, sorry for the late reply!
Don’t worry about super dangerous mountain roads. If you stay near Cala Gonone they might get a bit curvy but nothing too scary! I think that in terms of roads, the one going from Cagliari to Villasimius is much worst!
I recently went to Orosei (from Cagliari) and the journey was very smooth,no turns at all. Only if you want to visit places like Baunei or nearby villages a bit on the inland part, sometimes you’ll find a few turns. But overall the roads are pretty safe, well paved and large enough for 2 cars going in opposite directions.
Hope this helps 🙂
Buon Viaggio!
Hiya – I am planning on visiting Sardinia this September, and wondering if the weather would be nice enough to sunbathe the last week of September? Or should I visit a week before? But flights are nearly double just for mid September vs last week.
Thx!
Hey Soph, I’m also taking a week break in mid-September and usually the weather is still pretty good. Of course I can’t predict the future, but on an average from the past 20 years, we have good weather up until the end of September, beginning of October.
To stay on the safe side I’d book for the week in the middle, but the weather can be unpredictable, a few days ago the temperatures dropped 10 degrees down the usual (it was a relief actually, as now it’s again quite hot).
Finger crossed for the both of us! 🙂
Cheers
Cle
Hi Clelia,
Great post. I will be traveling to Italy mid/late November, and was originally hoping to spend majority of the time on Sardinia. We are more interested in experiencing the food/culture/sights than laying on the beach. We were planning on renting a car and trying to see different parts of the island. But I’ve heard that many hotels and restaurants typically close around this time. I would really appreciate any advice you may have. Will we have a hard time finding good places to eat/stay?
Thanks!
Hey Max, if you want to experience the Sardinia culture then November is the perfect timing. Find the hotels won’t be a problem as you are not aiming to visit touristic destinations where some of them might be closed during low season, and you’ll also find great prices because of that!
Have a great stay in Sardinia, I’m sure you’ll love it without the crowds 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Fantastic article Clelia! I’ve been flirting with the idea of visiting for almost a year but will definitely go now. I’m considering traveling the last week in October and will be staying in the Alghero area. I just wanted to find out what public transportation is like for getting around, I don’t want to hire a car but I want to do lots of sightseeing. Are organised tours a good idea or should I go solo? Any advice you can give would be welcome and thanks again for all the work that went into this post.
Tessa
Hey Tessa
Thanks for your message! First of all, yes..you should definitely go to Sardinia, but bare in mind that at the end of October the weather can or can not be sunny and warm (it’s quite unpredictable, while September, beginning of October max is a safer idea). That said, if you don’t wish to swim but just sightseeing, Sardinia in October can be awesome. I strongly suggest renting a car as unfortunately Sardinia is not easy to navigate with public transport. I’m not a huge fan of organized tours (unless we are talking about boat trips or excursions to the beaches in the Golfo di Orosei area), even more so in October as being low season I doubt that there will be any available, so I’d say: GO SOLO, it’s well worth the extra money for an authentic experience.
Cheers
Clelia
Hi
Great website
I am planning a trip to Island in September, with my wife. We like beaches in the day then walking around the town in the evenings. We might hire a car for a few days. Don’t mind busy places.
What would you recommend
Hope you can help
Alex
Hi Alex!
Did you already check out my other blog posts? If not I highly recommend them!
Top 10 Sardinia beaches
Sardinia for couples
If you’ve already read those, my preference given what you told me would be: Cala Gonone, San Teodoro, Villasimius o (depending if you like the more glamorous lifestyle) Costa Smeralda.
These are my personal favorite, as the sea is amazing and you also will have nice restaurants, Bistros on the promenade and great places for a good nice walk in the evenings!
Hope it helps 🙂
Hi Clelia,
Great site and loads of info. Right now I’m looking at a week in Sardinia beginning of September. Having read both your article about Sardinia in September and also suggestions from my Italian friends (including one who is originally from Alghero), it seems like early September would be a great idea. I’ve read some of your suggestions but there still seems to be a lot to see. For now, it seems like our best available flight is to Cagliari (and also returning from there). Since we’ll have approximately 7 days, and we don’t want to rush, I was thinking of heading towards the Orosei area (where we’d like to spend a few days) and then back down towards Vilasimius and back to Cagliari (and maybe also Chia beach). I’d like to combine this with beaches, a bit of rock climbing (in the Oglioastra region) and of course some sight-seeing. Is there anything with the above itinerary that you could suggest and where are the best places to stay with regards to accommodations on the above route?
Kind Regards
Milan
Ciao Clelia,
sono finita per caso sul tuo blog cercando informazione sul sud della sardegna!
che dici, potrebbe essere una settimana buona la seconda di settembre?
speravo di trovare spiagge semi-deserte ma forse è ancora presto…
grazie!
anna
Ciao Anna, assolutamente si! Settembre e’ il mio mese preferito per godermi la Sardegna!!
Thank you for such a lovely travel site! I’m now very excited to add Sardinia to my trip. Would you recommend to go in April? I would like to enjoy the beaches as well, but i wonder if it’s too cold around this time?
Thanks!
Rose
Hey Rose, Thanks for your comment and lovely words. I bet you’re excited to visit Sardinia 🙂
April can be quite unpredictable, weather wise, there have been years when I started swimming at the end of March, whilst other years it was too cold. If you come in April you will definitely have the beaches all for yourself that’s for sure! So my recommendation here is…watch the forecast for Sardinia a few weeks before your departure and choose the end of April which should be better and usually sunnier that the beginning of the month!
