Discover The Best Sardinia Beaches, Hotels, And Resorts By The Beach
Last Updated: December 2022
Do you want to discover the best Sardinia Beaches? You’re in the right place: Imagine white sandy shores, pristine waters, and fabulous hotels and resorts by the beach. No wonder every year my friends start emailing and calling me with the same old request:
“Clelia, this summer I really want to visit you! (yes, right, me!) Can you recommend the best beaches in Sardinia I must see and where to stay, preferably in some fabulous resort or hotel by the beach?”
So I thought, well, I have a travel blog now, and I’ve been so lucky to be born in one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Let me share everything I know about it! Starting from the fundamental question, just in case you’re wondering:
After reading this one, check out my in-depth article on the best ITALY ROAD TRIP AMAZING ITINERARY!a marvelous itinerary starting in Rome and ending in the stunning Lake Como!
Best Sardinia Beaches Index: Click On Your Favorite Beach!
Pros& Cons To Visit The Best Sardinia Beaches In Hight Season :
Before you decide to take a plane and visit Sardinia, I put together a list of Pros and Cons to give you an idea of what to expect:
PROS:
THE SEA
Sardinia has almost 2000 km of turquoise transparent sandy beaches with nothing to envy of the Caribbean. In fact, people who’ve been to the Caribbeans and Sardinia might prefer the latter for its sea colors. In October 2016, I moved to Mexico and loved it, but for a Sardinian person, it is tough to get impressed with the beaches! We might not have the tropical countries’ coral reefs, but there are areas in Sardinia where scuba diving and snorkeling are still exciting.
THE WEATHER:
Sardinian weather is usually lovely, sunny, and warm from May until September/October, which gives you plenty of choices to decide the best time to book your perfect holiday! People from Northern Europe visit Sardinia in our “colder months” (from October to February) and still find it very enjoyable! The best season starts in June and ends in September when the weather is usually still stable and warm; after that, it’s a bit of a Russian Roulette!
VARIETY:
You can find quiet and relaxing places or very mundane (mostly VIP) ones, beautiful beaches, cultural/historical sites, and deliciously filling cuisine! My favorite Sardinian dish is “Spaghetti Alla Bottarga” and “Tallarinus”. I’ll talk about what you should try in terms of food in my new Sardinia section, so stay tuned; a lot more is coming up soon!
NOT ALWAYS EXPENSIVE:
Sardinia offers all kinds of deals from the Sultan of Brunei, with a Yacht resembling the size of a transatlantic boat, to the young, penniless backpacker. You’ll find cheap accommodation in lovely villas and super expensive luxurious resorts with everything you could dream of (and much more, for a super fancy and comfortable Holiday).
CONS:
HIGH SEASON PRICES
They can get expensive if you don’t book way in advance. The same applies to flights and boats: last-minute purchases can be costly or unavailable. The best time to book is March/April. Don’t miss my article on “Why visit Sardinia in September/October.”
CROWDS:
It can get very crowded during peak season, especially on touristy beaches. You can easily avoid it by visiting in June/September. The more beautiful a place is, the more you must fight to find your little piece of paradise and get ready to share it!
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Public transport in Sardinia can be very frustrating if you don’t know the area well. I’ll give you some valuable links on public and private transport at the end of the article. We are trying to improve, but there is still a lot to do, especially the connections between the east and the west. Read how to get around Sardinia
For All The Sardinia Beaches I’ll Cover:
Beach Main Points:
A brief recap of why I included the beach in my Top 10 list with its specific features and peculiarities. Each beach is gorgeous, and I consider the sea as the first parameter, then the overall beach (sand, how big the beach is, facilities, scenic & panoramic views, etc.)
Great deals for Hotels, Resorts, Villas, and Campings in Sardinia:
Camping/bungalow:Camping in Sardinia is not for everyone, but it’s a smart and cheap way to enjoy your holiday in Sardinia! I tried it many times (I was a massive fan of camping when I was a teenager, now, my back needs a bit more than a thin mattress, but it was a lot of fun! ). Ideal for students, backpackers, and adventurers of all ages! I will also help you in finding super cheap deals for resorts and villas.
Suggestions for Cheap Hotels, Villas, Resorts, and B&B in Sardinia:
OK, if you (like me) need to rest on a comfy bed in a room with – possibly- an en-suite bathroom, finding the right place to stay without spending a fortune can be time-consuming.
Well, since I want you to discover the best Sardinia beaches, I did the job for you! It took me three full days to research the Best Deals for Hotels, B&B, Resorts, and villas in Sardinia on the web (from a trusted website I use, obviously!). I decided what to include based on whether I know the place personally, its online reviews, and the location. You just need to click on my suggestions and decide what’s best for you!
MORE ABOUT SARDINIA:
Check out my ready-to-use article, where I give you the itinerary for one week in Sardinia. They are nine separate ones, full of details for different areas of Sardinia. The most popular post among my readers; don’t miss it!
Reviews on things to do and the best activities in Sardinia:
I think it’s also essential for you to know what other people think about a specific place/Accommodation/Hotel or activity. I want you to have the most precise idea of what suits you the best. You might be a single traveler, a family with kids, or traveling as a couple: your needs vary, and what is good for you might not be suitable for someone else.
During my travels, I always check out TripAdvisor, and I review the places I’ve stayed so that other people can benefit from my experience. I hope this will help you in your decision-making!
You will find very cheap options for Villas, B&B, and Hotels in almost every location in Sardinia (I love this website, it has it all!). You can cancel your booking last minute without losing your money, and it’s very reliable.
The best place to look for reviews of activities, sites, and restaurants in Sardinia online! Tripadvisor is my first choice before deciding where to book. I consider it a MUST, and I also contribute with my reviews!
So, now that you have all the tools to help you decide the holiday of your dreams in Sardinia …LET’S GET STARTED!
Best Sardinia Beaches & Hotels Near The Beach
This is a tough one, but I try my best! I will start from my “least favorite” (which is nothing less than stunning anyway) to my “top of the top” beach, the one I drool over all the time! In addition, I will put my recommendations for Cheap Hotels and Resorts in the area!
10: SAN GIOVANNI DI SINIS
MAIN POINTS:
San Giovanni Di Sinis is a lovely beach on the west coast near the city of Oristano and Cabras. It’s not as tourist as the other beaches, and it is easy to reach by scooter or car (around 30 minutes from the main city – Oristano). As for all the beaches in Sardinia I’m listing here, don’t expect them to be deserted during peak season.
I adore this beach because you park the car and then you get down a path to the actual beach so you will enjoy a splendid panoramic view from above first!
A word of advice: All the area around Oristano is well known for having quite strong underwater currents. In many parts of the beach, the sea gets deep almost immediately, so be careful if you are not a swimmer or have kids. Nothing to worry about, it’s not super dangerous, but you need to pay extra attention.
Facilities & Food: The beach is free, so you won’t find places to rent a beach umbrella and chairs; you need to get your own. There are a few restaurants near the parking area, so you don’t necessarily need to bring your mini-fridge and food/beverages. But if you are on the cheap side, you better do.
Where Is San Giovanni Di Sinis And Is Arutas Beach?
I have marked the main points of interest: Oristano and Cabras on the right and Torregrande is in the middle between Oristano and San Giovanni di Sinis beach (at the end of the route). Up north, there is another marvelous beach to discover: Is Arutas!
Distances From Oristano/Cabras/Torregrande To The Beaches:
Oristano to Torregrande beach by car: 12 minutes (7 km)
Oristano to San Giovanni di Sinis by car: 20 minutes (19 km)
Oristano to Is Aruttas by car: 25 minutes (22 km)
If you stay in Cabras or Torregrande, the distances to the beaches are around 10 minutes
Cheap Hotels, B&B, And Villas In Oristano:
It costs around 9/12 euros for a camping space in June/July/beginning of August. Renting a house in Oristano or Cabras is also a cheap option if you are 3/4 people and book a bit in advance. If you own a Caravan, the Oristano area is full of dedicated places, and it’s pretty easy to get around!
Best Accommodations Near Oristano:
Oristano is one of the fewer tourist areas in Sardinia, so it’s a bit easier to find cheap hotels and B&B compared to other areas in Sardinia. (Click on the link to see more). So, where should you research? Oristano town, Cabras or Torregrande? It depends on what you want. If you prefer the comfort of the city and have more to do in the evenings, then Oristano is the right option for you.
Suppose you don’t mind staying in a quiet village and savoring the more traditional Sardinian vibe. In that case, Cabras and Torregrande are a better choice, with the bonus that Torregrande has its beach and both towns are slightly closer to the beaches.
Located in Torre Grande, this B&B is perfect for saving money and experiencing Sardinian life. Free Wifi, terrace, and garden. Twenty minutes away from San Giovanni di Sinis beach. Price p/p: From 25 Euros
Many people ask me about experiencing the real Sardinia. If you book this B&B, you definitely can! Typical furniture, AirCon & Wifi, and the owners are friendly and helpful! The real Sardinia deal! Price p/p: From 26 Euros
This guesthouse is perfect and conveniently located in the heart of Oristano for a more modern vibe. It has a kitchenette, AirCon, Flat-screen TV, and balcony, and it’s only 7 km from Torregrande beach! Price p/p: From 45 Euros
The atmosphere in Santa Teresa is breathtaking, with deep turquoise waters and beautiful underwater formations, making Santa Teresa di Gallura the perfect location for Scuba Diving and snorkeling lovers! There are so many great beaches to explore, so I decided to cheat a little and add 3 top ones you shouldn’t miss if you visit Santa Teresa and make it your base for your Sardinia holidays!
La Licciola
Rena Bianca
Cala Spinosa
Map Of The Best Sardinia Beaches Near Santa Teresa Di Gallura
Distances From Santa Teresa Di Gallura To The Beaches:
Santa Teresa to La Rena Bianca: 5-15 min by foot – 5 min by car (It’s the city beach so it depends on where you are located)
Santa Teresa to La Licciola beach by car: 35 minutes (19 km)
Santa Teresa to Cala Spinosa Beach by car: 10 minutes (5 km)
Cheap Hotels In Santa Teresa Di Gallura:
Camping in the area (not on the beach, which is strictly prohibited in Sardinia!) costs around 10/20 euros per day. It depends on if it is slow or high season. Click here to see the reviews for camping in Santa Teresa di Gallura. One top-rated camping site in the area is Camping LaLiccia. Check it out!
Cheap Accommodation, Hotels & Resorts In Santa Teresa Di Gallura:
Here is the link to Santa Teresa Di Gallura’s best hotel deals. Alternatively, if you are traveling with your family or in a group of at least 3/4 people, one of the best options would be to rent a villa. This way, you will be comfortable staying in your private house, cooking meals if you want, and saving money!
I love this option, and I had great experiences all around Sardinia by renting a villa (or “Villetta” in Italian) with my friends and sometimes with my family.
The “Villetta” Is a private house usually rented by a local, so it’s much cheaper than the classic luxury villas.
My Suggestions: Hotels and Resorts near Santa Teresa
RESIDENCE OLIMPO
These apartments in Santa Teresa are a real bargain! At just 800m from Rena Binaca beach, they are a very cheap deal (especially in low season, but also in high season). They usually are sold out very quickly, so hurry up! Suitable for four people. Price p/p: From 10 Euros
These apartments are fantastic! No wonder why they are already almost fully booked for the season. You’ll have a fantastic sea view, balcony, kitchenette, and an oven. Close to the beach and Airport. Suitable for eight people. Price p/p: From 13 Euros
Do you want to stay near the beach? These villas are only 300m from the Colonne Romane Beach! They include Kitchenette, a dining area, and a flat-screen TV. Hurry up, as they are almost fully booked! Suitable for four people. Price p/p: From 30 Euros
If you want spectacularly white sandy Sardinia beaches, a cheap place to stay, and A LOT OF FUN… San Teodoro is the place for you! I went camping there a few times when I was a penniless student, and I remember those times as the most fun of my life! Parties on the beach, fantastic music, cocktail bars, and many new friends.
The main beach in San Teodoro is “La Cinta,” a long stretch of white sand and transparent turquoise waters. But San Teodoro is not only La Cinta. There are several other marvelous beaches to discover if you have a car, or if you don’t, use the local buses and the boat trip to the marine park of Tavolara. It’s worth it!
Cala Brandinchi
This spectacular beach is also known as “Little Tahiti” for its stunning colors, a must-visit if you stay in San Teodoro. Beware of the parking fees, especially during peak season they will charge you something like 10/15 euros per day (every year it gets more expensive and the lines to enter are endless even in the late afternoon).
Tavolara
A boat trip to la Tavolara is also mandatory if you stay in San Teodoro. The place is a protected marine area with daily trips. Alternatively, you can take the boat to Tavolara and hike to the top for a breathtaking view!
Map Of The Best Sardinia Beaches Near San Teodoro
Distances From San Teodoro To The Beaches & Olbia Airport
San Teodoro to Cala Brandinchi beach by car: 18 minutes (12 km)
San Teodoro to Tavolara by car+ boat: 20 minutes, departures from La Cinta beach and Porto San Paolo.
San Teodoro to Olbia airport by car: 20 minutes (28 km)
Low Budget Average Costs:
Camping is cheap for the location (around 20/30 euros per day now) yet full of amenities. We could rent bikes to reach the main beaches. The one in the picture above is La Cinta beach, and one of the biggest camping sites is just in front of it, which is convenient for those without a car. I remember spending my days lying down in the sun and playing beach tennis with my new friends. Such amazing memories!
Cheap Accommodation, Hotels And Resorts In San Teodoro:
Again, to make your life easier, here is the link to some pages for the cheapest accommodation in the area: San Teodoro’s best hotel deals. The city of San Teodoro is a perfect location for everyone, as it has shops, restaurants, cocktail bars, and remarkable nightlife. I always recommend it as a base for people who want a fun holiday and those who decided not to rent a car.
REVIEWS:
Here is the link to check out what other people say about San Teodoro on Tripadvisor. It is indeed paradise on earth!
My Suggestions: Hotels and Resorts near SanTeodoro
HOTEL LA PALMA
Another great deal! Only 300m from La Cinta Beach, restaurant and pizzeria, terrace, and a modest price for the location. The reviews are very positive, but you need to hurry up! Price p/p: From 20 Euros
Fantastic deal! Just a few minutes away from Cala D’Ambra and La Cinta Beach, this place is excellent and very cheap, given the location. The only issue? It will sell out in no time. HURRY UP! Price p/p: From 28 Euros
The reviews for this place say: “Fabulous”. The perfect place to enjoy the San Teodoro area with a fantastic sea view and surrounded by nature. At only 7km from the main beach. Cheap deals for early bookings! Price p/p: From 35 Euros
There are many other Hotels, Villas, and Resorts to check out on Booking.com: so many cheap options that your head will spin! I’ve used this website many times and found great deals. Highly recommended.
My only advice here is to book as soon as possible!
The best Villas/ Hotels will sell out if you wait too long. January, February, and March are the best months to book. If you start your research later, you might find that many places are already fully booked up until September-October.
San Teodoro is also quite close to exciting locations such as “Golfo di Orosei” and the famous VIP destination Costa Smeralda. You can reach these areas in less than 2/3 hours by bus or car.
7: LA PELOSA BEACH – STINTINO
MAIN POINTS:
Even if the name is not flattering in Italian -Pelosa means: “hairy woman”- 🙂 the place is paradise on earth! Close to a small fishing village, the beach is stunning, with fine white sand, enclosed on the north by the seventeenth-century Torre della Pelosa.
In front of the beach lies the Asinara Island Natural Park, where the only human construction is a prison. Yeah, I know, a terrible place to be incarcerated! You can buy a ticket to the island for a 1-day tour. Worth it!
Low Budget Average Cost In Stintino:
Unfortunately, there are no camping sites close to Stintino. The closest one is around 45 minutes by car, and it’s quite cheap (15/20 euros per night). A bus service runs from Porto Torres and Alghero to La Pelosa beach every day. To check the departure time, you can go to the bus company’s website, ARST (see links below at the end of the article )
Best Sardinia Beaches Near Stintino Town – Other than “La Pelosa Beach”
If you book a hotel in Stintino, below are the other great beaches you can visit other than the super famous La Pelosa. They are effortless to reach by car (see the detailed map with the distances below).
La Pelosetta
Ezzi Mannu Beach
Cala Lupo Beach
Map Of The Best Sardinia Beaches Near Stintino
Distances From Stintino To The Beaches & Alghero Fertilia Airport
Stintino to Cala Lupo beach by car: 3-5 minutes (1.9 km)
Stintino to Ezzi Mannu by car: 15 minutes (12 km)
Stintino to la Pelosa beach by car: 5 minutes (3 km)
Stintino to La Pelosetta Beach by car: 7 min (4 km)
Stintino to Alghero Fertilia Airport by car: average 40 min (45/50 km depending on the route)
Cheap Hotels & Resorts Near Stintino:
Here is the link for the best hotel deals in Stintino, a super lovely and simple village with no frills but well located and not too far by car from the main city Alghero, just a 45 minutes ride. You will find shops, a few restaurants, and the little pier and promenade for a relaxing walk. Perfect for escaping the super touristy Alghero (even if Stintino also might get crowded during peak season, being so close to the most beautiful beach in the area: La Pelosa)
REVIEWS:
Here are the reviews on Stintino and surrounding areas collected from Tripadvisor.
My Suggestions: Hotels and Resorts near Stintino
HOTEL CALA REALE
Incredible Hotel, and also incredibly cheap! 3km away from La Pelosa Beach (transfers included), swimming pool with a sea view. Tennis court and children’s playground. Perfect for a relaxing family vacation! Price p/p: From 23 Euros
One of the most famous Hotels in the Stintino area, with a luxury vibe but very affordable prices. A great restaurant with typical Sardinian dishes, a fantastic swimming pool, and near the town center! You couldn’t ask for more! Price p/p: From 24 Euros
A charming 4-star hotel with a big swimming pool, free transport to La Pelosa Beach, a restaurant with typical Sardinian dishes, night entertainment, an incredible sea view, and a private patio! Price p/p: From 25 Euros
The name of this beach is much better than our hairy woman above! “Mari Pintau” is a Sardinian expression that means “Painted sea” (not difficult to guess why!).
This beach is in one of my favorite parts of the Sardinian coast. The main road is on the edge of a cliff degrading directly to the turquoise sea, creating beautiful scenery for many kilometers, up until Villasimius town (a very touristic and famous area).
Low Budget Places In Villasimius:
Camping in the surrounding areas is cheap (around 10/13 euros depending on the season). There are also bus services on the main road from Cagliari to Villasimius that stops at every small beach (the trip is cheap and panoramic, but a bit slow).
Cheap Accommodations, Hotels & Resorts In Villasimius:
Check out the link to the best deals in Villasimius. I love Villasimius so much! There are several lovely small coves that it’s impossible to list all.
Bonus feature for you: If you decide to get around Sardinia without a car, this is one of the best locations for your needs. Public transport connects the major cities, and the buses pass by many coastal villages and touristy destinations.
REVIEWS:
As usual, here is the link to the Tripadvisor Page for the reviews on activities and places to stay in Villasimius.
Before giving you the names of my favorites places to stay in Villasimius, I have one warning for you: As previously mentioned, I’m checking the accommodations one by one (it’s taking me forever to guarantee you the best possible choices!), and for Villasimius, most of the hotels are already fully booked, so my main suggestion is to HURRY UP!
My Suggestions: Hotels and Resorts near Villasimius
GREEN VILLAGE RESORT
Only one piece of advice for this incredible place: If you want to visit Villasimius for a reasonably low price, this is it! Hurry Up as the availability is limited. Check out the pictures. They are amazing! The top choice among my readers! Price p/p: From 27 Euros
If I could only use one word to describe this Hotel would be: “WOW.” OK, I have a sweet spot for jacuzzi pools, and this property has one with a fantastic sea view, not to mention the rest of the amenities. Awesome! Price p/p: From 45 Euros
A bit more expensive than the average, but well worth it! Walking distance from Simius beach, private beach, swimming pool, tropical gardens, and very close to the bus stop. You can’t miss this paradise! Price p/p: From 77 Euros
Chia is MY BEACH! It’s just 45 min from my house, and I’ve been there a million times, so I can say this is my territory! The beach is vast and very long, with fine golden sand, a crystal clear sea, and two little islands just in front. You can reach them by walking in the water and “climbing” the biggest one to see the entire bay from the top. Worth it!
But don’t forget to wear sandals to avoid hurting your feet on the rocks! Perfect beach for everything: water sports like windsurfing, surfing, and canoeing are trendy here, but you can choose to just relax by swimming and sunbathing all day!
Warnings: There are no restaurants nearby, just a few bungalow-sized bars selling chips and ice creams, so bring some packed lunch with you if you want to stay all day long.
Getting to Chia beach if you don’t have a car: Walking from the main road bus stop will take a bit long (I never did it, but I’d say it would take at least 30 minutes). The best way to enjoy the beach is to search for accommodation nearby and rent a bike.
Cheap Average Cost In Chia:
Camping is around 16/25 euros depending on the season. The beach is a bit secluded, so it is more expensive than the other areas. There is a massive resort nearby the beach: “Chia Laguna Resort,” which is fantastic but a bit more pricey; if you want to splurge, this might be the perfect place for you. I LOVE IT!
FUN/SAD NOTE:
Every time I pass the resort to go to the beach, I give it a longing look, thinking about those lucky people who can afford to stay in there! I saw it from the inside while working in the kitchen, and it’s something out of this world!
Cheap Accommodation, Hotels, And Resorts In Chia:
Chia is not a very cheap area, but you can still find reasonable prices if you book in advance and is patient to research for the perfect deal for you. The link lists all the Villas/hotels/resorts in the area: Accommodation in Chia (From the cheapest options to the Luxury Resorts).
REVIEWS:
Activities and places to see around Chia reviewed on Tripadvisor.
My Recommendation here is: BOOK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! It was very challenging to find these deals (even in low season), as almost all the cheapest options were already fully booked until September!
My Suggestions: Hotels and Resorts near Chia
APPARTAMENTI CHIA
Lovely “Villette” (well-sized, fully furnished apartments) near Chia’s main beach. Perfect for family holidays, they can host up to 4 people. A note: It’s been very challenging to find availability for these! Price p/p: From 43 Euros
A well-known family-run Hotel, 500m from the beautiful Su Giudeu Beach. It has a bar and a common Lounge Area to relax, and it’s 15 minutes by car from the main village Pula. Great deal for the price! Price p/p: From 50 Euros
One of the dreamy Hotels around Chia, sometimes they have a 30% discount! I have to admit it: I was drooling over this offer! Fantastic setting for an unforgettable Holiday! Price p/p: From 73 Euros
One of the most beautiful Marine National Parks in the north, if you come to Sardinia, I strongly recommend visiting it for a few days; it’s breathtaking!!
Day trips by boat to the Arcipelago Della Maddalena are available at a reasonable price (around 30/40 euros), and you can choose what itinerary you want. Some boats let you stay on one or two beaches for the entire day, while others allow you to see more islands for a limited time.
Tip: For the best price, go directly to the local agencies or the box offices at the pier for more info. Some buses take you to the closest attractions of Costa Smeralda’s best beaches, the VIP part of the island. I’m not crazy about it, but many people find it fascinating, giving them the “Portofino” feeling of luxury. If you are there, why not? Trying never hurt anybody, right? 🙂
Low Budget Average Cost At Arcipelago Della Maddalena:
“La Maddalena” is the only island in the archipelago with a small inhabited village where you can find proper accommodation. The place is nice but a bit expensive. For camping and housing, a good base camp is the small village of Arzachena/Cannigione.
I’ve been there for a couple of years, and it was amazingly cheap for the location (around 25/30 euros up to date). From there, you can choose local buses or minibusses that will take you to the pier for the boat trips.
Cheap Accomodation And Hotels At Arcipelago Della Maddalena:
Now the good news! Even if the place is in one of the most popular VIP areas, the prices are considerably lower if you choose to stay in Cannigione/Arzachena. Here is a complete list of the accommodations available for Arzachena and Cannigione:
Here are the top day trips with reviews and prices!
My Suggestions: Hotels and Resorts near La Maddalena – Sardinia
LEBERIDES -LA MADDALENA
Incredibly cheap apartments and fantastic reviews include all amenities: a washing machine, flat-screen TV, kitchenette, WiFi, and a balcony. These properties will sell out in no time! Hurry up! Price p/p: From 21 Euros
Great value for this Hotel in la Maddalena Island; it is ideally located near the harbor. Each room has a private patio or balcony, and it’s very convenient to explore the island and take fantastic day trips! Price p/p: From 38 Euros
This lovely B&B is set only 100m from the sea, exceptional quality for the price and the location, free WiFi, refrigerator, and flat-screen TV. The pier is only 10 minutes away by car, where you can catch the boats for Palau. Price p/p: From 40 Euros
If I could choose the best beach in my area, Tuerredda would be # 1! A few kilometers away from Chia beach, Tuerredda is a piece of paradise. It has EVERYTHING you need to define it as “the perfect beach”:
A breathtaking scenery when you arrive, perfect fine white sand, bushes, and rocks at the two ends of the beach, and a sea that is so clear and crystalline that the first thing I do every time I arrive is to throw my stuff on the beach and go for a swim. I can’t resist!
Cheap Hotels near Tuerredda Beach:
Tuerredda isn’t cheap. People that can afford to rent a house for a couple of weeks are spending A LOT of money on it! So how can you still enjoy this paradise without spending a fortune? Well, first of all: If you can afford it, visit Sardinia in the low season(read my article in the link to see why 🙂
In June, the weather is already perfect, prices are down, and you can even have the beach to yourself! (Maybe not entirely, but nothing compared to the August crowds!). My suggestion is to go for a cheap camping area around, there are a few for just 20/25 euros per night, and take the local bus to get there (this way you will avoid the ridiculously high price for the parking area too!).
Another great option is to book a hotel in Santa Margherita di Pula or Cagliari and possibly rent a car. If you stay in Cagliari, you can easily reach Tuerredda beach in about an hour (without traffic) and enjoy the many things to do in Cagliari on your return.
Santa Margherita di Pula is also fantastic because it is closer to Tuerredda and it is a small town with its beautiful beaches (not as attractive as Tuerredda in my opinion, but beautiful in themselves).
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IMPORTANT NEW FOR TUERREDDA BEACH 2022/2023: Starting from the 19th of June, 2021, Tuerredda access is restricted to a fixed number of visitors per day until the 30th of September each year. Only a set number of people can enjoy the beach each day. Precisely 729 people on the free beach and 371 on the private part.
How do you book your spot at Tuerredda beach in advance? You can only book in advance for the private beaches. Here is the Official website for Tuerredda Beach. To know in real-time how many spaces are still available for the free and private beach.
Screenshot of the official Tuerredda (with my notes in English)
Cheap Accommodation And Hotel In Tuerredda:
Not all hope is lost here. If you are not into camping at all, you could still find a villa or hotel at affordable prices. Below I have put a few links where you will find plenty of options for Hotels/Resorts and Villas in the areas surrounding Tuerredda beach (which is relatively isolated, and you’ll have to get there by car or bus):
Here are the reviews for Tuerredda beach from TripAdvisor. It ranked number one of the places to see close to Teulada (See? You can trust me after all!). In the following link, there are reviews for all the activities in the Teulada and Domus de Maria areas.
My Suggestions: Hotels and Resorts near Tuerredda
DOMUS DE MARIA
For these apartments, I can say only one thing (I know the area and the prices): BOOK IT NOW! I had to search for availability on different dates as they were full. Now, that’s a real deal! Suitable for six people. Price p/p: From 14 Euros
What an incredible deal, Ideal for groups and families. A fantastic private villa with a swimming pool at this price (per person)! This offer won’t stay on the market for long. Suitable for six people. Price p/p: From 25 Euros
A B&B with great reviews, a fantastic location, and a super affordable price in Tuerredda-Domus De Maria! The B&B is also very close to Chia Beach and offers breakfast, a flat-screen TV, and a terrace! Price p/p: From 30 Euros
Cala Goloritze has been declared a “World Heritage site” by UNESCO******IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Doing some research on the Official UNESCO website, I discovered that Cala Goloritze’ is NOT on the list. My previous affirmation came from numerous websites and blogs that gave this wrong information. Given how much I love my island and considering the popularity of this article, I don’t want to risk giving you any incorrect information.
So why the confusion? Quite simple: Cala Goloritzè was declared a “Natural Monument” of the Region of Sardinia in 1993 and then named “Italian National Monument” in 1995 by the Regione Sardegna. The terminology “Natural Monument and National Monument” must have confused many people, including me, at first! So what is so special about Cala Goloritze? It is a very secluded beach out of reach of ANY possible road. Located on the east coast on the “Golfo di Orosei,” around 2 hrs from Olbia.
You can get there through a unique path through bushes, oaks, and whitish limestone walls. As you descend in altitude between the canyons, you can see the deep blue sea and sky. After 1 or 2 hours of walking and sweating, as soon as you see the beach, you instantly know it was WELL WORTH IT!.
If you go there in the early morning, you will have the small beach all to yourself. All the areas around the “Golfo di Orosei” are truly AMAZING. I like the contrast between the turquoise of the sea and the high mountains full of green trees and bushes behind the beach. It’s spectacular and I can’t get enough of that view!
Cheap Hotels Near Cala Goloritze’:
As you can imagine, it is not allowed to stay on the beach overnight. You need to collect your remaining energy and get back on the same path for a 3-hour climb back to the main road. Quite something after a day of swimming and roasting under the sun! The good part is that you can sleep for one or two nights in a bed and breakfast in one of the small villages nearby (Baunei being the closest one). If you are into the real Sardinian experience, then Baunei is the place for you!
You can see older men playing cards and drinking beers, wine, and Mirto! The village is also very close to other tourist attractions like the plateau of Golgo, a fascinating place with jaw-dropping views, where you can not lose “Su Sterru”Cost is around 20/25 euros per night, so not bad at all. Transports to the main road are also quite tricky, and you need a scooter or a car. But again, it is well worth it for a one or 2-day tour.
Further Cheap Accommodation Near Cala Goloritze’:
As previously mentioned, the closest and most convenient village near Cala Goloritzè is Baunei, where you can find some cheap Hotels and B&B at reasonable prices. Here is a complete list of Hotels and B&B in Baunei.
My Suggestions: Hotels and Resorts near Cala Goloritzè
LA TERRAZZA PANORAMICA
With air conditioning, the apartment comes with a seating area with a sofa and flat-screen TV. It has an equipped kitchen and a washing machine. Cala Goloritze is 20 minutes away by car. Suitable for four people. Price p/p: From 15 Euros
Antiche Case in Pietra: Translated “Old houses made of stone”, is a lovely traditional Sardinian place in Baunei. It offers self-catering accommodation with rustic décor, air conditioning, and a great kitchenette! Suitable for 2 or 4 people. Price p/p: From 26 Euros
This B&B is in the lovely traditional village of Baunei and has excellent reviews. It offers a garden, terrace, and classic-style accommodation with a balcony. Free WiFi is available in public areas. Great value! Price p/p: From 30 Euros
This beach is the most spectacular in Sardinia (my modest opinion!). I just discovered that it is also ranking #1 on TripAdvisor. First, the picture doesn’t do any justice to the beach! It only shows a part; on the left, you will see two other beaches separated by big white rocks. You can reach the beach by boat.
If you are on a low budget, you can use the 1-day trip by boat and choose one that allows you to stay there the whole day. Using boat trips is the best way to enjoy this spectacular beach, as it can get quite crowded when the boats arrive and let people on the beach for a couple of hours.
This way, you can stay there when everyone else goes back on the boat and have fewer people on the beach until the next full of tourists arrives. The day trip by boat is around 35/40 euros, and I would happily spend it every summer to get to my favorite beach! I also tried scuba diving there. The picture below is the proof 🙂
Me trying to play with the fish at Cala Mariolu when scuba diving
Low Budget Hotels Near Cala Mariolu:
As for Cala Goloritze, you can’t stay overnight, so the best option is to find accommodation in one of the villages nearby (Baunei and Orosei) and start your day trip from the Arbatax pier. For some possibilities on cheap Hotels and villas near Cala Mariolu, check out the point below.
Cheap Accommodation And Hotels Near Cala Mariolu:
The best places to search for cheap accommodation are Baunei and Orosei, but if you book a one-day trip and have a car, anywhere within the Golfo di Orosei is an excellent place to stay. Below are the links to the primary hotels/villas/apartments you should check out: Baunei | Orosei
My Suggestions: Hotels and Resorts near Cala Mariolu
B&B CASA SABA
This B&B set in central Orosei and less than 3km from the Sardinian seafront offers free WiFi in the entire building, free bike rental, and a garden. The owner will provide An Italian-style breakfast daily. Price p/p: From 30 Euros
Club Hotel Marina Beach is a beautiful establishment in the heart of the East coast of Sardinia. Enjoy a relaxing stay by the sandy beach, which is super popular among tourists. Perfect for Families. The swimming pool is a plus! Price p/p: From 39 Euros
Offering an outdoor pool, B&B Addisora is located in Orosei. Free WiFi access is available. Rooms here provide you with air conditioning and a patio. The B&B is a few kilometers away from the Golfo Di Orosei beaches! Price p/p: From 40 Euros
From mainland Italy, fly to Cagliari/Elmas Airport; from there, you can take a direct bus to Cagliari and then take a local bus to your destination. Buses are the most convenient way to reach tourist destinations out of the main cities. Private and public bus lines cover almost every single touristic place.
The bus is generally relatively slow and takes a couple of hours or more per 100 km since it stops at the main villages, but it’s cheap and comfortable. Trains are also available from Cagliari to the main cities of the island. Alternatively, you can take the passenger boat from Livorno or Rome to Cagliari, as the bus station is just a 5-minute walk from the harbor.
Option #2: Olbia/Sassari & Touristic Areas (Costa Smeralda, Golfo di Orosei, Arcipelago della Maddalena, Stintino)
From mainland Italy, fly to Olbia airport or Alghero airport and take one of the local buses to your preferred destinations. Alternatively, you can take the Passengers boat to Porto Torres or Olbia, and from there take the direct trains available to all the main cities on the island OR take one of the many private/public buses to your destination.
Useful Links to the major private/public transport companies in Sardinia:
DIRECT FERRIES: Do you want to book a ferry to and from Sardinia? Or check the availability and routes? Below is the most helpful link to find all the companies operating on all routes! That’s the only thing I use tobook my ferry to Sardinia.
ARST: Public service buses to the main touristic destinations. TURMO TRAVEL: Another well-known bus company.
Do you want more? Check out my homemade video! it’s not the best quality as I took the pictures with an old mobile, but it gives you a great idea of what paradise is, even with bad-quality pictures 🙂
Do you want to receive updates from me via email? I’m currently working on tailored guides for different types of tourists coming to Sardinia. If you wish to receive a free copy, take 1 minute to subscribe. All for free and no Spam! 🙂
So my dear friends, enjoy your holidays and make the most of them! Sardinia is a unique island! If I convinced you and you want some more info, leave a comment below, and I’ll try to help! 🙂
Ciao!
Do you want to read about other amazing destinations? Here is my post (a very honest one) about Sri Lanka!
Thank you for sharing such a great and informative article on the best Sardinia Beaches. It really helped me to choose where to go in Sardinia for my upcoming summer vacation!
Great article about Sardinia beaches, they are all so beautiful! I’ll be visiting this summer, Costa Smeralda area but we will definitely try San Teodoro too! just keep on posting, your blog is awsome.
Thanks Marie! I was in Costa Smeralda last summer too, it’s crowded, but oh my the panoramic views make it worth the trip! Enjoy Sardinia and its beautiful beaches!
I’ve been so lucky to find this travel blog. I really liked all the write-ups that you have added here. And I have got some good suggestion for the beaches and hotels here. But What about flights?
Well done. I was looking for our favorite beach, which was not on your list. Maybe, because our experience was back in 1973 and 1974. We took the ferry to Porto Tores on the NE part of Sardinia and drove rental car to Hotel del Golfo, now Del Golfo Club. Our beach was Costa Paradiso, which was about a 30 – 40-minute drive east from the hotel and at the time it required descending a very rocky path to get to the beach, but we usually had the beach to ourselves all day long. This is the beach where some of the early scenes for “Black Stallion” were filmed. At the time, they were just starting to develop Costa Paradiso, and we came very close to buying a piece of land there. At the time we were living in Germany.
Thanks for this interesting comment! I know Costa Paradiso (not sure which beach are you referring to there, as “Costa Paradiso “is more of an area, not a specific beach… I wasn’t there in the early ’70s so I can only imagine how it could have looked without tourists! I personally prefer other areas to Costa Paradiso, but not saying that is a bad place by any means 🙂 I’ve visited the area many times when in northern Sardinia, and is definitely still worth a visit!
Thank you for this amazing article, this is really helpful for me and pls keep posting about Sardinia, I’m organizing a trip with my family and I was looking for inspiration and a hotel to book. I’m thinking about going to the east coast close to Olbia so I can visit the arcipelago della Maddalena by boat, it looks amazing.
Hey Omkar, yes I can totally recommend you book a hotel near Olbia or Palau if you want to enjoy that area (the beaches there are seriously jaw-dropping, especially during the boat trip you’ll see what I mean!
That was such a good and informative read for me, thank you! I love Sardinia, I’ve already been to the west coast (Oristano) in 2019, and now I’m intrigued by the Golfo di Orosei!
Fantastic post! So detailed and so many pointers provided for a blissful budget-friendly vacation. Sardinia looks incredibly stunning! You’ve seriously inspired me to go there.
Hi,
I was searching for a blog that can give me information about the top beaches for a low budget in Sardinian, and when I visit this blog and I got my answer. Thank you and Best of Luck!
Hi , We were in honeymoon in Sardinia 2 years ago , and we stayed in Arbatax resort for one week . by that time we didn’t know to many things about Sardinia so we miss all this 🙁 . now we have booked to go this month for 1 week , our flight is to Cagliari , We want to stay for 4 days in one place , we love to go in the morning for a walk and then just to relax on the sunbed for good few hours and then to ” get lost” on the street looking for a nice restaurant . I seen that the best ones on google are Tuerredda and Villasimius . If you know something else , a nice hotel on the beach to recommend . Also I want to visit Is Arutas , I really want to see this lovely beach . XXX . We like a sandy beach, not rocky . . Thank you .
Thank you for all of this information. We are traveling to Sardinia in late June and staying in Olbia.
Can you recommend three must-see beaches that we should put on our itinerary which can be easily reached by car from Olbia? We would prefer to spend time relaxing on the beach and not rush from place to place. Thank you!
Thanks for your comment! If you’re staying in Olbia you’ll have so many great opportunities to visit fabulous beaches. I am just finishing an article (already online but missing most of the beach images, it should be ready in 3-4 days) about the best beaches in Costa Smeralda
These beaches are truly something else! I recommend Principe Beach in particular and obviously the Archipelago della Maddalena boat trip (that should be mandatory) 🙂
From Olbia, these beaches are quite close and you can take nice relaxing one day trips as the locals do. If you want to visit the Northern part, Santa Teresa di Gallura is also a place you shouldn’t miss, for the beaches and also for the village and surrounding areas. But for the closest ones to you, I recommend checking out the beaches in Costa Smeralda and on the south part San Teodoro (Cala Brandinchi, also called little Tahiti)
let me know if you need any more info and I’ll be happy to help!
Cheers
Clelia
Wow! Amazing article!..
No one can argue about the beauty and coolness of Sardinia beaches. Archipelago Della Maddalena looks like it’s out of the world!
La tua guida è fantastica! Sto preparando, insieme a mio moglie ed il piccolo Tommaso, una vacanza di 2 settimane in Sardegna (ancora non so bene dove esattamente) ed il tuo articolo mi ha dato diverse indicazioni utili.
Mi piacerebbe se potessi darmi un consiglio spassionato su una zona in particolare della Sardegna che ritieni più opportuna per trascorrere una vacanza in serenità in famiglia. Siamo io (Michele), mia moglie Laura, il piccolo Tommaso di 4 anni ed il nostro Labrador Attila. Vista la presenza del cane saremmo più orientati ad una casa o un bungalow piuttosto che un albergo.. ci dai qualche idea?
Ciao Michele, purtroppo vedo solo ora il tuo messaggio, spero che tu abbia passato una bellissima vacanza in Sardegna col tuo piccolo Tommaso e la tua bella famiglia estesa! Un abbraccio
Clelia
Clelia, thanks for all the wonderful information-so much here! I’m planning a trip for 4 women late June. We will be there for a week and are open to any area. We would like to be able to walk to a beach, rent boats, and then have restaurants/bars within walking distance. I’m having a hard time finding something like that. We really don’t want to rent a car but will if need be! Thanks again!
Hi Meredith! Ok Cagliari is “my territory” so I think I could help even more! 🙂 The good news is that Cagliari is VERY EASY to get around by foot and public transport, so you won’t necessarily need to book a hotel near the city beach Poetto. It really depends on how you will organize your vacation and what you want to do the most. Do You simply want to relax on the main city beach or discover a bit of the old city as well as taking day tours?