Cheers
Cle
Wonderful article! Quick question, it seems like most of this is geared towards September and the beginning of October. We are looking to travel to Sardinia at the end of October (the very last week of October). Does the same general information still apply then? I’m guessing it might be too chilly for water activities.
Thanks!
Hey Lisa, thanks for your lovely comment!
Yep, your question is quite easy actually..This post is mainly for September/beginning of October and the end of October, unless you are VERY lucky, the weather is less and less predictable and the weather it’s more likely to be colder which makes it unpleasant to swim (unless you are very brave!). You can still enjoy the deserted beaches and if it’s sunny, the atmosphere will be awesome!I recommend the very first week of October if you still want a chance to have a swim…
Cheers 🙂
Clelia
Hi,
great article, really helpful!
How is pula for things to do? Have you seen a lot of water sports available to do like jet skiing and banana boats etc? Or any waterpark nearby? I’m going end of sept/early October with my boyfriend but as it is low season i’m a little worried there may not be much to do!
Thanks a lot,
Louise xx
Hey Louise! Thanks for stopping by! I know Pula quite well, and the village itself its nice but not super busy (like, let’s say San Teodoro), and in low season even less… as per the water sports, the beach in Pula has not a lot to offer, other than the occasional pedal boat, but you can easily drive 20 minutes away in Chia or Tuerredda beach where there are plenty of options available (Especially at Su Giudeu Beach in Chia- Capo Spartivento).
It’s a very easy ride and the beach is, in my opinion much better than the one in Pula (but yet again, I’m very picky!). I recommend you to go at the end of september so you’ll still find the watersport options available (in low season the companies renting windsurfs, pedal boats etc are fewers than in peak season of course).
As for the aquapark you’re in luck, there is one very near to Pula called Blufan (I can see that their site is work in progress, but they should be open in late September)
Have a great time in Sardinia 🙂
Cheers
Cle
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Hi Clelia,
Thank you for all of your hard work putting this together! I’ve been to Sardegna once before back in 2004, and LOVED it. My husband (then boyfriend) and I stayed at Santa Teresa Gallura and also day-tripped to the islands of La Madalena… breathtakingly beautiful!
Now we’d like to return with our two young daughters (6yrs and 4yrs old) in September for a week or 10 days.
Can you help recommend a place that ticks all these boxes:
1. Easy to fly and drive (we’re happy to rent a car, and don’t mind a long drive – as this is only once there, and once back)
2. Perfect, turquoise, white sand beach that stays shallow for long way and is also protected from winds
3. Preferably less tourists!
4. We prefer villa accommodation to hotels in general – less crowded and more relaxing
5. Any cost – in fact, we would love something way more ‘special’ and a ‘splurge’ as this is our one holiday this year
Thank you! We would love your advice for which area and perhaps which accommodation.
Nicky
Hey Nicky,
Thanks for stopping by 🙂 Sardinia is addictive isn’t it? I know that very well, as even if I travel around the world and I saw magnificent places, I can’t help but come back to my Island at least twice a year!
Ok, let’s go straight to your questions!
1) I’d recommend Olbia Airport for the North and East Coast and Cagliari airport to discover the South up till Villasimius/Costa Rei or to explore the beautiful beaches on the other side, like Chia and Tuerredda.
(If you didn’t see my other post on the top 10 beaches, have a look as I give some details on each one)
2)Perfect sandy beaches…ah well! you will have plenty on choice here, but since you mention the wind, I can narrow it down and I have to eliminate Chia, as when the Mystral wind is strong (it lasts for 3 or more days) Chia is not exactly the best, but it doesn’t happen very often during summer and during the windy days you could always use your pool (since you told me you wanted to splurge a bit, i bet you’ll enjoy having a place with a swimming pool, right!?)
If you want to try the area between Chia and Santa Margherita, a good compromise between a Hotel and a private Villa is a resort with private houses. The ones that pops to my mind are:
Chia Laguna Resort
Faro Capo Spartivento (you’ll stay in a LIGHTHOUSE!):
Forte Village Resort:
If you still want to have a look at private Villas, it really depends on your budget! There are some spectacular villas but they are spectacular but VERY expensive (on the price range of minimum 8000 euros per week, to give you an Idea). If you are still interested in checking them out I can give you a list of contacts for different parts of Sardinia.
Here are a few private apartments you could check out in Chia (for mid and high range budgets):
Villa Lia (this one is awesome!)
Appartamenti Laguna di Chia
Appartamenti Torre di Chia
—————————————-
Another option would be to head to Costa Smeralda, where the beaches are also really fabulous, but bare in mind that all the places with beautiful beaches are, unfortunately, touristy. Unless you find your smashing villa and then you can fully enjoy some peace!
Here are some villas available in the Costa Smeralda Area (and oh boy, you can splurge in here and be close to some marvelous places (I know you already took the boat trip to La Maddalena, but you can now show it to your kids. I loved that trip so much that I went back many times… almost embarrassing!!!)
The only problem is, if you find something that you like and it’s still available, don’t wait too much as in May almost all the properties are fully booked for the season! (people start booking in Jan!!)
Villa La mola Pevero (this one is one of my favorite if you love to splurge) | Villa Sea Small | Apartments Cala del Faro (Porto Cervo) | Hotel Cala Di Volpe(this is a Hotel but I put it as it’s fantastic, one of my dream places!) | Holiday Home (Porto Cervo) | Hotel Petra Bianca (another hotel, I know…but it’s jaw dropping!)
Let me know if you need further help, and I want to let you know that checking those villas for you i was literally DROOLING.. (seriously)! I hope you find the best one for you!
If you are willing to spend a lot more, let me know as I have a contact and he might help you out!
Cheers
Cle
Hello
My Wife and I are travelling to Sardinia on the 21st June for 9 nights. We have never been before.
Is this enough time.
We are slightly lost in regards where to book to stay. Our previous holiday was in Seychelles, so we enjoy a resort on the beach, white soft sand and clear waters. Where would you recommend.
I may hire a car for the duration as we also love to explore.
Thank you for your time.
Hey Harry, thanks for your comment!
I know, it can be daunting to find the perfect place to stay in Sardinia, but you are in luck as there are some very great places around if the budget is not a problem for you. I have a few Resorts in mind that might meet your needs and I’ll try to give you some suggestions for different areas in Sardinia.
Nine days it’s a decent amount of time to relax and also explore a bit of the surrounding areas, especially if you intend to stay in just one location and have a car.
1) Chia Laguna Resort: (SOUTH SARDINIA) I start with the one I know better as I always go to Chia beach in the summer and I’ve actually worked for the resort when I was still studying. The beach itself is awesome (you can find the description on my other article on the top 10 Sardinia beaches), the resort has great amenities, pool, a spectacular view on the gulf, tennis court, night entertainment,…you name it. The only thing to consider is that is not directly on the beach. Meaning that you don’t wake up and walk on the beach, for the simple reason that in the Chia area is not allowed to build resorts on the beach, to preserve its beauty. But the resort is still quite popular as they offer a mini train service (it’s quite nice and lovely to see it), and from the resort to the beach is a mere 5 minutes.
2)Hotel Pitrizza Porto Cervo: (NORTH EAST SARDINIA) This is one of the most luxurious boutique hotels in Sardinia (in Costa Smeralda), I’ve heard only good things about it, except maybe for the fact that you have to book way in advance as it gets full for the season pretty quickly. Views are spectacular and the area probably offers a bit more to explore than Chia (from Costa Smeralda you can also take day boat trips to Arcipelago Della Maddalena (which is a must in my opinion), head south to San Teodoro, Cala Brandinchi, and if you want to see a great place, in a few hours you can also get the boat trip to the Golfo Di Orosei (spectacular). There are not Resorts on the beach in there, and I’m actually happy as the area is quite wild with Cala Goloritze’ being a Unesco site.
3)Forte Village Resort:(SOUTH SARDINIA)This is another resort worth checking as it’s directly on the beach (in this case you will walk to the beach directly from the resort. They have private bungalows and villas and amenities. The beach is very nice and the part in front of it is reserved to the resort. If you have the car, it’s not far away from Chia and Tuerredda. It’s pricey but I know of people who went there that were quite pleased with the experience. I’ve been there, not as a guest but entering from the beach to buy something at one of their bars and the atmosphere is very nice and chilled out.
4) Villa Las Tronas- Alghero: (NORTH WEST SARDINIA)This hotel is well famous for its fantastic views of the ocean, people love it for that (you can see the reviews and the picture for yourself). As per the surrounding areas, you can discover La pelosa beach and Le bombarde beach by car, as well as enjoying the cool atmosphere in Alghero, and if you want to go a bit further drive on the north to reach costa Paradiso which is also very nice.
These are the best Hotels I can think of with ocean views and quite close to te beach (some of them directly on it), but please bear in mind that Sardinia has a different vibe from the Seychelles, it’s not “Tropical” but has more of a wild rustic vibe on it! We might be missing the palm trees but the sea is definitely spectacular and there is so much to discover!
Hope it helps 🙂
Great post Clelia!
We’ve had Sardinia on our list for a few years ago, but for some reason it keeps slipping down the list and we go somewhere else. Not now..cos we just found your blog, and it’s awesome!
Thanks 🙂
Hey Rachel,
Thanks for your lovely comment, I’m so glad when someone decides to visit my island because of my articles! I’m in the process of writing more (when I have the time), so that other people will fall in love with Sardinia 🙂
Hi Clelia.
First at all congratulations for your very good blog!.
We’re planning to go to Sardinia on August 29th to September 4th (Alghero airport). We’ll rent a car. My idea is to see at the end Alghero, Pelosa, Bosa, and before Cala Mariolu or Goritze. But I have doubts where to go the first days: stay for two days in Maddalena or close to San Teodoro or Santa Teresa Gallura?. I’d like photography and snorkelling, but also relax in a beautiful white beach or stay in (if possible) a charming close village, preferibly not close to the luxury and expensive areas. Maybe too much conditions!
What do you recommend me for the first days?. At this time, are the roads still too crowded, for example going from Santa Teresa di Gallura to Cala Gonone?
Thanks a lot
Best regards
German
Hi German, you have quite an ambitious itinerary here 🙂
Let’s see… you want to leave Alghero/Bosa for the last days and I’d say you at least need 3 days, so you’ll have other 3 days to spend in the other area. What I’d recommend? If you want to stay very near to the beach I’d say to search for a place near Berchidda beach, lovely white sands and only 1 hour away from Cala Gonone where you can take the boats to discover the Golfo di Orosei beaches.
If you want to be near to the pier of Arbatax, very convenient for the excursions, then you can stay near the beautiful beach of Orri’ (15 minutes from Arbatax pier). They are all great locations.
I honestly won’t recommend Santa Teresa as a base to discover the Golfo di Orosei as you will have to drive for 4 hours to get to nearest pier of Cala Gonone.