In my opinion, I would take a hotel nearby “The Bastione” area and Via Roma (the main street in front of the sea/pier). This way you can:
Easily take public transports from either via Roma or Piazza Matteotti which, depends on where you choose your hotel, at 5-10 min walk to the main attractions in Cagliari and has the buses for the day trips, the ARST buses (taking you to the main beaches and villages around), the train station, and most of the buses that go everywhere in the city, including the Poetto beach. Not to mention the train to the airport as well!.
So which hotel is best? This is what I usually do with my trips (I’m currently visiting Australia and did exactly what I’m about to tell you).
I went on Booking.com, used all the filters (location, free cancellation policy… whatever you think it’s important for you) and narrowed down to 2-3 hotels. I’d say choose one near the beach, one nearby via Roma/Piazza Matteotti (I think one of the most booked by my readers is the Regina Margherita, check that out) and one nearby the historical center (don’t worry, they are not super far away from each other anyway!)
Make sure they all have the FREE CANCELLATION POLICY so that you can book immediately (scoring a better price usually) and then cancel the other 2 you don’t want anymore 🙂
I hope it helps, I do this ALL THE TIMES and it works like a charm, no stress, no rush and I can decide when I have a better idea of what I want to do.
Cheers from Australia!
Clelia
Thank you for all the great information! We are really looking forward to our trip. We are looking into Hotel Nautilus now too and the one you mentioned above. We will probably be on the beach more than not so proximity to it is important.
What about your favorite restaurants in Cagliari? I’d much prefer to hear from a local than online reviews!
Thanks again
Meredith
Clelia Mattana
Hi Meredith
Sorry for my late reply, I hope you will still read my reply! As for the restaurants… it’s a difficult question to ask of me as being Sardinian and with a mother who is an excellent cook we rather eat her cuisine 😀 But we, of course, go out to eat from time to time and to be honest with you, it truly depends on what is your preference (you want to try special Sardinian food or simply eat well?). What about your budget? I can say that I’ve eaten in all the major restaurants that are always mentioned in the online reviews (within reason!), for example, “Da Marino Al San Remy”, “L’imperfetto” “Sa Domu Sarda” etc, all very good. But with my friends, we also go to random trattorias in forgotten corners in the center and they are also awesome and cheap. As rule of thumb you should try to do this: Go for a stroll and pay attention (at around 8/9 pm) which restaurants are more filled with LOCALS. So try the small alleys, venture a bit further outside the center, and you’ll have your answer! Or you can visit my mum’s kitchen and you won’t want to go to any restaurant anymore!
Cheers
Clelia
Meredith Hill
Thanks so much! Looking forward to our visit! Thank you again!
Hi! great website and thanks for this. My wife and I are planning a visit in May. I love snorkeling so any recommendations on where to stay that has good snorkeling and relaxation? I normally hire a car out but would quite like to NOT do that this time (less stressful for me as I drive everyday!)
Hi!
If you are not planning on renting a car then the options (especially for good snorkeling spots) are limited to either Villasimius and Santa Teresa di Gallura. San Teodoro is also another good place to reach by public transport but not much to see on the snorkeling department. Bear in mind that the mediterranean sea is a lot colder than the Philippines (where I have lived for 6 months) and we don’t have the coral reef and colorful fish you have!
Lovely post! Thanks for your guide to the Paradise- SARDINIA. I have never been in Sardina but this is really fantastic recommendation for my honeymoon.. Very informative blog!
Thanks Lin, Sardinia is definitely beautiful and should be on everyone’s bucket list! Honeymoon in Sardinia?? You have no idea on how many people asked me about it, perfect choice!
Hi Clelia, thank you for your really helpful and informative blog. It is awesome 🙂 Still need your help:) My Boyfreind and I, are flying to Sardinia for one week, in the middle of september. We can fly in to Alghero or Olbia, but only fly out from Alghero. What do you think is best to do ? Stay in Alghero and explore the north?or fly in to Olbia and explore the east ( san teordoro, cala ganone, and boat trip to cala luna/ cala goloritze?) and then drive by bus or train back to the airport of alghero on last day? our plane leaves by night. so we could get to see bit of the algehro city in the morning/afternoon.I am kinda attracted to the beautiful beaches of the east and would really like to go there, just dont know how will it be with th transport because we wont be hiring a car. Grazie mille per il tuo aiuto :))
Best Regards!!!
Evi
Hi Evi! Glad that you found the article useful! I know… transport in Sardinia can be highly confusing for the locals too! And if you are not renting a car your options are rather limited.
The most convenient option for you would be to stay in the Alghero area and use the buses to discover the surrounding beaches and main sights, but I get the appeal of the east coast 🙂 I never used this service so I’m not recommending it for direct experience but they have a shuttle bus that connects the 2 airports (Olbia-Costa Smeralda airport and Alghero Feritlia Airport), you can check it out in here. If that option suits your needs, then you can venture further down by bus From Olbia to San Tedodoro (which is less than 40 min away by bus).
For Cala Gonone is a bit trickier, unfortunately! There are buses connecting Olbia to Dorgali (a lovely village NOT in front of the beach but very close to Cala Gonone) but I’m not sure how well they are connected by bus. For what I know, there is a bus line (520) that will get you from Dorgali to Cala Gonone and it’a 20 min ride by bus via ARST (the main bus transport in Sardinia), but I suggest you check their website to have updated info as for the Golfo di Orosei I’ve always used a car and I dont’t want to give you misleading info. Knowing both Dorgali and Cala Gonone, and how close they are, I would be surprised if there were no bus! But we are in Sardinia and everything is possible 🙂
So, all in all, it is still possible to get to the east coast, but you will have to factor in all the time spent to get there (you might lose 2 days of your trip to go from one place to the other) but if you have enough time, and you schedule your trip carefully, it can be done and you’ll marvel at the beauty of the east coast as well! Which is clearly my favorite. You might take the bus and first stop to Palau for the boat trip to the Arcipelago Della Maddalena, then get to San Teodoro for a couple of days and then reach Dorgali- Cala Gonone by bus (but again, check very well the timetable and all!) and from Cala Gonone you can get on a boat for a memorable day trip to the best beaches of the Golfo di Orosei.
It all depends on how much time you have, your budget and if you are willing to sacrifice 1-2 days to get to your destinations.
These are really dreamy beaches. The kind that prolongs life. All of them a wonder of nature. I’ve already visited some of them. Thank you so much for sharing.
I guess the spectacular vacations on these beaches can be complemented by a thin, classy and sophisticated peshtemal.
Thank you for such an informative guide, Clelia! This is truly helpful for our future travel plans with my family and friends to Sardinia. We are looking for a place to stay that is not too crowded but still offers a nice view of the beach so we can relax and have fun altogether. Kudos for also providing the pros and cons, the weather, and the prices of the hotels.
Thanks Elisabeth! I always try to provide the pros and cons, my island is marvelous but it can’t be perfect in every aspect. Some people might not care much about the crowds, others have enough money to afford whatever they want and so on, but for the majority, it’s a good service to tell them. As I said for the crowds, this is the price to pay for visiting paradise in high season. To me, Sardinia beaches are even more spectacular during a sunny winter day. Of course, you can’t swim but you will have the beach for yourself and oh boy are they still beautiful only for a walk! That’s the paradise Island I keep talking about because I’ve seen what it looks like in winter and it’s jaw-dropping.
But I also know that people want to enjoy a good swim and all the activities provided in summer. I wish there was a jaw-dropping beach with no crowds but it would be an oxymoron 🙂 Unless you go to a resort with a private beach of course, in that case, you will have more tranquillity and fewer people even in high season. Needless to say, that comes to a pretty pricey tag!
The prices of the hotel are INDICATIVE as they change during the season but I like to put the minimum they charge so that you have at least a benchmark to compare them. I hope one day you will plan your holiday to Sardinia and discover my fantastic Island!
I am working on my second website just for Sardinia, where there is the option to ask for my consultancy (not mandatory of course but many people requested to review or do their itinerary for a fee and so fare I said no because I was working on that project). If you want to know more, you can check out the website (still under construction, a hell of a job all by myself!) and subscribe to that so you will receive an email when it’s ready (and hopefully I will be still alive, as I’m sleeping 3 hours per night to be able to do everything!) 😀 To subscribe you can click in here
Hello
Thanks for this rich article about Sardinian Beaches. I’m a traveler guy from Moroccan Sahra desert.
Today, Morocco is one of the best destination in Africa. There is many places to visit, landscapes to discover and many activities to enjoy here in Morocco. If you are interested to visit the country, this is what to do here:
– Visit Marrakech with a local guide (City Sightseeing tour)
– Explore the beautiful Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, (Unesco World Heritage Site)
– Camel rides in Sahara desert, Sunset and Sunrise among Sahara Dunes of Erg Chebbi (Merzouga)
– Spend a night in a desert Camp, Berber music around fire…
– Discovering Fez with a local guide
– Visit the beautiful blue city Chefchaouen
– Experience the Off-Road adventure between Merzouga and Zagora in 4X4 cars
Hi Clelia, great website and thanks for this. My wife and I are planning a visit in May. I love snorkeling so any recommendations on where to stay that has good snorkeling and relaxation? I normally hire a car out but would quite like to NOT do that this time (less stressful for me as I drive everyday!). May be even somewhere we can stay and hire bikes to get to nice beaches? Appreciate any help you can offer …
Hey Jay, sorry I’m just catching up with millionth comments! Not sure when you are going in May, I might be late but in case I reply anyway! If you don’t want to rent a car and love to snorkel, the best options for you in terms of easy transports (also depending on where you land) are Villasimius if you arrive at Cagliari Airport or Santa Teresa di Gallura if you arrive from Olbia. Perfect for snorkeling and moving around a bit using public transport (not ideal in Sardinia, but if you really don’t want to rent a car you have to make it with the limited options and timetables we have). Have a great time in Sardinia!
Urgent advice requested:
Hello Clelia,
Thank you for your wonderful website – it is very useful and informative.
We are a couple who are planning on visiting your beautiful country in the last 2 weeks of May.
We would like to spend 2 days in Sardinia. I know it is not enough, but we also plan to see mainland Italy.
We like quiet beaches, warm waters for swimming and non- tourist places.
In May, can you please suggest what would our best options be? Which side of Sardinia would be warmest – both on the beach and in the water? And most beautiful?
Thanks you for your help! I did not know where to post on your website, since the Sardinia replies were in 2017, hence sending an email.
Thanks,
Pen
Hi Pen! Here I am as promised!
So, yes… two days are not much but it’s doable to see a couple of places (remember that Sardinia is way bigger than most people think!)
The only thing missing in your info is where you are going to fly to (is it Cagliari, Olbia or Alghero airport?)
Before we get into it, I want to say that in May the weather is (usually!) quite nice. It is warm but not super hot, and being the end of May the water is not super cold. But don’t ever expect the water to be “Caribbean warm”, the Mediterranean sea is not super warm but even I am able to swim and I hate cold water 🙂
May is also a great month to avoid the crowds so whenever you decide to go, you will most certainly find the place almost all for yourself, unless you go during the weekends, then you might find a few locals enjoying the first glimpse of summer on the beach, but nothing terrible compared to the crowds we have in July and August!
So, given these premises…you are in luck a Sardinia has beautiful stunning beaches all over the place so no matter which airport you have chosen, there is always a beautiful beach to relax nearby!
FROM CAGLIARI AIRPORT:: My suggestion is to go to either Domus de Maria village (click to) see the accommodations available) or Santa Margherita di Pula
Domus de Maria is not in front of the sea and it’s a very quiet and non-touristic village, at less than half an hour from my favorite beach in south Sardinia: Tuerredda. Usually, Tuerredda is super crowded, but not at the end of May. Another wonderful beach nearby is Chia Su Giudeu or Chia / Cala Cipolla.
Santa Margherita di Pula is a bigger village at 15 min by car from Tuerredda and even less from Chia. It is probably more convenient for you because you only have 2 days so you don’t want to spend your time driving!
DISTANCES
From Cagliari Airport to Santa Margherita: 50 minutes From Cagliari Airport to Domus De Maria: 1 hour
Another option from Cagliari airport is to visit the Southeast side of Sardinia, either Villasimius or Costa Rei. I honestly can’t say which one would I chose, as I love both the southeast beaches as well as the southwest ones!In this article, you can see a few pictures but feel free to Google them too to have a better idea of what you would like better!
DISTANCES
From Cagliari Airport to Villasimius: 1 hour with the fastest route: (SS 125VAR) or if you like to take the LOVELY scenic route passing via Capitana, Geremeas, Torre Delle stelle and Solanas, it is a bit longer and full of turns but oh boy the views!
From Cagliari Airport to Costa Rei: 1 hour (taking the same road but it’s a bit further away than Villasimius, still easy to reach)
———————————————————————– FROM OLBIA AIRPORT::
My suggestion is to stay nearby of course, in this case, I would suggest Palau or Arzachena. This is since you only have 2 days, one I would definitely take it to do the boat trip to the Arcipelago Della Maddalena. Trust me… you won’t regret it! The choice of the village is mostly depending on whether you want to stay nearby the sea or not and on your budget.
Another good choice from Olbia is San Teodoro or Budoni. Both with lovely beaches around. San Teodoro is slightly most touristy than Budoni, but as I said, at the end of May it shouldn’t really be an issue!
DISTANCES
From Olbia Airport to Palau: 50 minutes From Olbia Airport to Arzachena: 35 minutes From Olbia Airport to San Teodoro: 25 minutes From Olbia Airport to Budoni: 30 – 40 minutes
—————————————————————————–
FROM ALGHERO AIRPORT::
In here, for 2 days, the only beach I can really recommend and that I LOVED is obviously Stintino La Pelosa. Touristy? Yes, it is… but in May not so much and oh boy if you are in the surrounding areas it is worth it 100%!
You can stay either in the small village in Stintino to reach the beach very quickly or decide to stay nearby the Airport in Alghero and drive to the beach.
DISTANCES
From ALGHERO FERTILIA Airport to Stintino: 40 minutes From ALGHERO FERTILIA Airport to Alghero center: 15 minutes
So these are, in my opinion, the BEST options to enjoy your 2 days in Sardinia. Just stay as close as possible to the airport of your choice and rent a car as it’s a lot quicker than using public transport and less stressful for sure.
Hi!
Your website is great.
We need help putting together an itinerary for Aug 28-Sept 3. We are 4 staying in Porto Rotundo. Could you help with your top recommendations? Even 3-5 items would really help up plan our trip. Happy to tag your blog in our travels.
Thank you!
Hi Chelsea, I’m not sure what kind of recommendations you need? Places to visit in the area? If so, I have another article which talks about Porto Cervo but its quite valid for the whole Costa Smeralda and that could certainly help you, it’s called Sardinia in one week and if you click on the part related to Porto Cervo those are the recommendations I usually give for Costa Smeralda. If I’m missing something let me know!
Hi Adri, sorry for my late reply but I’ve been working non stop on a project about Sardinia and I’ve missed a few comments! I know it is maybe late for you but I will reply to your answers in case you still need some last minute advice and also to help out other prople who might have similar questions:
What are the “must see” spots in Cagliari?
Cagliari is literally filled with must see spots! The ones I love the most are the “castello area”, The Bastione di San Remì where you can admire lovely sunsets and see the city from above, the local beach “Poetto”, easily reachable by public transport, Via Roma, Piazza Yenne and the nearby streets “Via Manno” and “Via Garibaldi” if you fancy some shopping, and the stroll in front of the marina. Another great place in Cagliari is the “Sella del Diavolo” view. A medium level hike which starts at the beginning of the Poetto beach near Marina Piccola, where you can admire stunning views of a crystal clear sea, that can’t be missed!
Where can we find surely pink flamingos? You will surely find Pink Flamingos in one area in Cagliari: 1) The “Stagno di Molentargius”,
Are there nuraghi on southern Sardinia? Yes, there is one called “Nuraghe Diana” In via Dei Tigli -Quartu Sant’Elena- But be ware that sometimes you might find it closed. Your best bet if you are in South Sardinia is taking a day trip to visit the majestic Nuraghe Complex in Barumini. You can either go with an organized tour like this one or take your car and get there by yourself. It is less than 1 hour by car from Cagliari, very straightforward to get there and totally worth it!I’ve visited several times as my Grandma’s village is the one next to Barumini so I used to make a quick pit stop in there every time I went to visit her. A tip for you: it’s a lot better to visit it around Sunset!
Is there a pink beach on southern Sardinia? Nope, the only real pink beach in Sardinia is the famous Budelli, in the northern part of Sardinia, recently partially reopened to the public as for years no one had access to it because the tourists used to steal the sand (which is pink due to the fragments of corals) and to preserve its beauty the region decided to close it.
Which are the traditional foods and drinks?Wow, I could write a book about this! Sardinia has so many traditional dishes and liquors/drinks! My favorites are “Pasta Alla Bottarga” (which is eggs fish grated on Italian spaghetti, people either love it or hate it as the taste is quite strong), then we have the traditional “Sa Panada” in the south, suitable for vegetarian and not vegetarian people (it is usually stuffed with meat but we can also eat it with fava beans/peas and potatoes), I LOVE IT!. Another typical Sardinia dish (if you are vegetarian skip this part!) is the “Maialetto arrosto” (Roasted piglet), this is probably the real symbol of Sardinia. We also have various sea food pasta which are not strictly just Sardinian but they are well worth eating like Spaghetti with clams or mussels, which are just delicious and to end with something special, we have the “Seadas”, typical Sardinian dessert originally from the Barbagia area but now you can find it everywhere. It is a particular dessert as it also contains cheese inside and honey on the outside which makes it for a very interesting contrast in taste.
For the liquors, we have the famous “Mirto” (super alcoholic, of a deep purple color used as a digestive after an abundant meal), then “Fil’e Ferru” (only for the brave ones as to me is pure alcohol and I get drunk only by smelling it) 😀
Wine wise we have the famous “Cannonau” from the Jerzu area and the Vermentino di Sardegna. You can even have a Day tour in one of the wineries in South Sardinia, I found this tour the other day and it has great reviews, in case you are interested: Argiolas Winery Tour Sardinia
To finish: If you like cheese I recommend you buying the “Dolce Sardo” and the “Pecorino Sardo” cheese, which are the local cpecialities in terms of cheese.
Hi Clelia,
I am sooooo excited to come to Sardinia and your blog is absolutely amazing!!!! Super informative and helpful. Thank you for sharing!
I will be staying 10 days with my girlfriend and I am planning to stay
Arriving at 11am to Olbia, rent a car and drive to Arzachena for 2 nights stay, so I can visit Porto Cervo for the night and next day try to rent a Rib and do the beaches like Capriccioli, Principe and Pevero (do you know any tour company ?). If I will rent a rib without license, is it easy to go around?
Than drive to Santa Teresa where I rented a sailing boat for 4 days, so I can do the Arcipelago la Maddalena 🙂 cant’ wait!!!
The rest is still a ?. I was thinking to go to San Teodoro, Cala Branchini looks amazing for 2 days (the Agriturismo you suggest is amazing, but the price are way up of what you put down). How many days do you think should I stay in San Teodoro? are 2 days enough?
I will need to drive down to Porto Giunco and do the coast from Villasimius to Caglari as you describe is beautiful, but it seems to short time. Can you advise? Thank you so much
John… tough choice. I have been to both places a lot of times and in different times of my life. San Teodoro is a super fun place to be when you are young (but that doesn’t mean it’s not nice to go there even when you have family and kids, it all depends on the location). Villasimius is also beautiful and the nightlife is vibrant. Beach/sea wise they are both awesome, but maybe Villasimius has a small edge because of the other beaches nearby and I also love the panoramic street to get to Cagliari. They also have a faster street these days but I still prefer the scenic one.
1) To rent a rib nearby Arzachena/Porto Cervo, check out this website, and ask them if you can use it without a license as I’m not a super expert! Better ask them directly!
2) 4 days sailing boat: WELL DONE, I WOULD BE FRICKING EXCITED TOO!! Just enjoy the experience!
3)It really depends if you want a relaxing holiday or to see more places. If you are Ok with seeing more places, then 2 days in San Teodoro and then 2 days Villasimius, otherwise I’d go directly to Villasimius and enjoy the place and its surrounding beaches. I would also advise taking at least half day to visit Cagliari, it is especially beautiful at sunset and the old town is super nice.
Ps: The prices I put are the minimum (hence low season) that’s why I always put “starting from” and then the price because obviously, it might vary, depending on the season, and also on some days of the month, if it includes a weekend or not etc.
Hi, Clelia
I will be in Sardinia from Sept 1st to Sept 9th. I will be arriving to Olbia and depart from Cagliari.
I was thinking to do 2 days San Teodoro, 4 days between La Maddalena and Caprera and 2 days Villasimius before flying to Cagliari. I rented a car but I would prefer to travel without. What do you recommend? Is easy parking around? How much budget should I consider?
Also do you have any suggestion for day trip?
I love sailing, I would do everything by boat daily. I will stay in Palau and would love to do daily tours. Thank you
Hi Gian, sorry for the late reply! If you love sailing then Palau is a great choice as there are day trips to the marvelous Arcipelago della Maddalena. I did it several times and it’s awesome! I still recommend using a car, especially if you want to move a bit around as some places are not easy to reach by public transport. As for parking around, unless you go to super busy beaches, or try to park in a big city like Cagliari, it is not an issue at all. Sometimes there are fees to park the car, depending on the beach (around San Teodoro, for example, there is Cala Brandichi and you will have to be prepared to pay for the parking, and it isn’t exactly cheap, at least 10/15 euros per day, a bit less if you stay half day).
Regarding daily tours from Palau, it really depends on what you like to do. If you don’t mind waking up super early, and you love the boat trips I highly recommend going to Orosei/Cala Gonone for the other incredibly beautiful boat trip on the Golfo di Orosei, which is to me the best we have in Sardinia. Maybe if you like you could even skip San Teodoro and split your time between Palau and The Golfo di orosei area as these are the 2 places in Sardinia that offer the best boat trips!
You completely convinced me!!! You are the best!!!
Really… now I will the Golfo of Orosei for sure. Looks amazing.
Is this possible or too tiring:
Leaving Santa teresa at 10 am and driving to San Teodoro , Cala Branchini.
Sleep in San Teodoro and next day excursion to Tavolara.
19:00 departure from San Teodoro to Cala Gonone and sleep there.
Nextday. Boat Trip to Golfo of Orosei. Sleep Cala Gonone.
Nextday. driving to Caglari Airport passing from Villasimius and do the coast to Cagliari. Just driving. Around 3,30 hours.
What do you think?
Do you know any tours leaving from San Teodoro that goes to Golfo of Orosei?
Thank you
Clelia Mattana
Hey Gian, very excited for you! 🙂
Regarding your Itinerary, it is possible but a bit too rushed, but doable if you don’t mind moving from a place to another. Only one thing is impossible here: There are no boat trips leaving from San Teodoro for the Golfo di Orosei.The closest port for that is Cala Gonone. If you are still going to San Teodoro, then the Tavolara excursion is nice, but if I had to choose one, I’d say Golfo di Orosei! You could even skip San Teodoro (beautiful but if you want to take it more slowly it’s the best) and stay 2 nights in Cala Gonone, one day the boat trip and the day after the hike to the marvelous Cala Goloritze’. it will take you a full day for that as you will have to wake up super early, drive towards Baunei and hike down the beach (2 hours) and back up in the afternoon, if you still have the energies, you could drive directly to Villasimius, otherwise just rest one more night in Cala Gonone and leave early towards Cagliari passing via Villasimius.
It all depends on how slow do you like to travel in the end, and I totally understand that you would want to see all the great places you mentioned so even if it’s a bit stressful, It might be worth it!
Have a great holiday in Sardinia 🙂
Gian
Hi Clelia,
any tour company for the Golfo of Orosei you would recommend from Cala Gonone? Rent a zodiak would be an option too I guess.
Hey Gian, Wow the Golfo di Orosei is so packed with things to do! Boat trips (all the companies offer similar tours, just make sure to ask where the stops are and if you can stay in one beach (Cala Mariolu) and be picked up at the end of the day. I did it once and was a great choice as I love that beach and relaxing in there was amazing! if you still want to see all the beaches, choose the companies that go to Cala Biriola, Cala Sisine and Cala Mariolu.
Cala Luna was super nice a decade back, now it’s slightly too touristic and less scenic than the other.
Expect them to be crowded (all of them) as these are the best beaches in Sardinia! other things to do, definitely hiking to Cala Goloritze very early in the morning, visit the Gennargentu Mountains and the Baunei Altipiano, the Gorge and the guided tours to “Su Gorroppu”. Also, a brief visit to Baunei Village would be nice if you have time so that you can see the real Sardinia!
I should write an article only for the Orosei area as these are just the highlights, it would take a month to truly see all the beauty of that area! (sorry, I didn’t see the initial comments from here, I hope I didn’t repeat the same things, I have so many messages about Sardinia that it’s difficult to remember them all) 😀
Gian
One last question. I promise!!!!
Are there tours from Cala Gonone, La Caletta, Orosei, including Golfo of Orosei and Tavolara?
Which excursion do you recommend to see dolphins?
Thank you
Clelia Mattana
Hey Gian, do you mean tours that cover both the Orosei Area and Tavolara on the same day? Honestly, I don’t think so and it wouldn’t even be practical as the area covered by the tours in the Golfo di Orosei is pretty big, just to reach your first beach from the pier it takes at least 45 min/1 hour. Tavolara is too far away by boat to be able to cover that too in the same day!
I would love to stay somewhere like this. I really enjoy self catering though I have to admit the places I have stayed in the past have been much less glamorous than this! Beautiful place.
What a beautiful blog! I’m hoping to go to Sardinia for the whole month of September to write. I’m not the most confident driver so will be relying mainly on public transport and taxis (although a friend may visit for a week, during which we will hire a car and see as many of the beautiful beaches listed here as possible). I was wondering where you would recommend basing myself. I was thinking of finding somewhere for two weeks in the old town in Caligari and perhaps another two weeks somewhere more remote (not too remote, nr some shops/restaurants) close to a great beach. Is it easy to get to some of the great beaches from Calgari by public transport. I’ll probably write from first thing to lunch time and again in the evenings, spending the afternoons exploring/on the beach. I just wondered what you would recommend and if you definitely need a car to get around? Thanks in advance! Rosalind
Hey Rosalind, funny enough we will be in Sardinia at the same time doing similar things (I also have to write, on my website and an ebook),and Sardinia is a very relaxing place for these activities 🙂
So for the location, I think Old town Cagliari would be great for you, I LOVE it! so many walks to take and the Poetto beach is not bad at all, super easy to reach by bus from the center so yes, totally approve this choice (my family lives 15 min away from Cagliari).
As for the second destination, without a car the one that comes to mind first is Villasimius, because it is a village populated not only by tourists but by locals as well so you will have most of the restaurants open all year round and the main beach “Simius” is within walking (or biking) distance. It’s not a remote place, if you want a more remote place (with a nice beach) you would need a car. From Villasimius, when your friend comes you could explore the whole east coast that it is for me the most beautiful of Sardinia, so you will be already well located for that!
Hope it helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Chad, did you have a chance to read my other article “Sardinia for couples”? It has many many options for beaches I recommend. It is impossible to choose one, as Sardinia has almost 2000 km of coastline filled with spectacular beaches!!
The only thing I could say is that for young people San Teodoro, Santa Teresa di Gallura and Villasimius are the best bets, but they are crowded. it is almost impossible to find a place for young people that it’s not crowded in Sardinia (everyone would love that, but when the place is cool it is not possible unfortunately)
Hi Clelia,
Great Blog , very informative!
We are a couple that planning to come for a weekend around mid June.
We are looking for a beautiful beach which suitable for people in our age ( 30’s , couples etc…) with good vibes, nice bars etc.. but not too packed.
It would be great if you can help me to find the perfect beach for us.
Any recommendations?
Sorry guys, I completely missed your comment! I am literally submerged by requests so It’s impossible for me to keep up. That’s why I’m working on a consultancy page, so people who want my help can request it on a form for a small fee so that I can 1) help as many people as possible 2) keep this website going as right now I’m doing everything for free and I would love to continue but it’s almost impossible with the amount of requests I receive every day 🙁
Woah! I’m really digging the template/theme of this blog. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s tough to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and visual appeal. I must say you’ve done a very good job with this. Additionally, the blog loads extremely fast for me on Opera. Outstanding Blog and info about Sardinia, great job!
It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this fantastic blog! I look forward to new updates and will share this website with my Facebook group about Sardinia, thanks a lot for all your effort. By the way, Cala Gonone is also my absolute favorite 🙂
I am planning a trip to Sardinia (5-6 nights) in August and I am looking for advice on how I should plan my itinerary and where I should stay along the way?
At this stage I want to spend 1 to 2 nights in each place whilst traveling by car around the north visiting the following places (note the order doesn’t matter I have just listed places I want to visit):
1. Arrive in Olbia/ Alghero (2 hours apart in distance)
2. Costa Smeralda – how long should I stay in Port Cervo
3. Boat tour to La Maddalena – should I stay in Palau
4. Corsica day trip
5. Santa Teresa di Gallura and Isola Rossa – Where should I stay for this trip
6. Stintino –for La Pelosa Beach – Where should I stay for this trip
7. Leave/ Departure from Alghero (45 mins from Stintino) or Olbia (2 hour drive)
Also are there any other sites I should see of visit?
Could you please advise me where you would fly into first, stay (location) and how you would go about accessing these sites?
Sorry for the delay! Below my recommendations with one word before I start: The itinerary you proposed is doable of course, but if you want to relax a bit and truly get the real experience, is a bit of a massacre! I would erase at least 2 destinations, otherwise you will be jumping from one place to the other for a couple of hours and in my opinion is not the way to visit Sardinia, but if you are a super active person it might work for you, this is just my advice.
1. Arrive in Olbia/ Alghero (2 hours apart in distance) : You can arrive at one airport and leave at the other, it’s the best option to avoid back and forth especially if you wish to visit both coasts
2. Costa Smeralda – how long should I stay in Port Cervo: If you are talking about the little village, a day is enough. If you want to see the beaches nearby, at least 2 days
3. Boat tour to La Maddalena – should I stay in Palau: Palau is a good option but also Cannigione and Arzachena are perfect.
4. Corsica day trip: I would honestly remove this from the list, and if you don’t want to, I know it is doable but I don’t have enough info to tell you how to do it as I never did it.
5. Santa Teresa di Gallura and Isola Rossa – Where should I stay for this trip: Stay in Santa teresa town is a nice choice as a base, from there you can easily move by car to the nearby neaches and also visit Isola Rossa on a day trip, if you want, also stopping to check out the beaches of Costa paradiso, Vignola, Rena majore.
6. Stintino –for La Pelosa Beach – Where should I stay for this trip, Definitely stay in Stintino, it’s a nice village, unless you prefer the chaos of a bigger city as Alghero and in that case you will need to get to the Pelosa beach by car, while staying in Stintino you could even walk or bike, depending on where you stay in the village
7. Leave/ Departure from Alghero (45 mins from Stintino) or Olbia (2 hour drive)
Also are there any other sites I should see of visit? I’d say, if you are able to cut one or two places from this already super packed trip, you could visit the Nettuno Grotto while you are near Alghero or if you want to skip Alghero and la Pelosa, all the Golfo di Orosei area is super worth it. I wouldn’t really add anything as when I was reading it I felt stressed for you already, really way too much stops. Unfortunately Sardinia is big and if you don’t know the streets the distances and timing stated on the map can stretch quite a lot.
Could you please advise me where you would fly into first, stay (location) and how you would go about accessing these sites?
I’d say, start with Olbia airport and finish in Alghero, I think there is a lot more to explore around Olbia (meaning on the north and south of the city), unless you decide to skip Alghero and fly out from Olbia again. This way you won’t have the hassle to go to the other side as there is no panoramic view during the ride, while from Olbia to Orosei for example there are a lot of nice stops you can take.
Once again, this is my personal preference and I understand if you want to also fit in Alghero into the equation but in that case you’ll have to eliminate something else from the list.
Great posts and info.l Love Sardinia already and I haven’t even been there yet…
I’m looking into going to Sardinia in late June. Not sure if I should fly to Olbia with a couple nights there then drive near Cala Gonone for a couple days then towards Cagilari (probably Villasimius) for a few days. If I fly to Olbia, where shall I stay that is not too touristy/expensive. Real Sardinia.
or
Shall I just fly to Cagilari and drive to Cala Gonone. What would you recommend? Can you get a boat from Cala Gonone for the day?
Also, I’m into my food photography and other photography. Any recommended eating places would be great.
Hey Hemant, thanks for stopping by 🙂
I think it depends on which flights are less expensive for you, as both of your options are great really. I might suggest not to book anything in Olbia city because there is not much to see in there, if you want to explore is better to book a place nearby, like Arzachena, Cannigione or San Pantaleo where you could see the real Sardinia (and also eat very well in their local restaurants!). On top of my mind, I haven’t any specific restaurant to suggest, I usually go to the place and ask around. Arzachena, Cannigione and San Pantaleo are usually less expensive than other places.
If you find a cheap flight to Cagliari you can opt for plan B and drive to Cala Gonone directly and in there, there is also plenty to see and explore. The lovely villages of Dorgali and Orosei, although a bit touristy during summer but they still preserve the vibe of real Sardinia!
Regarding the boat trip from Cala Gonone: ABSOLUTELY! it is one of the best places to rent a boat to explore the beautiful beaches around or if you want to spend less, join one of the daily tours. This second option is obviously less ideal if you want to avoid the crowds but it’s still a good option in my opinion.
For photography… Oh my… I’m obsessed so I highly recommend all the area in the Golfo di Orosei! Nature is absolutely amazing, combining mountains and cliffs right above the beautiful turquoise sea. If you have time go to Baunei, a super small village where you can admire all the beauty I’m talking about and a taste of absolutely real Sardinia in every possible way!
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Thank you!
Oh my God, how can I choose one from those beautiful beaches? That is just impossible to choose from! I personally like the beaches with reef hill. It somehow looks mysterious and dangerous yet beautiful at the same time. These are definitely the top beaches but they are also on a low-budget holiday list? My oh my, not asking too much but this is definitely too good to be true! If we’re talking about family holiday, it is better to hire a villa to accommodate our stay. To be able to have the entire property to gather around and do fun stuff together with all the beauty accompany us all, now that sounds like a perfect holiday! If you ever want to looking for a perfect Villa for your holiday especially in Phuket, yes we have a lot beautiful beaches as well, just as beautiful as Sardinian’s, please do come and check us out! Thank you.
Hmm it appears like your website ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll
just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to
the whole thing. Do you have any tips for novice blog writers?
Hey, What a difficult question 🙂 I have a blog post about how I monetize my blog and also mentioned how I got there so that might be a useful read. Have a look 🙂
Great work here!
I was thinking of opening up a blog on my whole life..never thought it seriously though..after I’ve read yours..it excited me..so, I think I will as soon as I get a domain..! I’ve traveled a lot in all of my years, and have lots to say..post pics etc, just don’t technically really know on how to start..have about 30thousands photos waiting though..practically my whole life..!Just undecided on language..my first language is Italian, second English, and third Spanish..!I’ve read from Vignali, it’s not a great idea to mix them..it might confused someone or even in Google it might not get noticed like you want..Since English is almost a second world language(first Spanish)I thought about English..just need some good advices on it! I love to write, and post, as I’m an ex basketball player but lived for a year in U.S, then also lived in Germany and Portugal..I mean, maybe I’m not too old to start up! I’ve been working last eight months on start-ups, and I believe we’re doing good, and we’ll do great, so I’ve got my job, but just one of my little ideas of Blogging..has been going through my head since I got back in Italy, so we’re talking a lot of time. I’ve traveled a lot last 3-4years..was never home..and so, now, I want to start! Thanks for reading me. Dan
Oh I hear you, trust me.. I’m also Italian as you can see and I think blogging in English was the right choice for me, bilingual is even better (I actually met Dario Vignali at a conference where we were both speaking and he is such a great blogger) and yes he’s right, I only have 3 articles in Italian in here, waiting to switch to a full bilingual website as it’s not good for Google to mix languages , yeah. Not sure whether you have seen my article about monetizing a blog in here, I also mention my own blogging journey and give a few tips to start a new blog.
The competition is very high for travelling but if it’s your passion I’d say go for it, find your niche as there is space for everyone who is willing to put some hard work and effort 😉
What a great article about Sardinia. You are right there a lots of wonderful options on the island. My advice when trying to find a good hotel at a decent price is to start with a hotel price comparison website and that you can see all the prices offered by most of the online travel sites – and you know what price to aim for.
Happy travels!
Hi Clelia,
We are planning to spend 2-3 weeks in Sardinia next July/August. We’d like to stay in 3 different places and of course explore the area. Which 2 or 3 cities would you recommend to stay? I’d like to definitely see la Maddalena and Cala goloritze, cala gonone. I hope you can help me out.
Thanks,
Willemijn
Hi
Im planning to come in july with 4 of my mates around 23-24
I am a little confused in which place would be best for us. we enjoy white sandy beaches, clear water and are big nightlife enthusiasts
cheers
Blake
Im going to Sardinia on 26th sept for 10 days do you think it’s possible to fly in to Caligari spend a few nights there and then drive up to Cala Gonone for a few nights before driving back to Caligari to fly home.
If this is too much of a stretch what’s do you suggest instead?
Thank you
Since you have 10 days, I think it’s totally doable, not ideal (it would have been better to fly to Olbia), but not too much stressful. I don’t know if you already read my comment to another reader, but I drove from Cagliari to near Cala Gonone, in order to go to my favorite boat trip and I went back the same day. It was super stressful of course, but if you are going there and relaxing for a few days, going back to Cagliari is not super bad. I’ d say you should split your holiday in 2: 4 days in Cagliari (so you can roam around the nearby beaches) and 5 days in Cala Gonone (there is so much to do in there, especially if you want to combine beach time and nature), and I’d leave the last day to go back to Cagliari of course, so that you can take it easy, depending if you fly in the morning or afternoon /evening. If you fly in the evening you could leave in the morning and stop for a detour on your way back!
I love this blog post because I am planning a trip to Sardinia soon! I am a student traveler trying to come up with these itineraries and plans to travel on my own and I was wondering if you have any advice when it comes to using http://www.alltherooms.com/AH to book accommodations? I thought you would be of help, please let me know! Thank you Clelia.
Hi Angie, Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you are planning a trip to my beautiful island :)Regarding your question about Alltherooms, the site is definitely super useful, I love the concept behind it, but in Sardinia (I checked out) there are only offers for places not near the beach, which is probably OK if you want a cultural/local experience. Finding accommodation in Sardinia might be a bit time consuming, especially if you are traveling by yourself, this is why I always do extensive researches on the best deals online every season and suggest them on my blog posts. Given my previous experiences with my readers, I found out that Airbnb and Booking.com have the best/cheapest options.
It also depends on your budget, the seasonality and for how long you want to stay, as well as the type of holiday are you looking for. As a student, I almost always chose to camp because I was on a tight budget and also because there were more chances to meet young people, but not everyone is attracted to that kind of experience.
So Alltherooms might be a good start to search but I would also suggest you to check out the deals on booking.com as (not sure why) but they are not all listed on Alltherooms, if they were… well that’s the place I would probably start searching 🙂
Your site is amazing! Thank you so much for putting so much hard work into it :). It is a pleasure to read.
My boyfriend and I are thinking of going to Sardinia in August… I know… not the best time to visit as I am sure it is super crowded! Unfortunately, this is the only time we can go. We really enjoy being away from the hustle and bustle of the cities and love the country side and being somewhat more remote with access to a car. What part of the island would you recommend… I’m sure there will be crowds anywhere but which areas are likely to be a bit more secluded with wonderful beaches?
Thank you so much for any help that you may be able to provide!
Isabella
Hi Isabella, thanks for stopping by! As you said… August is very tough when it comes to choosing places that are not crowded. What I can say is that some places are less crowded with tourists than others (but you will find a lot of locals anyway). I might suggest the Oristano area (there are small villages like Cabras for example where you won’t find many tourists and with a car you can explore the beaches nearby easily).Alternatively, you can head south to Carloforte Island or discover the south-west coast around Iglesias. I put together a few itineraries (details still work in progress but you can see the maps and places already in there), check it out in here.
We’re planning a visit to Sardinia during the second part of October.
I wonder if hotels, restaurants, and shops will still be open, or do they close for the winter.
Hi Lily, it mostly depends on which are you want to visit. The big cities (and most of the villages around) will be running all their businesses as normal. So Cagliari, Alghero, Oristano and Olbia are good places to book your accommodation. I wouldn’t suggest the Costa Smeralda area for example, as in winter it would be completely dead 🙂
Villasimius is quite a bet, as yes there are people still living in there during the winter but most of the bars/restaurants will be closed for the season, and this applies to places like San Teodoro, Santa Teresa. So I go back to my previous suggestion: Choose your accommodation in or around a big city, rent a car and you should be totally fine! Only one more thing: The boat trips will be definitely closed for the season, but there are tons of other things to do even in winter, including enjoying the deserted beaches, even if it’s just for a walk, hiking, visiting the traditional villages, cultural trips and much more!