Let me know if you have further questions!
Hope it helps
Cheers
Clelia
Thank you for your reply Cleia.
Actually, I was thinking to spend two nights in Santa Teresa di Gallura, later two nights in Cala Gonone and two nights in Alghero. Try to go from Santa Teresa to Maddalena archipelago in an excursion for example. Coming to Cala Gonone stop in Brandinchi. In Cala Gonone take a boat to Mariolu, etc. I don’t mind to take the car, but maybe in this period roads are very crowded and then it could be a Hell to drive too much. What do you think about this itinerary?. Are Sardinia still crowded during these days?.
Thanks
Best regards
Germán
Hey German, sorry I missed your reply (too many comments around on my Sardinia Articles!)
The roads at the end of August start to get less crowded, the only “issue” I see in here is that you will be flying out from Alghero and to go from the west to the east and back is a hell of a ride and I’m not sure you’ll be really able to enjoy the whole experience (unless you don’t mind spending a significant part of your holiday moving and driving). From Santa Teresa to Cala Gonone is about 2 hours and a half, max 3 hours depending on traffic and how fast you go. Don’t get me wrong, it can be done and it’s definitely worth it to check out that area ( people know how much I love the Golfo di Orosei). You’ll have to skip one location to be able to enjoy the place, but that’s obviously a personal opinion. If I had to chose what to skip, I’d say Bosa in favor of Cala Gonone.
So you’ll see: Santa Teresa then you’ll drive down to Cala Gonone and then up to Alghero. IF you really want to see Bosa, there is another option that I’ve already suggested to one of my readers and it’s to drive directly from Cala Gonone to Bosa and finally from Bosa to Alghero. That’s the only way you could check all the places.
The only thing is, and I’m always honest with my readers, I’ve never took that route by car, so I don’t know how challenging it might be to get from one village to the other. From the map I can see that you’ll have to drive crossing Sardinia passing through Nuoro and Macomer and you’ll have to be careful and either use a GPS or ask directions to some local people or maybe your hotel in Cala Golone.
I dont know that specific route, but I know how challenging can be to drive in that part of Sardinia, so my only advice is to plan carefully and know exactly your exits otherwise you could get lost easily 🙂
Hope it helps!
Cheers
Cle
Hi there we are travelling to Sardinia in September . We have 5 – 10 days. We arrive in Rome from NZ. We fly out of Cagliari to London at the end of our stay. What would you suggest for an itinerary.
Hi Sandy!
If you have 5 days I’d recommend only one, max 2 different places to visit (ex: south Sardinia Chia, Tuerredda on the west coast and Villasimius on the east coast), with a one day stop in Cagliari.
If you have 10 days, you could add other 2 beautiful areas like the Golfo di Orosei with the day trip by boat to visit Cala Mariolu, Cala Luna, Cala Sisine and a trekking experience to Cala Goloritze if you’re well equipped and fit for the hike, and maybe San Teodoro area.
It’s difficult to give you more specific itineraries as I don’t know what your preferences are!
Dear Celia, i am traveling to sardinia second week of September 2015. We are 7 and will be staying in stintino. Do you think stintino is a Nice place to stay?
We made our reservation through sardegna.com. do you think this website is trust worthy?
We would like to rent a car. We will be landing in alghero AirPort. Do u have any recomendations on what company can rent us a good not that expensive car?
Thank u Very much
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Hi Clelia, dropping by wonderful Sardinia for a day at Olbia; my wife & I (70+ yrs) would like to see some interesting sites around. In the past we have shared a taxi with other tourists to see the local sights, is this recommended? Any suggestions and Costs? We are against cruise excursions due to price. Thanks
Martin, so sorry I missed your message, I guess now it’s too late to reply 🙁
I will use this space to reiterate my message: If you don’t see my reply in let’s say 1 week (especially starting from January I’m literally inundated by messages here, on my inbox and facebook page), please send me a reminder by email. Thank you!!
Hi Clelia,
My husband and I are planning to go to Villasimius next year with our son who will then be two years old. We are debating between going in mid May or in September- what would you suggest would be appropriate? Will restaurants etc. be open in Mid May?
Thanks
Hey Lydia,
I think that both Mid May and September are great choices to visit Sardinia! People start to come here as early as April (depending on the weather), so you’ll find the restaurants and all the amenities already opened by May and they will remain opened until the beginning/mid October, so you can’t go wrong!
I wish you a great time in Sardinia 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Hi do you have any recommendations
For costa smeralda area in 2nd week of October? X
Hi Emma,
Do you mean any specific Hotel? or activities/what to do?..
Hello dear Clelia,
I’m reading and reading your blog and finding lots of very interesting and useful information. Thank you for sharing it with us! We also with group of my friends (4 women and 2 teenager’s 16-years old :)) are going to visit beautiful Sardinia in the end of September. We so excited about that trip and amazed to see the island. Just one “unfortunately” – we will have only 5 days (even not full!). We are planning to rent cars and to see something around starting from Cagliari. But we are doubting which part prefer – west coast (Nebida, Cabras, Alghero with beautiful Grotto and maybe Olbia) or better east coast (Costa Rei, Spiaggia di Cala Mariolu, Golfo di Orosei di Cerullo Nicola, Budoni and maybe Olbia) -? Which part would you recommend for the first time visiting Sardinia? Or maybe it’s not enough time to go there without rushing and tight schedule?