Cheers
I totally agree! Most of the beaches you mention are in my blog about the beaches of Sardegna as well! And even more! Curious? Check the pics in my blog!
Dear, amazing blog, was really happy to find it. 🙂 A lot of useful infos.
But now,straight to the point, if you were me: going mid-June, on your own, just to relax, being lazy, enjoy amazing beach, read books and have nice walks, where would you go? 🙂
P.S. Won’t be having a car, so I guess I cannot easily move around
Thanks for the nice comment Lena! Ok, where would I go (If I didn’t have a car?) definitely San Teodoro! I just saw like 5 minutes ago a few pictures of my friends on Instagram and they are now at La Cinta Beach.. Oh my! I’ve been there so many times and in June is going to still be not that busy, plus is easily reachable by bus from Cagliari Airport (I took the bus from there and it was nice to see the surroundings during the ride, which is around 2 and a half hours) or even better from Olbia Airport, very close to it so very convenient for people with no car!
So yes, that’s where I would go, no doubt! 🙂
I hope you’ll have a great time in my beautiful Island Lena!
Currently I have advantageous offer for Castelsardo, however I am not quite sure that the beaches near the village will meet my expectations :), so I was wondering are there any cool beaches nearby which me and my frineds will be able to access easily from our hotel in Castelsardo.
Hi Teo, apologies for the slightly delayed reply, hectic days! I think Castelsardo has some nice beaches around but yes, if you ask me, there are much better beaches! If you want the “jaw-dropping” effect, you can drive 1 hour to La Pelosa beach in Stintino. In Sardinia, we drive for 1 hour easily to go to the best beaches! But why choosing Castelsardo if you want to experience the best beaches in Sardinia? There are other very great deal if you look for them. Now I don’t know your budget, but I was researching for my article “Sardinia in one week” for the best deals and I found very interesting offers at 30/35 euros per day, and if you are a group of friends, even better as you could share maybe? Just my two cents of course 🙂
Thanks for the great post, it is of immense help. My husband and I are planning a visit to Sardinia and are looking for a quiet beach (less crowded) and preferably accommodation on the beach. Our agenda is just to sit back and relax – we don’t want to go to different places but be at one nice destination. Could you please help us with some beach and accommodation options in Sardinia? We will be travelling from Rome in July and plan to spend a couple of days (max 3) in Sardinia.
Looking forward for a response. Many thanks,
Gunjan
hi clelia, just love this post.thanks for tohis post.after reading your post our mind is flying for going there. so we make a plan for going in sardenia’s some places ,
like
1: Carloforte,
2: Murales of Orgosolo and Mamoiada Museum,
3: Bastion of Saint Remy,
4: San Teodoro,
5: Chia beach
Hey, thanks for your comment! How long do you have planned in Sardinia? As this itinerary might be way too much if you only have let’s say 1 week- 10 days… (especially moving from the south to Orgosolo and San Teodoro) otherwise I’d stay in just one area (south for example) Ticking out Carloforte, Chia and Tuerredda, with a day trip to Cagliari or staying overnight in Cagliari before heading towards the beaches and Calrloforte.
I just found your blog because me and my boyfriend (husband to be), are planning a trip to Sardinia for our honeymoon in the end of August – beggining of September for 10 days. So we booked a flight now to Cagliari, and are thinking of stayign in the city. We are planning also to rent a car, because we want to see everyday one or two different beaches, and we don’t mind the city life, on the contrary we prefer to be close to restaurants and nice historical sites. So our idea is mostly to have closeby beautiful sandy beaches, although we may go even further, to have a place to drink our coffee in the morning in city surroundings, to walk around in the evening also. I was wondering is it a good idea to stay in Cagliari, or better in Villasimius ? Also I checked out some hotels and guest houses, we were thinking of booking a guest house but it seems like there are problems with parking, noise, or the staff in the places ( because I read a lot of comments on booking.com from visitors). We checked out the following all in Cagliari:
– Chambres Du Monde
– Holiday Inn Cagliari
– Neverfull Boutique Hotel
– Hotel Panorama
– Hotel La Terazza
– Sardegna Hotel
Do you have any suggestion regarding these ones, or if we should avoid Cagliari and book something in Villasimius ?
Do you mean there are problems in Villasimius for the noises etc? If so, it all depends where you find your accommodation. If it’s not in the centre there are some quiet spots too. But the idea of staying in Cagliari is actually not bad, as some of the best beaches can easily reached by car for a day trip, which is what locals do all the time!
As for the Hotels,
Sardegna Hotel is not ideally located as it’s not in the city center, the others look nice but of course taste is personal and if I had to choose I’d go for the Never full Boutique Hotel, as I love the location, but then I realized that maybe it can be noisy at night, especially in summer (I always travel with my earplugs but not everyone likes to wear them, I get it!),The others are also OK, because are well located. Hotel Panorama is in Viale Diaz, which is a big road in the center, so you’ll need to walk a bit to get to the Castello area which is the prettiest in Cagliari in my opinion.
If I had to choose my own place in Cagliari (considering the price range you’ve chosen for the others), I’d go for Buena Vista Apartments, located in Castello, so easy to walk around the center, and the views are also super nice. Alternatively, I’d go for the T- Hotel not only for the central location but for their Wellness/SPA. But this is me, I have a thing for SPAs, but after a day walking around it really adds up to the experience (I booked a fabulous place in Prague and that was the icing on the cake!)
So In the end, I think you can easily stay in Cagliari, so you’ll be able to visit the city and plan day trips to both Villasimius and Chia/Tuerredda. Plus I think Cagliari really deserves to be visited, there is so much to see!
I’m almost done with my itinerary for 1 week in Sardinia (I also give some tips for the south) and if you haven’t already, check out the post “Sardinia For Couples” where I have a whole section about Cagliari and things to do and where to stay in there!
We chose a different hotel named Nautilus because it had a newly wed package and it seemed so nice located on the beach and has a really beautiful interior design.
Thank you for your comments, I am going to check now the new sections – for couples and 1 week in Sardinia !
Very useful blog, you definitely know the island inside and out
Was hoping you could give me advice. My wife and I are visiting Sardinia the last week of Jul/first of Aug.
We will be there for 5 days and are flying to Olbia.
We dont want to rent a car, since we are “on a budget”, but we want to stay near the beach.
We want to sunbathe, swim, lay on the ebach and have good food. What would you recommend on a range of 80-120 eur per night?
Thanks a lot!!
Thanks
Hey JP, thanks for stopping by!
Well, being Sardinia my island (well not literally mine but…) I know it quite well 😀
So, regarding your question: If you are on a budget, considering that you’ll have a car, I’d suggest you to choose either Santa Teresa di Gallura (the village has a beautiful beach and you will also be able to drive to Palau for the boat trip to The Arcipelago della Maddalena, which is unmissable if you are around that area).
Second option is San Teodoro, which also have a beach in Town but during peak season all these beaches are obviously the most crowded ones so the car is indeed necessary to try and find some other places around.
If you go to either the Santa Teresa di Gallura or San Teodoro Page (click on the links) you will have several option on that budget (I usually go to the left side and choose the maximum budget when I book my accommodation) and I always check out the reviews, as they are quite reliable.
Hi,
we fell in love with Sardinia. We are hoping we will manage to visit it this year. Unfortunatelly we would have to go in August, from 24th to 31st. Sadly. We are planning a flight to Olbia where we see two options – we rent a car or stay in Olbia and go on organized one-day boat trips.
We would like to see San Theodoro, La Pelosa beach, Arcipellago della Maddalena ( we would like to see the beautiful beaches – Spiaggia Rosa and del Calvaiere, beach Santa Maria doesn’t sound so attractive to us so maybe we would only like to see it from the boat, then Cala Granara/Corsara on Spargi Island, we would like to see also Isola Caprera, also Cala Cottico maybe if we would have the time. And of course, we would like to take one day trip to cala Coloritze and cala Mariolu.
We have a lot of wishes. But there are soooo many beautiful beaches. We really like the idea of one day boat trips where we would visit 2 beaches per day max. Like Cala Coloritze and Mariolu in one day… We are just not sure where to take the accomodation – what town/village would be situated the best to get all this one day boat trips to those beaches? Is it hard to get a boat trip that would leave you on the same beach the whole day?
All these beaches are really beautiful. But… if you have to go to the bathroom, do they have any wc on cala Coloritze/Mariolu?
What would you recommend to us? Where to stay? Where to get the boat trips that would leave us on the same beach the whole day? Rent a car or not?
Ok, let’s see your case here!! You really want to do the boat trips (I don’t blame you, they are the best part!) but you are going in August, meaning that, unfortunately, you’ll have to deal with the crowds.. but that’s part of the deal, right?!
I think the best location for the boat trips is either Cala Gonone or Orosei, but you really need to hurry (if you haven’t already booked, do it immediately!)
When you are there you go straight to one of the many agencies in town that sell the boat trip tickets and ask if it’s possible to stay the whole day in Cala Mariolu, I did it more than once and, usually, they don’t have a problem with that but be careful to remember the name of your boat as if you miss it you’ll be stranded on the beach for the night 😀
Regarding renting a car, definitely yes, especially for that area (but in general to travel around Sardinia) is a must)
For Cala Goloritze I’ve just been informed that from this year is not possible to even swim to the beach from your private boat so the only option to see it is to drive to Baunei from cala Gonone (more than 1 hour but very scenic views!) and then there is a path to go down to the beach. It’s not very difficult but it will take at least 1 hour to go down and 2 hours to go up.
Quite the hike but worth it!!!
Have a great time in Sardinia 🙂
My boyfriend and I are planning a trip at the end of June, flying into Clagliari – looking for a relaxing time, will hire a car and visit the beautiful beaches. Where would you recommend we base ourselves?
Hi Debi, how long are you planning to stay? It really all depends on that as Sardinia is pretty big and choosing more than 1 destination for just a week or less might not be ideal! If you give me more specifics (also the budget for the Hotels, or camping is important!) I will able to help you more!
All the places I’ve mentioned in here are super great, but if you want to stay near the airport, the best beaches on the south (at least the ones I talk about in here) are Chia, Tuerredda and Villasimius!
Cheers
Clelia
Thanks for all the information and the time you spent describing all! I am travelling with my girlfriend and are staying for 4 nights during the last week of june. I still haven t booked anything but we are looking for a nice hotel and wonderful beaches. I read about these great places in the gulf of orosei but would like to go there by boat. Also visit la maddeleine by boat so will be 2 day trips by boat. Is it possible? They told me to stay at porto cervo but all the nice beaches you mentioned are far away from there unless i can go by boat.
Is it possible
Thanks a lot for the quick reply. We are not able to decide where to base ourselves. We will be arriving by car so thought we could find accommodations at 2-3 places one of which is villasimius, other options are somewhere near Cala Gonone to visit the gorgeous beaches or alghero. But we would also like to definitely go to la maddalena. Would you suggest to stay there or do a day trip? Now if we are doing a day trip where should it be from? Is there some nice place in the north where we can stay so that we can do the day trip to la maddalena easily? We don’t need party atmosphere, happy with a small town too Thanks again:)
Jolly
If you want to visit La Maddalena, then I’d exclude Alghero as it would eat up too much time, being on the other coast.
A few places to stay that are convenient for the boat trip are: Palau, the small village of Cannigione (I stayed there camping and it was relatively cheap) and Arzachena Village, all very near to the pier by car or even by bus (the closest being Palau, which is the most expensive one).
If you have the time to do the boat trip to La Maddalena AND the one to the Golfo di Orosei, you will fall in love with Sardinia. They are really both amazing. I think I went to both tours at least 40 times and I never have enough.
I need some advice! I will be traveling to Sardinia in May with my girlfriend and we are extremely torn between two options. We will only be in Sardinia for 3 days unfortunately and we are staying in San Teodoro. On our last day we are hoping to book some kind of boat tour. The one option we are looking at is an exclusive tour of the archipelago la maddalena where we can choose our destinations, but this option is a bit expensive (350 euro + gas). The other option is much cheaper: renting our own inflatable boat from Cala Gonone and traveling along that coastline (Cala Luna, Cala Sisine, Cala Biriolu, Cala Mariolu, etc.) I am just having trouble deciding between the two options! If you have any suggestions please let me know what you think! Also, if you can, please let me know about any other helpful tips for our Sardinian experience!
Hi Shane, don’t panic 🙂 If you are staying in San Teodoro and I suppose you have a car, in 1 hr you can be in Cala Gonone so I think option 2 is actually a good one. If you are comfortable with using your own boat then go for it, or you can also ask to get an expert guide to come along (I know, less romantic, but maybe less stressful as well?), or why don’t u simply book one of the tours with the big boats? they are relatively cheap, especially in low season and they leave you in one beach if you want (for example i wanted to stay longer in Cala Mariolu instead of going to Cala Luna as well and they picked me up at the end of the tour), that is an option I always suggest to people…
Too bad you have only 3 days! I hope you will be back for more 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Oh By the way… I forgot to mention, from San Teodoro you can also drive to Palau and join one of the organized tours as well! (same as the Golfo di Orosei). I personally prefer the one starting in Cala Gonone, but really, they are both very good!
So I guess the only question I have left is, with my limited amount of time, you would prefer the beaches and scenery of Cala Ganone and Cala Mariolu over that of the la Maddalena area? (That is if you HAD to choose!) I am sure they are both worth the visit. I will definitely have to plan a return trip to Sardinia as there is so much to see and do!!
Thanks again!
Shane
Clelia Mattana
Easy question, for me the Cala Gonone area (Cala Mariolu, Cala Biriola, Cala Goloritze’etc) are the best of the best in Sardinia because of the contrast between the high rocks and the turquoise sea! 🙂
Just to echo others comments your blog is amazing and very informative, thank you soo much for the effort put in.
My husband and I are planning to visit Sardinia for 7 nights the first week of July (we are wanting to book very soon!), we have a budget of £1000 GBP for flights and accommodation and have extra for hiring a car and spending money (is this realistic?). We would like to be based in 1 hotel and have access to drive to different tourist sites, beaches, see the flamingos and relax in the hotel one or 2 days too so a pool would be great. We are in our late 20’s/early 30’s so are not after a crazy night life but would like to be able to leave the hotel in the evenings to relax with a nice dinner and drinks in a village/sea view setting and if possible a lovely spot to watch the sunset which is walking distance to the hotel. We don’t want to have to use the car in the evenings where possible but also don’t want to be (for want of a better word) “trapped” in the hotel in the evenings either.
We would be happy to take trips out but would like to know the best places to book these please as well hiring a car, are we best booking here or at the airport on arrival?
We have visited South Africa and spent time driving around the coast of cape town which we loved, to take in the atmosphere of different areas rather than just where the hotel is based so are hoping to do the same in Sardinia.
Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you found the article useful 🙂 As for your question… If you book online now (it’s actually already a bit late for Sardinia as there are people booking as soon as January to secure the best prices and spots!) you might be able to stretch it with the budget you have.
Find a cheap hotel and invest the money in renting a car so that even if the accommodation is not right by the sea (for a cheap price you might not find it) you can still use your car to reach some fabulous beaches!
I’m not a huge fan of pools in Sardinia as I think the beaches around are much better than a pool but I understand your point of course, sometimes you just want to relax and not bother driving at all!
As for the location.. in my opinion the best beaches and villages are on the east coast, which unfortunately means no sunset! Unless you venture further north to Stintino, or Santa Teresa di Gallura, where you can also admire the sunset on the beach!
For the booking of the accommodation, I can’t stress this point enough: the sooner the better! (people start booking in January!) That is why I also put some recommendations in this article as I can see people appreciate it and they book a lot through them. Not necessarily the same place I recommend but browsing the website they are usually able to find a good deal for their needs!
Given the budget as I said you might need to use the car but it would be like 10 minutes drive to find a nice restaurant and some “movida” during the night in the villages.
A fine place to check out is Santa Teresa, the village is quite nice and lively, you might be even able to walk from your hotel to the center if you are lucky to find the right accommodation or just use the car for a short ride. Also Santa Teresa offers amazing beaches for snorkeling and it’s close enough to Palau to book a day boat trip to la Maddalena (I recommend it big time!), so all in all, given your requests… I think this might be the place for you.
Ps, I’m back from an amazing trip in Southern Africa but I missed South Africa so I’m quite envious of your incredible experience in there! Next time I won’t miss it 🙂
I hope this helps and have a great time in Sardinia!
Cheers
Clelia
I wonder if you can help me plan a trip: Looking to go away with my mum to Sardinia for 7-9 days at the beginning of Sep. Looking for the type of holiday where there are beaches, but plenty of things to do like cycling, walking etc in the day time as well. In the evening we like finding restaurants and pottering about and drinking wine.
The other thing to mention is that I am Vegan, am I going to struggle for food? I think it may be better to get an apartment (self catering) so that I can at least prepare food myself anyways 🙂
Price wise – middle of the range – not looking to spend a fortune so Porto Cervo is out. Maybe Chia? or should we move about a bit?
Ideally I wouldn’t want to be driving a car about but understand if it necessary on the island to visit places etc.
Ok, let’s see! First of all, I definitely approve the choice of visiting Sardinia in September, it’s going to be lovely!
The place I’d recommend for you if you like walks, using the bicycle etc is the Golfo di Orosei area, especially Cala Gonone, well located and with tons of awesome beaches to discover in the surroundings! The only thing is that in 90% of the places in Sardinia a car will be necessary to discover the beautiful gems it has to offer, it would be a shame not to see them!
Cala Gonone (or Orosei) is less expensive than Porto Cervo and most importantly it still has the Sardinian vibe that is missing in Porto Cervo.
Chia is also affordable, depending on where you book, but being far from the closest village (Santa Margherita di Pula or Domus De Maria), you will feel a bit isolated and yes you can use the bike to reach the beach but nothing more, you would either have to cook your own meals (which is good as you are vegan but it will force you to always eat in) or eat at the hotel’s restaurant and I’m not 100% sure that all of them have a vegan menu. Definitely Vegetarian, but vegan, as you know, is a bit more complicated…
Plus, Cala Gonone is the best spot to get to the famous boat ride around the Golfo di Orosei area (stunning!!)
So I’d say, go for Cala Gonone or Orosei and explore a bit by bike and car, you won’t regret it!! Just be quick to book the accommodation as the deals go pretty fast (people book from January!)
Have a great time in my beautiful Island 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Hi! Love your Sardinia pages! Its what convinced me of planning a trip to Sardinia.
We are 2-3 girls visiting for a week from 13-20 june (flying to Olbia). I have understood that, june or september is best, because of less people then.
We are thinking of spending most time in San Teodoro. We are looking for great beaches but also some partying and nightlife.
I looked up SanTeodoro on google maps and i am a bit concerned of the city being too quiet. I am sorry but it looks a bit dead on Goolge street view. I know its not Ibiza-like in the summer. But do you think there is some people and life here already in june?
The plan is to stay 5 nights in San Teodoro and then 2 nights in Olbia. In ST we are just planning to be at the beach, and some party. And maybe rent bikes one day, if it is easy to bike around the city (maybe to other beaches?). The day before we leave we are thinking of taking a bus to Palau from Olbia, so we can spend the day on a Maddalena boat tour.
Is there something else you would recommend for 22 year old girls, or do you think these plans sounds ok?
Hoping for an answer, Thank you! Love, Mya (norwegian).
Well, I’ve been to San Teodoro many many times, but not in June (mostly in July/August), but I’m pretty sure the clubs and the “party scene” has already started in June, as the weather is nice and the tourists start to arrive! I had so much fun in there and it’s also an easy place to reach by bus and to roam around by bicycle!
The idea of going to Palau for the Maddalena boat trip is EXCELLENT! I love that trip and I do it every year.. it’s truly amazing!
Also San Teodoro is very near to the airport and there are public services that will get you there in less than one hour which is quite convenient. So all in all I think this might be the right choice for you!
Your review is fantastic!
I have a question, I am planning to come to Sardinia mid July… but we want 0 traffic jam (villages, restaurants, beaches…). I already have a lot in Switzerland and if I do have some, it’s no holidays at all, what would you recommend?
We need a sandy beach, best babysitting for the kids, easy to access, also for the kids, and not overcrowded or overhype, that’s for the parents. We would like to stay 2 weeks in a lovely house, agriturismo, in a small village or in the outskirt… would you have any happy place?
Hey Anne… yours is probably one of the most difficult requests I’ve ever received 🙂 Being mid July is going to be a bit crowded and given your needs (by the beach, baby sitting etc), my best advice would be going to a resort.
I know it might seem a bit too touristy, but they usually have gorgeous private beaches not very distant to the traditional villages and offer baby sitting/entertainment for the kids so that you can also enjoy your holiday.
I have a few ones in mind, let me know if this can be of any interest for you. Also, a very important question. How picky are you in regards of the beach/sea? As the less crowded places are nice but not super spectacular. It all depends on your priorities.
Unfortunately in high season we can’t have it all!
Hope it helps!
Thanks so much for your blog, it has already helpled me hugely. My fiancée and I are planning to go to Sardinia in July for 7 days for our honeymoon. I am currently making a plan and looking to book accommodation/flights…I just wanted to get your opinion on the following, if you have a chance to reply:
– Fly into Olbia
– Hire a car and drive to Cala Gonone (stay here for 4 nights – check out the beaches, go on a couple of excursions somewhere, find some activities to do etc.)
– Then drive to Porto Cervo (possibly stop off somewhere on the way..San teodoro maybe).
– Stay in Porto Cervo for 3 nights (check out the rich surroundings, nightlife, maybe more activities or just chill/see sights)
– Then drive back to Olbia airport to fly out.
What do you think? any suggestions about things to do, or anything you think doesnt quite look right?
Many thanks for your help and thanks again for all the useful info in the blog! 🙂
Hey G! Thanks for stopping by and congratulations on your honeymoon 🙂
As per your itinerary… it doesn’t sound crazy at all, 1 week and 2 destinations not that far away from each other is quite ideal actually and choosing San Teodoro as last stop is much better as it’s very close to Olbia.
As for the things to do… did you have a chance to see my article ” Sardinia for couples”? It is a massive guide with everything you need to know, especially for Cala Gonone and Porto Cervo. San Teodoro might be quite crowded with younger people (parties etc) but if you book a place not in the centre you can enjoy your privacy without the noises 😉
Hi Clelia!
Wow this blog was amazingly helpful! Sardinia looks absolutely stunning!
I’m sure you’ve answered this question a million times, but where would you suggest staying if I flew into Olbia? Me and my husband are 28 and will be renting a car. We want to visit beaches, go on boat trips and also be walking distance to restaurants!
Thank you 🙂
Hey Nicola,
Glad you liked my blog post! Did you had a chance to see my other article “Sardinia for Couples“? It was bìmeant to be only for couples but it has become a massive resource for things to do in various areas of Sardinia.
From Olbia I would suggest:
Porto Cervo:(if you like posh places) Golfo di Orosei:(for stunning nature and awesome beaches) San Teodoro: For a bit of fun and also explore the awesome nearby beaches Santa Teresa: For snorkeling and stunning landscapes
There is so much choice that you can’t really go wrong!
Have a blast!!
Hi,
We are a couple with four kids between 16 and 10. We are in Sardinia for 3 weeks in August, landing in Olbia and will have a car. We are looking for a chilled out holiday and past experience tells me that camping is the best way for this. So, I am hoping you can help me with the set up. Is it best to take our own tent or is tent accommodation available on sites? I like the idea of staying in two or three areas maybe for a week each. The Oristano area sounds great and on the quieter side, which is again is good for a wholesome and simple few weeks. Can you recommend other sites/places?…Many thanks, Adam
Hi Adam
Camping is great! I just went back from a 2 months of mainly camping (in Africa) and it was awesome! So you have my full approval 🙂
For Camping in Sardinia there are various options, it is obviously cheaper to bring your own tent but there are sites where you can rent the tent. The Oristano area in my opinion is the best for camping and Caravans but you can find camping sites scattered all over the island.
It all depends on how flexible are you and what level of comfort are you looking for.
Here are a few links that might help you in deciding what’s best for you!
Camping in Oristano Or you can simply click on the Sardinia image and choose the area of your interest. It’s a very good website for camping lovers!
Thanks Steven! Glad I gave you some inspiration! feel free to check my other guides about Sardinia. I wrote one for couples but it is actually a massive guide for everyone really! 🙂
This has to be the most in-depth and well-researched travel article I ever read, congrats! Even though I don’t have planned any trips for the rest of the year now I’m dying to see Sardinia! These are all amazing beaches but La Pelosa immediately caught my attention – by the way, such a hilarious name for a beach. – due to the prison, that’s a very unique beach. I kinda hate crowds so I always opt for more secluded beaches, thanks for the tip, I actually thought in September there will be a lot of tourists there.
Hey Sally,Thanks! I don’t blame you… Sardinia is magic! I’m here as I write this and I can tell you that September is,in fact, one of the best months to visit as finally the beaches are not crowded anymore. Not even the most popular ones 🙂
Hi, I am a solo traveler looking to come to Sardinia in mid October for 4 days. I would love to be able to get to Cala Genone but am wondering if its feasible in my time frame? I looked at staying in Baunei, but can’t find how I would get there and from what airport would be best? Would it then be possible to get to the beaches from Baunei by taxi or foot?
If I have to choose a more appropriate destination, I would really love for my trip to revolve around beaches and scenic spots, with lots of walking involved. But of course more cultural areas would be amazing as well. I am just hoping to spend some days swimming.
At first I looked at Alghero but the beaches and coast line on the east side look more like me. I would consider hiring a car for one day perhaps, and I haven’t booked any flights yet so am flexible with airports.
Going from Olbia to Cala Gonone is feasible but unless you rent a car you’ll lose a significant amount of time for such a short stay. Baunei is a very traditional village in the heart of the mountains but not far from the sea, but you still will need a car as the public transport in there are almost non existent to go to the beaches. Baunei is a good base to visit the Golgo and for the fantastic trek to Cala Goloritze, not to mention the scenic view from the village itself but you still need to have your own car or scooter at least.
If you want a traditional stay I’d recommend it but keep in mind that moving around is difficult in that area (but totally worth it!). If you want something easier but less scenic, I’d go to San Teodoro/Budoni, easily reachable by public transports and very close to Olbia airport, and having only 4 days it might be the more sensitive choice for you!
I’m so glad that I found your website with all the useful information for my trip to Sardinia! I want to go there in September with my boyfriend. And we are both looking for a quiet place with nice beaches that are not overly crowded.
Do you have any suggestions on which area we should go?
Hi Julia,
In September the beaches are usually not that crowded, so if you’re looking for a quiet place I’d say go for Orosei or Dorgali, they are nice villages very close to stunning beaches like Cala Mariolu, Goloritze and Cala Biriola. That’s my favorite part of Sardinia, I’ve been there recently and I didn’t want to leave!
After reading your article, we have inspired to write a blog about sardina island. Most of our people want to travel worldwide, they are searching for cheap hotels, accommodations etc, want to belong in a house. This article is full of information. I will suggest them to visit your hometown.
Hi Clelia, I have posted another same comment yesterday just after this comment was posted. I have added some extra lines there. Could you please edit this comment. Thank you.
Hi The worldwide,
unfortunately, I don’t allow extra links on my comment section, as I consider it as advertising. Each commenter has the opportunity to link to their URL when posting the comment (the URL will be linked with the name). This is the most I can do.
Thanks for your understanding. This is to prevent private companies from posting comments just to get a link back to their websites in the comment.
I have never seen such a comprehensive guide on a travel website before! You rocked this one out of the ball park. I cannot wait to visit your hometown one day!
First i would like to express my sincere gratitude. I spent hours browsing trough your Sardinia guide and now i have set my mind on going to this beautiful island. We are a group of 5 people and we were considering either Sicily or Sardinia, but now it is decided :).
The plan is to spend a weekend on Sardinia in the end of September (25-26). After everything i read here it is obvious that after we land in Cagliari we will rent a car and go spend the weekend in some place near the Golfo di Orosei. Anyway i have two specific questions i could not quite get the answer to.
1. It will be really helpful if you can recommend a local car rental company that does not require credit card (we prefer paying cash and as strange as it sounds we have no credit cards but only debit cards and all the rental companies i can find online require a credit card).
2. Other question is about the boat trips to the Golfo di Orosei. Is there a boat trip that includes both Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritze beaches. Second – are you familiar with options to rent small boat for 5 ppl. to sail on our own so we don’t have to keep someone else’s schedule.( considering that 3 of us are big guys 95kg.+).
Thank you in advance and keep up the good work – i can honestly say your guide is the reason we are going to Sardinia.
Unfortunately, having a car available in here I can’t tell you for sure about a car rental that doesn’t require the credit card. You can ask directly upon your arrival at the airport. But honestly I doubt they would accept cash these days..
Second question about the boat trip, if you head towards Cala Gonone or Orosei there will be plenty of places where you can directly walk in and ask, there are many options for small boat rentals and Sardinian people are still “old style” so walking in and booking directly in there is the best way to go in my opinion.
You shouldn’t have any problem, but depending on the size of the boat they require a nautical licence or the driver coming with you. But I definitely recommend going by yourself if you can, the experience will be totally different as you don’t have to follow any schedule!
Let me know if you need any more info 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Oh Almost forgot. There is no boat for Cala Goloritze (they can’t get close to the shore), the only way to visit is either to swim from the boat (but it’s not very convenient) or hike through the dedicated path!
thank you for your thorough answer and thanks again for writing your Sardinia guide. I just can’t wait to go to some of the beautiful places you described.
Hi clelia
First of all congrats for the great website and the effort you put into.Its very helpful.
We are visiting Calgiari with my wife between 10 and 17 august and we are staying on the main city. We ll not have a car so we would like to ask you some good beaches nearby the main city that we can access easily by bus. Thank u very much
Is always good to check a site where to find interesting contents about Sardinia and traveling. I especially like the fact you provide some tips and show the pros and cons about the region (I totally share the point of view of the editor)
I am a local Sardinian and I created a site where unique and real experience in food and wine field. I facilitate the meeting between producers, chefs and wine makers: wineries tour and tasting, lunch with the shepherds and much more.
Hey Jolao, Thanks for the message!What you’re doing is great 🙂 Apologies if I had to cut the comment, but I never allow any self-promotion without an agreement, otherwise my comment section would quickly become a huge self promotional space. I’m sure you’ll understand my point of view. Keep up with the good work!
Cheers
Clelia
Great website we love it and will print off pages for ur up an coming trip to Sardinia the first week in september – But can you advise please?
we arrive on the 31st August and have booked in to Hotel Excesior on La Maddalena for the first 2 nights , we then thought after your reviews for San Teodoro for our last 3 nights. We would quite like to be close to the port if that’s were the night life is (we are mid 40’s so not really looking for clubs etc but nice bars and restaurants) can you please advise us of a good area/hotel or suggest a different location we fly home on Sunday 6th September am.
Sorry, your message was under one of my replies and I missed it. regarding your concern for San Teodoro, if you go in September it is much quieter and have nice quiet areas as well (just check the hotels reviews and choose something that is not too central and you should be perfectly fine).
If you don’t want to stay there, but still close to the airport, Arzachena could be a good option for you. It’s definitely quieter than San Teodoro but still has nice beaches to discover in the surrounding areas.
My girlfriend and I are headed to Sardenia on July 15th and staying until the 22nd.
We are flying into Cagliari and because we didn’t have a car, we booked 5 nights in Cala Gogone. Figured it would be the easiest way to get private boat rides to your top beaches and maybe find a way up to San Teodoro for the beaches up there.
We are trying to find our way from Cagliari to Cala Gogone without a car. Is there a train or bus that get us up there pretty easy??
Also once up in our hotel, is it easy to rent boats for the day to get to the beautiful beaches without having to hike hours to get there? We would like to stay for a few hours and have a lunch and I’m curious if people do thst without a boat.
What the best way for us to proceed.
Thank you. Loved your site and all the information! Helped me a bunch!
Hey Dan, Not sure you’re going to read the message by now, but I’ll try anyway in case you do!
It’s pretty difficult to reach Cagliari from Cala Gonone without a car honestly. It can be done by bus or getting to Nuoro by train but it’s a long Journey and not very advisable for someone who doesn’t know Sardinia.. I will be writing about it in one of my articles so people are aware of what to expect. For renting the boat or go to a boat trip from Cala Gonone is very easy! Don’t worry, you’ll find plenty of places to book your trip. Some places/hotels have their own boat service.
Amazing and useful information . I would be flying to Olbia in last week of Aug for a week , what places would you recommend as we would like relaxed vacation and would like to visit mostly the best beaches and places with some night life. yes we would hire a car.
For me, the best place, with the best beaches is the Cala Gonone Orosei Area. Cala Gonone is also quite lively (not Orosei). Alternatively you can have your base in San Teodoro, well known for it’s night life and good beaches, and drive the car to enjoy a day boat trip to Cala Gonone/Golfo di orosei beaches that are really stunning!
Ciao Clelia, amazing site as everyone has mentioned, so much great information! I am only going for a very short trip, so I plan on sticking to 2-3 destinations, I was planning on doing La Pelosa beach, La Maddalena, and Cagliari (since this is where I fly in and out of).
Quick question about visiting La Maddalena area – I understand that it’s highly rated and considered a must, since you have to take a boat across to the island where is the best place to stay around there (on the mainland side like by Palau)? So that you can then take a day trip out to the island and then come back to your hotel. I guess I am just not so sure where most people stay as a home base when they want to make day trips to La Maddalena island.
Also, any recommendations for a traveler that wants to see some nightlife and a bit of partying in Sardinia?
Hey Angelo, thanks for the nice comment 🙂
For the boat trips to Arcipelago della Maddalena, well I’ve been there many times and every time I was staying at a different place as long as it was not more than 45 min away bu car, so anything in the area would do (Arzachena, Cannigione if you want to stay for cheaper) or the whole Costa Smeralda area. Anyway going for the boat trip is a must but also the beaches in the Area are worth a visit so you could stay for a few days and then head to Cala Gonone on your way back to Cagliari and also enjoy another MUST SEE place (for me it’s the best!).
As for partying.. The best places are San Teodoro, Alghero, Villasimius and obviously Cagliari!
Enjoy your stay! 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Ciao clelia,
Your website is so informative and extremely well laid out. I’ve loved reading through it and having some insider tips. Keep it coming! My sister and I are undecided between going to olbia or zona sant’andrea near Cagliari. We are looking for great beaches but not too far from the city as we won’t have our own transport. Which would you say is best please? Thank you in advance!
Hey Lucia… mmmhh not having a car is a shame as the best beaches are usually only reachable if you have your own car or at least a scooter. For Olbia, there are many beaches around but the buses stop on the main road and from there you’ll have to go by car. the only advice I have is to stay near cannigione (not far from olbia) and relax in there, or San Teodoro where you can reach the beach by foot or bycicle. To get from Olbia to San Teodoro there are buses so it wont be a problem.
For the Cagliari area, the only easy beach to reach is the city beach Poetto, otherwise you can take a bus towards Domus the maria, but you’ll have to walk from the main road to the beaches and it’s not ideal.. Unfortunately without a car you are going to miss out on the best parts 🙁
Hi Clelia, first of all – and as all others say- thanks for the great blog!!! ☺
So, here we are, Fede & Beba a couple from Argentina. We have tickets for the 20th August (landing in Cagliari) until 4th September (departing from Alghero). That is, 14 days.
Before I start, and it´s important to mention beforehand, we don´t have car license, so as far as i read, our itinerary Could be a bit limited, right?
This is our plan so far:
20th August in the morning we get to Cagliari. We plan to stay in the city 2 nights.
First day: visit the city, what you mentioned in another reply (pier, Piazza Yenne, Via Manno, etc)
Then, here, first question: how long does it take going from Cagliari to Mari Pintau or Tuerreda or Chia Beach (one of those) to spend the day and then back to sleep in Cagliari? Does it make sense?
Then we plan to go up on the East coast and spend there 5 or 6 days. Cala Marilou or Cala Goloritze. Is it possible to get there without a car?
The thing is, we don´t want to spend only 1 or 2 days in each place, because without a car this will be the hell. We did such a trip last year in Sri Lanka –we were shooting a documentary- and we couldn´t chill properly. And the main goal of this trip to Sardinia, is to rest, eat and chill!!
After that, we plan to g oto San Teodoro, Rean Bianca or Archipielago Madalenna another 5 or 6 days.
And finally, Alghero, where our flight departures on the 4th September. Is it Alghero a nice city to stay?
Some extra questions:
1. End of august/ beginning of September is still so crowded? Do you recommend to book everything before?
2. So, as you´ve read, we don´t plan to go to the West coast. Is this a terrible mistake? I guess no, since in your post there only 1 beach worth to visit there: San giovanni.
Again, thanks a lot!!!
Have a nice week.
Fede&Beba
Hey guys, as you said..without a car your itinerary will be limited so my suggestion is:
1) stay in Cagliari 2 days and visit the city as you planned (check out my other article here where I have a whole section about Cagliari and other areas you’re interested in. It says it’s for couples but it’s actually a massive guide for everyone)
2)It’s very stressful to go to Chia, let alone Tuerredda by bus. It is possible, but from the main road you’ll have to walk for a while to get to the beach. Not many people do it, especially if they want to relax! It’s much much better if you get the bus to Villasimius and relax in there for at least 5 days. The beach Simius is big, nice and close to the village and you can also take day boat trips so you wont get bored to see the same beach over and over
3) Go to Cala Gonone (also see it on the guide I’ve already mentioned), considering that you dont have the car, I’d stay there for 5 days, there are amazing boat trips and you can also organize excursions to go to Cala Goloritze’. It’s the perfect setting to enjoy that area. I’d honestly skip the rest as it would be too stressful, and the other area mentioned will confine you to just 1 beach for days, with nothing else to do.
For the bookings, yes, I highly recommend you book in advance! You can find some suggestions on my second guide for Cala Gonone! But hurry as I’m receiving so many emails of people asking for help as they can’t find anything as everything is almost fully booked for the entire season! (people start to book in January for August/September!)…
Hope this will help you, don’t stress too much in seing everything at once, just relax and enjoy your stay! wherever you go…it will be worth it!
Cheers
Clelia
Good morning Clelia.
Woww!!! thanks a lot for your fast reply.
I won´t be creative at all, I have nothing more to add than, THANKS A LoT and you are doing a very nice blog!!!
Follow the sun is our motto, and I might think it´s also yours 🙂
So far what I’ve seen from your blog & other research/resources is that on Sardinia there are not too many small (boutique type of) hotels on the seafront / with private beach.
I was planning to go between 5-13 September but so far, I have not found any accommodation. Can you advise please?
We’d like to have a base (as ‘isolated’ as possible = not too many other hotels around) but near a medium size city. We’d rent a car and drive around, must see is definitely Cala Gonone, La Maddalena.
Hi Gaby, I replied to your comment because I remember your question and my advice but i must not have gone through for some reason, sorry about that!
Anyway for other people seeking for a similar information, in Sardinia there are actually all the type of accommodation you can imagine. You just need to look for them carefully. My advice is to rent a private apartment (and they can be also quite cheap, depending on location and seasonality).
Listing all of the hotels on the beach with private beaches could end up in a massive reply! In the south there is Forte Village, Chia laguna resort and many others and in the north east you will find hotels like Pitrizza with nice private beaches. They are always more expensive of course but this is the price you have to pay to be more isolated and have a private beach in Sardinia.
My advice is to take a day or two to look in websites like booking.com where I find the best deals and I’m sure people will find anything they need, including private beaches (I saw many listed in there and i might write a separate blog post to help people with this specific request for the next season!)
I hope you made it to Sardinia and had a great time in my beautiful island!
Cheers
Clelia
I was pretty sure I’ve already replied to your comment, but I don’t see it anywhere in here…weird.
Anyway, even if I’m late I still want to reply to your question as this is a quite frequent question: The answer is yes! absolutely, unless you are not lucky with the weather (some days might be a bit “colder” than usual in September), but as a general rule people swim without any problem during this time of the year!
What a great blog – thanks so much for taking the time to give us such amazing feedback. I am planning to go to Sardinia in August for 2 weeks! I am a solo traveller and love beautiful beaches and the sea more than anything – preferably places that aren’t too touristy. I will be flying in from Madrid. Can you recommend an itinerary for me please? Do you think i need to book accommodation in advance? Is care hire necessary? Sorry for bombarding you with questions, really appreciate your advice. Thanks so much, Yolanda
Sorry I’ve missed your message! please always make sue to sending me a little reminder if you don’t see my reply within a week or so as it’s getting very challenging to keep up with all the request! 🙂
What an inspiring and informative post! Thank you so much!
I am considering a first time visit in September for approx 5 days, on my own and without car. Ideally I would like to spend time on the beaches and maybe change locations once or twice. Anywhere in particular that you recommend for safe solo travelling?