In general our preferences in such short time may be to discover beautiful nature of Sardinia (stay in some villas and maybe swim in the morning in pool:)), to see smth of culture/ to have in the eve nice dinner with traditional food and drinks, have little bit time on beautiful beaches for short rest. We don’t want to stay in one place. Or maybe you could recommend us smth different (or just better route) according to such situation with so short time staying in Sardinia? Any of your advice would be highly appreciated.
Thank you from all of my friends!:)
Sincerely,
Ruta
Hey Ruta
sorry I just saw this message now. I receive so many emails and messages in here that it’s starting to get difficult to track them all!
Anyway, I hope I’m still in time..
Tricky question as in 5 days you can’t see too much but if i had to chose I’d say go for the east coast!
I was debating this with my sister in law just the other night, as we both love the east coast but some people enjoy better the west coast which is maybe more “Traditional” and less touristy but the beaches are also not as spectacular as on the east side.
In 5 days you can see (without rushing too much) 2 places. Adding in more….I don’t know, you will be just stressing yourself. But if you don’t mind moving every day, you could fit in 3 places.
If i had to chose I’d say: Villasimius and surroundings for 1-2 days——> Stop in Costa Rei for 1 day——> Golfo di Orosei and surrounding areas for 2 day.
This is what I would do… as they are some of the most beautiful Highlights of the Island so if you have to just bite and go, It’s better if you start with the best 😉
I hope it helps and have a fantastic time in Sardinia!
Hi,
I wonder if you could offer us some advice.
me and my partner are interested in getting married in Sardinia on a beach, we would a quiet beach with a bar and a restaurant where we could have a BBQ on the beAch for the reception, could you advise me if this is possible?
Any feedback would be great,
thank you
Hi Vicky,
First of all let me tell you something: The idea of getting married on a beach in Sardinia is AWESOME!
When I read your message, I’ll be honest I didn’t have any idea if that could be possible so I had to research a bit and ask friends and family.
Apparently it is possible, but as a general rule, It will be a symbolic marriage with no legal value (you will need to validate it in your country, a bit like getting married in Vegas I guess!)
I found a few places where a Hotel with a private beach hosts wedding with a fantastic scenery on the beach.
One is this one: Private wedding on the beach unfortunately It’s in Italian, but you could try and send the request. There is a button saying “Invia una richiesta” on the upper right side.
Another one, with the English version is this one
So yes, apparently it is possible to realize your dream! Let me know how it goes and…congratulations! 🙂
Hello,
My husband and I are planning to visit San Teodoro at the beginning of September 07.09 – 21.09 (mainly for Sun and Bass festival).
As we are on a pretty strict budget,we were thinking of renting an apartment rather than choosing a hotel. Also, because we would like to go to this festival, we need to find some accommodations pretty close to La Cinta beach.
Could you, please, recommend us some useful links?
Also, if you have any other tips for us, please let us know.
Many thanks in advance,
Monica
Hi Monica,
Sorry for my late reply but I’ve been super busy lately!
I don’t think you are going to have problems in finding a small house to rent close to La Cinta. If you go to the link i put on my website( click here for the shortcut) you can find good options to rent a small apartment. In september it’s already low season so the prices will go down considerably!
I’m not sure what type of travelers are you, but if you don’t mind, camping could also be a good option to save money. La cinta is the biggest camping around san Teodoro, so you might check that out too…
Let me know if you need further help!
Cheers
Clelia
Sorry Clelia, I posted the same comment twice by mistake…
Dear Clelia, I find your posts are a real treasure about Sardinia! Thank you for your inspiring, inetrestting and very, very helpful posts. Seeing that I am encouraged to visit Sardinia again, this year in late September or maybe rather in early October, unfortunately only for 5-6 days. Me and my husband visited Golfo di Orosei in early June 2009 and from that moment we were crazy about Sardinia (although we had been already used to beautiful and cristal see here in Croatia ). This time we would like to repeat that beautiful experience with our little son of 20 months. He is a real traveller already and he enjoys to travel everwhere with us, however travelling with kid requires good preparing and organizing, including availability of some organized transportation by gommone or boat to Cala Gonone, Cala Mariolu and other beaches. What do you think, can we count on this option on late September or early October? Othervise, as you said, it would be a real shame to spend our time in Cala Gonone without seeing the marvelous beaches of the area. This area is really amazing and we like it immensely, but I know Sardinia is full of amazing and extraordinary places, so maybe you could recommend us some other part of paradise, more convenient to us… Recently I´ve seen in Bell´Italia magazine the beaches of Costa Rei and it looks like a real temptation… We are not interested in night life or fancy shops, but access to quiet and beautiful beaches, possibility of shorter hiking and autentic little village is that attracts us to Sardinia. I cannot wait your advice, thank you in advance!
Hi Diana,
Thanks so much for your kind words!
I’m so glad you can confirm what I always say: GOLFO DI OROSEI ROCKS!! 🙂 People here might start to think that I’m turning into a parrot, repeating the same thing over and over. But it’s absolutely true.
Regarding your request, since you already visited the area ( without your little cute traveller, but he will have time to come again when he’s older, right?)
I’d suggest you to explore somewhere else…
Why not try Villasimius? I love that place too, and besides the main beach which is beautiful but average, there are many other small enchanted beaches around to discover. You could also pay a visit to Costa Rei from there. it’s not really that far and a day trip is possible.
Let me know what you think and if you are still not convinced I can suggest some other place!