Hi Amanda, I wrote a post about solo travel in Sardinia (which I have to edit and add a few more info), depending on what you want to do…if you want to socialize I’d say go to San Teodoro (if you like camping there is a nice place in front of La Cinta beach) and you won’t need the car, then you could organize a day trip to Orosei and take the boat to see the beautiful beaches, or you can take the bus to Palau for the Arcipelago della Maddalena Boat trip. I HIGHLY suggest at least one of the two, if not both 🙂 I know you only have 4 days but you could spend 2 days in San Teodoro and organize 2-day trips for the boat experience!
Sardinia is usually very safe for solo travelers, you just need to use common sense like anywhere else and you’ll be perfectly fine!
Cheers
Cle
Great blog! Gorgeous photos and thorough information so thanks!
I plan on going to Sardinia for only 4-5 days from Naples in early July. I want to visit your top 2 beaches and plan to base myself in Cala Gonone. Are those beaches reachable by local boats or by hiking? Also, since I plan on taking the ferry from Naples and it only goes to Calgiari, I’m concerned about the bus from Cagliari to Cala Gonone. Do I have to transfer in Nuoro? I don’t have the option of ferrying back to Naples so I am probably going to fly from Olbia to Naples. Is it easy to get to Olbia from Cala Gonone? If I have to spend a night in Olbia for my flight the next day, can you recommend a cheap b&b?
I also saw photos of your visit to the Philippines where I was born. I’m glad you liked it. I actually lived near Siargao till I was 20. I miss the beaches of the Philippines. Did you go somewhere else?
Hey Abok,
Wow a Filipino visiting Sardinia, what an honor! 🙂
The best beaches from Cala Gonone are reachable only by boat (there are other nice ones but the top of the top are by boat only), for the transports, unfortunately Sardinia is not well connected.
You either have to take a train to Nuoro and then get a bus or take a bus directly (you can find the link for the transport here at the end of the article), Cala Gonone – Olbia is not that bad by bus also counting that you will spend the night in Olbia!
As for the B&B, I always recommend the usual website (which is the one I also use when I travel most of the times) booking.com , here is the direct link for the accommodation in Olbia, I’m sure they have plenty of very cheap places not far from the airport!
As for the Philippines, oh I miss them too! I went to many islands (I stayed 4 months): Panay Island(Antique region), Boracay, Carabao, Camotes Islands, Bohol, Siargao, Palawan (both El Nido and Coron) but I want to go back ASAP!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE THE PHILIPPINES!!
We will be traveling there this Autumn 4-11 of October. I hope the weather will be great and that we can still swim at that moment. We will land in Alghero and now I am trying to get the accommodation. The idea is that I don’t know if we should stay at only one hotel. What do you recommend? I think it might be really hard to visit something and then go back to the hotel to the other part of the island. So, I think I have to make a plan with the best things we can see in one week. What do you advise me?
Hey Alina! In one week, I’d recommend you to go to 2 areas: 1 area Alghero and surroundings and 2nd area the Golfo di Orosei area or alternatively the Olbia/Costa Smeralda area.
This way you’ll have the time to discover a bit more but without stressing too much! The only thing I’d make sure (since you’re going in October), is to contact the companies that organize the boat tours to Arcipelago della Maddalena and Golfo di Orosei area to make sure they still provide the service. It will surely depend on the weather so you’ll have to keep your fingers crossed for that as unfortunately, no one can predict it 🙂
I just finished a huge guide on Alghero, Costa Smeralda area, Cala Gonone area, Castelsardo and Cagliari, the guide was supposed to be for couples but it ended up being for everyone as I add so many details on the excursions, links to the direct websites, things to do, where to eat etc. Here is the link, I’m just adjusting the maps and a few minor details, but the article is basically done!
I still need to add the accommodation section, but I’ll usually research very carefully the best deals from my favorite website, the one that I use all the times as it makes you book the room and you can cancel last minute and pay when you arrive.
which are the areas that you would like to visit!
I also try to give advice on specific hotels I like but it all depends on your budget and also on the availability (but in your case, being in October you should be much easier to find the perfect accommodation for you!)
Ciao Clelia, come stai? Ho scelto la sardegna come nozze, sono brasiliano di origine italiana e vorrei sapere cosa ne pensi di questo roadtour che ho programmato.
1 giorno – Arrivo a Cagliari e rimango due giorno a Chia, primo giorno Baia / Spiaggia di Chia (cosa mi consiglia? Dove pranzare e se `e piu economico comprare un ombrellone/ sedie/ lettino invece di affitare ogni giorno, sar`o in sardegna per 1 settimana e ho affittato una macchina.
2 giorno – Spiaggia di Tuerreda (cos altro posso fare? E mangiare?)
3 giorno – Andare verso Olbia con fermata ad Orosei per vedere CALA GOLORITZE.
4 giorno – Nostro albergo sara sempre ad Olbia e da qui andiamo verso i locali, al 4 giorno penso di uscire mattina presto da Olbia e andare ad Alghero, voglio vedere le grotte e magari qualcosaltro, di sera ritorno ad Olbia.
5, 6, 7 giorno – Non so bene cosa fare, voglio vedere Calaghari, le Isole e cos’altro mi raccomanda, visto che sar`o ad Olbia.
Vorrei sapere cosa mi consiglia da mangiare (quello che ‘e la specialita del isola), dolce, salato, pasta, pizza?! Se vuoi mi rispondi per email!
Grazie mille per l`articolo e scusami per il mio italiano ‘e da un p’o che non lo uso.
Arrivo da vuoi tra un paio di settimana se riesci a rispondermi in questa settimana, sar’o moltissimo grato!
Ciao Fernando! Ho un amico Brasiliano con lo stesso nome quindi ti rispondo ancora piu’ volentieri 🙂
Faccio copia/incolla delle tue domande cosi trovi le risposte sotto!
1 giorno – Arrivo a Cagliari e rimango due giorno a Chia, primo giorno Baia / Spiaggia di Chia (cosa mi consiglia? Dove pranzare e se `e piu economico comprare un ombrellone/ sedie/ lettino invece di affitare ogni giorno, sar`o in sardegna per 1 settimana e ho affittato una macchina.
Chia e’ sicuramente approvata come spiaggia! Bellissima e con un mare stupendo. Considera pero’ che non ci sono ristoranti vicinissimi quindi ti converrebbe portarti un panino e qualche snack per il pranzo se vuoi restare tutto il giorno in spiaggia. Se ce l’hai, portati una mini borsa frigo, compri i panini e (se ti piace) un po’ di prosciutto e te li fai in spiaggia quando hai fame, oppure li prepari prima, cosi risparmi anche un pochino visto che il costo del parcheggio per una giornata e’ do circa 6 euro (a meno che non l’abbiano aumentato quest’estate, ancora non sono risucita a farci un salto).
Per l’ombrellone e sdraia, io personalmente preferisco avere i miei, non costano molto e te li porti appresso facilmente senza spendere in ogni spiaggia (ed alcune sono molto selvagge quindi ti conviene portartelo).
Se vuoi, lo stesso giorno che visiti Chia (la spiaggia grande con gli isolotti di fronte: Su Giudeu) puoi anche fare un salto a vedere Cala Cipolla che e’ la spiaggia di fianco. Ci arrivi proseguendo dal parcheggio e facendo una salitina a piedi e 5 minuti di camminata, e’ piu’ piccola ma molto carina!)
2 giorno – Spiaggia di Tuerreda (cos altro posso fare? E mangiare?)
Tuerredda e’ la mia spiaggia preferita! (nonostante i prezzi del parcheggio e il sovraffollamento in alta stagione, ma devi arrivare prestissimo, verso le 7 max 8), li c’e un bar/ristorante dove puoi mangiare, pero’ non conosco i prezzi perche’ io mi faccio sempre il mio solito panino! 🙂 ) Io ti consiglio di restarci tutto il giorno fino a sera quando si svuota e diventa un paradiso!
3 giorno – Andare verso Olbia con fermata ad Orosei per vedere CALA GOLORITZE.
Considera che se vuoi vedere Cala Goloritze devi partire veramente prestissimo da Cagliari, perche’ ti ci vuole 1/2 ore per scendere giu’ dal sentiero e 2 orette buone per risalire e sarete super stanchi. Non so se hai gia’ prenotato l’albergo, ma secondo me e’ meglio farti 2 giorni a Cala gonone cosi puoi fare sia la gita in barca alle altre spiagge bellissime come Cala mariolu e Cala Biriola e sia il trek a Cala Goloritze senza fare una maratona super stancante!
4 giorno – Nostro albergo sara sempre ad Olbia e da qui andiamo verso i locali, al 4 giorno penso di uscire mattina presto da Olbia e andare ad Alghero, voglio vedere le grotte e magari qualcosaltro, di sera ritorno ad Olbia.
Se resti (come ti dicevo) a cala Gonone per almeno 2 giorni, poi io spenderei altri 2 giorni in zona Olbia, e farei la boat trip all’arcipelago della Maddalena da Palau e visiterei una delle spiagge della costa Smeralda (ho scritto un post super dettagliato per la Sardegna in coppia dove parlo sia di Cala Gonone che della Costa Smeralda, Alghero e anche Cagliari), ti consiglio di darci un’occhiata!
5, 6, 7 giorno – Non so bene cosa fare, voglio vedere Calaghari, le Isole e cos’altro mi raccomanda, visto che sar`o ad Olbia.
Io ti consiglio di restare in zona, quindi stare di piu’ sia a Cala Gonone che vicino Olbia. A meno che non vuoi fare una cosa tutta di corsa e con abbastanza stress, andare e tornare ad Alghero da Olbia nello stesso giorno e’ abbastanza massacrante, la Sardegna vista dalla cartina sembra piccola, ma le distanze sono di almeno 2 ore o piu’ dalla costa orientale a quella occidentale, e le strade non sono facilissime da navigare quindi il mio consiglio sarebbe (e questo e’ un itinerario gia’ abbastanza stressante perche’ devi guidare un bel po’!):
2 Giorni zona Cagliari/ Chia ( vedi Baia Chia e Tuerredda)
3 Giorni Cala Gonone (Gita in barca, Cala Goloritze e un giorno a rilassarti in una delle spiagge vicine raggiungibili in macchina, vedi il mio post con il link che ti ho dato dove ci sono parecchie opzioni sulle cose da fare in zona)
2/3 Giorni Olbia area (gita arcipelago della maddalena e visita la costa smeralda, e le bellissime spiagge nei dintorni come Romazzino, Spiaggia del Principe e Capriccioli.
In questo modo ti stressi di meno, perche’ fare mordi e fuggi in molti posti secondo me non ne vale la pena, soprattutto perche’ le cose piu’ belle da fare come le gite in barca le devi programmare almeno 1 giorno o due prima, perche’ altrimenti rischi di non trovare posto e sarebbe un peccato non farle!!)
Vorrei sapere cosa mi consiglia da mangiare (quello che ‘e la specialita del isola), dolce, salato, pasta, pizza?!
Allora, quando non sei in spiaggia tutto il giorno, ti consiglio di assaggiare la Pasta alla Bottarga (specialita’ dell’isola!) e le Seadas, dolci fritti con formaggio fuso dentro, anche queste tipiche sarde (e buonissime), per il resto, se ti piace il pesce e i frutti di mare, io mi butterei sugli spaghetti alle vongole o ai frutti di mare,conditi con olio e prezzemolo e senza sugo di pomodoro… rendono molto meglio!)
Spero di esserti stata di aiuto 🙂
In bocca al lupo e congratulazioni per il matrimonio!
Clelia
Thanks for a very informative blog.
I plan to visit with my family and 2 kids for 7 days and would like to know which would be the best place to rent a villa. We would like to visit a few beaches but not make the trip too hectic with the children.Are there some good websites for renting villas that I could try and search?
Thanks for your message! I recently wrote a post mentioning a good friend who deals with villa renting in south Sardinia, he might be able to help you out if you are looking for quiet places to stay in the area: This is the post, you can fill in your details on the contact form and he will receive your query and I’ll be in copy to check things out.
Hi Clelia,
Thank you so much for your website and your kindness in answering emails.
We have 7 days in Sardinia and I believe I have narrowed down what MUST do/see:
1. Cala Gonone- rent a rubber boat to see the various caves and beaches
2. Beaches in Costa Smerelda- Romazzino, Cala di Volpe, Capriccioli, Porto Rotondo and Li’ Iltriceddhi
3. Boat Trip to Maddalena Archipelago
4. Tinnari & Isola Rosa
4. Stintino & La Perlosa Beach
We are confused about where to stay- we could stay in 2 hotels in various locations. We are flying from Rome and are able to fly into Olbia and leave from Alghero. Do you have any recommendations? We like small towns, near the sea, with restaurants. We don’t need nightlife.
Thanks so much.
Sally
Your itinerary it’s quite nice as you’re going to see some beautiful places, but in 7 days you’ll need to rush a bit. If you don’t mind, then of course go ahead!
I’d say:
1. Cala Gonone- rent a rubber boat to see the various caves and beaches :
Perfect idea to rent your own boat! you can stay in Cala Gonone Village for 1/2 nights, which is perfect as it’s near the pier and on the beach, not much nightlife but at least a few restaurants to eat, you can have a look at their deals in here:(I don’t give you specific hotels as you need to check he availability first)
2. Beaches in Costa Smerelda- Romazzino, Cala di Volpe, Capriccioli, Porto Rotondo and Li’ Iltriceddhi
3. Boat Trip to Maddalena Archipelago
In here you can stay in just one Hotel as the places are quite close to each other, I personally liked the villages of Cannigione which is directly on the sea, whilst Arzachena andSan Pantaleo are not directly on the sea.
A great place to stay in Cannigione is this: as it has great views or this other one. If you stay in Cannigione, you can drive a bit and look for nice local restaurants in Arzachena for your dinner time. The Village is bigger than Cannigione and you’ll find several options in there.
Again, being already May, it’s more difficult to find availability, but you can check the website and make sure to book as soon as possible as the best deals go very fast!
4. Tinnari & Isola Rosa:
I LOVE Tinnari and being on your way to Alghero airport I’d say that your best bet for the place to stay is in Badesi: A nice little village, very close to the sea and with a few panoramic restaurants with sea view and the sunset. I’ve been there a few time and it’s a good base to move and see Tinnari and Isola Rossa (only 30 min by car from Badesi).
4. Stintino & La Pelosa Beach
I’d say, if you want to see la Pelosa, you could drive from Badesi directly to the beach on your last day (1 hour and 20 minutes by car) and spend the last night before your departure at a nearby hotel in Stintino, so you can check in, leave your stuff in there and go to the beach, then rest for the night and head to Alghero the next day.
A place I’d recommend in Stintino is “Hotel Cala Reale”, very nice, but I’m not sure about the availability as it’s quite popular, you can check out the places and availability for Stintino in here.
I saw a few good deals for last minute bookings as May is the hottest season for bookings! 🙂
I love your Itinerary and you’re going to see some amazing places, it would have been great if you had 2 weeks so you could relax more, but you will see the best of the best! 🙂
Loved reading thru your beach blog about Sardinia. As a fellow blogger in Dallas, I understand it takes so much time to respond to everyone’s questions but your answers are so kindly written so that’s why I’m writing you. My boyfriend is going to Barcelona for a 10 day biking adventure and I’m meeting him there in 2 weeks. We were originally going to visit Ibiza and Amalfi coast but have changed our minds last minute.
So we will be arriving on Sunday, Jun 7 and flying into Olbia airport and want to visit beaches/towns in the north / east coast areas. We will be flying back to Barcelona on Friday Jun 12. So……not to add more to your busy plate i need HELP!!!! I’m not concerned with hotels because those i can easily find but given the timeframe I just mentioned, what would your recommend. We’re looking forward to relaxing by the beautiful beaches. Plus we will have a car.
Hi Saima! Thanks for stopping by (and for your understanding on how much work do I put in answering to everyone!), I’ll be back and reply to you in 3-4 days (I have a business conference so no time to reply properly these days!)I hope I’ll still be in time to help you…stay tuned!!
Yes , just let me know when your time frees up a bit. Just to make it more detailed here is what I was sort of thinking:
The purpose of trip is to relax, see some of the countryside, explore beaches and enjoy the culture & wonderful food. The beaches we hope to see are Calo Goritze, Cala Mariolu, Cala Luna, La Pelosa Sintino and Bidderosa Beach? I realize we will have to get a boat to go to some of these. Also before you read the itinerary idea below, is it worth it to take a day trip to La Maddalena or maybe a day/overnight trip to Corsica. I know this sounds like a lot in a short time frame LOL…maybe I’m being a bit enthusiastic. And I know that you mention how much you like San Teodoro, we are not necessarily that keen on bars/nightlife parties on this trip.
-We fly into Cagliari airport on Sunday
-Rent car and drive up the coast to Cala Gonone area to explore the beaches in that area and stays at Hotel Su Gonone. Stay 2/3 nights.
-Drive from Cala Gonone to the Porto Cervo area and stay at Petra Segrete Hotel for 2/3 nights.
-Drive from Porto Cervo back to Cagliari early Sat morning and stay within the city at The Birkin Luxury Apartment or The Place Cagliari. Enjoy the city. We fly back to Barcelona on Sunday
I hope that gives you an idea so you don’t have to write paragraphs of itinerary. Thanks so much!
Ah ok thanks for your info 🙂 one last question, is San teodoro and santa teresa near from each other? Is it possible to visit both for 5 days trip? If not, which is worth to visit ? Thanks
San Teodoro and Santa Teresa are not THAT far away if you don’t mind driving for 1 hour and 30 minutes! It’s definitely worth it to see them both in my opinion, if you like nice beaches and great night life then San teodoro is Better, for snorkeling and a bit more quiet atmosphere, Santa Teresa might be better.
Poland invades Sardinia soon! 😉
Just wanted to double check my stuff. We like traveling by car and discovering cities, landscapes and beautiful places. Rarely we swim but can stare at nice things for hours :). A lot of photo shooting. Love real food and natural stuff. We have 7 days (14/06, landing in Cagliari at 18:00, departure 21/06 at 7:45). No too much time to discover things.
What about this?:
14/06 at 18:00 (1 night) –> transfer to Bosa (nice city?), morning up visit a town
15/06 afternoon –> north coast travel from Bosa to Palau area to visit La Maddalena islands. She we go directly or through Capo Caccia or La pelosa? Or…anything else?
15/06-17/06 (2 nights) –> Palau area. Better to stay 2 days in Palau and trip to La Maddalena for a day or dock directly on La Maddalena for 2 days with hotel? Can we make it by foot there or bike (boat tripis not for us)? We like nice area and good food and wine. What shall we do? 🙂
17/06 morning –> transfer to Orosei area (can be Orosei or Cala Gonoe or Banuei or Artabax). What do you recommend? We do not swim too much. Prefer to drive a little and go by foot or bike further.
17/06-20/06 (3 nights) – Ortosei area. Probably one day we will go by foot to Cala Mariolu (18th) or sth like this. Second day (19th) mountains or canyon. Third day (20th) travel by east-south coast to Cagliari hotel to be there afternoon. Any reco how to navigate to Cagliari through nice things? Having arrived at Cagliari, short city trip afternoon with nice restaurant. Any recommended with sea food?
21/06 at 7:45 –> Departure to the land of Poland.
Thanks a lot for your advice. You are doing a great job here!
Hey Maciej! I’ll be replying in detail to your question in 3 days as I will be at a conference and can’t work on my blog during these days (I have to pack my suitcase as we speak)!!! Stay tuned! 🙂
Thanks for your quick response. I will definitely check out the east cost beaches . But also, I came across this chia beach, it looks amazing as well. Is the beach located at east cost? Or it’s far from olbia airport? Thanks
Hi Eyera, I know Chia beach very well (so well that I call it MY BEACH)! But unfortunately is on the South West Sardinia, so yes…it’s very far away from Olbia, that’s why I don’t even mention it in my reply, as it’s not worth to drive for 4 hours and back.
No one would ever do that ,unless you had more time and it would make sense to stop for a while in the north and then in the South, but as for the South, Chia and Tuerredda are in my opinion the best beaches, other than that, since I’m very picky, the North East beaches are more and almost all of them are smashingly beautiful so you can’t go wrong! 🙂
Good evening. Congratulation for the phenomenal Blog. My question is if you see feasibly to visit cove Mariolu and Cove Goloritze with a baby of 15 months. Also which are the calmest or paradisiac beaches. Thank you very much.
Thanks for your nice words! I’m always glad when people find my content useful! As per your request, it depends… If you can carry your baby on your back or your front with those special straps, then it’s doable, but for Cala Goloritze you need to be careful as the path is steep and you wold need to go slowly. Always ensure to have enough water and food for you and your baby because you won’t find anything on the beach.
For Cala Mariolu, if the Baby doesn’t suffer of motion sickness it should be OK, but never forget to bring with you an umbrella or something to protect him/her from the sun as the beaches don’t have any facilities (they are quite wild), but all in all you can do it!
As for the calmest and best beaches…well, on my top 10 there are many to pick from! depending on which area you want to explore, they are all great!
Great blog you have here, useful info too. I am planning to visit sardinia in June from the 13th June til 18th. Based on your info and pictures, I feel like visiting all the beaches in sardinia! so beautiful. So for the first timer like me, where do you recommend that has the best beaches? white sand, easy to find food ? and i am not sure to fly to olbia airport or alghero. which airport is easier to travel to the best beaches? hope to hear from you soon. Thanks
Hey Eyera, I know….the beaches are all gorgeous but having only 5 days you have to pick one area 🙂
If I had to choose for the first timers, I’d say, go to the North and land at Olbia airport as the east coast has the most beautiful beaches!
I thought I was biased, but the other day I made a small survey among my Sardinian friends and they all agree with me that the east coast is the best. From Santa Teresa, to Villasimius, you will have the best beaches.
I’d say, stay close enough to the Airport, as you won’t want to spend your holiday driving, so either Santa Teresa, Palau area (don’t forget the boat trip in there, amazing!), or San Teodoro if you want a bit more of social life and cocktail bars, restaurants, live music etc by night).
I won’t move further than these 3 locations because you really don’t have the time. So you will be “forced” to come back for more, as usually people do after their first visit! 🙂
Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but I am really trying to find the best place strategically to stay in Sardinia.
We are a young couple, and we have 10 (maybe 12 days) in July.
What’s the best option for arriving by plane, Caglari or Alghero ?
In my opinion, the best place to stay strategically in Sardinia is the North East Coast, where you can easily move around and where you will find the best beaches, so I’d say Olbia Airport for that part of the island, or if you want to explore the south, the choice goes obviously to Cagliari Airport!
Based on my experience, all the east coast from Villasimius to Santa Teresa has the best water and landscapes in general. Not that the rest of Sardinia is bad, not at all. I’m only pointing out the best of the best (if that makes sense) 🙂
No questions…but just wanted to say thank you for putting all this information out there for all us Sardinia fans. It is truly exceptional for a blogger to offer so much information in response to personalised questions. I myself can never decide between Goloritze and Mariolu…have to keep going back to see if I will ever be able to put one ahead of the other in my affections!
Hey Dallas, you can’t imagine how glad I am to read message like yours. Well, you know what? I can’t help it. Usually Sardinian people are very helful so maybe that’s why I want to take my time to reply! Unfortunately now the people asking questions are increasing, and I don’t have the material time to reply immediately, especially to specific questions, but I love my country and my Island more than anything!
As per Cala Goloritze e mariolu…i love both almost the same way, they are both spectacular!
loooooove your web site and great information about your beautiful Sardinia Island. will keep reading for my next trip to amazing Italy and only Italy….. love it so much…
thx,
Jim
Hi Gabry! Here I am 🙂
I had a look at your itinerary and it MIGHT be doable but it’s a bit stressful as you’ll be driving around a lot!
Let’s see..
Day One Alghero : I’d suggest you spend your day at La Pelosa beach, not sure if you will be able to fit the visit at the Grotte di Nettuno, unless you stay in Alghero 2 days…
Day 2 From Alghero to Porto Cervo: The shortest route is 2 hours drive, passing through Berchidda and Olbia, not that bad, spend the day in Capriccioli Beach (stunning choice!) and the next day you can head south to Orosei
Day 3: Porto Cervo Orosei: another 1 hour and 40 minutes by car to the main village of Orosei, so to be able to catch the boat in the morning you’ll have to be at the pier at around 8 am (Cala Gonone is the closest pier from where you can catch the boats, other options are Arbatax and Santa maria Navarrese, but they are further away. To reach Cala Gonone is around 2 hours from Porto Cervo, whilst it will take you 3 hours to get to Arbatax and surroundings).
You can check out this website to see the options from Cala Gonone, but there are other companies covering that route too.
Day 4: going back from Cala Gonone to Alghero: 2 hours and 30 minutes drive…quite a long journey
I’d say, this itinerary is OK if you don’t mind rushing from one place to the other but you’ll have to be very organized and on schedule the whole time!
In my opinion, if you REALLY want to visit the Golfo di Orosei you should skip either la Pelosa beach or Capriccioli, otherwise a valid alternative would be skipping the Golfo di Orosei and focus on the Porto Cervo area, where you can take another amazing boat trip to the Arcipelago della Maddalena Instead.
If you were flying to Olbia then your itinerary could be doable and easier (skipping Alghero of course), but since you have to go back there, I’d say for 5 days, stay in one max 2 places, so you’ll have to sacrifice something.
If I had to choose, knowing the roads and the stress to get from one place to the other, be on time for the boat etc… I’d skip the Golfo di Orosei (even if I LOVE that place) as it’ really too far away from Alghero.
This way you’ll have an excuse to come back to Sardinia, this time landing at Olbia and visit that fantastic area!
Thank you so so much for your reply!
MMM… hard decisions…. I arrive to alghero after a long way so my first day will be in alghero, because i dont wanna drive another 2 hours in the same day i arrive there.
I definitly wanna visit the orosei coast !
So first and last night will be in alghero, my flight is on 8 am when i departure, safer be around airport. Second and third night night around golfo di Orosei i think is the best choise.
I also don.t find difficult drive 2 hour from 7-9 am, reach porto cervo from alghero, and the next day from 6-8 arrive cala gonone and hire a boat. If i do all this i don’t care what i will be doing on the last day :)) like i said hard decision when the time is so so short!
Thanks again for your reply Cle kisses
Hey Gabry!
It seems to me that you are quite keen on driving your way around Sardinia! This is good news as your itinerary is quite feasible then! I’m also pretty sure you will (literally in this case) enjoy the ride!!
Have a great time in Sardinia, the weather at the moment is lovely! 🙂
Your blog is absolutely fantastic, such detailed information which I’ve found hard to get anywhere else on Sardinia! 🙂
I was wondering if you could help me out with a few details of a trip I’m planning with my boyfriend to Sardinia in July?:)
We have seven days, and are flying into Cagliari from Rome. When I read your other blog replies, I was a bit worries when you mentioned July as the peak tourist season as we are both students in our twenties and looking to travel sardinia on a budget! That said we don’t mind spending a bit more to see as much as such a beautiful place has to offer!
Initially we had looked at travelling up the west coast as we fly home to Ireland from Alghero, but having read your advice and seen the stunning beaches the east coast has to offer I think i’ve changed my mind!
So, these are our queries:
1. We are thinking of renting a car, but were worried about cost- is travelling feasible without a car, bearing in mind that we have to get from Cagliari to Alghero, and want to visit as many costal regions as we can on the way?
2. We are looking at spending two nights in Cagliari, do you recommend the city itself as worth seeing? Also would daytrips to Chia and Villasimius be feasible?
3. We are then looking to head up the east coast to Orosei. How close is the town to the beaches of Cala Marilou/ Cala Goloritze and what would you recommend for activities in the area?( snorkelling, sightseeing, trekking, boat excursions etc 🙂 )
4. Is the national park nearby worth visiting/accesable? We are both avid hikers and would love to get some landscape trekking in 🙂
5. The next few days I’m not too sure yet what we are thinking, would you have any reccomendations in the Olbia/San Teodoro area? We are thinking of spending 1/2 nights in Alghero before our flight so that would be our eventual destination. Is it a long drive from Olbia to Alghero?:)
Sorry for the long essay haha! But seriously, well done with your blog and I would really appreciate any advice you would have for us:) Can’t wait to visit it seems like a wonderful country! :))
I’m so glad I let you change your mind towards the east coast! 🙂 I mean don’t get me wrong, there are fantastic places on the west coast too, but overall the east coast has much more to offer in my opinion!
As for your questions..
1) It is feasible to travel without a car, for example, from Cagliari to Olbia you can either take the train (Less than 4 hours and 17 euros) or the bus (not recommended in this case as you have to change at least 2 and it takes more than 6 hours). The only issue I foresee is that in 7 days if you don’t have the car you’ll have to plan your trip by bus very carefully, checking the departure schedules and so on, quite stressful as Sardinia public transport is, unfortunately a bit messy not to mention that to reach the best beaches you still would need a car. The bus will certainly take you to the main cities but not to most of the secluded beaches. So the car is a good investment for such a short period of time!
2)Yes I highly recommend you to visit Cagliari, it’s a very nice city, take one day to discover the pier area, going up to Piazza Yenne, and then turn right to Via Manno and Via Garibaldi to get to the Bastione di San Remi’ where you can admire the whole city at sunset. Also the old town and the cathedral are worth a visit (you can walk there from the Bastione), the atmosphere in the old town is enchanting! Or you can take a walk at “Terrapieno” (also starting from the Bastione). It’s a nice walk outside the walls of the old city and the view of the city is very suggestive. Other places worth checking in Cagliari are the main beach Poetto (even if now they are reconstructing the main road and make it available only for buses and bicycles) and Monte Urpinu, another great place for its view on the city.
The day trips to Chia and Villasimius are certainly doable (but get up VERY EARLY in the morning as in July the traffic is crazy and It might take you more than 1 hour and a half to get there if you leave later than 8 am).
This is especially true for Chia, also… getting back to Cagliari is even worst if you don’t choose the right timing, either leave the beach early (around 2/3 pm at the latest) or very late (later than 8 pm) otherwise it might take 2 hours of more with massive traffic.
Try going during the week, when the locals are still working and the roads are a bit better in terms of traffic. The beginning of July is still not as crazy as August, I’m just warning you because the weekends are the worst!
You’ll need 2 days to visit both Chia and Villasimius as they are on the opposite site of Cagliari and Villasimius is a bit trickier, as recently the relatively new road collapsed in a few points so you can get there by driving along the coast (which I love for the views), but it’s a bit more stressful for the driver.
I used to go to both Chia and Villasimius for a day trip all the time, they are not exactly around the corner, but it can be done easily. Take Umbrellas and some food/snacks with you because, especially in Chia, there are no restaurants near the beach.
So if you want to visit Cagliari, Chia and Villasimius you’ll actually need 3 days in Cagliari, then you can move up to the Orosei area, which leads to question n.3 🙂
3)Cala Mariolu, Cala Luna, Cala Sisine and the small coves on the coastline are only reachable by boat (except for Cala Sisine but you’ll need to drive up to a certain point and then leave the car and walk for around 1 hour). With 30/40 euros you’ll get on a big boat that will take you around for the whole day, leaving you a few hours in Cala Mariolu, Cala Luna and Cala Sisine (the itinerary might vary a bit depending on the company you choose so make sure to ask how long the boat it’s going to stop in each beach and also ask if lunch is included in the price as some companies charge less but don’t provide lunch). Also, if you are interested, ask if they have English speaking guides.
So my recommendation for the Orosei area is: 1 day DEFINITELY devoted to the boat trip, and another day since you like hiking and trekking, you can go to Cala Goloritze’, which can be reached only by foot. the path is quite steep and it takes around 1-2 hours to go down and a bit more to get back. But it’s TOTALLY WORTH IT! Yet again, the beach is very small and you’ll have to get there quite early in the morning, also because the sun set early in there, because of the mountains surrounding the beach. At around 4:30 /5 pm there is no more direct sun on the beach, so better to enjoy it early in the morning anyway.
The Orosei area is also perfect for trekking, you can find a base in Orosei or Cala Gonone and discover the small traditional villages of Baunei, Hike the Gorroppu Canion and visit the Golgo(a surreal place!).
For other trekking/hiking paths, the Gennargentu National Park is perfect for you and quite easy to reach if you are based in Baunei, or even Orosei (it’s just 1 hour and 15 minutes away and the drive itself is also part of the fun, as the views are great!)
So , since you want to see a lot in one week, we said 3 days in Cagliari, and I’d say AT LEAST 3 days in the Orosei area (boat trip 1 day, trekking to Cala Golortoze’ 1 day, Trekking to Gennargentu /su Gorroppu, another day), This way you’ll just have one day to go from Orosei to Alghero (it’s a bit more than 2 hours drive passing through Nuoro, Macomer and Sassari), so if you leave very early in the morning you’ll have the time to see a bit of Alghero as well!
As you can see, there is so much to do! The only thing you can do is either skip the visit to Cagliari city, or one of the two beaches in the south and have more time to spend in Alghero. Difficult choice 🙂
I hope it helped and that you’ll have a great time in my beautiful Sardinia!
Cheers
Clelia
There’s so much good information here on your website. Stumbling upon as I did has done a lot to firm my plans for the summer, which, yes, do include a visit to Sardinia! I was hoping to get your advice on something specific and targeted related to Sardinia. My visit to Sardinia would not include the use of a car. I am attempting to forego one to start. However, with that in mind, what would be the one spot in Sardinia that would offer enough in the way of beach, sun, food, and evening entertainment to satisfy? In other words, if one was to stick to one location in Sardinia, which would offer the most in terms of the things I mentioned above? In my case specifically, it would also be worth noting that I’d be arriving to Sardinia via ferry from Ajaccio, Corsica. So perhaps something along that coast or the northeast coast would ideal as well to keep in mind. Looking forward to you sharing your thoughts! Thanks in advance!!!
Hey Chris! Glad you liked my post! :)Your question is quite common among my readers! If you don’t want to use the car, there are a few options to consider:
1) San Teodoro is always my top choice. I went there many times with no car, that’s why I know for sure it has everything you need. It’s easy to reach, well connected to other places of interest by bus (Golfo di Orosei, Olbia, Costa Smeralda and all the beaches along the way). Seeing that you’ll be arriving from Corsica, I assume you’ll get to Porto Torres pier? Or are you arriving to Golfo Aranci? That would be a useful info as depending where you arrive some places are more convenient than others but still, even if you arrive at Porto Torres, getting to San Teodoro is not that bad. You can take a local bus to Sassari (only 20 minutes away) and then get a bus (ARST OR TURMO TRAVEL are the ones that cover that route) and you’ll get to San Teodoro in less than 2 hours.
2) Villasimius. It’s another good choice for people without a car as the beach and the village are at walking distance and you also have some great surroundings to explore by bike if you want. Your only problem here is that to get to Villasimius by the northern part of Sardinia is quite an hassle so I’d still recommend san Teodoro.
Other places to consider, that people liked are the Alghero area, but without a car you’ll have to stick to the local beach which is in my opinion not fantastic (yet again, I have to remind you that I’m super spoiled with beaches!) 🙂
So all in all I’d say that San Teodoro is your safest choice!
Hope it helps! Have a great time in Sardinia Chris!
Great blog. We are a group of 4 friends thinking of visiting Sardinia this summer and as a result of knowing very little about the Island were hoping for some advice on where to stay?
Ideally we would like somewhere with reasonably nice accommodation, good beaches and food and somewhere with a bit of atmosphere/night-life in the evenings.
We have had a look at San Teodoro but is there anywhere else that you would suggest which meets the above criteria?
Honestly, from my experience when I wanted to experience nice beaches and great nightlife, my mind immediately goes to San Teodoro or Villasimius. I also stayed at a camping near Arzachena and the vibe was awesome, but mostly because of the great company and the camping experience itself as there is not much going on in Cannigione during the night, unless you have the car, a bit of money to spend and then you can join the jet-set nightlife in Porto Rotondo or Porto Cervo (Costa Smeralda).
I personally prefer the more “simple” nightlife of san Teodoro and Villasimius, with nice cocktail Bars, music places, restaurants and night markets.
All the other areas I know in Sardinia are maybe amazing for the beaches but a bit far away from the villages and their nightlife. I’d never get tired to say it, but you have to consider that for me a beach that is probably awesome for many people is only “nice” or “nothing special” as I’m very spoiled, knowing that in Sardinia we have some truly amazing spots!
I stumbled upon your blog by accident and love your tips on Sardinia!
I was wondering if you could reccommend me a place (or two) to stay at during my 5 day trip in June? I’ll be travelling there with my girlfriend and another couple and based on your recommendations in the comments, I was thinking of heading to Golfo di Orosei and spend the five days there (we land in Olbia).
Do you think there is enough to do in and around Orosei for five days or should we spend our time between, say Orosei or Costa Smeralda/San Teodoro?
Activities-wise, we like hiking, watersports, beaches, exploring culture, good food and we will rent a car to get around. 🙂
Thank you very much for taking time to answer my questions!
Sardinia is definitely worth a visit 🙂 As per your Itinerary, since you have only 5 days you have 3 choices really (depending on whether you want to move to see more or just relax a bit) 🙂
OPTION ONE:
You stay in Orosei which is a good base for the type of activities you want to try like Hiking, exploring culture and food. Since you have the car you can also move to some other great spots like San Teodoro, Budoni and Siniscola. Obviously you have to take the day trip by boat to Cala Mariolu, Cala Luna and the small coves around the Golgo di Orosei area. When you are not driving around you can relax at the nearby beaches of Marina di Orosei, Osalla Beach and Su Barone Beach.
OPTION TWO:
You stay 2 days in the Orosei Area (one day for the boat trip and the second day to relax on the beach) and then drive up to Palau or the smallest village of Cannigione/Arzachena (around 2 hours drive) so you can check out the other AMAZING boat trip to the Arcipelago Della Maddalena and spend the second day relaxing on a nice beach around Arzachena like Spiaggia del Principe or Capriccioli. Then you can go back to Olbia to take your flight ( 30 minutes by car from Arzachena).
OPTION 3: you skip Orosei completely and just stay in the Arzachena Area take the boat for the Arcipelago della Maddalena, and spend the rest of the days exploring the Costa Smeralda beaches and the more local vibe in Arzachena and San Pantaleo villages.
I don’t want to influence you too much so I won’t tell you which one I’d choose, but if you read my comments you probably know already 🙂
Cle,
I just read almost all the comments, and cannot believe the dedication you have to answer each one, its amazing!
I am an 21 year old argentine student living in Italy right now. During my 6 months in Italy I discovered this blog and am becoming slowly addicted. And of course, cannot finish this experience without getting to the wonderful Sardinia!!
Yet I only have 5 days to visit. I want to do 1 or 2 villages, and as many beautifull beaches as I can. What would you reccomend? San Teodoro blew my mind, but also golfo di orsei.
Still deciding wether to fly to olbia or cagliari, depending on the towns to visit, and probably renting a car. My boyfriend is coming to visit me, and we will go together:)
Thank you for everything!!
I saw your emails on my inbox the other day and I was about to reply asking you to post your question in here and you preceded me! Well done, at least some people still read my policy on the contact form 🙂
Thanks for your kind words and for taking the time to read almost all the comments (they are very useful for me too as this way I discover what people really want to know and therefore I’m able to improve this guide and write other related ones…coming soon!)
As for your question, if you really want to see both San Teodoro and The Golfo Di Orosei, I think it’s doable. You should book a flight to Olbia and go straight to Orosei, Cala Gonone or any of the other small villages in the area close to the pier for the boat trips.
From Olbia to Orosei is 1 hours and 15 minutes by car and 2 hours and 30 minutes by bus
From Olbia to Cala Gonone is around 1 hour and a half by car and 4 hour and 30 minutes by bus…the last option is not very convenient, just in case you decide not renting a car.
You can stay there for 2 days, which is enough time to see the best beaches by boat and roam around the villages at night!
Then you can head north to San Teodoro for 3 days and enjoy the party vibe and the beautiful beaches around the area, this way you’ll be closer to the Olbia airport : 25 minutes, max 45 min by car, taking it VERY SLOWLY and counting the possible traffic, or 40 minutes by bus. The bus route, in this case might be better as the bus drives along the coast, but if you have the car you can still take the same road (strada statale 125), it’s up to you, either way, from San Teodoro, the Olbia Airport is very easy to reach!
From Cala Gonone to San Teodoro is a little bit more than 1 hour by car but almost 4 hours by bus
From Orosei to San Teodoro is 1 hour by car and 1 hour and 40 minutes by bus, so a bit more convenient if you don’t want to rent the car and save a bit of money.
So wrapping it up, I think you can see both places! Ok it might be a bit rushed up but don’t forget that I once drove from Cagliari at 4 am to be at the Arbatax Pier (Golfo di Orosei) before 7 am, buy the ticket for the boat trip to Cala Mariolu and the other stunning beaches and drove back after the trip the same day! 🙂 That’s how much I LOVE the area, no matter if you only stay one day, the experience is worth the trip!