Cheers
Clelia
Dear Clelia, I find your posts a real treasure about Sardinia! Thank you for your inspiring, inetresting and very, very helpful posts. Seeing that I am encouraged to visit Sardinia again, this year in late September or maybe rather in early October, unfortunately only for 5-6 days. Me and my husband visited Golfo di Orosei in early June 2009 and from that moment we were crazy about Sardinia (although we had been already used to beautiful and cristal see here in Croatia ). This time we would like to repeat that beautiful experience with our little son of 20 months. He is a real traveller already and he enjoys to travel everwhere with us, however travelling with kid requires good preparing and organizing, including availability of some organized transportation by gommone or boat to Cala Gonone, Cala Mariolu and other beaches. What do you think, can we count on this option on late September or early October? Othervise, as you said, it would be a real shame to spend our time in Cala Gonone without seeing the marvelous beaches of the area. This area is really amazing and we like it immensely, but I know Sardinia is full of amazing and extraordinary places, so maybe you could recommend us some other part of paradise, more convenient to us… Recently I´ve seen in Bell´Italia magazine the beaches of Costa Rei and it looks like a real temptation… We are not interested in night life or fancy shops, but access to quiet and beautiful beaches, possibility of shorter hiking and autentic little village is that attracts us to Sardinia. We are opened to all sugestions. I cannot wait your advice, thank you in advance!
Hi Clelia
I”m planning a family 2 week Sardinia holiday in mid to end of sept
Do you Have any advice / tips for family locations & things to do with a 3yr old and 10 mth old / day trips? We will be hiring a car.
regards
Hamant
Hello, I’ve loved reading your blog and website! It’s extremely useful and inspiring. I have a 3 year old and will be travelling on my own. I’d like a traditional village that is fairly close to beaches with the option of day trips but also relaxing and low key. I’ll hire a car and I’ll be staying for 10-12 days. Not sure whether to stay in one place or to divide my time between 2 areas. Would appreciate any advice you have. Warm wishes, Karen x
Hey Karen, I suppose you are going to visit sardinia in low season?
Being on your own and with a kid I’d suggest the east coast but far away from the usual tourists spots. A good area might be Budoni (near San Teodoro) or the Arzachena area in the north.
You could stay in the village and explore the area by car. The good thing of Arzachena is that having the car you can also explore the small traditional villages inland plus the marvelous beaches around.
Since you have 10/12 days I’d suggest to split your holiday in 2. It is worth seeing 2 different areas and 5/6 days for each place is totally doable, without rushing from one place to another.
Here are some options on what I’d do:
-Budoni + Arzachena (nice beaches and villages, possibility of day trip by boat and a lot of great places to discover around)
-Santa Teresa di Gallura + Golfo di Orosei (the first one is awesome for the beaches and surrounding villages, Golfo di Orosei is spectacular for the boat trips but also to discover the unseen Sardinia driving around the typical non touristic villages like Galtelli’, Orosei and Baunei, where you can visit the suggestive area of the “Golgo”. More info in here
Hope it helps and have a great holiday! x
Hey Hamant
A good place to stay for families is the north east coast of Sardinia, especially if you have a car you can either rent a small villa in front of the sea (Budoni and san Teodoro are lovely in september), so you won’t stress much with the kids. You will also have the village very close in case you need to do some shopping or book a day tour by boat.
In 2 weeks you could even consider moving to 2 different places, but maybe with the young kids is maybe not Ideal… So I’d say, stay close to san Teodoro and discover the north of the area by car.
if you don’t mind changing places you could stay 1 week in San Seodoro and 1 week on the northern part, close to Arzachena so that you can enjoy the day trips to the marvelous Arcipelago and also see the famous “Costa Smeralda” VIP area (which won’t be that crowded in september so it’s perfect)
Hope it helps and enjoy your holiday! 🙂
Hi Clelia
I’ve been reading some of writing on Sardinia and it’s fab .. Really helpful. You clearly know the Island well which is why I’m asking your advice. My boyfriend and I are in our late 30’s and really want to holiday in Sardinia in September. We have a budget of approx £1000 per person and want to hire a car so we can go exploring. The travel agent has found us a hotel ‘club Altura’ in Villasimius and I am confident from reading your work that there are good, sandy beaches here which is an essential criteria for me as I’m looking for a place that is scenic. Can you tell me a bit about what there is to do in the evenings in Villasimius as I ‘ve found conflicting info on this. We are not looking for ‘party Central’ but would like the option of a few more lively bars to chose from if poss. Also, what can you tell me about eating out .. Are there many restaurants in the area and how expensive are they? Is Villasimius a good place to base ourselves if we want to explore more of the culture of the island? Is it the sort of place we can wonder around in the evening?
I look forward to your response and any tips you can give me.
Emma
Hey Emma
Villasimius is a great choice! You will find everything you need in there!
The village is quite big so regarding the food you will have plenty of choices to eat local and international dishes at any price.
In September the place becomes more quiet but there are nice bars and places where to have a few drinks around.
The main beach in villasimius is very nice but if you have the car, please go around and visit the other small “calettas” (meaning small and more secluded beaches).
When i go there I don’t plan much as there are indications on the road for the other beaches, so my advice is take the car and wonder around following the signs and you will find some stunning and quiet beaches all for yourself!
You can visit the small town of Muravera, not very far, drive north towards costa rei or south to torre delle stelle, geremeas and other lovely places in between! That area is awesome, I was talking about it with my parents and they know the area even better than me as we were discussing whether they prefer Chia or Villasimius and they say Villasimius is more “typical” in terms of culture and places.
Chia is stunning too (my opinion, but they are right, besides the beaches you can’t see much of anything else. So Villasimius is a very good place to base yourselves and discovering the marvels of Sardinia!
My father also told me that recently they were renovating the main road from Cagliari and now it’s a little bit better to get there. No more kilometers of turns and up and down the hills, but it’s still a scenic ride. I love that road so much, almost more than the final destination itself. It’s so wild and beautiful!
If you need more tips feel free to ask!
Enjoy your holiday!!
Hello,
My boyfriend and I are heading to Sardinia in September (I am so glad i saw this page as i have been nervous about the time of year!). We have 5 nights and we are keen to see some beautiful beaches, dine by the sea, experience some nightlife and see some local villages. Is there an area you would suggest? We are so confused!
I would love your help 🙂
Thank you
Hey Andrea, difficult question as there are so many beautiful places in Sardinia that matches your description! The Island is big so picking just a few areas is difficult.
If I had to choose, My favorite remains Golfo di Orosei, even though the night life in there is absent, if you have a car you can go to San Teodoro where there is plenty of bars, restaurants and places to have a good time!
Villasimius is also an excellent choice as the village is big and has anything you need to spend 5 days having fun, swimming in crystal clear waters and visit the nearby village of Muravera.
To see the real Sardinian villages you will have to drive a bit further towards the Siniscola, Arbatax and Orosei area (If you decide for villasimius you can have a day trip by car and wander around that area. I think it’s worth it to give you a glimpse of the Sardinia culture!)
Have fun guys!
Hello,
I came across your blog site through tripadvisor and so happy I did!! WE have been to Costa Rei twice and absolutely love Sardegna!! This time we actually want to go in September and funny I ran across your information which helped tremendously…I wanted to ask you about Vallasimius since we have not seen this area before or what do you suggest and also looking to stay in an “agriturismo” type place as we have stayed at Free Beach Costa Rei the last times but we would like to venture out this time and prefer a smaller place! Would love your help and much appreciated!! Thank you!!
Hey Antonette!
So glad you found my blog just in time to plan your holidays in September, lovely month to visit Sardinia!
Villasimius is an amazing choice and I’m sure you will have a great time in there…
Regarding your stay in some of the local Agriturismo, my advice is to either look for a small villa in the surrounding areas and have your meals in one of the typical restaurants where they serve the traditional Sardinian meals.
If you really want to try a real agriturismo, try to google it or check on my links on my article on the top ten sardinian beaches.
There is a long list of every type of accommodation, also for the Villasimius area. I don’t have any specific suggestion for agriturismo in there as I am lucky enough to have a relative living in town 🙂
Lovely lovely place indeed!!
Hello,
I came across your blog site through tripadvisor and so happy I did!! WE have been to Costa Rei twice and absolutely love Sardegna!! This time we actually want to go in September and funny I ran across your information which helped tremendously…I wanted to ask you about Vallasimius since we have not seen this area before or what do you suggest and also looking to stay in an “agriturismo” type place as we have stayed at Free Beach Costa Rei the last times but we would like to venture out this time and prefer a smaller place! Would love your help and much appreciated!! Thank you!! 🙂
I doubt you are going to read this, I must have missed it last year, so I use this space to give some advice on the comment section: IF YOU DON’T SEE MY REPLY WITHIN 10 DAYS, WRITE ANOTHER COMMENT BELOW YOUR FIRST ONE SO I CAN SPOT IT EASILY!
Thanks 🙂
Hi Clelia, I love you and your blog! We are 4 Australian 30ish year old ladies based around the world and meeting in Sardinia for a week from 1 Spetmeber 2014. Very excited but also overwhelmed and confused about where we are best to head!
Our Ideal Week in Sardina is: We don’t want a week of party/typical tourist style activties. Rather we would love a beautiful villa with a pool and a view where we can walk to dinner at a local village or sit at home and cook local produce and enjoy local wine. We are after a week of relaxation in the sun and happy to go off the beaten track but it would still be nice to be have at least a small village near by so that we can enjoy the holiday treats of eating and out. If we could walk to the beach that would make our trip perfect! (First world problem: shall I swim in the sea or the pool!).
I realise asking for this kind of recommendtaion is very annoying! Sorry in advance! Thank you so much for your blog and advice, it is just wonderful. I am so excited about my week in Sardinia!
Steph
Hey Steph
sorry for my late reply, I was so overwhelmed by emails and comments on the main article that I didn’t see the message!
If you want to relax and enjoy the “Real Sardinia” I’d suggest the area on the north (Santa Teresa di gallura) where you can easily reach the main beach Rena bianca walking through the village or the old faithful Orosei Area, There are lovely small villages in there, but the only problem is that you will need a car to move around as the best beaches can only reached by car or boat.
Whatever you choose, I’m sure you will find it lovely! I totally get what kind of holiday you want to experience, otherThan Santa teresa there are also other lovely place on the north side of the island.
Costa Paradiso is one of them and I’ve been there in a villa (oh my what a view from the swimming pool!!) and the villages nearby are lovely!
Let me know if you need some more help:)
Cheers
Clelia
thanks for posting nice views….
It’s always nice to post about great places! 🙂
Thanks for the tips especially about which places to go. I searched online about the beaches you have mentioned and the place is simply stunning. Will have to go there one of these days.
Natascia… I feel like I’m such a lucky girl to be born in this fantastic island.
I bet that if you come here you will fall in love with it, like anyone else…it’s impossible not to love Sardinia 🙂
Nice post!