Hope it helps and let me know how it goes 🙂
Ciao!!
Clelia
PS: I forgot to tell you something VERY important! I LOVE ARGENTINIAN PEOPLE!!! I met a few during my trips and you guys are so much fun! Very similar to our Italian way of life and similar sense of humor too!
Cle!
Thank you so so much for your tips, and for the nice comment on the Argentinians ☺ I agree 100%, argentines and italians, we are so similar. And if you like travelling, and incredible nature I strongly reccomend the beaches in Uruguay and south of Argentina for your bucket list.
Regarding my questions, do you think these two towns are a good idea for a first impression of Sardinia?
It would be something like this:
June 2:
Fly into Olbia Airport/
Rent a car
Drive to Cala Gonone or Golfo di Orosei.
From June 2 to 5:
Go to the beaches around the area, so Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritze are a must right? Go by boat or driving? What else shouldn’t we miss?
Any recommendations of nice (reasonable price) hotels? You put apartments in your post, but being 2 probably a hotel is the best idea!
June 5th:
Drive to San Teodoro, maybe stop in a beach on the way.
I’m checking the La Palma Hotel wich looks great. If no availability, any other at a reasonable Price?
The best beaches there are near the village?
June 6: Enjoy any specific Beach?
June 7: Drive to Olbia and head back to milan.
I am literally blown away with your dedication to your blog, I will recommend it to everyone I know and likes to travel.
If you are ever in South America, dont hesitate to write and I will give you all the help I can.
Here I am again
Ok, let’s see all your questions!! 🙂
The first one is ABSOLUTELY YES! Golfo di Orosei and San Teodoro are perfect as a first visit in Sardinia. I love both places, but my top one is Golfo di Orosei for its wild beauty and typical Sardinian vibe and San Teodoro because there is so much to do in town and the beaches around are also beautiful.
Regarding the itinerary, it looks good to me, and yes, Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritze are a MUST indeed!
You’ll need to get a boat trip to get to Cala Mariolu (which also stop to Cala Luna and depending on the company you choose it will take you to some small coves as well).
For Cala Goloritze you can either rent a private small boat (some of them cost as low as 70 euros) and swim to the beach (maybe take an inflatable mattress with you!) or if you are fit, you can reach the beach from the road but it’s a pretty long, steep and not so easy hike (at least 1-2 hours to go down and more to go up). But please, please DON’T SKIP IT! try to go very early in the morning as the beach is very small and can get crowded.
Other beaches you can’t miss in the area (if you stay in the village of Orosei) are Cala Liberotto beach (20 minutes by car from Orosei) and Berchida Beach (less than 40 minutes by car from Orosei), they are stunning sandy beaches, you’ll love them!
So you can spend one day on the boat trip and the other 2 days relaxing on these fantastic beaches!
For the accommodation, you can find something cheap in Orosei, I’d say check both hotels and small houses as sometimes the houses are cheaper! Here is a link to check out the best offers for Orosei (which in my opinion is your best option as a base, because it’s very close to the beaches I mentioned earlier).
On your way to San Teodoro the best stops to check out a few nice beaches are Siniscola (half way between Orosei and San Teodoro) where you can check out one of these 3 beaches: Capo Comino, Santa Lucia or la Caletta. Alternatively you can stop at Budoni Beach (I personally prefer this one to the others, even if they are still lovely!),
When in San Teodoro, if the Hotel La Palma is no longer available, you can check out all the offers in town, click here and you’ll have plenty of choice! (but hurry as that area is very popular so you have to book way in advance, people secure the best spots in January!!).
The main beach, La Cinta is reachable even by foot or bicycle, depending on where you are located in San Teodoro. I love that beach, it’s huge, white sand and turquoise sea, but depending on the season it can get very crowded and sometimes the tourists ruin its beauty. Since you are going at the beginning of June, it should hopefully be still relatively quiet as it’s the beginning of the season. I wouldn’t recommend it in August..
Other beaches worth exploring in the area are Lu Impostu beach (20 minutes by car), Spiaggia di Coda Cavallo, 25 minutes by car on towards Olbia, and Cala Brandinchi, which is also paradise (off season), BUT as per La Cinta Beach, it might get very crowded and the parking it’s very expensive in there (around 15 euros for the day…which is ridiculous). They call it the little “Thaiti” but it’s a bit of a risk to pay such a price and see that it’s full of people, so I’d say ask around before getting there and go first to Lu Impostu, which is less crowded and also protected from the wind. The water is spectacular with awesome colors!
Damn it, I’m writing all this from Sardinia and I have to work (my blog is my job), so I end up talking about my beautiful Island and for now I’m not able to enjoy it :), that’s why I’m taking a break either in July or September, to drive around!
Oh and when I will finally head to South America I’ll definitely let you know as I need a few tips, I really can’t wait to visit your country!!
Cami
Dear Cle,
After a bit of coming and going, i have finally my tickets and hotel reservation. Unfortunatley we can only take 4 days, but I did not want to miss my opportunity to see Sardegna. So we are going only from June 15 in the morning, till June 18 at night, and staying at a nice b&b in San Teodoro. We will have a car, so wich beaches do you say we should not miss??
Lu Impostu? Cala Liberotto? La Cinta (doesnt it get too crowdy?) Spiaggia di Coda Cavallo?
Thank you again 🙂
Cami
Clelia Mattana
Hey Cami,
If you only have 4 days I’d say to try and check out La Cinta first (but yes, it does get crowded by mid june as it’s the most popular beach also for people who don’t have a car).
Lu impostu is a lovely beach, but it also get a bit crowded. To be fairly honest, during the summer season it’s very rare to find semi-deserted beaches in sardinia, and if they are, it means that are not spectacular.So you’ll need to compromise a bit and share paradise with other people. When I go to Tuerredda beach for example, I HATE that it gets incredibly crowded, but I understand that its beauty it’s so worth it that I go there anyway. Same applies to all the beaches near San Teodoro.
So I’d say, don’t miss Lu Impostu. Capo Coda Cavallo is also nice but it’s a small beach so not ideal when the tourists start to arrive… and the parking fee it’s quite expensive in there. You should try the Spiaggia dell’Isuledda” instead, they call it the “twin sister” of La Cinta, beautiful water, very crowded in august but less in June and so far the parking is for free (unless they changed things last minute)
Then….you can try and visit Cala Brandinchi. I loved that beach, it’s really awesome but the parking fees are ridiculous and you should go early in the morning to try and enjoy it to the fullest (and I mean very early in the morning!)
If I were you, I’d rather spend one day driving to Orosei or Cala Gonone (only 1 hour after all!) and do the boat trip to Cala Mariolu.
Then I’d spend another day driving up to Palau for the other amazing boat trip to Arcipelago della maddalena.
You’ll see some truly awesome places and June it’s still reasonable.
The remaining 2 days, as I said, try and see how crowded is La Cinta first (it’s so close to the village) and if it’s too crowded try Lu Impostu first and then Cala Brandinchi, as for Cala Liberotto, you’ll need to drive down near Orosei and the beach it’s pretty small but very nice and it should be far less crowded than the most famous ones.
What gets to my nerves is that I LOVE Sardinia and I truly think that 99% of the beaches are some of the most amazing in the world. And I’ve seen a lot of beaches in Thailand, Philippines etc, but when the tourist arrive they get a bit ruined. I get it, as I said… the beautiful beaches are the ones that everyone wants to see, but the Sardinia Region should put a limit for the number of people to get access to the beach (which is never going to happen as it would be a disaster for the travel industry) so I do hope you’ll find your little corner in these small paradise beaches and you might have the chance as June is still borderline and the mass tourism is still concentrated in August!
Ciao Clelia,
I wanted to thank you for keeping this page, it’s very informative and useful. Actually I just came back from one-week trip, Tour della Terra Sarda 😉 and had checked 9 of 10 beaches you have recommended to see. I added some too, as people I met have recommended me to see some more (i.e. Is Arrutas, Porto Pino, Capo Testa – being not a beach exactly, but what a view!). I didn’t make it to Maddalena’s archipelag, next time will do.
I must say I fell in love with Sardegna, it is a truly beatiful island and a definite must-come-back for me 🙂
Thank you for all the effort of keeping this blog,
kind regards from Poland!
Hey Ilona, thanks so much for your comment, and WOW, you really checked out 9 out of 10 of these beaches in 1 week?! what an accomplishment! I know, there are so many other great beaches in Sardinia to discover, that’s why I’m planning to write many more articles about it and opened my new section. Still work in progress as there is too much to say!
Next time don’t miss the Arcipelago della Maddalena, is really a great place, but still I’m so glad you loved the Island and I’m always happy to receive these kind of comments and feedback, as they prove how beautiful my place is! I just landed in Sardinia yesterday where I’ll be staying for the summer and I can’t be happier!
Cheers from Sardinia!
Clelia
I’m travelling to Sardinia for 4 nights mid May. I’m flying into Alghero. I would really like to spend time on a nice beach/beaches. What would you recommend? Is it worth leaving the area for 2 nights to get to these beaches or are there some near Alghero?
Hey Dee, since you just have 4 nights, I’d recommend to stay in the Alghero Area, explore the surroundings, check out the beautiful “La pelosa beach” and “le Bombarde” beach and if you feel like driving a bit further you can either go to Bosa marina (lovely Village a few hours away by car from Alghero), or alternatively you can discover the northern part of Sardinia (Costa Paradiso, Castelsardo, Badesi beach and Isola dei Gabbiani).
Is it even worth going to sardinia for only 4 nights?
And id it is, where is the best area to stay for beautiful beaches and good simple sardinian food?
I know of people who spent only 3 days on the Island and loved it, that said it depends on your budget and what you are expecting from the experience. Four days is definitely not much to see a lot of what Sardinia can offer, but is enough to stay in one cool location and enjoy the beach! Since you won’t have much time, I’d say to stay in one of the beautiful beaches on the east coast. You’ll have plenty of choices depending on your budget of course. If you could give me a bit more info I might be able to point you in the right direction.
It’s always good to know when you want to go (even if you’re still not sure, but at least I need to know if you prefer high season or low season), your budget, age range and main interests 🙂
As for your question, YES Sardinia is worth a visit, even for 4 days!!
I was thinking of staying in the Cala Gonone area? It seems the best way of getting to beaches like Cala Mariolu, Cala Goloritze and Cala Luna?
And from what I’m reading its not as commercial and pretentious as the north?
All i want is good food and good beaches.
I don’t need fancy accommodation, just clean. Hopefully i could find a 2 bedroom apartment or something because my friend and his wife are meeting us there.
We are both from South Africa, so spending in Euros is not ideal, but i don’t mind spending a bit to be in a good area with a neat clean room (i was thinking like around 150-200 euro for a room as i don’t really know what these things cost).
I also heard that you can rent a boat for like 80 euro per day which between 2 couples is not the end of the world i think. That way we can take ourselves to these beaches as apparently cars can’t get there?
Is this realistic?
We are all 30 and fit so also don’t mind walking to find things.
I think your idea looks very doable! The Golfo di Orosei Area is actually a perfect fit for your needs, not too far away from Olbia Airport and you can rent a small apartment or book a cheap decent room in one of the hotels in Cala Gonone (if you want to be close to the sea) or to discover more of traditional Sardinia, also Baunei and Orosei are good choices.
From Cala Gonone there are boat rental services and if you split the cost with your friends that’s absolutely the best way to discover these beaches at your own pace and even avoid the crowds, as June is going to start getting crowded, but you can wait for the big boats to leave the beach and you’ll have it for yourself (or at least less crowded) for a few hours!
If you check my article, I link to some convenient places where you can book a nice place in the area of Orosei, Baunei and Cala Gonone. I usually use Booking.com as you don’t have to pay in advance and can cancel last minute so you will have plenty of time to decide what’s best for you without the risk of penalties.
I think you can even get better deals than 150/200 euros, just check it out and always follow my advice on booking asap as the best places get fully booked for the whole season starting from March!
Cheers!
Cle
Jared
Great thanks Cle
Lastly, i wanted to know if there are any good markets near this area, to buy fresh produce every morning?
And are there decent authentic restaurants in the area?
I also don’t mind driving to find decent places, if they will serve just good honest sardinian/italian food.
Are there any sardinian specialities you recommend?
I really appreciate what help you have been.
Thanks so much
Jared
Clelia Mattana
Hi Jared,
I reply to your last comment in here as I’m having some IT issues to reply to comments after 2/3 replies… need to fix it! 🙂
Ok, as for the market, there are plenty of markets in the area, where you can find typical Sardinian Products or simply fresh fruit and vegetables, here are a few markets in the Golfo di Orosei area (and the days they are open):
Barisardo: Saturdays
Baunei: Wednesdays
Tortoli: Fridays
Dorgali:Mondays
Orosei: Tuesdays and Fridays in Piazza S. Francesco (8:00-13:00)
For night markets, in San Teodoro, Porto San Paolo and Olbia from June till September you will find lovely night markets with typical food and much more.
I’d recommend you to try the Seadas,Suckling pig,Pasta alla Bottarga, Malloreddus (Sardinian pasta), and obviously the typical Sardinian cheese Dolce Sardo and Pecorino Sardo and the delicious Sardinian salami!
I don’t know any specific restaurant to recommend but the best way is always to ask around, at your hotel or to the shops in town, they will be happy to direct you to the good restaurants.
Make sure to translate it in Italian (bring with you a piece of paper if needed!), and try to ask:
” Dove posso mangiare cibo sardo buono?” (meaning: Where I can eat good Sardinian food?)
and “Puoi dirmi il nome del ristorante per favore?” (can you tell me the name of the restaurant please?)
This way if they don’t know English they can still write down the name, or who knows, maybe they will help you out by escorting you there! 🙂
Jared
Hi Cle
I was wanting to know if you know any olive farms i can go to and buy good olive oil?
Apparently sardinian olive oil can be really good, and although near Sassari seems to be best for olives, apparently there are some very good ones near Nuoro as well.
Is there any chance you would know any of them of how i would be able to find out?
I have spent hours on the internet and i have no luck.
Thanks so much
Clelia Mattana
Hey Jared, for the Olive Oil….good question! I honestly don’t know any farm in the area, my aunt used to buy olives from the farmers to make home made Olive Oil (quite strong in fact!), but other than that, I really don’t know. If you are interested in cheese instead, I know that there are a few places in Tertenia where we used to go and buy home made Pecorino Sardo. Maybe in those areas they also know about the oil..
IMPORTANT NOTE: Hey everyone! I’m always happy to see all your comments and as you can see I reply to everyone with as much detail as possible.
Due to the amount of messages that I receive, sometimes it happens that I miss one, so if you are waiting for an answer and you see that I haven’t replied to your comment yet, you can write a new comment below your first one as a reminder. I’m sorry when I see that I’ve missed a comment as you might wonder why I am so rude to you 🙂
this is such a helpful post and thank you for all the great information.
We can’t wait to visit Sardinia this summer. The only problem is that we don’t drive. Which place would you recommend as the best option for non-drivers? San Teodoro looks absolutely beautiful and I get the impression that the access to the nearby beaches is relatively easy on foot. Would you agree? Also, could Villasimius be an option relying on the public transport?
Hey Elesa, I’m so glad you find the post useful (you have no idea on the time I spent to create it and also update it regularly!) 🙂
As for your question, I’ve had other people asking me the same. For me the best options to see fantastic beaches without driving is either San Teodoro or Villasimius. They can be reached easily by bus from Cagliari or Olbia for a reasonable price and you also get to relax and see the beauty of Sardinia during the ride! The only downside of this option is that both places are very touristic so it’s not ideal to go there during peak season (July and August are the worst months). But if you’re willing to compromise, these are two good options for you!
Thank you so much for the above post and all of your amazing content! I was literally going round in circles trying to come up with a one week itinerary for a trip to Sardinia with my boyfriend in the first week of July this year, and this has finally given me some kind of structure to my thoughts/planning! I am still struggle to nail down the final final itinerary however as I have a couple of outstanding questions about what would be best to do, and was wondering if you would be able to answer them? To help you (if you have the spare time, though I am sure you are bombarded with questions and very busy so no worries if not) the background / aims of our trip are as follows:
• We’re both in our mid 20s
• We’ve got 7 nights in total (Saturday-Saturday) right at the end of June/first week of July
• We’re flying into and out of Olbia (as it is by far the cheapest option)
• We’re intending to rent a car
• We’re looking to stay in two or three different places with the aim of having a fairly relaxing time, spending the majority of it near / on some great beaches (ideally some of it at least where it is not too touristy / busy). We would like to spend part of it in a town that is on / close to a beach and pretty and lively (some good restaurants, bars, a bit of buzz) but not too touristy / big (generally we prefer areas that give us a taste of the “real” country we are visiting) and then maybe some of the rest of it somewhere that is a little bit more remote
Given this, with the help of all of your research, a potential itinerary that I have put together is as follows:
• 2 x nights in either Santa Theresea Di Gallura or Stintino (is Stintino is chosen we would hopefully be staying at the Park Asinara Hotel you recommend!)
• 2 x nights in Tresnuraghes (as we would like to do the coast drive from Alghero down to Bosa as it is supposed to be very nice, and hear this region is quite nice in general)
• 3 x nights in Orosei (or one of the other towns around there) to explore the Golfo di Orosei which you so highly recommend!
It would be really helpful if you could let me know whether you think this is a good itinerary or not, or if not, what you think it would make sense to change? Is there anything major that we would be missing by doing this that you would recommend instead?
If not (or if we do stick with this route), in particular it would be useful to hear if you think that it is worth going to Tresnuraghes and that region for a couple of days (are there nice beaches around there to go to?), or if given our time constraints it would be better to just do the North and East and have longer in 2 places? It would also be useful to know whether you think that Stintino or Santa Theresea Di Gallura would be a better option for our first stop? I am currently leaning towards Stintino just because that hotel sounds so great, both others seem to think Santa Theresea is a better option. My concern with both of them is that at that time of year all of their beaches would be very crowded – are there also less busy beaches (aside from the main tourist ones) near to both)?
Thank you in advance for an insight you can offer into this, and for all of your amazing content in general!
Hey Emma! wow I have to confess that when I saw your long message I almost fainted! but then reading it, I started to feel better as you at least give me a very detailed idea on what you would like to experience, and it’s also helpful for me to try and help you out 🙂
You’re right, putting together an Itinerary for one week is not an easy task, considering that Sardinia is not exactly a small island and there are too many places worth seeing! (I had to stop at ten, but oh my… I could go on forever with some other amazing spots!)
Sooooo, let’s get into your questions! I saw your itinerary and it looks good but in my opinion there is one possible problem: the last point (3 nights in Orosei).
Now, you know already how much I LOVE that area (by the way, I’ll be back in Sardinia from Thailand where I currently live in less than one week and I CAN’T WAIT!!), sorry…just daydreaming a bit! Back to your itinerary!
It is possible to drive from Bosa to Orosei (I personally never took that road so I can’t tell you my first-hand experience). I checked online and it’s less than 2 hours drive by car and around 4 hours by bus. If you have some sort of GPS on your mobile it can be done, but you will have to change roads a few times, so if you really want to try the adventure, make sure to know the name of the main roads and where you need to change. I know for a fact that crossing Sardinia from the east coast to the west (and vice-versa) can be a bit tricky even for locals that don’t know the area quite well.
On a plus side, you will probably get to see some interesting places on the road. I’m personally always fascinated by driving in Sardinia passing through the centre. maybe you could even arrange a few short stops on the way if you get to pass a typical Sardinian village. Or take a small detour and get back to the main road if the driving gets monotonous. There are plenty of nice villages and landscapes to see in that area.
This is basically my only concern regarding your itinerary. But if you feel like exploring a bit, then go for it! As for Tresnuraghes and Bosa, they are both lovely places, I0d suggest you to skip the main beach in Bosa and visit the nearby beach called “Spiaggia S’acqua Druche”, which is much better and it’s actually not a proper beach but it’s divided in 3 small “calette” (small beaches). Another beach worth visiting in the area is Spiaggia Cumpoltitu.
It’s definitely less touristy than other areas in Sardinia, but obviously you will find the locals 🙂 (so my suggestion is to try to avoid the weekends).
As for the Stintino Area, you will just relax in front of a beautiful beach, which is perfect to start your trip! You will need to drive from Olbia to Sassari and Alghero (it will take around 2 hours by car). If your flight arrives early in the morning it’s not a problem, as you won’t lose the day driving to your destination, otherwise you’d need to revise the Itinerary a bit, as you’ll spend most of the time driving and it’s a shame as you will be not really relaxing.
Let’s calculate the time you’ll be spending driving
Saturday: at least 2-3 hours to get from Olbia to Stintino
Sunday: Enjoy Stintino!
Monday: Leaving Stintino to reach Tresnuraghes (a little less than 2 hours drive by car)
Tuesday: Tresnuraghes (exploring the surrounding area or going to Bosa and the beaches): 15/20 minutes by car
Wednesday:morning still in Tresnuraghes/Bosa- Afternoon leaving for Orosei (let’s say 2/3 hours drive with breaks)
Thursday: Boat trip to the beautiful Cala Mariolu, Cala Luna, Cala Sisine and Grotte del Bue Marino, Grotta del fico etc
Friday: If you feel like it, you can try the hike to Cala Goloritze (if so, make sure to wear appropriate trekking shoes as the path is steep and not so easy) and bring A LOT of water with you!
Saturday: Drive back from Orosei to Olbia (not sure what time is your flight!) Around 1 Hour and 20 minutes drive (always allow a bit more than I’m saying!)
That is the summary of how much you’d need to drive. It is feasible, but a bit stressing (but hey, you’re in your 20’s, I did much more than that when I was your age!:)
Wrapping it up, I’d say that it’s not a bad itinerary IF you like to explore and also see things when driving from one place to the other. If you’re more oriented to a relaxing holiday, then it’s better to create a second itinerary to just discover the north east coast only! So Santa Teresa, maybe one day to Isola dei gabbiani or Costa Paradiso and back to Orosei! That would be less stressful but a bit more touristy…
WOW I’m blown away from the detail of your response. That is so, so kind of you; I have never had such a detailed response from a blogger. Please let me know if you are ever going to be in England at any point or if I could return the favour in anyway! I’m so jealous that you currently life in Thailand btw – sounds like you have got a fab life going on at the mo.
Your post has also made me realise that doing 2 places may be a better idea as you suggest so I think I will revise my itinerary to:
– 3/4 nights in the North (either Santa Theresea di Gallura or San Pantalau which I have just come across and sounds lovely; which of these two do you think would be best?)
– The remaining 3/4 night in either Orosei or Cala Gonome (again, any view on which would be best? If not, I may just decide it on the hotels I find.
Thank you so much again – I’ll be recommending your blog to anyone who I meet who is considering going to Sardinia! And will hopefully be recommending Sardinina to everyone once I get back from this holiday!
Best,
E
Having done some more research on it and had a bit of a think therefore I think that what may be a better plan is one place in the north, and one place in the Golfo di Orosei.
I’m so glad to hear that I was able to help you out, Sardinia is my first love as being born and raised there, I had 19 years to discover every bit of it! And I can tell you that it’s a bit of a curse as no matter where I go, I’m so spoiled that it’s very difficult for me to be impressed with the other amazing beaches I’ve seen.
The only place that was actually better than Sardinia (for its amazing underwater flora and fauna) are the Philippines… If you ever decide to visit Asia in the future I highly recommend them. I wrote a post on one of the many places I visited during my 4 months of travels in there, it’s called Siargao and it’s fantastic, not to mention Palawan where you will see the real “The beach” (in the movie was shot in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand, but the original book took inspiration from the hidden beach in Palawan….breath taking!)
Anyway! I always digress 🙂
Back to your itinerary now! I think that for a relaxing holiday the choice to visit 2 places is better. Both Santa Teresa and San Pantaleo are nice, the first one is closer to the main beaches and a bit more touristy of course, whilst in San Pantaleo you will find a traditional Sardinian vibe and you will be very close to the beautiful beaches of the Costa Smeralda Area.
Now, I’m actually not a huge fan of the Costa Smeralda. It’s a stunning place no doubt about it, so stunning that the Arabs decided to buy it completely ruining the area by taking away every inch of Sardinian culture. The beaches are STUNNING in there, porto Pollo, Romazzino, Capriccioli and many others, so you could pay a visit without staying in one of those impersonal resorts. but hey that’s my opinion of course.
Depending on what you want (if you’d rather taste a bit of the real Sardinia I’d say San Pantaleo, otherwise Santa Teresa it’s also a great choice.
Between Cala Gonone and Orosei… that’s a tough one. They are both great locations to discover the Golfo di Orosei area. As per the village itself, my personal preference goes to Cala Gonone, as it’s closer to the main beaches and the road is particularly interesting as you will admire the beaches from the mountains and you’ll also have the opportunity to drive through the Parco del Gennargentu area. It’s truly stunning!
I’m sure I won’t miss the opportunity to go there again this summer! I love that place too much and one time I was crazy enough to get up at 3 am, drive from Cagliari to the Golfo di Orosei, take the boat to see the beaches and drive back home! I was exhausted and it wasn’t my first boat trip in there of course, and that gives you an idea on how much I love that place. Or how crazy I am 🙂 maybe both!
I really hope you will have a great time in Sardinia Emma!
Enjoy your stay and let me know how it goes!
Cheers
Cle
Emma
Hi Cle,
The Philippines is very much on my bucket list – I really want to go there, so I’ll make sure to track down that place if/when I do!
Ok, thanks, that is really helpful. I think I’m sold on Cala Gonome and will do a bit more research into San Pantaleo vs Santa Teresea and then make a decision there. Thanks again – I’ll et you know how I get on!
Hello,
Your blog has been very helpful, I am just planning my first holiday to Sardinia for this September.
I’m looking for a 2 week holiday with the usual; beautiful beaches, not too touristy but with some authentic restaurants nearby. I’ve found 2 places – one in santa margherita di pula and the other in san giovanni. Out of the 2 areas which would you say would be the best? We’ll hire a car but don’t want to have to travel too far to see the best bits.
Sorry, I know you get questions like this all the time but I’ve gone through all the comments and am still confused on where would be the best place to stay.
Thank you!
Helena
Hey Helena,
glad I could help you with my post! Ok September is a great time to visit Sardinia, as for your question… they are both great choices really. I know bot places and the surrounding areas quite well. So what should I suggest you? Probably I’d say Santa Margherita, even if the beach itself it’s not one of my top favorite (please remember that I’m VERY spoiled when it comes to rating the beaches!),if you have the car you can access some of the most beautiful beaches around, in 15-20 minutes you can reach Chia Beach, Cala Cipolla Beach and in 30 minutes (or less, depending on the traffic), you can see Tuerredda and in September is going to be far less crowded so you can really enjoy the experience!
San Giovanni di Sinis is also very nice, you can drive around and see some nice typical villages like Cabras and Riola and discover some other beautiful beaches like Is Arutas and S’Archittu.
It’s really difficult to choose as I’m a bit biased here, being Tuerredda one of my top favorite 🙂
Hi Clelia,
Thanks for all this info, its really usefull!
I am going to Sardinia on the first week of June, flying to Cagliari. We will rent a car and we do not mind to spend some time on the road.
Could you tell me the top 3 places that we can’t absolutely miss? We only have 4 nights. We are looking for breathtaking beaches and at some point some nightlife and good food.
Pity you only have 4 days, but you can’t miss the “golfo di Orosei” (so Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritze are a must) and going back to Cagliari I won’t miss Villasimius and the surrounding beaches.
If you still have one spare day and are not too tired you can drive from Cagliari to Tuerredda and Chia beach.
These are my personal favorites, the only problem is …from the Golfo di Orosei to Villasimius and then Chia, it’s quite a ride so you need to organize everything very well. A bit stressful but well worth it!
Thank you so much Clelia! You are the best! Where do you think it would be a good base to stay? Do you know of some area with nice bars/ restaurants / beach clubs in the area of the Golfo di Orosei?
The beauty of the Golfo di Orosei area is that it’s still relatively quiet compared to some other touristic spots in Sardinia. The villages of Orosei and Baunei have a fascinating traditional vibe but are very chilled out and there are not typical bars/clubs for tourists (if you don’t count the local bars where the old men go there to meet their buddies for a hand of poker in the afternoon :)) but you know what? even as a teenager, I LOVED to sit there and watch them play, it’s pretty entertaining!
But probably you are looking for some good night life as well, right? In that case I’d stay in biggest villages, San Teodoro is not that far away and you’ll have both the party scene (also on the beach!) and the possibility to drive and discover the Golfo di Orosei by car and boat (it’s 80km away, so around 1 hour by car), not that bad.
If you stay in Orosei be prepared to stay in quiet villages, so I’d say, San Teodoro is a safe choice for the nightlife. I prefer that to big cities as I’m not a big fan of cities, too much chaos and stress and usually the beach nearby is never the cleanest you’ll ever see!
Cheers, oh and by the way, I might see you around as I’m heading back to Sardinia in 2 weeks for the summer…CAN’T WAIT! there is no place like home. I truly love my island so much!
I wonder if you can help me. I am looking for a honeymoon destination in late October this year. I am coming from Johannesburg, South Africa.
We are getting married on the 23rd October and are considering Sardinia as a destination, can you please help me with some information on what the weather is like at that time and also what the best beach is to stay at together with hotel for our honeymoon.
Hi Lara, first of all…congratulations for the wedding!! 🙂
As for your question, to be honest, Sardinia in LATE October (the beginning is OK), it’s not ideal. The weather is usually not nice anymore and you’ll risk ruining your party! Some years the weather stays warm and sunny until the end of October but it’s a rare event, so I can’t really recommend it, especially for such an important occasion when everything should be perfect 🙁
Unless you want to stay indoor and admire the view, but the beaches are usually not a good idea by that date…
Hey Celia!
I’m thinking of solo-traveling to Sardinia in April for about 3 days.
I can’t make up my mind between Olbia and Alghero!
I’m mainly looking forward to relaxing on beaches and sight-seeing some beautiful places.
Any recommendations?
I’m also a college student on a budget; are there be any other cheap activities that are available?
Thanks a bunch, xx.
Hey Iris, pity you will just have 3 days!
If you’re traveling on a budget i’d say that it really depends on where you are flying to. There are cheap flights with Ryanair to Alghero but you might also find something convenient for Olbia.
As per which place I’d choose… easy to guess: I LOVE the east coast so for me is a no-brainer and I’d say Olbia’s surroundings. There are cheap buses that will get you to the main beaches and if the weather is good you’ll be one of the few lucky people to enjoy the beach for yourself!
Cheap activities… in April unfortunately there will be not much going on as it’s still not in season, in my opinion the best you could do is find accommodation close to a nice beach and a village (there are so many around Olbia):
North of Olbia: Santa Teresa di Gallura
South of Olbia: (Budoni, San Teodoro etc).
My only advice is to go near a village so you’ll be able to talk or at least interact with the locals and see how real life in Sardinia is when not many tourists are around.
If you decide for Alghero (some people like it more…what can I say?), you might find more activities to do in the city, but the beach close to it is nothing special to me (maybe I’m spoiled) and to get to La Pelosa beach you’ll need to get to the bus or rent a car, so if you are on a budget is not ideal..
I know it’s difficult to choose, and I hope I helped you a bit 🙂
Safe trips!
Hi,
I liked a lot your article!
All the places that you show are really paradises.
I was looking for some nice beaches, to maybe some day I go visit…and this one is pretty! I loved.
I made a Top 5 best beaches in USA.
Take a look, I hope you can be inspired with my website like I’m with your 🙂
Dear Clelia,
I am planning a 10 days visit to Sardinia around mid July and after some readings I have understood that the nicest beaches of Sardinia are in the East Coast. I get a little confused about certain things so Would you please answer my questions concerning my itinerary.
We are traveling as a family with 2 young girls 14 and 19 years.
1) If the East coast is the nicest, where should we stay in order to be close to all the nice beaches?
2) if we are flying from madrid, in which airport should we land?
3) Should we split our vacation in Sardinia or we stay only in the East coast?
4) if we like to stay in a beach front hotel which one would you suggest?
5) do you think it is better for us to rent a car?
Thank you very much for answering as soon as possible.
Hi Yasmina, sorry for the late reply but I’ve been crazy busy lately!
Ok, let’s get straight to your questions! 🙂
1)I’d suggest you to stay in San Teodoro and Budoni area ad it’s great for both you and your girls (being that a lively village with bars and restaurants, but if you have a car you can find a quieter place to stay). From San Teodoro to the best beaches in the area it’s around 1 hour, max 2 (Cala Gonone, Cala Mariolu, Cala Goloritze and Cala Sisine to mention a few).
Comments
Thank you for sharing such a great and informative article on the best Sardinia Beaches. It really helped me to choose where to go in Sardinia for my upcoming summer vacation!
Love this blog, thanks for your insights here – can’t wait to visit Sardinia!
Such an excellent blog. Just keep on posting this info about Sardinia!
Thankyou for sharing this beautiful information.
Great article about Sardinia beaches, they are all so beautiful! I’ll be visiting this summer, Costa Smeralda area but we will definitely try San Teodoro too! just keep on posting, your blog is awsome.
Thanks Marie! I was in Costa Smeralda last summer too, it’s crowded, but oh my the panoramic views make it worth the trip! Enjoy Sardinia and its beautiful beaches!
I’ve been so lucky to find this travel blog. I really liked all the write-ups that you have added here. And I have got some good suggestion for the beaches and hotels here. But What about flights?
Hey, there are many suggestions on the “how to get to Sardinia” page! Check it out 🙂
Well done. I was looking for our favorite beach, which was not on your list. Maybe, because our experience was back in 1973 and 1974. We took the ferry to Porto Tores on the NE part of Sardinia and drove rental car to Hotel del Golfo, now Del Golfo Club. Our beach was Costa Paradiso, which was about a 30 – 40-minute drive east from the hotel and at the time it required descending a very rocky path to get to the beach, but we usually had the beach to ourselves all day long. This is the beach where some of the early scenes for “Black Stallion” were filmed. At the time, they were just starting to develop Costa Paradiso, and we came very close to buying a piece of land there. At the time we were living in Germany.
Hi Steve
Thanks for this interesting comment! I know Costa Paradiso (not sure which beach are you referring to there, as “Costa Paradiso “is more of an area, not a specific beach… I wasn’t there in the early ’70s so I can only imagine how it could have looked without tourists! I personally prefer other areas to Costa Paradiso, but not saying that is a bad place by any means 🙂 I’ve visited the area many times when in northern Sardinia, and is definitely still worth a visit!
Very Informative blog. love the beaches in Sardinia, my favorite is San Teodoro!
Thank you for my dose of day dreaming 😀
Thanks for your comment Harvok! I also love San Teodoro!
Cheers
Clelia
Thank you for this amazing article, this is really helpful for me and pls keep posting about Sardinia, I’m organizing a trip with my family and I was looking for inspiration and a hotel to book. I’m thinking about going to the east coast close to Olbia so I can visit the arcipelago della Maddalena by boat, it looks amazing.
Hey Omkar, yes I can totally recommend you book a hotel near Olbia or Palau if you want to enjoy that area (the beaches there are seriously jaw-dropping, especially during the boat trip you’ll see what I mean!
Sardinia offers really amazing beaches and landscapes, great memories and many photos:)
Hi Georgia, yes Sardinia and its beaches are incredible for photography opportunities!
That was such a good and informative read for me, thank you! I love Sardinia, I’ve already been to the west coast (Oristano) in 2019, and now I’m intrigued by the Golfo di Orosei!
Hi Raul, the Golfo di Orosei is TOP! I hope you could visit already, if not, I highly recommend it!
Fantastic post! So detailed and so many pointers provided for a blissful budget-friendly vacation. Sardinia looks incredibly stunning! You’ve seriously inspired me to go there.
Glad I could help you! 🙂
Hi,
I was searching for a blog that can give me information about the top beaches for a low budget in Sardinian, and when I visit this blog and I got my answer. Thank you and Best of Luck!
Thank you very much, too kind 🙂
I love your blog. Great job
Thank you!
Hi , We were in honeymoon in Sardinia 2 years ago , and we stayed in Arbatax resort for one week . by that time we didn’t know to many things about Sardinia so we miss all this 🙁 . now we have booked to go this month for 1 week , our flight is to Cagliari , We want to stay for 4 days in one place , we love to go in the morning for a walk and then just to relax on the sunbed for good few hours and then to ” get lost” on the street looking for a nice restaurant . I seen that the best ones on google are Tuerredda and Villasimius . If you know something else , a nice hotel on the beach to recommend . Also I want to visit Is Arutas , I really want to see this lovely beach . XXX . We like a sandy beach, not rocky . . Thank you .
So sorry Bianca I just saw your message! I hope you found your answers and had a great holiday in Sardinia! 🙂
Hello,
Thanks for the explanation, it is very inspiring, I am already preparing a trip to the area and it will serve as a guide.
A hug.
Thanks a lot, Anna, just aw your message, I hope you had a great time visiting the beaches in Sardinia during your holidays!
Cheers
Clelia
Thank you for all of this information. We are traveling to Sardinia in late June and staying in Olbia.
Can you recommend three must-see beaches that we should put on our itinerary which can be easily reached by car from Olbia? We would prefer to spend time relaxing on the beach and not rush from place to place. Thank you!
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for your comment! If you’re staying in Olbia you’ll have so many great opportunities to visit fabulous beaches. I am just finishing an article (already online but missing most of the beach images, it should be ready in 3-4 days) about the best beaches in Costa Smeralda
These beaches are truly something else! I recommend Principe Beach in particular and obviously the Archipelago della Maddalena boat trip (that should be mandatory) 🙂
From Olbia, these beaches are quite close and you can take nice relaxing one day trips as the locals do. If you want to visit the Northern part, Santa Teresa di Gallura is also a place you shouldn’t miss, for the beaches and also for the village and surrounding areas. But for the closest ones to you, I recommend checking out the beaches in Costa Smeralda and on the south part San Teodoro (Cala Brandinchi, also called little Tahiti)
let me know if you need any more info and I’ll be happy to help!
Cheers
Clelia
Wow! Amazing article!..
No one can argue about the beauty and coolness of Sardinia beaches. Archipelago Della Maddalena looks like it’s out of the world!
Thanks Dane, Yep I can confirm, Arcipelago della Maddalena is out of this world for real 🙂
Wow this is so beautiful! I am going to Sardinia next summer, in an hurry to see theses!
I hope you fulfilled your wish and saw many of these amazing beaches 🙂
I’ve never considered Sardinia as a place to travel, but it looks beautiful and this article is useful in planning. Cheers!
Thanks so much for your appreciation of my beautiful Sardinia!
wow what a fantastic article about sardina and beaches are amazing. i want to visit this place. i really enjoyed with your blog. keep sharing
Thank you! You should definitely visit Sardinia!!
Ciao Clelia
La tua guida è fantastica! Sto preparando, insieme a mio moglie ed il piccolo Tommaso, una vacanza di 2 settimane in Sardegna (ancora non so bene dove esattamente) ed il tuo articolo mi ha dato diverse indicazioni utili.
Mi piacerebbe se potessi darmi un consiglio spassionato su una zona in particolare della Sardegna che ritieni più opportuna per trascorrere una vacanza in serenità in famiglia. Siamo io (Michele), mia moglie Laura, il piccolo Tommaso di 4 anni ed il nostro Labrador Attila. Vista la presenza del cane saremmo più orientati ad una casa o un bungalow piuttosto che un albergo.. ci dai qualche idea?
Grazie ancora
Michele.
Ciao Michele, purtroppo vedo solo ora il tuo messaggio, spero che tu abbia passato una bellissima vacanza in Sardegna col tuo piccolo Tommaso e la tua bella famiglia estesa! Un abbraccio
Clelia
Clelia, thanks for all the wonderful information-so much here! I’m planning a trip for 4 women late June. We will be there for a week and are open to any area. We would like to be able to walk to a beach, rent boats, and then have restaurants/bars within walking distance. I’m having a hard time finding something like that. We really don’t want to rent a car but will if need be! Thanks again!
Hello- we have decided on Cagliari and would love some help with a hotel! Close to beach and city center! Thanks in advance!
Hi Meredith! Ok Cagliari is “my territory” so I think I could help even more! 🙂 The good news is that Cagliari is VERY EASY to get around by foot and public transport, so you won’t necessarily need to book a hotel near the city beach Poetto. It really depends on how you will organize your vacation and what you want to do the most. Do You simply want to relax on the main city beach or discover a bit of the old city as well as taking day tours?
In my opinion, I would take a hotel nearby “The Bastione” area and Via Roma (the main street in front of the sea/pier). This way you can:
Easily take public transports from either via Roma or Piazza Matteotti which, depends on where you choose your hotel, at 5-10 min walk to the main attractions in Cagliari and has the buses for the day trips, the ARST buses (taking you to the main beaches and villages around), the train station, and most of the buses that go everywhere in the city, including the Poetto beach. Not to mention the train to the airport as well!.
So which hotel is best? This is what I usually do with my trips (I’m currently visiting Australia and did exactly what I’m about to tell you).
I went on Booking.com, used all the filters (location, free cancellation policy… whatever you think it’s important for you) and narrowed down to 2-3 hotels. I’d say choose one near the beach, one nearby via Roma/Piazza Matteotti (I think one of the most booked by my readers is the Regina Margherita, check that out) and one nearby the historical center (don’t worry, they are not super far away from each other anyway!)
Make sure they all have the FREE CANCELLATION POLICY so that you can book immediately (scoring a better price usually) and then cancel the other 2 you don’t want anymore 🙂
I hope it helps, I do this ALL THE TIMES and it works like a charm, no stress, no rush and I can decide when I have a better idea of what I want to do.
Cheers from Australia!
Clelia
Thank you for all the great information! We are really looking forward to our trip. We are looking into Hotel Nautilus now too and the one you mentioned above. We will probably be on the beach more than not so proximity to it is important.
What about your favorite restaurants in Cagliari? I’d much prefer to hear from a local than online reviews!
Thanks again
Meredith
Hi Meredith
Sorry for my late reply, I hope you will still read my reply! As for the restaurants… it’s a difficult question to ask of me as being Sardinian and with a mother who is an excellent cook we rather eat her cuisine 😀 But we, of course, go out to eat from time to time and to be honest with you, it truly depends on what is your preference (you want to try special Sardinian food or simply eat well?). What about your budget? I can say that I’ve eaten in all the major restaurants that are always mentioned in the online reviews (within reason!), for example, “Da Marino Al San Remy”, “L’imperfetto” “Sa Domu Sarda” etc, all very good. But with my friends, we also go to random trattorias in forgotten corners in the center and they are also awesome and cheap. As rule of thumb you should try to do this: Go for a stroll and pay attention (at around 8/9 pm) which restaurants are more filled with LOCALS. So try the small alleys, venture a bit further outside the center, and you’ll have your answer! Or you can visit my mum’s kitchen and you won’t want to go to any restaurant anymore!
Cheers
Clelia
Thanks so much! Looking forward to our visit! Thank you again!
No problem Meredith, have a great time!
Hi! great website and thanks for this. My wife and I are planning a visit in May. I love snorkeling so any recommendations on where to stay that has good snorkeling and relaxation? I normally hire a car out but would quite like to NOT do that this time (less stressful for me as I drive everyday!)
Regards,
Kai
Hi!
If you are not planning on renting a car then the options (especially for good snorkeling spots) are limited to either Villasimius and Santa Teresa di Gallura. San Teodoro is also another good place to reach by public transport but not much to see on the snorkeling department. Bear in mind that the mediterranean sea is a lot colder than the Philippines (where I have lived for 6 months) and we don’t have the coral reef and colorful fish you have!
Cheers
Clelia
Lovely post! Thanks for your guide to the Paradise- SARDINIA. I have never been in Sardina but this is really fantastic recommendation for my honeymoon.. Very informative blog!
Thanks Lin, Sardinia is definitely beautiful and should be on everyone’s bucket list! Honeymoon in Sardinia?? You have no idea on how many people asked me about it, perfect choice!
Hi Clelia, thank you for your really helpful and informative blog. It is awesome 🙂 Still need your help:) My Boyfreind and I, are flying to Sardinia for one week, in the middle of september. We can fly in to Alghero or Olbia, but only fly out from Alghero. What do you think is best to do ? Stay in Alghero and explore the north?or fly in to Olbia and explore the east ( san teordoro, cala ganone, and boat trip to cala luna/ cala goloritze?) and then drive by bus or train back to the airport of alghero on last day? our plane leaves by night. so we could get to see bit of the algehro city in the morning/afternoon.I am kinda attracted to the beautiful beaches of the east and would really like to go there, just dont know how will it be with th transport because we wont be hiring a car. Grazie mille per il tuo aiuto :))
Best Regards!!!
Evi
Hi Evi! Glad that you found the article useful! I know… transport in Sardinia can be highly confusing for the locals too! And if you are not renting a car your options are rather limited.
The most convenient option for you would be to stay in the Alghero area and use the buses to discover the surrounding beaches and main sights, but I get the appeal of the east coast 🙂 I never used this service so I’m not recommending it for direct experience but they have a shuttle bus that connects the 2 airports (Olbia-Costa Smeralda airport and Alghero Feritlia Airport), you can check it out in here. If that option suits your needs, then you can venture further down by bus From Olbia to San Tedodoro (which is less than 40 min away by bus).
For Cala Gonone is a bit trickier, unfortunately! There are buses connecting Olbia to Dorgali (a lovely village NOT in front of the beach but very close to Cala Gonone) but I’m not sure how well they are connected by bus. For what I know, there is a bus line (520) that will get you from Dorgali to Cala Gonone and it’a 20 min ride by bus via ARST (the main bus transport in Sardinia), but I suggest you check their website to have updated info as for the Golfo di Orosei I’ve always used a car and I dont’t want to give you misleading info. Knowing both Dorgali and Cala Gonone, and how close they are, I would be surprised if there were no bus! But we are in Sardinia and everything is possible 🙂
So, all in all, it is still possible to get to the east coast, but you will have to factor in all the time spent to get there (you might lose 2 days of your trip to go from one place to the other) but if you have enough time, and you schedule your trip carefully, it can be done and you’ll marvel at the beauty of the east coast as well! Which is clearly my favorite. You might take the bus and first stop to Palau for the boat trip to the Arcipelago Della Maddalena, then get to San Teodoro for a couple of days and then reach Dorgali- Cala Gonone by bus (but again, check very well the timetable and all!) and from Cala Gonone you can get on a boat for a memorable day trip to the best beaches of the Golfo di Orosei.
It all depends on how much time you have, your budget and if you are willing to sacrifice 1-2 days to get to your destinations.
Hope it helps!
Cheers
Clelia
These are really dreamy beaches. The kind that prolongs life. All of them a wonder of nature. I’ve already visited some of them. Thank you so much for sharing.
I guess the spectacular vacations on these beaches can be complemented by a thin, classy and sophisticated peshtemal.
Thanks Tunca!
Yes my beaches are dreamy indeed 😉
Wow, what a great resource! This is what I have been looking for. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for such an informative guide, Clelia! This is truly helpful for our future travel plans with my family and friends to Sardinia. We are looking for a place to stay that is not too crowded but still offers a nice view of the beach so we can relax and have fun altogether. Kudos for also providing the pros and cons, the weather, and the prices of the hotels.
Thanks Elisabeth! I always try to provide the pros and cons, my island is marvelous but it can’t be perfect in every aspect. Some people might not care much about the crowds, others have enough money to afford whatever they want and so on, but for the majority, it’s a good service to tell them. As I said for the crowds, this is the price to pay for visiting paradise in high season. To me, Sardinia beaches are even more spectacular during a sunny winter day. Of course, you can’t swim but you will have the beach for yourself and oh boy are they still beautiful only for a walk! That’s the paradise Island I keep talking about because I’ve seen what it looks like in winter and it’s jaw-dropping.
But I also know that people want to enjoy a good swim and all the activities provided in summer. I wish there was a jaw-dropping beach with no crowds but it would be an oxymoron 🙂 Unless you go to a resort with a private beach of course, in that case, you will have more tranquillity and fewer people even in high season. Needless to say, that comes to a pretty pricey tag!
The prices of the hotel are INDICATIVE as they change during the season but I like to put the minimum they charge so that you have at least a benchmark to compare them. I hope one day you will plan your holiday to Sardinia and discover my fantastic Island!
I am working on my second website just for Sardinia, where there is the option to ask for my consultancy (not mandatory of course but many people requested to review or do their itinerary for a fee and so fare I said no because I was working on that project). If you want to know more, you can check out the website (still under construction, a hell of a job all by myself!) and subscribe to that so you will receive an email when it’s ready (and hopefully I will be still alive, as I’m sleeping 3 hours per night to be able to do everything!) 😀 To subscribe you can click in here
Cheers Clelia
I’m the 500’s comment 🙂
Hey Jenny! Yes your comment was indeed the 500th, I wish I had a reward for this 😀
Your blog – it’s a great reward for all readers
Awwww Thanks Jenny!
Hello
Thanks for this rich article about Sardinian Beaches. I’m a traveler guy from Moroccan Sahra desert.
Today, Morocco is one of the best destination in Africa. There is many places to visit, landscapes to discover and many activities to enjoy here in Morocco. If you are interested to visit the country, this is what to do here:
– Visit Marrakech with a local guide (City Sightseeing tour)
– Explore the beautiful Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, (Unesco World Heritage Site)
– Camel rides in Sahara desert, Sunset and Sunrise among Sahara Dunes of Erg Chebbi (Merzouga)
– Spend a night in a desert Camp, Berber music around fire…
– Discovering Fez with a local guide
– Visit the beautiful blue city Chefchaouen
– Experience the Off-Road adventure between Merzouga and Zagora in 4X4 cars
Aksil
Not sure what a recap of Morocco is doing on my Sardinian article but thanks for the list! 😀
Hi Clelia, great website and thanks for this. My wife and I are planning a visit in May. I love snorkeling so any recommendations on where to stay that has good snorkeling and relaxation? I normally hire a car out but would quite like to NOT do that this time (less stressful for me as I drive everyday!). May be even somewhere we can stay and hire bikes to get to nice beaches? Appreciate any help you can offer …
Hey Jay, sorry I’m just catching up with millionth comments! Not sure when you are going in May, I might be late but in case I reply anyway! If you don’t want to rent a car and love to snorkel, the best options for you in terms of easy transports (also depending on where you land) are Villasimius if you arrive at Cagliari Airport or Santa Teresa di Gallura if you arrive from Olbia. Perfect for snorkeling and moving around a bit using public transport (not ideal in Sardinia, but if you really don’t want to rent a car you have to make it with the limited options and timetables we have). Have a great time in Sardinia!
Urgent advice requested:
Hello Clelia,
Thank you for your wonderful website – it is very useful and informative.
We are a couple who are planning on visiting your beautiful country in the last 2 weeks of May.
We would like to spend 2 days in Sardinia. I know it is not enough, but we also plan to see mainland Italy.
We like quiet beaches, warm waters for swimming and non- tourist places.
In May, can you please suggest what would our best options be? Which side of Sardinia would be warmest – both on the beach and in the water? And most beautiful?
Thanks you for your help! I did not know where to post on your website, since the Sardinia replies were in 2017, hence sending an email.
Thanks,
Pen
Hi Pen! Here I am as promised!
So, yes… two days are not much but it’s doable to see a couple of places (remember that Sardinia is way bigger than most people think!)
The only thing missing in your info is where you are going to fly to (is it Cagliari, Olbia or Alghero airport?)
Before we get into it, I want to say that in May the weather is (usually!) quite nice. It is warm but not super hot, and being the end of May the water is not super cold. But don’t ever expect the water to be “Caribbean warm”, the Mediterranean sea is not super warm but even I am able to swim and I hate cold water 🙂
May is also a great month to avoid the crowds so whenever you decide to go, you will most certainly find the place almost all for yourself, unless you go during the weekends, then you might find a few locals enjoying the first glimpse of summer on the beach, but nothing terrible compared to the crowds we have in July and August!
So, given these premises…you are in luck a Sardinia has beautiful stunning beaches all over the place so no matter which airport you have chosen, there is always a beautiful beach to relax nearby!
FROM CAGLIARI AIRPORT:: My suggestion is to go to either Domus de Maria village (click to) see the accommodations available) or Santa Margherita di Pula
Domus de Maria is not in front of the sea and it’s a very quiet and non-touristic village, at less than half an hour from my favorite beach in south Sardinia: Tuerredda. Usually, Tuerredda is super crowded, but not at the end of May. Another wonderful beach nearby is Chia Su Giudeu or Chia / Cala Cipolla.
Santa Margherita di Pula is a bigger village at 15 min by car from Tuerredda and even less from Chia. It is probably more convenient for you because you only have 2 days so you don’t want to spend your time driving!
DISTANCES
From Cagliari Airport to Santa Margherita: 50 minutes
From Cagliari Airport to Domus De Maria: 1 hour
Another option from Cagliari airport is to visit the Southeast side of Sardinia, either Villasimius or Costa Rei. I honestly can’t say which one would I chose, as I love both the southeast beaches as well as the southwest ones!In this article, you can see a few pictures but feel free to Google them too to have a better idea of what you would like better!
DISTANCES
From Cagliari Airport to Villasimius: 1 hour with the fastest route: (SS 125VAR) or if you like to take the LOVELY scenic route passing via Capitana, Geremeas, Torre Delle stelle and Solanas, it is a bit longer and full of turns but oh boy the views!
From Cagliari Airport to Costa Rei: 1 hour (taking the same road but it’s a bit further away than Villasimius, still easy to reach)
———————————————————————–
FROM OLBIA AIRPORT::
My suggestion is to stay nearby of course, in this case, I would suggest Palau or Arzachena. This is since you only have 2 days, one I would definitely take it to do the boat trip to the Arcipelago Della Maddalena. Trust me… you won’t regret it! The choice of the village is mostly depending on whether you want to stay nearby the sea or not and on your budget.
Another good choice from Olbia is San Teodoro or Budoni. Both with lovely beaches around. San Teodoro is slightly most touristy than Budoni, but as I said, at the end of May it shouldn’t really be an issue!
DISTANCES
From Olbia Airport to Palau: 50 minutes
From Olbia Airport to Arzachena: 35 minutes
From Olbia Airport to San Teodoro: 25 minutes
From Olbia Airport to Budoni: 30 – 40 minutes
—————————————————————————–
FROM ALGHERO AIRPORT::
In here, for 2 days, the only beach I can really recommend and that I LOVED is obviously Stintino La Pelosa. Touristy? Yes, it is… but in May not so much and oh boy if you are in the surrounding areas it is worth it 100%!
You can stay either in the small village in Stintino to reach the beach very quickly or decide to stay nearby the Airport in Alghero and drive to the beach.
DISTANCES
From ALGHERO FERTILIA Airport to Stintino: 40 minutes
From ALGHERO FERTILIA Airport to Alghero center: 15 minutes
So these are, in my opinion, the BEST options to enjoy your 2 days in Sardinia. Just stay as close as possible to the airport of your choice and rent a car as it’s a lot quicker than using public transport and less stressful for sure.
Hope this helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi!
Your website is great.
We need help putting together an itinerary for Aug 28-Sept 3. We are 4 staying in Porto Rotundo. Could you help with your top recommendations? Even 3-5 items would really help up plan our trip. Happy to tag your blog in our travels.
Thank you!
Hi Chelsea, I’m not sure what kind of recommendations you need? Places to visit in the area? If so, I have another article which talks about Porto Cervo but its quite valid for the whole Costa Smeralda and that could certainly help you, it’s called Sardinia in one week and if you click on the part related to Porto Cervo those are the recommendations I usually give for Costa Smeralda. If I’m missing something let me know!
Hi Clelia,
I’m impressed by your blog, I’ve found a lot of useful info, but remain some questions in me.
We are going to spend one week near Cagliari on September.
– What are the “must see” spots in Cagliari?
– Where we can find surely pink flamingos?
– Are there nuraghis on southern Sardinia?
– Is there pink beach on southern Sardinia?
– Which are the traditional foods and drinks?
Thanks your answer in advance:
Adri
Hi Adri, sorry for my late reply but I’ve been working non stop on a project about Sardinia and I’ve missed a few comments! I know it is maybe late for you but I will reply to your answers in case you still need some last minute advice and also to help out other prople who might have similar questions:
What are the “must see” spots in Cagliari?
Cagliari is literally filled with must see spots! The ones I love the most are the “castello area”, The Bastione di San Remì where you can admire lovely sunsets and see the city from above, the local beach “Poetto”, easily reachable by public transport, Via Roma, Piazza Yenne and the nearby streets “Via Manno” and “Via Garibaldi” if you fancy some shopping, and the stroll in front of the marina. Another great place in Cagliari is the “Sella del Diavolo” view. A medium level hike which starts at the beginning of the Poetto beach near Marina Piccola, where you can admire stunning views of a crystal clear sea, that can’t be missed!
Where can we find surely pink flamingos? You will surely find Pink Flamingos in one area in Cagliari: 1) The “Stagno di Molentargius”,
Are there nuraghi on southern Sardinia? Yes, there is one called “Nuraghe Diana” In via Dei Tigli -Quartu Sant’Elena- But be ware that sometimes you might find it closed. Your best bet if you are in South Sardinia is taking a day trip to visit the majestic Nuraghe Complex in Barumini. You can either go with an organized tour like this one or take your car and get there by yourself. It is less than 1 hour by car from Cagliari, very straightforward to get there and totally worth it!I’ve visited several times as my Grandma’s village is the one next to Barumini so I used to make a quick pit stop in there every time I went to visit her. A tip for you: it’s a lot better to visit it around Sunset!
Is there a pink beach on southern Sardinia? Nope, the only real pink beach in Sardinia is the famous Budelli, in the northern part of Sardinia, recently partially reopened to the public as for years no one had access to it because the tourists used to steal the sand (which is pink due to the fragments of corals) and to preserve its beauty the region decided to close it.
Which are the traditional foods and drinks?Wow, I could write a book about this! Sardinia has so many traditional dishes and liquors/drinks! My favorites are “Pasta Alla Bottarga” (which is eggs fish grated on Italian spaghetti, people either love it or hate it as the taste is quite strong), then we have the traditional “Sa Panada” in the south, suitable for vegetarian and not vegetarian people (it is usually stuffed with meat but we can also eat it with fava beans/peas and potatoes), I LOVE IT!. Another typical Sardinia dish (if you are vegetarian skip this part!) is the “Maialetto arrosto” (Roasted piglet), this is probably the real symbol of Sardinia. We also have various sea food pasta which are not strictly just Sardinian but they are well worth eating like Spaghetti with clams or mussels, which are just delicious and to end with something special, we have the “Seadas”, typical Sardinian dessert originally from the Barbagia area but now you can find it everywhere. It is a particular dessert as it also contains cheese inside and honey on the outside which makes it for a very interesting contrast in taste.
For the liquors, we have the famous “Mirto” (super alcoholic, of a deep purple color used as a digestive after an abundant meal), then “Fil’e Ferru” (only for the brave ones as to me is pure alcohol and I get drunk only by smelling it) 😀
Wine wise we have the famous “Cannonau” from the Jerzu area and the Vermentino di Sardegna. You can even have a Day tour in one of the wineries in South Sardinia, I found this tour the other day and it has great reviews, in case you are interested: Argiolas Winery Tour Sardinia
To finish: If you like cheese I recommend you buying the “Dolce Sardo” and the “Pecorino Sardo” cheese, which are the local cpecialities in terms of cheese.
Hope this helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Dear Clelia,
There are no words for express how grateful I am for your answers.
Many many thanks. I’m impressed by your attitude.
I wish all the best for you 🙂
Adri
Thanks for your kind words Adri, so glad I could help! I wish you will have a fantastic time in Sardinia 🙂
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Hi Clelia,
I am sooooo excited to come to Sardinia and your blog is absolutely amazing!!!! Super informative and helpful. Thank you for sharing!
I will be staying 10 days with my girlfriend and I am planning to stay
Arriving at 11am to Olbia, rent a car and drive to Arzachena for 2 nights stay, so I can visit Porto Cervo for the night and next day try to rent a Rib and do the beaches like Capriccioli, Principe and Pevero (do you know any tour company ?). If I will rent a rib without license, is it easy to go around?
Than drive to Santa Teresa where I rented a sailing boat for 4 days, so I can do the Arcipelago la Maddalena 🙂 cant’ wait!!!
The rest is still a ?. I was thinking to go to San Teodoro, Cala Branchini looks amazing for 2 days (the Agriturismo you suggest is amazing, but the price are way up of what you put down). How many days do you think should I stay in San Teodoro? are 2 days enough?
I will need to drive down to Porto Giunco and do the coast from Villasimius to Caglari as you describe is beautiful, but it seems to short time. Can you advise? Thank you so much
between Villasimius and San Teodoro, if you would need to pick one, which one would you choose?
John… tough choice. I have been to both places a lot of times and in different times of my life. San Teodoro is a super fun place to be when you are young (but that doesn’t mean it’s not nice to go there even when you have family and kids, it all depends on the location). Villasimius is also beautiful and the nightlife is vibrant. Beach/sea wise they are both awesome, but maybe Villasimius has a small edge because of the other beaches nearby and I also love the panoramic street to get to Cagliari. They also have a faster street these days but I still prefer the scenic one.
So, today, if they ask me I’d say Villasimius 🙂
Hey John! Ok, one thing at a time 🙂
1) To rent a rib nearby Arzachena/Porto Cervo, check out this website, and ask them if you can use it without a license as I’m not a super expert! Better ask them directly!
2) 4 days sailing boat: WELL DONE, I WOULD BE FRICKING EXCITED TOO!! Just enjoy the experience!
3)It really depends if you want a relaxing holiday or to see more places. If you are Ok with seeing more places, then 2 days in San Teodoro and then 2 days Villasimius, otherwise I’d go directly to Villasimius and enjoy the place and its surrounding beaches. I would also advise taking at least half day to visit Cagliari, it is especially beautiful at sunset and the old town is super nice.
Ps: The prices I put are the minimum (hence low season) that’s why I always put “starting from” and then the price because obviously, it might vary, depending on the season, and also on some days of the month, if it includes a weekend or not etc.
Hope it helps 🙂
Have a great time in Sardinia!
Hi, Clelia
I will be in Sardinia from Sept 1st to Sept 9th. I will be arriving to Olbia and depart from Cagliari.
I was thinking to do 2 days San Teodoro, 4 days between La Maddalena and Caprera and 2 days Villasimius before flying to Cagliari. I rented a car but I would prefer to travel without. What do you recommend? Is easy parking around? How much budget should I consider?
Also do you have any suggestion for day trip?
I love sailing, I would do everything by boat daily. I will stay in Palau and would love to do daily tours. Thank you
Hi Gian, sorry for the late reply! If you love sailing then Palau is a great choice as there are day trips to the marvelous Arcipelago della Maddalena. I did it several times and it’s awesome! I still recommend using a car, especially if you want to move a bit around as some places are not easy to reach by public transport. As for parking around, unless you go to super busy beaches, or try to park in a big city like Cagliari, it is not an issue at all. Sometimes there are fees to park the car, depending on the beach (around San Teodoro, for example, there is Cala Brandichi and you will have to be prepared to pay for the parking, and it isn’t exactly cheap, at least 10/15 euros per day, a bit less if you stay half day).
Regarding daily tours from Palau, it really depends on what you like to do. If you don’t mind waking up super early, and you love the boat trips I highly recommend going to Orosei/Cala Gonone for the other incredibly beautiful boat trip on the Golfo di Orosei, which is to me the best we have in Sardinia. Maybe if you like you could even skip San Teodoro and split your time between Palau and The Golfo di orosei area as these are the 2 places in Sardinia that offer the best boat trips!
Hope it helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
what do you suggest to do in the Golfo of Orosei? Any tour company you recommend for a day tour? This is a really good idea! Thank you
You completely convinced me!!! You are the best!!!
Really… now I will the Golfo of Orosei for sure. Looks amazing.
Is this possible or too tiring:
Leaving Santa teresa at 10 am and driving to San Teodoro , Cala Branchini.
Sleep in San Teodoro and next day excursion to Tavolara.
19:00 departure from San Teodoro to Cala Gonone and sleep there.
Nextday. Boat Trip to Golfo of Orosei. Sleep Cala Gonone.
Nextday. driving to Caglari Airport passing from Villasimius and do the coast to Cagliari. Just driving. Around 3,30 hours.
What do you think?
Do you know any tours leaving from San Teodoro that goes to Golfo of Orosei?
Thank you
Hey Gian, very excited for you! 🙂
Regarding your Itinerary, it is possible but a bit too rushed, but doable if you don’t mind moving from a place to another. Only one thing is impossible here: There are no boat trips leaving from San Teodoro for the Golfo di Orosei.The closest port for that is Cala Gonone. If you are still going to San Teodoro, then the Tavolara excursion is nice, but if I had to choose one, I’d say Golfo di Orosei! You could even skip San Teodoro (beautiful but if you want to take it more slowly it’s the best) and stay 2 nights in Cala Gonone, one day the boat trip and the day after the hike to the marvelous Cala Goloritze’. it will take you a full day for that as you will have to wake up super early, drive towards Baunei and hike down the beach (2 hours) and back up in the afternoon, if you still have the energies, you could drive directly to Villasimius, otherwise just rest one more night in Cala Gonone and leave early towards Cagliari passing via Villasimius.
It all depends on how slow do you like to travel in the end, and I totally understand that you would want to see all the great places you mentioned so even if it’s a bit stressful, It might be worth it!
Have a great holiday in Sardinia 🙂
Hi Clelia,
any tour company for the Golfo of Orosei you would recommend from Cala Gonone? Rent a zodiak would be an option too I guess.
Hey Gian, Wow the Golfo di Orosei is so packed with things to do! Boat trips (all the companies offer similar tours, just make sure to ask where the stops are and if you can stay in one beach (Cala Mariolu) and be picked up at the end of the day. I did it once and was a great choice as I love that beach and relaxing in there was amazing! if you still want to see all the beaches, choose the companies that go to Cala Biriola, Cala Sisine and Cala Mariolu.
Cala Luna was super nice a decade back, now it’s slightly too touristic and less scenic than the other.
Expect them to be crowded (all of them) as these are the best beaches in Sardinia! other things to do, definitely hiking to Cala Goloritze very early in the morning, visit the Gennargentu Mountains and the Baunei Altipiano, the Gorge and the guided tours to “Su Gorroppu”. Also, a brief visit to Baunei Village would be nice if you have time so that you can see the real Sardinia!
I should write an article only for the Orosei area as these are just the highlights, it would take a month to truly see all the beauty of that area! (sorry, I didn’t see the initial comments from here, I hope I didn’t repeat the same things, I have so many messages about Sardinia that it’s difficult to remember them all) 😀
One last question. I promise!!!!
Are there tours from Cala Gonone, La Caletta, Orosei, including Golfo of Orosei and Tavolara?
Which excursion do you recommend to see dolphins?
Thank you
Hey Gian, do you mean tours that cover both the Orosei Area and Tavolara on the same day? Honestly, I don’t think so and it wouldn’t even be practical as the area covered by the tours in the Golfo di Orosei is pretty big, just to reach your first beach from the pier it takes at least 45 min/1 hour. Tavolara is too far away by boat to be able to cover that too in the same day!
Cheers
Clelia
I would love to stay somewhere like this. I really enjoy self catering though I have to admit the places I have stayed in the past have been much less glamorous than this! Beautiful place.
Beautiful place indeed!
wonderful compilations
Thank you!
Really awesome place. I will go there in next month. I am looking for some private holiday homes and rentals in liguria and Italy.
I hope you had a great time Stefanie!
Hi Clelia,
What a beautiful blog! I’m hoping to go to Sardinia for the whole month of September to write. I’m not the most confident driver so will be relying mainly on public transport and taxis (although a friend may visit for a week, during which we will hire a car and see as many of the beautiful beaches listed here as possible). I was wondering where you would recommend basing myself. I was thinking of finding somewhere for two weeks in the old town in Caligari and perhaps another two weeks somewhere more remote (not too remote, nr some shops/restaurants) close to a great beach. Is it easy to get to some of the great beaches from Calgari by public transport. I’ll probably write from first thing to lunch time and again in the evenings, spending the afternoons exploring/on the beach. I just wondered what you would recommend and if you definitely need a car to get around? Thanks in advance! Rosalind
Hey Rosalind, funny enough we will be in Sardinia at the same time doing similar things (I also have to write, on my website and an ebook),and Sardinia is a very relaxing place for these activities 🙂
So for the location, I think Old town Cagliari would be great for you, I LOVE it! so many walks to take and the Poetto beach is not bad at all, super easy to reach by bus from the center so yes, totally approve this choice (my family lives 15 min away from Cagliari).
As for the second destination, without a car the one that comes to mind first is Villasimius, because it is a village populated not only by tourists but by locals as well so you will have most of the restaurants open all year round and the main beach “Simius” is within walking (or biking) distance. It’s not a remote place, if you want a more remote place (with a nice beach) you would need a car. From Villasimius, when your friend comes you could explore the whole east coast that it is for me the most beautiful of Sardinia, so you will be already well located for that!
Hope it helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi,
Great blog!
Which beach would you recommend for a couple , not too busy but still with bars and cool vibe for young people
Many thanks
Hi Chad, did you have a chance to read my other article “Sardinia for couples”? It has many many options for beaches I recommend. It is impossible to choose one, as Sardinia has almost 2000 km of coastline filled with spectacular beaches!!
The only thing I could say is that for young people San Teodoro, Santa Teresa di Gallura and Villasimius are the best bets, but they are crowded. it is almost impossible to find a place for young people that it’s not crowded in Sardinia (everyone would love that, but when the place is cool it is not possible unfortunately)
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
Great Blog , very informative!
We are a couple that planning to come for a weekend around mid June.
We are looking for a beautiful beach which suitable for people in our age ( 30’s , couples etc…) with good vibes, nice bars etc.. but not too packed.
It would be great if you can help me to find the perfect beach for us.
Any recommendations?
Many thank
Chad
Sorry guys, I completely missed your comment! I am literally submerged by requests so It’s impossible for me to keep up. That’s why I’m working on a consultancy page, so people who want my help can request it on a form for a small fee so that I can 1) help as many people as possible 2) keep this website going as right now I’m doing everything for free and I would love to continue but it’s almost impossible with the amount of requests I receive every day 🙁
Apologies again!
Cheers
Clelia
Woah! I’m really digging the template/theme of this blog. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s tough to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and visual appeal. I must say you’ve done a very good job with this. Additionally, the blog loads extremely fast for me on Opera. Outstanding Blog and info about Sardinia, great job!
Thanks a lot Gretta!
It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this fantastic blog! I look forward to new updates and will share this website with my Facebook group about Sardinia, thanks a lot for all your effort. By the way, Cala Gonone is also my absolute favorite 🙂
Thanks Roxane! Maybe one day I’ll add the donate button 🙂 A lot of work in here and it never ends!
Hello,
I am planning a trip to Sardinia (5-6 nights) in August and I am looking for advice on how I should plan my itinerary and where I should stay along the way?
At this stage I want to spend 1 to 2 nights in each place whilst traveling by car around the north visiting the following places (note the order doesn’t matter I have just listed places I want to visit):
1. Arrive in Olbia/ Alghero (2 hours apart in distance)
2. Costa Smeralda – how long should I stay in Port Cervo
3. Boat tour to La Maddalena – should I stay in Palau
4. Corsica day trip
5. Santa Teresa di Gallura and Isola Rossa – Where should I stay for this trip
6. Stintino –for La Pelosa Beach – Where should I stay for this trip
7. Leave/ Departure from Alghero (45 mins from Stintino) or Olbia (2 hour drive)
Also are there any other sites I should see of visit?
Could you please advise me where you would fly into first, stay (location) and how you would go about accessing these sites?
Many thanks in advance
hey Sue
Sorry for the delay! Below my recommendations with one word before I start: The itinerary you proposed is doable of course, but if you want to relax a bit and truly get the real experience, is a bit of a massacre! I would erase at least 2 destinations, otherwise you will be jumping from one place to the other for a couple of hours and in my opinion is not the way to visit Sardinia, but if you are a super active person it might work for you, this is just my advice.
1. Arrive in Olbia/ Alghero (2 hours apart in distance) : You can arrive at one airport and leave at the other, it’s the best option to avoid back and forth especially if you wish to visit both coasts
2. Costa Smeralda – how long should I stay in Port Cervo: If you are talking about the little village, a day is enough. If you want to see the beaches nearby, at least 2 days
3. Boat tour to La Maddalena – should I stay in Palau: Palau is a good option but also Cannigione and Arzachena are perfect.
4. Corsica day trip: I would honestly remove this from the list, and if you don’t want to, I know it is doable but I don’t have enough info to tell you how to do it as I never did it.
5. Santa Teresa di Gallura and Isola Rossa – Where should I stay for this trip: Stay in Santa teresa town is a nice choice as a base, from there you can easily move by car to the nearby neaches and also visit Isola Rossa on a day trip, if you want, also stopping to check out the beaches of Costa paradiso, Vignola, Rena majore.
6. Stintino –for La Pelosa Beach – Where should I stay for this trip, Definitely stay in Stintino, it’s a nice village, unless you prefer the chaos of a bigger city as Alghero and in that case you will need to get to the Pelosa beach by car, while staying in Stintino you could even walk or bike, depending on where you stay in the village
7. Leave/ Departure from Alghero (45 mins from Stintino) or Olbia (2 hour drive)
Also are there any other sites I should see of visit? I’d say, if you are able to cut one or two places from this already super packed trip, you could visit the Nettuno Grotto while you are near Alghero or if you want to skip Alghero and la Pelosa, all the Golfo di Orosei area is super worth it. I wouldn’t really add anything as when I was reading it I felt stressed for you already, really way too much stops. Unfortunately Sardinia is big and if you don’t know the streets the distances and timing stated on the map can stretch quite a lot.
Could you please advise me where you would fly into first, stay (location) and how you would go about accessing these sites?
I’d say, start with Olbia airport and finish in Alghero, I think there is a lot more to explore around Olbia (meaning on the north and south of the city), unless you decide to skip Alghero and fly out from Olbia again. This way you won’t have the hassle to go to the other side as there is no panoramic view during the ride, while from Olbia to Orosei for example there are a lot of nice stops you can take.
Once again, this is my personal preference and I understand if you want to also fit in Alghero into the equation but in that case you’ll have to eliminate something else from the list.
Hope it helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Great posts and info.l Love Sardinia already and I haven’t even been there yet…
I’m looking into going to Sardinia in late June. Not sure if I should fly to Olbia with a couple nights there then drive near Cala Gonone for a couple days then towards Cagilari (probably Villasimius) for a few days. If I fly to Olbia, where shall I stay that is not too touristy/expensive. Real Sardinia.
or
Shall I just fly to Cagilari and drive to Cala Gonone. What would you recommend? Can you get a boat from Cala Gonone for the day?
Also, I’m into my food photography and other photography. Any recommended eating places would be great.
Thanks in advance.
Hey Hemant, thanks for stopping by 🙂
I think it depends on which flights are less expensive for you, as both of your options are great really. I might suggest not to book anything in Olbia city because there is not much to see in there, if you want to explore is better to book a place nearby, like Arzachena, Cannigione or San Pantaleo where you could see the real Sardinia (and also eat very well in their local restaurants!). On top of my mind, I haven’t any specific restaurant to suggest, I usually go to the place and ask around. Arzachena, Cannigione and San Pantaleo are usually less expensive than other places.
If you find a cheap flight to Cagliari you can opt for plan B and drive to Cala Gonone directly and in there, there is also plenty to see and explore. The lovely villages of Dorgali and Orosei, although a bit touristy during summer but they still preserve the vibe of real Sardinia!
Regarding the boat trip from Cala Gonone: ABSOLUTELY! it is one of the best places to rent a boat to explore the beautiful beaches around or if you want to spend less, join one of the daily tours. This second option is obviously less ideal if you want to avoid the crowds but it’s still a good option in my opinion.
For photography… Oh my… I’m obsessed so I highly recommend all the area in the Golfo di Orosei! Nature is absolutely amazing, combining mountains and cliffs right above the beautiful turquoise sea. If you have time go to Baunei, a super small village where you can admire all the beauty I’m talking about and a taste of absolutely real Sardinia in every possible way!
Enjoy your trip!!
Cheers
Clelia
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Thank you!
Oh my God, how can I choose one from those beautiful beaches? That is just impossible to choose from! I personally like the beaches with reef hill. It somehow looks mysterious and dangerous yet beautiful at the same time. These are definitely the top beaches but they are also on a low-budget holiday list? My oh my, not asking too much but this is definitely too good to be true! If we’re talking about family holiday, it is better to hire a villa to accommodate our stay. To be able to have the entire property to gather around and do fun stuff together with all the beauty accompany us all, now that sounds like a perfect holiday! If you ever want to looking for a perfect Villa for your holiday especially in Phuket, yes we have a lot beautiful beaches as well, just as beautiful as Sardinian’s, please do come and check us out! Thank you.
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Hmm it appears like your website ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll
just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to
the whole thing. Do you have any tips for novice blog writers?
I’d certainly appreciate it.
Hey, What a difficult question 🙂 I have a blog post about how I monetize my blog and also mentioned how I got there so that might be a useful read. Have a look 🙂
Best of luck!!
Clelia
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Hi Clelia!
Great work here!
I was thinking of opening up a blog on my whole life..never thought it seriously though..after I’ve read yours..it excited me..so, I think I will as soon as I get a domain..! I’ve traveled a lot in all of my years, and have lots to say..post pics etc, just don’t technically really know on how to start..have about 30thousands photos waiting though..practically my whole life..!Just undecided on language..my first language is Italian, second English, and third Spanish..!I’ve read from Vignali, it’s not a great idea to mix them..it might confused someone or even in Google it might not get noticed like you want..Since English is almost a second world language(first Spanish)I thought about English..just need some good advices on it! I love to write, and post, as I’m an ex basketball player but lived for a year in U.S, then also lived in Germany and Portugal..I mean, maybe I’m not too old to start up! I’ve been working last eight months on start-ups, and I believe we’re doing good, and we’ll do great, so I’ve got my job, but just one of my little ideas of Blogging..has been going through my head since I got back in Italy, so we’re talking a lot of time. I’ve traveled a lot last 3-4years..was never home..and so, now, I want to start! Thanks for reading me. Dan
Hi Dean!
Oh I hear you, trust me.. I’m also Italian as you can see and I think blogging in English was the right choice for me, bilingual is even better (I actually met Dario Vignali at a conference where we were both speaking and he is such a great blogger) and yes he’s right, I only have 3 articles in Italian in here, waiting to switch to a full bilingual website as it’s not good for Google to mix languages , yeah. Not sure whether you have seen my article about monetizing a blog in here, I also mention my own blogging journey and give a few tips to start a new blog.
The competition is very high for travelling but if it’s your passion I’d say go for it, find your niche as there is space for everyone who is willing to put some hard work and effort 😉
Best of luck!
Clelia
What a great article about Sardinia. You are right there a lots of wonderful options on the island. My advice when trying to find a good hotel at a decent price is to start with a hotel price comparison website and that you can see all the prices offered by most of the online travel sites – and you know what price to aim for.
Happy travels!
Thanks Graeme! I removed the link as it’s against the website policy to use this space for adding links to commercial websites.
Hi Clelia,
We are planning to spend 2-3 weeks in Sardinia next July/August. We’d like to stay in 3 different places and of course explore the area. Which 2 or 3 cities would you recommend to stay? I’d like to definitely see la Maddalena and Cala goloritze, cala gonone. I hope you can help me out.
Thanks,
Willemijn
Hi
Im planning to come in july with 4 of my mates around 23-24
I am a little confused in which place would be best for us. we enjoy white sandy beaches, clear water and are big nightlife enthusiasts
cheers
Blake
Hi
Im going to Sardinia on 26th sept for 10 days do you think it’s possible to fly in to Caligari spend a few nights there and then drive up to Cala Gonone for a few nights before driving back to Caligari to fly home.
If this is too much of a stretch what’s do you suggest instead?
Thank you
Hi Jo,
Since you have 10 days, I think it’s totally doable, not ideal (it would have been better to fly to Olbia), but not too much stressful. I don’t know if you already read my comment to another reader, but I drove from Cagliari to near Cala Gonone, in order to go to my favorite boat trip and I went back the same day. It was super stressful of course, but if you are going there and relaxing for a few days, going back to Cagliari is not super bad. I’ d say you should split your holiday in 2: 4 days in Cagliari (so you can roam around the nearby beaches) and 5 days in Cala Gonone (there is so much to do in there, especially if you want to combine beach time and nature), and I’d leave the last day to go back to Cagliari of course, so that you can take it easy, depending if you fly in the morning or afternoon /evening. If you fly in the evening you could leave in the morning and stop for a detour on your way back!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
I love this blog post because I am planning a trip to Sardinia soon! I am a student traveler trying to come up with these itineraries and plans to travel on my own and I was wondering if you have any advice when it comes to using http://www.alltherooms.com/AH to book accommodations? I thought you would be of help, please let me know! Thank you Clelia.
Best,
Angie
Hi Angie, Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you are planning a trip to my beautiful island :)Regarding your question about Alltherooms, the site is definitely super useful, I love the concept behind it, but in Sardinia (I checked out) there are only offers for places not near the beach, which is probably OK if you want a cultural/local experience. Finding accommodation in Sardinia might be a bit time consuming, especially if you are traveling by yourself, this is why I always do extensive researches on the best deals online every season and suggest them on my blog posts. Given my previous experiences with my readers, I found out that Airbnb and Booking.com have the best/cheapest options.
It also depends on your budget, the seasonality and for how long you want to stay, as well as the type of holiday are you looking for. As a student, I almost always chose to camp because I was on a tight budget and also because there were more chances to meet young people, but not everyone is attracted to that kind of experience.