I went to Sardinia in September/October and I loved it. It was perfect. The weather was still amazing, but there was no one around. We found a little apartment on the internet and it was so cheap. Really, it was the best experience.
Thanks for sharing your experience Cyra and i’m so glad that you enjoyed my wonderful island so much. I’ve been traveling to amazing places for years now but nothing compares to it! home sweet home 🙂
Wow. I must go to Sardinia like tomorrow. Haha. Seriously, that place is like a paradise!
Hi Shaun,
After going to Sardinia earlier this year for our honeymoon I can confirm that it really is like paradise.
Hi!
Me and my friend is going to Sardinia for a week in middle of October. We will spend two or three days in Cagliari but do not know where to stay for the rest of the week…
Where do you reccomend us to go if we would like to combine beach life (if possible this time of year) and evening life with restaurants/good food + wine?
Hi Lars
Good question…This year was very weird weather wise so I wouldn’t be surprised to find sunny and warm days in september october really. But this is just a guess obviously!
If the weather is on your side and you can rent a car I’d head towards Chia beach. I doubt the night life in there will be interesting but you can visit during the day and enjoy the beach for your self.
If it’s sunny, even if you can’t swim because it might be not warm enough, trust me… having Chia beach deserted is a surreal experience to try!
If you are not that lucky with the weather, i’d suggest you spend your time visiting Cagliari, it’s a lovely city, especially the part of the “Bastione di san Remy” where you can see the city from the top of the Hill, and it’s full of places to eat and have a good time.
Going to the other places with bad weather is something I wouldn’t suggest.
I hope you are lucky, as last year my brother went to the beach until October!
Hope this helps and again, good luck!
When planning to go on vacation there are things you want to consider first to make your trip worthy and unforgettable. Since, you have detailed things about this place, it is now a must see!
A must see indeed! In every season 🙂
I recently got back from an amazing 6 days in Sardinia in September touring around the island visiting hotels. The scenery is superb, the people lovely and the food sublime. Just posted photos from my first few hours there spent in Cagliari, such a lovely old town.
Hi Kathryn, so glad you enjoyed my beautiful Island, and September is definitely one of the best months to discover the many wonders of Sardinia, without the crowds.I can understand your love for Cagliari too. Being my home town i know it very well, and i strongly recommend spending at least 2/3 days wandering around the old city with a stop at the local beach Poetto.
Wow, the tickets are so cheap, seriously and I love the scenery as well. I would definitely want to visit Sardinia soon. I hope to make it there next summer. For now, I’m stuck in China 🙂
These are all fantastic reasons to go to what is a truly beautiful island. We went there in June for our honeymoon and have vowed to go back. The place is wonderful and the beaches stunning.
We stayed just south of Budoni on the east side. With a hire car we were able to see and do so much from this spot. The roads were nice and quiet, everyone friendly and temperatures in our second week were often more than 30 degrees C.
Lovely island. I highly recommend it to anyone.
Thank you so much for your comment, and for highlighting once more the beauty of visiting Sardinia.You couldn’t have chosen a better destination for your honeymoon.. glad you enjoyed your stay so much!
Mmmmmhhhmmmm…
Curious though when you write;
“I’ve traveled to amazing places but Sardinia still remain on my top ten list. Glad i inspired you to visit!”
What are the other ten places?
Can you name a top 3 must see/do in Sardegna for a Dane, an Italian woman and a wild 6 year old ragazza; all likes hiking, eating, beautiful scenery…
P.S.
A Danish authour (H.C. Andersen) once said;
“To travel is to live”.
I guess you are living pretty dawn good these days Kle? 🙂
Uhmm a top 3? not difficult really as i’d have a top million things i love about Sardinia!
top 3 beaches:
– Cala Mariolu with scuba diving experience included
-Tuerredda beach: if only to admire the view whilst getting there by car from Cagliari. Breath taking.
-Villasimius: there are wonderful “calette”, small beaches surrounded by big white rocks where you can find a quiet spot all to yourself
Experiences: Try the west cost around Pan di zucchero. The scenery there is fantastic and the beaches are secluded and not very touristic. You can also find small villages where you can taste the real sardinia and the realfood as well, together with a nice glass of vino “Cannonau” and the delicious sausages!
you can also find places to rock climbing and hiking around the Orosei area.
And you can’t miss a boat trip at la maddalena arcipelago!
I have so much to say about my beautiful island that i want to open a dedicated website 🙂
And i’m going back in 3 weeks for a short break on my trip to say hello to my family and dear friends before heading back to Asia for my new adventures 🙂 Home sweet home!
Oh Oh Oh
Kle is getting excited. Jes is getting excited. Does sound like a wonderful and special place. I have heard that from several people now. But wauw, dear, so many suggestions…can already see three days is not nearly enough. But view, water and FOOD+WINE is a definite MUST SEE. Thank you a bunch dear (wonder if you ever sleep?). Will come back to you when the time is near.
A bow and a thank you
no 3 days just gives you a tiny taste of what sardinia could offer! 🙂 but there will be plenty of time to digest the Maialetto sardo, with a good mirto and cannonau! Oh and don’t forget to try the “pane carasau”! soo good!
Stop it, stop it…I am drowning here in my watery mouth running missy 😉
Man, what a beautiful place to come from! I love the part about the beaches. Drool… Definitely adding it to my list!
Lindsay, i’ve traveled to amazing places but Sardinia still remain on my top ten list. Glad i inspired you to visit!