So Alltherooms might be a good start to search but I would also suggest you to check out the deals on booking.com as (not sure why) but they are not all listed on Alltherooms, if they were… well that’s the place I would probably start searching 🙂
Let me know if I can help you further!
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
Your site is amazing! Thank you so much for putting so much hard work into it :). It is a pleasure to read.
My boyfriend and I are thinking of going to Sardinia in August… I know… not the best time to visit as I am sure it is super crowded! Unfortunately, this is the only time we can go. We really enjoy being away from the hustle and bustle of the cities and love the country side and being somewhat more remote with access to a car. What part of the island would you recommend… I’m sure there will be crowds anywhere but which areas are likely to be a bit more secluded with wonderful beaches?
Thank you so much for any help that you may be able to provide!
Isabella
Hi Isabella, thanks for stopping by! As you said… August is very tough when it comes to choosing places that are not crowded. What I can say is that some places are less crowded with tourists than others (but you will find a lot of locals anyway). I might suggest the Oristano area (there are small villages like Cabras for example where you won’t find many tourists and with a car you can explore the beaches nearby easily).Alternatively, you can head south to Carloforte Island or discover the south-west coast around Iglesias. I put together a few itineraries (details still work in progress but you can see the maps and places already in there), check it out in here.
Hope it helps!
Clelia
We’re planning a visit to Sardinia during the second part of October.
I wonder if hotels, restaurants, and shops will still be open, or do they close for the winter.
Hi Lily, it mostly depends on which are you want to visit. The big cities (and most of the villages around) will be running all their businesses as normal. So Cagliari, Alghero, Oristano and Olbia are good places to book your accommodation. I wouldn’t suggest the Costa Smeralda area for example, as in winter it would be completely dead 🙂
Villasimius is quite a bet, as yes there are people still living in there during the winter but most of the bars/restaurants will be closed for the season, and this applies to places like San Teodoro, Santa Teresa. So I go back to my previous suggestion: Choose your accommodation in or around a big city, rent a car and you should be totally fine! Only one more thing: The boat trips will be definitely closed for the season, but there are tons of other things to do even in winter, including enjoying the deserted beaches, even if it’s just for a walk, hiking, visiting the traditional villages, cultural trips and much more!
Cheers
Clelia
I totally agree! Most of the beaches you mention are in my blog about the beaches of Sardegna as well! And even more! Curious? Check the pics in my blog!
Glad we have the same views on the beaches Denise! Sardinia is truly beautiful 🙂
Dear, amazing blog, was really happy to find it. 🙂 A lot of useful infos.
But now,straight to the point, if you were me: going mid-June, on your own, just to relax, being lazy, enjoy amazing beach, read books and have nice walks, where would you go? 🙂
P.S. Won’t be having a car, so I guess I cannot easily move around
Thanks for the nice comment Lena! Ok, where would I go (If I didn’t have a car?) definitely San Teodoro! I just saw like 5 minutes ago a few pictures of my friends on Instagram and they are now at La Cinta Beach.. Oh my! I’ve been there so many times and in June is going to still be not that busy, plus is easily reachable by bus from Cagliari Airport (I took the bus from there and it was nice to see the surroundings during the ride, which is around 2 and a half hours) or even better from Olbia Airport, very close to it so very convenient for people with no car!
So yes, that’s where I would go, no doubt! 🙂
I hope you’ll have a great time in my beautiful Island Lena!
Hello Clelia,
Currently I have advantageous offer for Castelsardo, however I am not quite sure that the beaches near the village will meet my expectations :), so I was wondering are there any cool beaches nearby which me and my frineds will be able to access easily from our hotel in Castelsardo.
Best Regards,
Teo
Hi Teo, apologies for the slightly delayed reply, hectic days! I think Castelsardo has some nice beaches around but yes, if you ask me, there are much better beaches! If you want the “jaw-dropping” effect, you can drive 1 hour to La Pelosa beach in Stintino. In Sardinia, we drive for 1 hour easily to go to the best beaches! But why choosing Castelsardo if you want to experience the best beaches in Sardinia? There are other very great deal if you look for them. Now I don’t know your budget, but I was researching for my article “Sardinia in one week” for the best deals and I found very interesting offers at 30/35 euros per day, and if you are a group of friends, even better as you could share maybe? Just my two cents of course 🙂
Hello Clelia,
Thanks for the great post, it is of immense help. My husband and I are planning a visit to Sardinia and are looking for a quiet beach (less crowded) and preferably accommodation on the beach. Our agenda is just to sit back and relax – we don’t want to go to different places but be at one nice destination. Could you please help us with some beach and accommodation options in Sardinia? We will be travelling from Rome in July and plan to spend a couple of days (max 3) in Sardinia.
Looking forward for a response. Many thanks,
Gunjan
hi clelia, just love this post.thanks for tohis post.after reading your post our mind is flying for going there. so we make a plan for going in sardenia’s some places ,
like
1: Carloforte,
2: Murales of Orgosolo and Mamoiada Museum,
3: Bastion of Saint Remy,
4: San Teodoro,
5: Chia beach
Hey, thanks for your comment! How long do you have planned in Sardinia? As this itinerary might be way too much if you only have let’s say 1 week- 10 days… (especially moving from the south to Orgosolo and San Teodoro) otherwise I’d stay in just one area (south for example) Ticking out Carloforte, Chia and Tuerredda, with a day trip to Cagliari or staying overnight in Cagliari before heading towards the beaches and Calrloforte.
Hello Cleila,
I just found your blog because me and my boyfriend (husband to be), are planning a trip to Sardinia for our honeymoon in the end of August – beggining of September for 10 days. So we booked a flight now to Cagliari, and are thinking of stayign in the city. We are planning also to rent a car, because we want to see everyday one or two different beaches, and we don’t mind the city life, on the contrary we prefer to be close to restaurants and nice historical sites. So our idea is mostly to have closeby beautiful sandy beaches, although we may go even further, to have a place to drink our coffee in the morning in city surroundings, to walk around in the evening also. I was wondering is it a good idea to stay in Cagliari, or better in Villasimius ? Also I checked out some hotels and guest houses, we were thinking of booking a guest house but it seems like there are problems with parking, noise, or the staff in the places ( because I read a lot of comments on booking.com from visitors). We checked out the following all in Cagliari:
– Chambres Du Monde
– Holiday Inn Cagliari
– Neverfull Boutique Hotel
– Hotel Panorama
– Hotel La Terazza
– Sardegna Hotel
Do you have any suggestion regarding these ones, or if we should avoid Cagliari and book something in Villasimius ?
Thank you very much in advance.
Hi Petya!
Do you mean there are problems in Villasimius for the noises etc? If so, it all depends where you find your accommodation. If it’s not in the centre there are some quiet spots too. But the idea of staying in Cagliari is actually not bad, as some of the best beaches can easily reached by car for a day trip, which is what locals do all the time!
As for the Hotels,
Sardegna Hotel is not ideally located as it’s not in the city center, the others look nice but of course taste is personal and if I had to choose I’d go for the Never full Boutique Hotel, as I love the location, but then I realized that maybe it can be noisy at night, especially in summer (I always travel with my earplugs but not everyone likes to wear them, I get it!),The others are also OK, because are well located. Hotel Panorama is in Viale Diaz, which is a big road in the center, so you’ll need to walk a bit to get to the Castello area which is the prettiest in Cagliari in my opinion.
If I had to choose my own place in Cagliari (considering the price range you’ve chosen for the others), I’d go for Buena Vista Apartments, located in Castello, so easy to walk around the center, and the views are also super nice. Alternatively, I’d go for the T- Hotel not only for the central location but for their Wellness/SPA. But this is me, I have a thing for SPAs, but after a day walking around it really adds up to the experience (I booked a fabulous place in Prague and that was the icing on the cake!)
So In the end, I think you can easily stay in Cagliari, so you’ll be able to visit the city and plan day trips to both Villasimius and Chia/Tuerredda. Plus I think Cagliari really deserves to be visited, there is so much to see!
I’m almost done with my itinerary for 1 week in Sardinia (I also give some tips for the south) and if you haven’t already, check out the post “Sardinia For Couples” where I have a whole section about Cagliari and things to do and where to stay in there!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
We chose a different hotel named Nautilus because it had a newly wed package and it seemed so nice located on the beach and has a really beautiful interior design.
Thank you for your comments, I am going to check now the new sections – for couples and 1 week in Sardinia !
Cheers, Petya.
Hey Petya, I wish you a great time in Sardinia!
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Hello Clelia
Very useful blog, you definitely know the island inside and out
Was hoping you could give me advice. My wife and I are visiting Sardinia the last week of Jul/first of Aug.
We will be there for 5 days and are flying to Olbia.
We dont want to rent a car, since we are “on a budget”, but we want to stay near the beach.
We want to sunbathe, swim, lay on the ebach and have good food. What would you recommend on a range of 80-120 eur per night?
Thanks a lot!!
Thanks
Hey JP, thanks for stopping by!
Well, being Sardinia my island (well not literally mine but…) I know it quite well 😀
So, regarding your question: If you are on a budget, considering that you’ll have a car, I’d suggest you to choose either Santa Teresa di Gallura (the village has a beautiful beach and you will also be able to drive to Palau for the boat trip to The Arcipelago della Maddalena, which is unmissable if you are around that area).
Second option is San Teodoro, which also have a beach in Town but during peak season all these beaches are obviously the most crowded ones so the car is indeed necessary to try and find some other places around.
If you go to either the Santa Teresa di Gallura or San Teodoro Page (click on the links) you will have several option on that budget (I usually go to the left side and choose the maximum budget when I book my accommodation) and I always check out the reviews, as they are quite reliable.
I hope this helps! Have a terrific time!!!
Cheers
Clelia
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Hi,
we fell in love with Sardinia. We are hoping we will manage to visit it this year. Unfortunatelly we would have to go in August, from 24th to 31st. Sadly. We are planning a flight to Olbia where we see two options – we rent a car or stay in Olbia and go on organized one-day boat trips.
We would like to see San Theodoro, La Pelosa beach, Arcipellago della Maddalena ( we would like to see the beautiful beaches – Spiaggia Rosa and del Calvaiere, beach Santa Maria doesn’t sound so attractive to us so maybe we would only like to see it from the boat, then Cala Granara/Corsara on Spargi Island, we would like to see also Isola Caprera, also Cala Cottico maybe if we would have the time. And of course, we would like to take one day trip to cala Coloritze and cala Mariolu.
We have a lot of wishes. But there are soooo many beautiful beaches. We really like the idea of one day boat trips where we would visit 2 beaches per day max. Like Cala Coloritze and Mariolu in one day… We are just not sure where to take the accomodation – what town/village would be situated the best to get all this one day boat trips to those beaches? Is it hard to get a boat trip that would leave you on the same beach the whole day?
All these beaches are really beautiful. But… if you have to go to the bathroom, do they have any wc on cala Coloritze/Mariolu?
What would you recommend to us? Where to stay? Where to get the boat trips that would leave us on the same beach the whole day? Rent a car or not?
Any information would be helpful…
Hi Magi! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Ok, let’s see your case here!! You really want to do the boat trips (I don’t blame you, they are the best part!) but you are going in August, meaning that, unfortunately, you’ll have to deal with the crowds.. but that’s part of the deal, right?!
I think the best location for the boat trips is either Cala Gonone or Orosei, but you really need to hurry (if you haven’t already booked, do it immediately!)
When you are there you go straight to one of the many agencies in town that sell the boat trip tickets and ask if it’s possible to stay the whole day in Cala Mariolu, I did it more than once and, usually, they don’t have a problem with that but be careful to remember the name of your boat as if you miss it you’ll be stranded on the beach for the night 😀
Regarding renting a car, definitely yes, especially for that area (but in general to travel around Sardinia) is a must)
For Cala Goloritze I’ve just been informed that from this year is not possible to even swim to the beach from your private boat so the only option to see it is to drive to Baunei from cala Gonone (more than 1 hour but very scenic views!) and then there is a path to go down to the beach. It’s not very difficult but it will take at least 1 hour to go down and 2 hours to go up.
Quite the hike but worth it!!!
Have a great time in Sardinia 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
My boyfriend and I are planning a trip at the end of June, flying into Clagliari – looking for a relaxing time, will hire a car and visit the beautiful beaches. Where would you recommend we base ourselves?
Many Thanks!
Debi
Hi Debi, how long are you planning to stay? It really all depends on that as Sardinia is pretty big and choosing more than 1 destination for just a week or less might not be ideal! If you give me more specifics (also the budget for the Hotels, or camping is important!) I will able to help you more!
All the places I’ve mentioned in here are super great, but if you want to stay near the airport, the best beaches on the south (at least the ones I talk about in here) are Chia, Tuerredda and Villasimius!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
Thanks for all the information and the time you spent describing all! I am travelling with my girlfriend and are staying for 4 nights during the last week of june. I still haven t booked anything but we are looking for a nice hotel and wonderful beaches. I read about these great places in the gulf of orosei but would like to go there by boat. Also visit la maddeleine by boat so will be 2 day trips by boat. Is it possible? They told me to stay at porto cervo but all the nice beaches you mentioned are far away from there unless i can go by boat.
Is it possible
Hi Clelia,
Thanks a lot for the quick reply. We are not able to decide where to base ourselves. We will be arriving by car so thought we could find accommodations at 2-3 places one of which is villasimius, other options are somewhere near Cala Gonone to visit the gorgeous beaches or alghero. But we would also like to definitely go to la maddalena. Would you suggest to stay there or do a day trip? Now if we are doing a day trip where should it be from? Is there some nice place in the north where we can stay so that we can do the day trip to la maddalena easily? We don’t need party atmosphere, happy with a small town too Thanks again:)
Jolly
Hey Jolly
If you want to visit La Maddalena, then I’d exclude Alghero as it would eat up too much time, being on the other coast.
A few places to stay that are convenient for the boat trip are: Palau, the small village of Cannigione (I stayed there camping and it was relatively cheap) and Arzachena Village, all very near to the pier by car or even by bus (the closest being Palau, which is the most expensive one).
If you have the time to do the boat trip to La Maddalena AND the one to the Golfo di Orosei, you will fall in love with Sardinia. They are really both amazing. I think I went to both tours at least 40 times and I never have enough.
Have a great time!
Clelia
Clelia,
I need some advice! I will be traveling to Sardinia in May with my girlfriend and we are extremely torn between two options. We will only be in Sardinia for 3 days unfortunately and we are staying in San Teodoro. On our last day we are hoping to book some kind of boat tour. The one option we are looking at is an exclusive tour of the archipelago la maddalena where we can choose our destinations, but this option is a bit expensive (350 euro + gas). The other option is much cheaper: renting our own inflatable boat from Cala Gonone and traveling along that coastline (Cala Luna, Cala Sisine, Cala Biriolu, Cala Mariolu, etc.) I am just having trouble deciding between the two options! If you have any suggestions please let me know what you think! Also, if you can, please let me know about any other helpful tips for our Sardinian experience!
Thank you!
Shane
Hi Shane, don’t panic 🙂 If you are staying in San Teodoro and I suppose you have a car, in 1 hr you can be in Cala Gonone so I think option 2 is actually a good one. If you are comfortable with using your own boat then go for it, or you can also ask to get an expert guide to come along (I know, less romantic, but maybe less stressful as well?), or why don’t u simply book one of the tours with the big boats? they are relatively cheap, especially in low season and they leave you in one beach if you want (for example i wanted to stay longer in Cala Mariolu instead of going to Cala Luna as well and they picked me up at the end of the tour), that is an option I always suggest to people…
Too bad you have only 3 days! I hope you will be back for more 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Oh By the way… I forgot to mention, from San Teodoro you can also drive to Palau and join one of the organized tours as well! (same as the Golfo di Orosei). I personally prefer the one starting in Cala Gonone, but really, they are both very good!
Thanks Clelia for the quick response!
So I guess the only question I have left is, with my limited amount of time, you would prefer the beaches and scenery of Cala Ganone and Cala Mariolu over that of the la Maddalena area? (That is if you HAD to choose!) I am sure they are both worth the visit. I will definitely have to plan a return trip to Sardinia as there is so much to see and do!!
Thanks again!
Shane
Easy question, for me the Cala Gonone area (Cala Mariolu, Cala Biriola, Cala Goloritze’etc) are the best of the best in Sardinia because of the contrast between the high rocks and the turquoise sea! 🙂
Hi there,
Just to echo others comments your blog is amazing and very informative, thank you soo much for the effort put in.
My husband and I are planning to visit Sardinia for 7 nights the first week of July (we are wanting to book very soon!), we have a budget of £1000 GBP for flights and accommodation and have extra for hiring a car and spending money (is this realistic?). We would like to be based in 1 hotel and have access to drive to different tourist sites, beaches, see the flamingos and relax in the hotel one or 2 days too so a pool would be great. We are in our late 20’s/early 30’s so are not after a crazy night life but would like to be able to leave the hotel in the evenings to relax with a nice dinner and drinks in a village/sea view setting and if possible a lovely spot to watch the sunset which is walking distance to the hotel. We don’t want to have to use the car in the evenings where possible but also don’t want to be (for want of a better word) “trapped” in the hotel in the evenings either.
We would be happy to take trips out but would like to know the best places to book these please as well hiring a car, are we best booking here or at the airport on arrival?
We have visited South Africa and spent time driving around the coast of cape town which we loved, to take in the atmosphere of different areas rather than just where the hotel is based so are hoping to do the same in Sardinia.
Many thanks in advance for your help 🙂
Kind Regards
Suzie
Hi Suzie
Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you found the article useful 🙂 As for your question… If you book online now (it’s actually already a bit late for Sardinia as there are people booking as soon as January to secure the best prices and spots!) you might be able to stretch it with the budget you have.
Find a cheap hotel and invest the money in renting a car so that even if the accommodation is not right by the sea (for a cheap price you might not find it) you can still use your car to reach some fabulous beaches!
I’m not a huge fan of pools in Sardinia as I think the beaches around are much better than a pool but I understand your point of course, sometimes you just want to relax and not bother driving at all!
As for the location.. in my opinion the best beaches and villages are on the east coast, which unfortunately means no sunset! Unless you venture further north to Stintino, or Santa Teresa di Gallura, where you can also admire the sunset on the beach!
For the booking of the accommodation, I can’t stress this point enough: the sooner the better! (people start booking in January!) That is why I also put some recommendations in this article as I can see people appreciate it and they book a lot through them. Not necessarily the same place I recommend but browsing the website they are usually able to find a good deal for their needs!
Given the budget as I said you might need to use the car but it would be like 10 minutes drive to find a nice restaurant and some “movida” during the night in the villages.
A fine place to check out is Santa Teresa, the village is quite nice and lively, you might be even able to walk from your hotel to the center if you are lucky to find the right accommodation or just use the car for a short ride. Also Santa Teresa offers amazing beaches for snorkeling and it’s close enough to Palau to book a day boat trip to la Maddalena (I recommend it big time!), so all in all, given your requests… I think this might be the place for you.
Ps, I’m back from an amazing trip in Southern Africa but I missed South Africa so I’m quite envious of your incredible experience in there! Next time I won’t miss it 🙂
I hope this helps and have a great time in Sardinia!
Cheers
Clelia
Hey! Your blog is super helpful!
I wonder if you can help me plan a trip: Looking to go away with my mum to Sardinia for 7-9 days at the beginning of Sep. Looking for the type of holiday where there are beaches, but plenty of things to do like cycling, walking etc in the day time as well. In the evening we like finding restaurants and pottering about and drinking wine.
The other thing to mention is that I am Vegan, am I going to struggle for food? I think it may be better to get an apartment (self catering) so that I can at least prepare food myself anyways 🙂
Price wise – middle of the range – not looking to spend a fortune so Porto Cervo is out. Maybe Chia? or should we move about a bit?
Ideally I wouldn’t want to be driving a car about but understand if it necessary on the island to visit places etc.
Please let me know your thoughts!
Many Thanks
Jaime
Hey Jaime, thanks for your comment 🙂
Ok, let’s see! First of all, I definitely approve the choice of visiting Sardinia in September, it’s going to be lovely!
The place I’d recommend for you if you like walks, using the bicycle etc is the Golfo di Orosei area, especially Cala Gonone, well located and with tons of awesome beaches to discover in the surroundings! The only thing is that in 90% of the places in Sardinia a car will be necessary to discover the beautiful gems it has to offer, it would be a shame not to see them!
Cala Gonone (or Orosei) is less expensive than Porto Cervo and most importantly it still has the Sardinian vibe that is missing in Porto Cervo.
Chia is also affordable, depending on where you book, but being far from the closest village (Santa Margherita di Pula or Domus De Maria), you will feel a bit isolated and yes you can use the bike to reach the beach but nothing more, you would either have to cook your own meals (which is good as you are vegan but it will force you to always eat in) or eat at the hotel’s restaurant and I’m not 100% sure that all of them have a vegan menu. Definitely Vegetarian, but vegan, as you know, is a bit more complicated…
Plus, Cala Gonone is the best spot to get to the famous boat ride around the Golfo di Orosei area (stunning!!)
So I’d say, go for Cala Gonone or Orosei and explore a bit by bike and car, you won’t regret it!! Just be quick to book the accommodation as the deals go pretty fast (people book from January!)
Have a great time in my beautiful Island 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
wow! That sounds ideal – I will look into it now 🙂 THANK YOU!
Glad I could help 🙂
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Hi! Love your Sardinia pages! Its what convinced me of planning a trip to Sardinia.
We are 2-3 girls visiting for a week from 13-20 june (flying to Olbia). I have understood that, june or september is best, because of less people then.
We are thinking of spending most time in San Teodoro. We are looking for great beaches but also some partying and nightlife.
I looked up SanTeodoro on google maps and i am a bit concerned of the city being too quiet. I am sorry but it looks a bit dead on Goolge street view. I know its not Ibiza-like in the summer. But do you think there is some people and life here already in june?
The plan is to stay 5 nights in San Teodoro and then 2 nights in Olbia. In ST we are just planning to be at the beach, and some party. And maybe rent bikes one day, if it is easy to bike around the city (maybe to other beaches?). The day before we leave we are thinking of taking a bus to Palau from Olbia, so we can spend the day on a Maddalena boat tour.
Is there something else you would recommend for 22 year old girls, or do you think these plans sounds ok?
Hoping for an answer, Thank you! Love, Mya (norwegian).
Hi Mya
Well, I’ve been to San Teodoro many many times, but not in June (mostly in July/August), but I’m pretty sure the clubs and the “party scene” has already started in June, as the weather is nice and the tourists start to arrive! I had so much fun in there and it’s also an easy place to reach by bus and to roam around by bicycle!
The idea of going to Palau for the Maddalena boat trip is EXCELLENT! I love that trip and I do it every year.. it’s truly amazing!
Also San Teodoro is very near to the airport and there are public services that will get you there in less than one hour which is quite convenient. So all in all I think this might be the right choice for you!
Have fun!!
Cheers
Clelia
This island is going to be my next travel destination. Fell in love with it…
I can see why 🙂 You will fall in love even more when you’re here, granted!
Good post. Very in-depth thank you.
Thanks for your kind message John!
Dear Clelia,
Your review is fantastic!
I have a question, I am planning to come to Sardinia mid July… but we want 0 traffic jam (villages, restaurants, beaches…). I already have a lot in Switzerland and if I do have some, it’s no holidays at all, what would you recommend?
We need a sandy beach, best babysitting for the kids, easy to access, also for the kids, and not overcrowded or overhype, that’s for the parents. We would like to stay 2 weeks in a lovely house, agriturismo, in a small village or in the outskirt… would you have any happy place?
Many thanks for your kind help.
Anne
Hey Anne… yours is probably one of the most difficult requests I’ve ever received 🙂 Being mid July is going to be a bit crowded and given your needs (by the beach, baby sitting etc), my best advice would be going to a resort.
I know it might seem a bit too touristy, but they usually have gorgeous private beaches not very distant to the traditional villages and offer baby sitting/entertainment for the kids so that you can also enjoy your holiday.
I have a few ones in mind, let me know if this can be of any interest for you. Also, a very important question. How picky are you in regards of the beach/sea? As the less crowded places are nice but not super spectacular. It all depends on your priorities.
Unfortunately in high season we can’t have it all!
Hope it helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Kle,
Thanks so much for your blog, it has already helpled me hugely. My fiancée and I are planning to go to Sardinia in July for 7 days for our honeymoon. I am currently making a plan and looking to book accommodation/flights…I just wanted to get your opinion on the following, if you have a chance to reply:
– Fly into Olbia
– Hire a car and drive to Cala Gonone (stay here for 4 nights – check out the beaches, go on a couple of excursions somewhere, find some activities to do etc.)
– Then drive to Porto Cervo (possibly stop off somewhere on the way..San teodoro maybe).
– Stay in Porto Cervo for 3 nights (check out the rich surroundings, nightlife, maybe more activities or just chill/see sights)
– Then drive back to Olbia airport to fly out.
What do you think? any suggestions about things to do, or anything you think doesnt quite look right?
Many thanks for your help and thanks again for all the useful info in the blog! 🙂
G
Hey G! Thanks for stopping by and congratulations on your honeymoon 🙂
As per your itinerary… it doesn’t sound crazy at all, 1 week and 2 destinations not that far away from each other is quite ideal actually and choosing San Teodoro as last stop is much better as it’s very close to Olbia.
As for the things to do… did you have a chance to see my article ” Sardinia for couples”? It is a massive guide with everything you need to know, especially for Cala Gonone and Porto Cervo. San Teodoro might be quite crowded with younger people (parties etc) but if you book a place not in the centre you can enjoy your privacy without the noises 😉
Have a great time!
Cheers
Clelia
Good post. Thanks a lot for posting.
Thanks for stopping by Jeff! 🙂
Hi Clelia!
Wow this blog was amazingly helpful! Sardinia looks absolutely stunning!
I’m sure you’ve answered this question a million times, but where would you suggest staying if I flew into Olbia? Me and my husband are 28 and will be renting a car. We want to visit beaches, go on boat trips and also be walking distance to restaurants!
Thank you 🙂
Hey Nicola,
Glad you liked my blog post! Did you had a chance to see my other article “Sardinia for Couples“? It was bìmeant to be only for couples but it has become a massive resource for things to do in various areas of Sardinia.
From Olbia I would suggest:
Porto Cervo:(if you like posh places)
Golfo di Orosei:(for stunning nature and awesome beaches)
San Teodoro: For a bit of fun and also explore the awesome nearby beaches
Santa Teresa: For snorkeling and stunning landscapes
There is so much choice that you can’t really go wrong!
Have a blast!!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi,
We are a couple with four kids between 16 and 10. We are in Sardinia for 3 weeks in August, landing in Olbia and will have a car. We are looking for a chilled out holiday and past experience tells me that camping is the best way for this. So, I am hoping you can help me with the set up. Is it best to take our own tent or is tent accommodation available on sites? I like the idea of staying in two or three areas maybe for a week each. The Oristano area sounds great and on the quieter side, which is again is good for a wholesome and simple few weeks. Can you recommend other sites/places?…Many thanks, Adam
Hi Adam
Camping is great! I just went back from a 2 months of mainly camping (in Africa) and it was awesome! So you have my full approval 🙂
For Camping in Sardinia there are various options, it is obviously cheaper to bring your own tent but there are sites where you can rent the tent. The Oristano area in my opinion is the best for camping and Caravans but you can find camping sites scattered all over the island.
It all depends on how flexible are you and what level of comfort are you looking for.
Here are a few links that might help you in deciding what’s best for you!
Camping in Oristano Or you can simply click on the Sardinia image and choose the area of your interest. It’s a very good website for camping lovers!
Hope it helps, enjoy! 🙂
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I really love your blog and it has given me a lot of inspiration to plan my vacation in Sardinia.
Thanks Steven! Glad I gave you some inspiration! feel free to check my other guides about Sardinia. I wrote one for couples but it is actually a massive guide for everyone really! 🙂
This has to be the most in-depth and well-researched travel article I ever read, congrats! Even though I don’t have planned any trips for the rest of the year now I’m dying to see Sardinia! These are all amazing beaches but La Pelosa immediately caught my attention – by the way, such a hilarious name for a beach. – due to the prison, that’s a very unique beach. I kinda hate crowds so I always opt for more secluded beaches, thanks for the tip, I actually thought in September there will be a lot of tourists there.
Hey Sally,Thanks! I don’t blame you… Sardinia is magic! I’m here as I write this and I can tell you that September is,in fact, one of the best months to visit as finally the beaches are not crowded anymore. Not even the most popular ones 🙂
Keep spirit & also keep traveling !
Thank you!
Hi, I am a solo traveler looking to come to Sardinia in mid October for 4 days. I would love to be able to get to Cala Genone but am wondering if its feasible in my time frame? I looked at staying in Baunei, but can’t find how I would get there and from what airport would be best? Would it then be possible to get to the beaches from Baunei by taxi or foot?
If I have to choose a more appropriate destination, I would really love for my trip to revolve around beaches and scenic spots, with lots of walking involved. But of course more cultural areas would be amazing as well. I am just hoping to spend some days swimming.
At first I looked at Alghero but the beaches and coast line on the east side look more like me. I would consider hiring a car for one day perhaps, and I haven’t booked any flights yet so am flexible with airports.
I was wondering what you would recommend?
Thanks
Hi Bella
Going from Olbia to Cala Gonone is feasible but unless you rent a car you’ll lose a significant amount of time for such a short stay. Baunei is a very traditional village in the heart of the mountains but not far from the sea, but you still will need a car as the public transport in there are almost non existent to go to the beaches. Baunei is a good base to visit the Golgo and for the fantastic trek to Cala Goloritze, not to mention the scenic view from the village itself but you still need to have your own car or scooter at least.
If you want a traditional stay I’d recommend it but keep in mind that moving around is difficult in that area (but totally worth it!). If you want something easier but less scenic, I’d go to San Teodoro/Budoni, easily reachable by public transports and very close to Olbia airport, and having only 4 days it might be the more sensitive choice for you!
Cheers
Clelia
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Hey Clelia,
I’m so glad that I found your website with all the useful information for my trip to Sardinia! I want to go there in September with my boyfriend. And we are both looking for a quiet place with nice beaches that are not overly crowded.
Do you have any suggestions on which area we should go?
Thank you so much in advance!
Julia
Hi Julia,
In September the beaches are usually not that crowded, so if you’re looking for a quiet place I’d say go for Orosei or Dorgali, they are nice villages very close to stunning beaches like Cala Mariolu, Goloritze and Cala Biriola. That’s my favorite part of Sardinia, I’ve been there recently and I didn’t want to leave!
After reading your article, we have inspired to write a blog about sardina island. Most of our people want to travel worldwide, they are searching for cheap hotels, accommodations etc, want to belong in a house. This article is full of information. I will suggest them to visit your hometown.
Thank you, glad you found it interesting!
Hi Clelia, I have posted another same comment yesterday just after this comment was posted. I have added some extra lines there. Could you please edit this comment. Thank you.
Hi The worldwide,
unfortunately, I don’t allow extra links on my comment section, as I consider it as advertising. Each commenter has the opportunity to link to their URL when posting the comment (the URL will be linked with the name). This is the most I can do.
Thanks for your understanding. This is to prevent private companies from posting comments just to get a link back to their websites in the comment.
Regards
Clelia
Thank you !! 🙂
Thanks for the best information for the top ten Sardinian Beaches for lowest budgets holidays!
Thanks India,
Sorry I had to cut the link as I don’t accept any indirect advertising on my comment section for this article.
Thanks for your understanding.
Cheers
Clelia
I have never seen such a comprehensive guide on a travel website before! You rocked this one out of the ball park. I cannot wait to visit your hometown one day!
Thanks Cacinda! Yeah, this was a LOT of work 🙂 and I’m always updating it! It never ends!
Dear Clelia,
First i would like to express my sincere gratitude. I spent hours browsing trough your Sardinia guide and now i have set my mind on going to this beautiful island. We are a group of 5 people and we were considering either Sicily or Sardinia, but now it is decided :).
The plan is to spend a weekend on Sardinia in the end of September (25-26). After everything i read here it is obvious that after we land in Cagliari we will rent a car and go spend the weekend in some place near the Golfo di Orosei. Anyway i have two specific questions i could not quite get the answer to.
1. It will be really helpful if you can recommend a local car rental company that does not require credit card (we prefer paying cash and as strange as it sounds we have no credit cards but only debit cards and all the rental companies i can find online require a credit card).
2. Other question is about the boat trips to the Golfo di Orosei. Is there a boat trip that includes both Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritze beaches. Second – are you familiar with options to rent small boat for 5 ppl. to sail on our own so we don’t have to keep someone else’s schedule.( considering that 3 of us are big guys 95kg.+).
Thank you in advance and keep up the good work – i can honestly say your guide is the reason we are going to Sardinia.
best regards
Angel
Hi Angel, I didn’t see your message!
Unfortunately, having a car available in here I can’t tell you for sure about a car rental that doesn’t require the credit card. You can ask directly upon your arrival at the airport. But honestly I doubt they would accept cash these days..
Second question about the boat trip, if you head towards Cala Gonone or Orosei there will be plenty of places where you can directly walk in and ask, there are many options for small boat rentals and Sardinian people are still “old style” so walking in and booking directly in there is the best way to go in my opinion.
You shouldn’t have any problem, but depending on the size of the boat they require a nautical licence or the driver coming with you. But I definitely recommend going by yourself if you can, the experience will be totally different as you don’t have to follow any schedule!
Let me know if you need any more info 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Oh Almost forgot. There is no boat for Cala Goloritze (they can’t get close to the shore), the only way to visit is either to swim from the boat (but it’s not very convenient) or hike through the dedicated path!
Dear Clelia,
thank you for your thorough answer and thanks again for writing your Sardinia guide. I just can’t wait to go to some of the beautiful places you described.
best
Angel
Glad I could help Angel!
Sardinia now it’s beautiful, the weather is still good and the beaches a lot less crowded!
Hi clelia
First of all congrats for the great website and the effort you put into.Its very helpful.
We are visiting Calgiari with my wife between 10 and 17 august and we are staying on the main city. We ll not have a car so we would like to ask you some good beaches nearby the main city that we can access easily by bus. Thank u very much
Thanasis, sorry I totally missed your message! I hope you had a great time in Sardinia!
Is always good to check a site where to find interesting contents about Sardinia and traveling. I especially like the fact you provide some tips and show the pros and cons about the region (I totally share the point of view of the editor)
I am a local Sardinian and I created a site where unique and real experience in food and wine field. I facilitate the meeting between producers, chefs and wine makers: wineries tour and tasting, lunch with the shepherds and much more.
Hey Jolao, Thanks for the message!What you’re doing is great 🙂 Apologies if I had to cut the comment, but I never allow any self-promotion without an agreement, otherwise my comment section would quickly become a huge self promotional space. I’m sure you’ll understand my point of view. Keep up with the good work!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi,
Great website we love it and will print off pages for ur up an coming trip to Sardinia the first week in september – But can you advise please?
we arrive on the 31st August and have booked in to Hotel Excesior on La Maddalena for the first 2 nights , we then thought after your reviews for San Teodoro for our last 3 nights. We would quite like to be close to the port if that’s were the night life is (we are mid 40’s so not really looking for clubs etc but nice bars and restaurants) can you please advise us of a good area/hotel or suggest a different location we fly home on Sunday 6th September am.
Many thanks in advance
Hi Charlotte
Sorry, your message was under one of my replies and I missed it. regarding your concern for San Teodoro, if you go in September it is much quieter and have nice quiet areas as well (just check the hotels reviews and choose something that is not too central and you should be perfectly fine).
If you don’t want to stay there, but still close to the airport, Arzachena could be a good option for you. It’s definitely quieter than San Teodoro but still has nice beaches to discover in the surrounding areas.
Have a great holiday!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia
My girlfriend and I are headed to Sardenia on July 15th and staying until the 22nd.
We are flying into Cagliari and because we didn’t have a car, we booked 5 nights in Cala Gogone. Figured it would be the easiest way to get private boat rides to your top beaches and maybe find a way up to San Teodoro for the beaches up there.
We are trying to find our way from Cagliari to Cala Gogone without a car. Is there a train or bus that get us up there pretty easy??
Also once up in our hotel, is it easy to rent boats for the day to get to the beautiful beaches without having to hike hours to get there? We would like to stay for a few hours and have a lunch and I’m curious if people do thst without a boat.
What the best way for us to proceed.
Thank you. Loved your site and all the information! Helped me a bunch!
Dan
Hey Dan, Not sure you’re going to read the message by now, but I’ll try anyway in case you do!
It’s pretty difficult to reach Cagliari from Cala Gonone without a car honestly. It can be done by bus or getting to Nuoro by train but it’s a long Journey and not very advisable for someone who doesn’t know Sardinia.. I will be writing about it in one of my articles so people are aware of what to expect. For renting the boat or go to a boat trip from Cala Gonone is very easy! Don’t worry, you’ll find plenty of places to book your trip. Some places/hotels have their own boat service.
Hope this helps! Have a great time!
Clelia
Hi Clelia
Amazing and useful information . I would be flying to Olbia in last week of Aug for a week , what places would you recommend as we would like relaxed vacation and would like to visit mostly the best beaches and places with some night life. yes we would hire a car.
Thanks,
nitin
Hi Nitin,
For me, the best place, with the best beaches is the Cala Gonone Orosei Area. Cala Gonone is also quite lively (not Orosei). Alternatively you can have your base in San Teodoro, well known for it’s night life and good beaches, and drive the car to enjoy a day boat trip to Cala Gonone/Golfo di orosei beaches that are really stunning!
Cheers
Clelia
Thanks for the info.
cheers
nitin
Anytime Nitin!
Enjoy your holiday 🙂
Hi
is it ok to make olbia as a base for 4 days and do day trips to porto cervo and san teodoro as there is better choice of hotels available.
thanks
nitin
Definitely yes! San teodoro and Porto cervo are quite close to olbia!
Cheers 🙂
Clelia
Ciao Clelia, amazing site as everyone has mentioned, so much great information! I am only going for a very short trip, so I plan on sticking to 2-3 destinations, I was planning on doing La Pelosa beach, La Maddalena, and Cagliari (since this is where I fly in and out of).
Quick question about visiting La Maddalena area – I understand that it’s highly rated and considered a must, since you have to take a boat across to the island where is the best place to stay around there (on the mainland side like by Palau)? So that you can then take a day trip out to the island and then come back to your hotel. I guess I am just not so sure where most people stay as a home base when they want to make day trips to La Maddalena island.
Also, any recommendations for a traveler that wants to see some nightlife and a bit of partying in Sardinia?
Grazie mille, molto apprezzato!
Hey Angelo, thanks for the nice comment 🙂
For the boat trips to Arcipelago della Maddalena, well I’ve been there many times and every time I was staying at a different place as long as it was not more than 45 min away bu car, so anything in the area would do (Arzachena, Cannigione if you want to stay for cheaper) or the whole Costa Smeralda area. Anyway going for the boat trip is a must but also the beaches in the Area are worth a visit so you could stay for a few days and then head to Cala Gonone on your way back to Cagliari and also enjoy another MUST SEE place (for me it’s the best!).
As for partying.. The best places are San Teodoro, Alghero, Villasimius and obviously Cagliari!
Enjoy your stay! 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Ciao clelia,
Your website is so informative and extremely well laid out. I’ve loved reading through it and having some insider tips. Keep it coming! My sister and I are undecided between going to olbia or zona sant’andrea near Cagliari. We are looking for great beaches but not too far from the city as we won’t have our own transport. Which would you say is best please? Thank you in advance!
Hey Lucia… mmmhh not having a car is a shame as the best beaches are usually only reachable if you have your own car or at least a scooter. For Olbia, there are many beaches around but the buses stop on the main road and from there you’ll have to go by car. the only advice I have is to stay near cannigione (not far from olbia) and relax in there, or San Teodoro where you can reach the beach by foot or bycicle. To get from Olbia to San Teodoro there are buses so it wont be a problem.
For the Cagliari area, the only easy beach to reach is the city beach Poetto, otherwise you can take a bus towards Domus the maria, but you’ll have to walk from the main road to the beaches and it’s not ideal.. Unfortunately without a car you are going to miss out on the best parts 🙁
Hope this helps!
Clelia
Hi Clelia, first of all – and as all others say- thanks for the great blog!!! ☺
So, here we are, Fede & Beba a couple from Argentina. We have tickets for the 20th August (landing in Cagliari) until 4th September (departing from Alghero). That is, 14 days.
Before I start, and it´s important to mention beforehand, we don´t have car license, so as far as i read, our itinerary Could be a bit limited, right?
This is our plan so far:
20th August in the morning we get to Cagliari. We plan to stay in the city 2 nights.
First day: visit the city, what you mentioned in another reply (pier, Piazza Yenne, Via Manno, etc)
Then, here, first question: how long does it take going from Cagliari to Mari Pintau or Tuerreda or Chia Beach (one of those) to spend the day and then back to sleep in Cagliari? Does it make sense?
Then we plan to go up on the East coast and spend there 5 or 6 days. Cala Marilou or Cala Goloritze. Is it possible to get there without a car?
The thing is, we don´t want to spend only 1 or 2 days in each place, because without a car this will be the hell. We did such a trip last year in Sri Lanka –we were shooting a documentary- and we couldn´t chill properly. And the main goal of this trip to Sardinia, is to rest, eat and chill!!
After that, we plan to g oto San Teodoro, Rean Bianca or Archipielago Madalenna another 5 or 6 days.
And finally, Alghero, where our flight departures on the 4th September. Is it Alghero a nice city to stay?
Some extra questions:
1. End of august/ beginning of September is still so crowded? Do you recommend to book everything before?
2. So, as you´ve read, we don´t plan to go to the West coast. Is this a terrible mistake? I guess no, since in your post there only 1 beach worth to visit there: San giovanni.
Again, thanks a lot!!!
Have a nice week.
Fede&Beba
Hey guys, as you said..without a car your itinerary will be limited so my suggestion is:
1) stay in Cagliari 2 days and visit the city as you planned (check out my other article here where I have a whole section about Cagliari and other areas you’re interested in. It says it’s for couples but it’s actually a massive guide for everyone)
2)It’s very stressful to go to Chia, let alone Tuerredda by bus. It is possible, but from the main road you’ll have to walk for a while to get to the beach. Not many people do it, especially if they want to relax! It’s much much better if you get the bus to Villasimius and relax in there for at least 5 days. The beach Simius is big, nice and close to the village and you can also take day boat trips so you wont get bored to see the same beach over and over
3) Go to Cala Gonone (also see it on the guide I’ve already mentioned), considering that you dont have the car, I’d stay there for 5 days, there are amazing boat trips and you can also organize excursions to go to Cala Goloritze’. It’s the perfect setting to enjoy that area. I’d honestly skip the rest as it would be too stressful, and the other area mentioned will confine you to just 1 beach for days, with nothing else to do.
For the bookings, yes, I highly recommend you book in advance! You can find some suggestions on my second guide for Cala Gonone! But hurry as I’m receiving so many emails of people asking for help as they can’t find anything as everything is almost fully booked for the entire season! (people start to book in January for August/September!)…
Hope this will help you, don’t stress too much in seing everything at once, just relax and enjoy your stay! wherever you go…it will be worth it!
Cheers
Clelia
Good morning Clelia.
Woww!!! thanks a lot for your fast reply.
I won´t be creative at all, I have nothing more to add than, THANKS A LoT and you are doing a very nice blog!!!
Follow the sun is our motto, and I might think it´s also yours 🙂
Have a nice week.
Fede & Beba
awww thanks!And yes, follow the sun is definitely my motto too!! 🙂
Hey Cleila,
awesome blog indeed, lot of information!
So far what I’ve seen from your blog & other research/resources is that on Sardinia there are not too many small (boutique type of) hotels on the seafront / with private beach.
I was planning to go between 5-13 September but so far, I have not found any accommodation. Can you advise please?
We’d like to have a base (as ‘isolated’ as possible = not too many other hotels around) but near a medium size city. We’d rent a car and drive around, must see is definitely Cala Gonone, La Maddalena.
Thanks much in advance,
Gaby
Hi Gaby, I replied to your comment because I remember your question and my advice but i must not have gone through for some reason, sorry about that!
Anyway for other people seeking for a similar information, in Sardinia there are actually all the type of accommodation you can imagine. You just need to look for them carefully. My advice is to rent a private apartment (and they can be also quite cheap, depending on location and seasonality).
Listing all of the hotels on the beach with private beaches could end up in a massive reply! In the south there is Forte Village, Chia laguna resort and many others and in the north east you will find hotels like Pitrizza with nice private beaches. They are always more expensive of course but this is the price you have to pay to be more isolated and have a private beach in Sardinia.
My advice is to take a day or two to look in websites like booking.com where I find the best deals and I’m sure people will find anything they need, including private beaches (I saw many listed in there and i might write a separate blog post to help people with this specific request for the next season!)
I hope you made it to Sardinia and had a great time in my beautiful island!
Cheers
Clelia
Hey Clelia,
Great blog! Gorgeous photos and thorough information!
I am planning a trip at the begining of september for 11 days in Sardinia. I am curious if the water is warm enough for swimming:)
Thank you in advance for your help.
Roxana
Hi Roxana
I was pretty sure I’ve already replied to your comment, but I don’t see it anywhere in here…weird.
Anyway, even if I’m late I still want to reply to your question as this is a quite frequent question: The answer is yes! absolutely, unless you are not lucky with the weather (some days might be a bit “colder” than usual in September), but as a general rule people swim without any problem during this time of the year!
cheers
Clelia
Superb, what a weblog it is! This website presents helpful facts to us, keep it up.
Thanks a lot Emily! It means a lot to me!
Hi Clelia,
What a great blog – thanks so much for taking the time to give us such amazing feedback. I am planning to go to Sardinia in August for 2 weeks! I am a solo traveller and love beautiful beaches and the sea more than anything – preferably places that aren’t too touristy. I will be flying in from Madrid. Can you recommend an itinerary for me please? Do you think i need to book accommodation in advance? Is care hire necessary? Sorry for bombarding you with questions, really appreciate your advice. Thanks so much, Yolanda
Hi Yolanda
Sorry I’ve missed your message! please always make sue to sending me a little reminder if you don’t see my reply within a week or so as it’s getting very challenging to keep up with all the request! 🙂
Hi Clelia –
What an inspiring and informative post! Thank you so much!
I am considering a first time visit in September for approx 5 days, on my own and without car. Ideally I would like to spend time on the beaches and maybe change locations once or twice. Anywhere in particular that you recommend for safe solo travelling?
Hi Amanda, I wrote a post about solo travel in Sardinia (which I have to edit and add a few more info), depending on what you want to do…if you want to socialize I’d say go to San Teodoro (if you like camping there is a nice place in front of La Cinta beach) and you won’t need the car, then you could organize a day trip to Orosei and take the boat to see the beautiful beaches, or you can take the bus to Palau for the Arcipelago della Maddalena Boat trip. I HIGHLY suggest at least one of the two, if not both 🙂 I know you only have 4 days but you could spend 2 days in San Teodoro and organize 2-day trips for the boat experience!
Sardinia is usually very safe for solo travelers, you just need to use common sense like anywhere else and you’ll be perfectly fine!
Cheers
Cle
Hey Clelia,
Great blog! Gorgeous photos and thorough information so thanks!
I plan on going to Sardinia for only 4-5 days from Naples in early July. I want to visit your top 2 beaches and plan to base myself in Cala Gonone. Are those beaches reachable by local boats or by hiking? Also, since I plan on taking the ferry from Naples and it only goes to Calgiari, I’m concerned about the bus from Cagliari to Cala Gonone. Do I have to transfer in Nuoro? I don’t have the option of ferrying back to Naples so I am probably going to fly from Olbia to Naples. Is it easy to get to Olbia from Cala Gonone? If I have to spend a night in Olbia for my flight the next day, can you recommend a cheap b&b?
I also saw photos of your visit to the Philippines where I was born. I’m glad you liked it. I actually lived near Siargao till I was 20. I miss the beaches of the Philippines. Did you go somewhere else?
Grazie!
Hey Abok,
Wow a Filipino visiting Sardinia, what an honor! 🙂
The best beaches from Cala Gonone are reachable only by boat (there are other nice ones but the top of the top are by boat only), for the transports, unfortunately Sardinia is not well connected.
You either have to take a train to Nuoro and then get a bus or take a bus directly (you can find the link for the transport here at the end of the article), Cala Gonone – Olbia is not that bad by bus also counting that you will spend the night in Olbia!
As for the B&B, I always recommend the usual website (which is the one I also use when I travel most of the times) booking.com , here is the direct link for the accommodation in Olbia, I’m sure they have plenty of very cheap places not far from the airport!
As for the Philippines, oh I miss them too! I went to many islands (I stayed 4 months): Panay Island(Antique region), Boracay, Carabao, Camotes Islands, Bohol, Siargao, Palawan (both El Nido and Coron) but I want to go back ASAP!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE THE PHILIPPINES!!
Hi,
We will be traveling there this Autumn 4-11 of October. I hope the weather will be great and that we can still swim at that moment. We will land in Alghero and now I am trying to get the accommodation. The idea is that I don’t know if we should stay at only one hotel. What do you recommend? I think it might be really hard to visit something and then go back to the hotel to the other part of the island. So, I think I have to make a plan with the best things we can see in one week. What do you advise me?
Thanks a lot!
Hey Alina! In one week, I’d recommend you to go to 2 areas: 1 area Alghero and surroundings and 2nd area the Golfo di Orosei area or alternatively the Olbia/Costa Smeralda area.
This way you’ll have the time to discover a bit more but without stressing too much! The only thing I’d make sure (since you’re going in October), is to contact the companies that organize the boat tours to Arcipelago della Maddalena and Golfo di Orosei area to make sure they still provide the service. It will surely depend on the weather so you’ll have to keep your fingers crossed for that as unfortunately, no one can predict it 🙂
I just finished a huge guide on Alghero, Costa Smeralda area, Cala Gonone area, Castelsardo and Cagliari, the guide was supposed to be for couples but it ended up being for everyone as I add so many details on the excursions, links to the direct websites, things to do, where to eat etc. Here is the link, I’m just adjusting the maps and a few minor details, but the article is basically done!
I still need to add the accommodation section, but I’ll usually research very carefully the best deals from my favorite website, the one that I use all the times as it makes you book the room and you can cancel last minute and pay when you arrive.
You can have a look at it here for:
Alghero
Cala Gonone
Cannigione
Arzachena
which are the areas that you would like to visit!
I also try to give advice on specific hotels I like but it all depends on your budget and also on the availability (but in your case, being in October you should be much easier to find the perfect accommodation for you!)
I hope this helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Ciao Clelia, come stai? Ho scelto la sardegna come nozze, sono brasiliano di origine italiana e vorrei sapere cosa ne pensi di questo roadtour che ho programmato.
1 giorno – Arrivo a Cagliari e rimango due giorno a Chia, primo giorno Baia / Spiaggia di Chia (cosa mi consiglia? Dove pranzare e se `e piu economico comprare un ombrellone/ sedie/ lettino invece di affitare ogni giorno, sar`o in sardegna per 1 settimana e ho affittato una macchina.
2 giorno – Spiaggia di Tuerreda (cos altro posso fare? E mangiare?)
3 giorno – Andare verso Olbia con fermata ad Orosei per vedere CALA GOLORITZE.
4 giorno – Nostro albergo sara sempre ad Olbia e da qui andiamo verso i locali, al 4 giorno penso di uscire mattina presto da Olbia e andare ad Alghero, voglio vedere le grotte e magari qualcosaltro, di sera ritorno ad Olbia.
5, 6, 7 giorno – Non so bene cosa fare, voglio vedere Calaghari, le Isole e cos’altro mi raccomanda, visto che sar`o ad Olbia.
Vorrei sapere cosa mi consiglia da mangiare (quello che ‘e la specialita del isola), dolce, salato, pasta, pizza?! Se vuoi mi rispondi per email!
Grazie mille per l`articolo e scusami per il mio italiano ‘e da un p’o che non lo uso.
Arrivo da vuoi tra un paio di settimana se riesci a rispondermi in questa settimana, sar’o moltissimo grato!
Ciao Fernando! Ho un amico Brasiliano con lo stesso nome quindi ti rispondo ancora piu’ volentieri 🙂
Faccio copia/incolla delle tue domande cosi trovi le risposte sotto!
1 giorno – Arrivo a Cagliari e rimango due giorno a Chia, primo giorno Baia / Spiaggia di Chia (cosa mi consiglia? Dove pranzare e se `e piu economico comprare un ombrellone/ sedie/ lettino invece di affitare ogni giorno, sar`o in sardegna per 1 settimana e ho affittato una macchina.
Chia e’ sicuramente approvata come spiaggia! Bellissima e con un mare stupendo. Considera pero’ che non ci sono ristoranti vicinissimi quindi ti converrebbe portarti un panino e qualche snack per il pranzo se vuoi restare tutto il giorno in spiaggia. Se ce l’hai, portati una mini borsa frigo, compri i panini e (se ti piace) un po’ di prosciutto e te li fai in spiaggia quando hai fame, oppure li prepari prima, cosi risparmi anche un pochino visto che il costo del parcheggio per una giornata e’ do circa 6 euro (a meno che non l’abbiano aumentato quest’estate, ancora non sono risucita a farci un salto).
Per l’ombrellone e sdraia, io personalmente preferisco avere i miei, non costano molto e te li porti appresso facilmente senza spendere in ogni spiaggia (ed alcune sono molto selvagge quindi ti conviene portartelo).
Se vuoi, lo stesso giorno che visiti Chia (la spiaggia grande con gli isolotti di fronte: Su Giudeu) puoi anche fare un salto a vedere Cala Cipolla che e’ la spiaggia di fianco. Ci arrivi proseguendo dal parcheggio e facendo una salitina a piedi e 5 minuti di camminata, e’ piu’ piccola ma molto carina!)
2 giorno – Spiaggia di Tuerreda (cos altro posso fare? E mangiare?)
Tuerredda e’ la mia spiaggia preferita! (nonostante i prezzi del parcheggio e il sovraffollamento in alta stagione, ma devi arrivare prestissimo, verso le 7 max 8), li c’e un bar/ristorante dove puoi mangiare, pero’ non conosco i prezzi perche’ io mi faccio sempre il mio solito panino! 🙂 ) Io ti consiglio di restarci tutto il giorno fino a sera quando si svuota e diventa un paradiso!
3 giorno – Andare verso Olbia con fermata ad Orosei per vedere CALA GOLORITZE.
Considera che se vuoi vedere Cala Goloritze devi partire veramente prestissimo da Cagliari, perche’ ti ci vuole 1/2 ore per scendere giu’ dal sentiero e 2 orette buone per risalire e sarete super stanchi. Non so se hai gia’ prenotato l’albergo, ma secondo me e’ meglio farti 2 giorni a Cala gonone cosi puoi fare sia la gita in barca alle altre spiagge bellissime come Cala mariolu e Cala Biriola e sia il trek a Cala Goloritze senza fare una maratona super stancante!
4 giorno – Nostro albergo sara sempre ad Olbia e da qui andiamo verso i locali, al 4 giorno penso di uscire mattina presto da Olbia e andare ad Alghero, voglio vedere le grotte e magari qualcosaltro, di sera ritorno ad Olbia.
Se resti (come ti dicevo) a cala Gonone per almeno 2 giorni, poi io spenderei altri 2 giorni in zona Olbia, e farei la boat trip all’arcipelago della Maddalena da Palau e visiterei una delle spiagge della costa Smeralda (ho scritto un post super dettagliato per la Sardegna in coppia dove parlo sia di Cala Gonone che della Costa Smeralda, Alghero e anche Cagliari), ti consiglio di darci un’occhiata!
5, 6, 7 giorno – Non so bene cosa fare, voglio vedere Calaghari, le Isole e cos’altro mi raccomanda, visto che sar`o ad Olbia.
Io ti consiglio di restare in zona, quindi stare di piu’ sia a Cala Gonone che vicino Olbia. A meno che non vuoi fare una cosa tutta di corsa e con abbastanza stress, andare e tornare ad Alghero da Olbia nello stesso giorno e’ abbastanza massacrante, la Sardegna vista dalla cartina sembra piccola, ma le distanze sono di almeno 2 ore o piu’ dalla costa orientale a quella occidentale, e le strade non sono facilissime da navigare quindi il mio consiglio sarebbe (e questo e’ un itinerario gia’ abbastanza stressante perche’ devi guidare un bel po’!):
2 Giorni zona Cagliari/ Chia ( vedi Baia Chia e Tuerredda)
3 Giorni Cala Gonone (Gita in barca, Cala Goloritze e un giorno a rilassarti in una delle spiagge vicine raggiungibili in macchina, vedi il mio post con il link che ti ho dato dove ci sono parecchie opzioni sulle cose da fare in zona)
2/3 Giorni Olbia area (gita arcipelago della maddalena e visita la costa smeralda, e le bellissime spiagge nei dintorni come Romazzino, Spiaggia del Principe e Capriccioli.
In questo modo ti stressi di meno, perche’ fare mordi e fuggi in molti posti secondo me non ne vale la pena, soprattutto perche’ le cose piu’ belle da fare come le gite in barca le devi programmare almeno 1 giorno o due prima, perche’ altrimenti rischi di non trovare posto e sarebbe un peccato non farle!!)
Vorrei sapere cosa mi consiglia da mangiare (quello che ‘e la specialita del isola), dolce, salato, pasta, pizza?!
Allora, quando non sei in spiaggia tutto il giorno, ti consiglio di assaggiare la Pasta alla Bottarga (specialita’ dell’isola!) e le Seadas, dolci fritti con formaggio fuso dentro, anche queste tipiche sarde (e buonissime), per il resto, se ti piace il pesce e i frutti di mare, io mi butterei sugli spaghetti alle vongole o ai frutti di mare,conditi con olio e prezzemolo e senza sugo di pomodoro… rendono molto meglio!)
Spero di esserti stata di aiuto 🙂
In bocca al lupo e congratulazioni per il matrimonio!
Clelia
You have done a great job! Nice article with all info! I just love it.
Thanks a lot! 🙂
Hi Clelia,
Thanks for a very informative blog.
I plan to visit with my family and 2 kids for 7 days and would like to know which would be the best place to rent a villa. We would like to visit a few beaches but not make the trip too hectic with the children.Are there some good websites for renting villas that I could try and search?
Thanks,
Kunal
Hi Kunal,
Thanks for your message! I recently wrote a post mentioning a good friend who deals with villa renting in south Sardinia, he might be able to help you out if you are looking for quiet places to stay in the area: This is the post, you can fill in your details on the contact form and he will receive your query and I’ll be in copy to check things out.
Hope this helps!
Cheers
Clelia
Absolute travel frenzy that you have created by posting about Sardinia. Good for those planning to go on a Mediterranean holiday.
You can say that!!
All of these beaches look beyond amazing. What a great guide! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Nancie! I love them all too (and I could have put so many other on the list!)
Hi Clelia,
Thank you so much for your website and your kindness in answering emails.
We have 7 days in Sardinia and I believe I have narrowed down what MUST do/see:
1. Cala Gonone- rent a rubber boat to see the various caves and beaches
2. Beaches in Costa Smerelda- Romazzino, Cala di Volpe, Capriccioli, Porto Rotondo and Li’ Iltriceddhi
3. Boat Trip to Maddalena Archipelago
4. Tinnari & Isola Rosa
4. Stintino & La Perlosa Beach
We are confused about where to stay- we could stay in 2 hotels in various locations. We are flying from Rome and are able to fly into Olbia and leave from Alghero. Do you have any recommendations? We like small towns, near the sea, with restaurants. We don’t need nightlife.
Thanks so much.
Sally
Hey Sally!
Thanks for your nice comment 🙂
Your itinerary it’s quite nice as you’re going to see some beautiful places, but in 7 days you’ll need to rush a bit. If you don’t mind, then of course go ahead!
I’d say:
1. Cala Gonone- rent a rubber boat to see the various caves and beaches :
Perfect idea to rent your own boat! you can stay in Cala Gonone Village for 1/2 nights, which is perfect as it’s near the pier and on the beach, not much nightlife but at least a few restaurants to eat, you can have a look at their deals in here:(I don’t give you specific hotels as you need to check he availability first)
2. Beaches in Costa Smerelda- Romazzino, Cala di Volpe, Capriccioli, Porto Rotondo and Li’ Iltriceddhi
3. Boat Trip to Maddalena Archipelago
In here you can stay in just one Hotel as the places are quite close to each other, I personally liked the villages of Cannigione which is directly on the sea, whilst Arzachena andSan Pantaleo are not directly on the sea.
A great place to stay in Cannigione is this: as it has great views or this other one. If you stay in Cannigione, you can drive a bit and look for nice local restaurants in Arzachena for your dinner time. The Village is bigger than Cannigione and you’ll find several options in there.
Again, being already May, it’s more difficult to find availability, but you can check the website and make sure to book as soon as possible as the best deals go very fast!
4. Tinnari & Isola Rosa:
I LOVE Tinnari and being on your way to Alghero airport I’d say that your best bet for the place to stay is in Badesi: A nice little village, very close to the sea and with a few panoramic restaurants with sea view and the sunset. I’ve been there a few time and it’s a good base to move and see Tinnari and Isola Rossa (only 30 min by car from Badesi).
4. Stintino & La Pelosa Beach
I’d say, if you want to see la Pelosa, you could drive from Badesi directly to the beach on your last day (1 hour and 20 minutes by car) and spend the last night before your departure at a nearby hotel in Stintino, so you can check in, leave your stuff in there and go to the beach, then rest for the night and head to Alghero the next day.
A place I’d recommend in Stintino is “Hotel Cala Reale”, very nice, but I’m not sure about the availability as it’s quite popular, you can check out the places and availability for Stintino in here.
I saw a few good deals for last minute bookings as May is the hottest season for bookings! 🙂
I love your Itinerary and you’re going to see some amazing places, it would have been great if you had 2 weeks so you could relax more, but you will see the best of the best! 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
You are amazing! Thanks for the information!
Awww Thanks, Sally! I’m always glad when I receive some feedback 😉
Hi Kle,
Loved reading thru your beach blog about Sardinia. As a fellow blogger in Dallas, I understand it takes so much time to respond to everyone’s questions but your answers are so kindly written so that’s why I’m writing you. My boyfriend is going to Barcelona for a 10 day biking adventure and I’m meeting him there in 2 weeks. We were originally going to visit Ibiza and Amalfi coast but have changed our minds last minute.
So we will be arriving on Sunday, Jun 7 and flying into Olbia airport and want to visit beaches/towns in the north / east coast areas. We will be flying back to Barcelona on Friday Jun 12. So……not to add more to your busy plate i need HELP!!!! I’m not concerned with hotels because those i can easily find but given the timeframe I just mentioned, what would your recommend. We’re looking forward to relaxing by the beautiful beaches. Plus we will have a car.
Hi Saima! Thanks for stopping by (and for your understanding on how much work do I put in answering to everyone!), I’ll be back and reply to you in 3-4 days (I have a business conference so no time to reply properly these days!)I hope I’ll still be in time to help you…stay tuned!!
Hi again,
Yes , just let me know when your time frees up a bit. Just to make it more detailed here is what I was sort of thinking:
The purpose of trip is to relax, see some of the countryside, explore beaches and enjoy the culture & wonderful food. The beaches we hope to see are Calo Goritze, Cala Mariolu, Cala Luna, La Pelosa Sintino and Bidderosa Beach? I realize we will have to get a boat to go to some of these. Also before you read the itinerary idea below, is it worth it to take a day trip to La Maddalena or maybe a day/overnight trip to Corsica. I know this sounds like a lot in a short time frame LOL…maybe I’m being a bit enthusiastic. And I know that you mention how much you like San Teodoro, we are not necessarily that keen on bars/nightlife parties on this trip.
-We fly into Cagliari airport on Sunday
-Rent car and drive up the coast to Cala Gonone area to explore the beaches in that area and stays at Hotel Su Gonone. Stay 2/3 nights.
-Drive from Cala Gonone to the Porto Cervo area and stay at Petra Segrete Hotel for 2/3 nights.
-Drive from Porto Cervo back to Cagliari early Sat morning and stay within the city at The Birkin Luxury Apartment or The Place Cagliari. Enjoy the city. We fly back to Barcelona on Sunday
I hope that gives you an idea so you don’t have to write paragraphs of itinerary. Thanks so much!
Saima
Ah ok thanks for your info 🙂 one last question, is San teodoro and santa teresa near from each other? Is it possible to visit both for 5 days trip? If not, which is worth to visit ? Thanks
Hey Eyera,
San Teodoro and Santa Teresa are not THAT far away if you don’t mind driving for 1 hour and 30 minutes! It’s definitely worth it to see them both in my opinion, if you like nice beaches and great night life then San teodoro is Better, for snorkeling and a bit more quiet atmosphere, Santa Teresa might be better.
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
Poland invades Sardinia soon! 😉
Just wanted to double check my stuff. We like traveling by car and discovering cities, landscapes and beautiful places. Rarely we swim but can stare at nice things for hours :). A lot of photo shooting. Love real food and natural stuff. We have 7 days (14/06, landing in Cagliari at 18:00, departure 21/06 at 7:45). No too much time to discover things.
What about this?:
14/06 at 18:00 (1 night) –> transfer to Bosa (nice city?), morning up visit a town
15/06 afternoon –> north coast travel from Bosa to Palau area to visit La Maddalena islands. She we go directly or through Capo Caccia or La pelosa? Or…anything else?
15/06-17/06 (2 nights) –> Palau area. Better to stay 2 days in Palau and trip to La Maddalena for a day or dock directly on La Maddalena for 2 days with hotel? Can we make it by foot there or bike (boat tripis not for us)? We like nice area and good food and wine. What shall we do? 🙂
17/06 morning –> transfer to Orosei area (can be Orosei or Cala Gonoe or Banuei or Artabax). What do you recommend? We do not swim too much. Prefer to drive a little and go by foot or bike further.
17/06-20/06 (3 nights) – Ortosei area. Probably one day we will go by foot to Cala Mariolu (18th) or sth like this. Second day (19th) mountains or canyon. Third day (20th) travel by east-south coast to Cagliari hotel to be there afternoon. Any reco how to navigate to Cagliari through nice things? Having arrived at Cagliari, short city trip afternoon with nice restaurant. Any recommended with sea food?
21/06 at 7:45 –> Departure to the land of Poland.
Thanks a lot for your advice. You are doing a great job here!
Macek
Hey Maciej! I’ll be replying in detail to your question in 3 days as I will be at a conference and can’t work on my blog during these days (I have to pack my suitcase as we speak)!!! Stay tuned! 🙂
Hi Clelia,
Thanks for your quick response. I will definitely check out the east cost beaches . But also, I came across this chia beach, it looks amazing as well. Is the beach located at east cost? Or it’s far from olbia airport? Thanks
Hi Eyera, I know Chia beach very well (so well that I call it MY BEACH)! But unfortunately is on the South West Sardinia, so yes…it’s very far away from Olbia, that’s why I don’t even mention it in my reply, as it’s not worth to drive for 4 hours and back.
No one would ever do that ,unless you had more time and it would make sense to stop for a while in the north and then in the South, but as for the South, Chia and Tuerredda are in my opinion the best beaches, other than that, since I’m very picky, the North East beaches are more and almost all of them are smashingly beautiful so you can’t go wrong! 🙂
Good evening. Congratulation for the phenomenal Blog. My question is if you see feasibly to visit cove Mariolu and Cove Goloritze with a baby of 15 months. Also which are the calmest or paradisiac beaches. Thank you very much.
Hi Javier,
Thanks for your nice words! I’m always glad when people find my content useful! As per your request, it depends… If you can carry your baby on your back or your front with those special straps, then it’s doable, but for Cala Goloritze you need to be careful as the path is steep and you wold need to go slowly. Always ensure to have enough water and food for you and your baby because you won’t find anything on the beach.
For Cala Mariolu, if the Baby doesn’t suffer of motion sickness it should be OK, but never forget to bring with you an umbrella or something to protect him/her from the sun as the beaches don’t have any facilities (they are quite wild), but all in all you can do it!
As for the calmest and best beaches…well, on my top 10 there are many to pick from! depending on which area you want to explore, they are all great!
Hope it helps
Cheers
Cle
Hi Clelia,
Great blog you have here, useful info too. I am planning to visit sardinia in June from the 13th June til 18th. Based on your info and pictures, I feel like visiting all the beaches in sardinia! so beautiful. So for the first timer like me, where do you recommend that has the best beaches? white sand, easy to find food ? and i am not sure to fly to olbia airport or alghero. which airport is easier to travel to the best beaches? hope to hear from you soon. Thanks
Hey Eyera, I know….the beaches are all gorgeous but having only 5 days you have to pick one area 🙂
If I had to choose for the first timers, I’d say, go to the North and land at Olbia airport as the east coast has the most beautiful beaches!
I thought I was biased, but the other day I made a small survey among my Sardinian friends and they all agree with me that the east coast is the best. From Santa Teresa, to Villasimius, you will have the best beaches.
I’d say, stay close enough to the Airport, as you won’t want to spend your holiday driving, so either Santa Teresa, Palau area (don’t forget the boat trip in there, amazing!), or San Teodoro if you want a bit more of social life and cocktail bars, restaurants, live music etc by night).
I won’t move further than these 3 locations because you really don’t have the time. So you will be “forced” to come back for more, as usually people do after their first visit! 🙂
Cheers
Cle
Hi Clelia,
Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but I am really trying to find the best place strategically to stay in Sardinia.
We are a young couple, and we have 10 (maybe 12 days) in July.
What’s the best option for arriving by plane, Caglari or Alghero ?
Which part of the island has the better water…?
Hi Shena
In my opinion, the best place to stay strategically in Sardinia is the North East Coast, where you can easily move around and where you will find the best beaches, so I’d say Olbia Airport for that part of the island, or if you want to explore the south, the choice goes obviously to Cagliari Airport!
Based on my experience, all the east coast from Villasimius to Santa Teresa has the best water and landscapes in general. Not that the rest of Sardinia is bad, not at all. I’m only pointing out the best of the best (if that makes sense) 🙂
No questions…but just wanted to say thank you for putting all this information out there for all us Sardinia fans. It is truly exceptional for a blogger to offer so much information in response to personalised questions. I myself can never decide between Goloritze and Mariolu…have to keep going back to see if I will ever be able to put one ahead of the other in my affections!
Hey Dallas, you can’t imagine how glad I am to read message like yours. Well, you know what? I can’t help it. Usually Sardinian people are very helful so maybe that’s why I want to take my time to reply! Unfortunately now the people asking questions are increasing, and I don’t have the material time to reply immediately, especially to specific questions, but I love my country and my Island more than anything!
As per Cala Goloritze e mariolu…i love both almost the same way, they are both spectacular!
loooooove your web site and great information about your beautiful Sardinia Island. will keep reading for my next trip to amazing Italy and only Italy….. love it so much…
thx,
Jim
Awww thanks Jim! I am planning on writing some new guides about Italy and Sardinia, so stay tuned 🙂
Thanks for your kind words, they mean a lot to me!
Great post! So informative!
Thanks! A lot of work (and I seriously mean A LOT) was involved to write this post, so I’m always glad to hear some good feedback from my readers!
Cheers
Cle
hello, i will go sardinia on 10 june, arriving( 9am) to Algero airoport and rent a car from there.
So, I decided:
day 1- stay in Alghero- visit La pelosa, Grotte de nettuno
day 2 – travel from Alghero to Porto Cervo, visit capriciolli
day 3 – go from Porto Cervo to Cala gonone , take the boat and visit Cala mariolu
day 4 – returning Alghero from Cala Gonone
day 5 – going home
will be dificult do all this? i know time travel is around 2-2.5 hours. Is this a good idea? Can u pls help me with other itinerary maybe?
i wanna relax on beach also , not driving and driving
thanks!!
ps. i dont wanna explore all the areas i am just focused in La pelosa, capriciolli, cala mariolu , cala goloritze
Ciao Clelia, Can you reply me please, i still have time to change my rezervations:-)
thank you very much!
Love your blog!
Hi Gabry! Here I am 🙂
I had a look at your itinerary and it MIGHT be doable but it’s a bit stressful as you’ll be driving around a lot!
Let’s see..
Day One Alghero : I’d suggest you spend your day at La Pelosa beach, not sure if you will be able to fit the visit at the Grotte di Nettuno, unless you stay in Alghero 2 days…
Day 2 From Alghero to Porto Cervo: The shortest route is 2 hours drive, passing through Berchidda and Olbia, not that bad, spend the day in Capriccioli Beach (stunning choice!) and the next day you can head south to Orosei
Day 3: Porto Cervo Orosei: another 1 hour and 40 minutes by car to the main village of Orosei, so to be able to catch the boat in the morning you’ll have to be at the pier at around 8 am (Cala Gonone is the closest pier from where you can catch the boats, other options are Arbatax and Santa maria Navarrese, but they are further away. To reach Cala Gonone is around 2 hours from Porto Cervo, whilst it will take you 3 hours to get to Arbatax and surroundings).
You can check out this website to see the options from Cala Gonone, but there are other companies covering that route too.
Day 4: going back from Cala Gonone to Alghero: 2 hours and 30 minutes drive…quite a long journey
I’d say, this itinerary is OK if you don’t mind rushing from one place to the other but you’ll have to be very organized and on schedule the whole time!
In my opinion, if you REALLY want to visit the Golfo di Orosei you should skip either la Pelosa beach or Capriccioli, otherwise a valid alternative would be skipping the Golfo di Orosei and focus on the Porto Cervo area, where you can take another amazing boat trip to the Arcipelago della Maddalena Instead.
If you were flying to Olbia then your itinerary could be doable and easier (skipping Alghero of course), but since you have to go back there, I’d say for 5 days, stay in one max 2 places, so you’ll have to sacrifice something.
If I had to choose, knowing the roads and the stress to get from one place to the other, be on time for the boat etc… I’d skip the Golfo di Orosei (even if I LOVE that place) as it’ really too far away from Alghero.
This way you’ll have an excuse to come back to Sardinia, this time landing at Olbia and visit that fantastic area!
I hope this helped you a bit 🙂
Cheers
Cle
Thank you so so much for your reply!
MMM… hard decisions…. I arrive to alghero after a long way so my first day will be in alghero, because i dont wanna drive another 2 hours in the same day i arrive there.
I definitly wanna visit the orosei coast !
So first and last night will be in alghero, my flight is on 8 am when i departure, safer be around airport. Second and third night night around golfo di Orosei i think is the best choise.
I also don.t find difficult drive 2 hour from 7-9 am, reach porto cervo from alghero, and the next day from 6-8 arrive cala gonone and hire a boat. If i do all this i don’t care what i will be doing on the last day :)) like i said hard decision when the time is so so short!
Thanks again for your reply Cle kisses
Hey Gabry!
It seems to me that you are quite keen on driving your way around Sardinia! This is good news as your itinerary is quite feasible then! I’m also pretty sure you will (literally in this case) enjoy the ride!!
Have a great time in Sardinia, the weather at the moment is lovely! 🙂
Cheers
Cle
Hi Cle!
Your blog is absolutely fantastic, such detailed information which I’ve found hard to get anywhere else on Sardinia! 🙂
I was wondering if you could help me out with a few details of a trip I’m planning with my boyfriend to Sardinia in July?:)
We have seven days, and are flying into Cagliari from Rome. When I read your other blog replies, I was a bit worries when you mentioned July as the peak tourist season as we are both students in our twenties and looking to travel sardinia on a budget! That said we don’t mind spending a bit more to see as much as such a beautiful place has to offer!
Initially we had looked at travelling up the west coast as we fly home to Ireland from Alghero, but having read your advice and seen the stunning beaches the east coast has to offer I think i’ve changed my mind!
So, these are our queries:
1. We are thinking of renting a car, but were worried about cost- is travelling feasible without a car, bearing in mind that we have to get from Cagliari to Alghero, and want to visit as many costal regions as we can on the way?
2. We are looking at spending two nights in Cagliari, do you recommend the city itself as worth seeing? Also would daytrips to Chia and Villasimius be feasible?
3. We are then looking to head up the east coast to Orosei. How close is the town to the beaches of Cala Marilou/ Cala Goloritze and what would you recommend for activities in the area?( snorkelling, sightseeing, trekking, boat excursions etc 🙂 )
4. Is the national park nearby worth visiting/accesable? We are both avid hikers and would love to get some landscape trekking in 🙂
5. The next few days I’m not too sure yet what we are thinking, would you have any reccomendations in the Olbia/San Teodoro area? We are thinking of spending 1/2 nights in Alghero before our flight so that would be our eventual destination. Is it a long drive from Olbia to Alghero?:)
Sorry for the long essay haha! But seriously, well done with your blog and I would really appreciate any advice you would have for us:) Can’t wait to visit it seems like a wonderful country! :))
Roisin 🙂 x
Hey Rosin,
I’m so glad I let you change your mind towards the east coast! 🙂 I mean don’t get me wrong, there are fantastic places on the west coast too, but overall the east coast has much more to offer in my opinion!
As for your questions..
1) It is feasible to travel without a car, for example, from Cagliari to Olbia you can either take the train (Less than 4 hours and 17 euros) or the bus (not recommended in this case as you have to change at least 2 and it takes more than 6 hours). The only issue I foresee is that in 7 days if you don’t have the car you’ll have to plan your trip by bus very carefully, checking the departure schedules and so on, quite stressful as Sardinia public transport is, unfortunately a bit messy not to mention that to reach the best beaches you still would need a car. The bus will certainly take you to the main cities but not to most of the secluded beaches. So the car is a good investment for such a short period of time!
2)Yes I highly recommend you to visit Cagliari, it’s a very nice city, take one day to discover the pier area, going up to Piazza Yenne, and then turn right to Via Manno and Via Garibaldi to get to the Bastione di San Remi’ where you can admire the whole city at sunset. Also the old town and the cathedral are worth a visit (you can walk there from the Bastione), the atmosphere in the old town is enchanting! Or you can take a walk at “Terrapieno” (also starting from the Bastione). It’s a nice walk outside the walls of the old city and the view of the city is very suggestive. Other places worth checking in Cagliari are the main beach Poetto (even if now they are reconstructing the main road and make it available only for buses and bicycles) and Monte Urpinu, another great place for its view on the city.
The day trips to Chia and Villasimius are certainly doable (but get up VERY EARLY in the morning as in July the traffic is crazy and It might take you more than 1 hour and a half to get there if you leave later than 8 am).
This is especially true for Chia, also… getting back to Cagliari is even worst if you don’t choose the right timing, either leave the beach early (around 2/3 pm at the latest) or very late (later than 8 pm) otherwise it might take 2 hours of more with massive traffic.
Try going during the week, when the locals are still working and the roads are a bit better in terms of traffic. The beginning of July is still not as crazy as August, I’m just warning you because the weekends are the worst!
You’ll need 2 days to visit both Chia and Villasimius as they are on the opposite site of Cagliari and Villasimius is a bit trickier, as recently the relatively new road collapsed in a few points so you can get there by driving along the coast (which I love for the views), but it’s a bit more stressful for the driver.
I used to go to both Chia and Villasimius for a day trip all the time, they are not exactly around the corner, but it can be done easily. Take Umbrellas and some food/snacks with you because, especially in Chia, there are no restaurants near the beach.
So if you want to visit Cagliari, Chia and Villasimius you’ll actually need 3 days in Cagliari, then you can move up to the Orosei area, which leads to question n.3 🙂
3)Cala Mariolu, Cala Luna, Cala Sisine and the small coves on the coastline are only reachable by boat (except for Cala Sisine but you’ll need to drive up to a certain point and then leave the car and walk for around 1 hour). With 30/40 euros you’ll get on a big boat that will take you around for the whole day, leaving you a few hours in Cala Mariolu, Cala Luna and Cala Sisine (the itinerary might vary a bit depending on the company you choose so make sure to ask how long the boat it’s going to stop in each beach and also ask if lunch is included in the price as some companies charge less but don’t provide lunch). Also, if you are interested, ask if they have English speaking guides.
So my recommendation for the Orosei area is: 1 day DEFINITELY devoted to the boat trip, and another day since you like hiking and trekking, you can go to Cala Goloritze’, which can be reached only by foot. the path is quite steep and it takes around 1-2 hours to go down and a bit more to get back. But it’s TOTALLY WORTH IT! Yet again, the beach is very small and you’ll have to get there quite early in the morning, also because the sun set early in there, because of the mountains surrounding the beach. At around 4:30 /5 pm there is no more direct sun on the beach, so better to enjoy it early in the morning anyway.
The Orosei area is also perfect for trekking, you can find a base in Orosei or Cala Gonone and discover the small traditional villages of Baunei, Hike the Gorroppu Canion and visit the Golgo(a surreal place!).
For other trekking/hiking paths, the Gennargentu National Park is perfect for you and quite easy to reach if you are based in Baunei, or even Orosei (it’s just 1 hour and 15 minutes away and the drive itself is also part of the fun, as the views are great!)
So , since you want to see a lot in one week, we said 3 days in Cagliari, and I’d say AT LEAST 3 days in the Orosei area (boat trip 1 day, trekking to Cala Golortoze’ 1 day, Trekking to Gennargentu /su Gorroppu, another day), This way you’ll just have one day to go from Orosei to Alghero (it’s a bit more than 2 hours drive passing through Nuoro, Macomer and Sassari), so if you leave very early in the morning you’ll have the time to see a bit of Alghero as well!
As you can see, there is so much to do! The only thing you can do is either skip the visit to Cagliari city, or one of the two beaches in the south and have more time to spend in Alghero. Difficult choice 🙂
I hope it helped and that you’ll have a great time in my beautiful Sardinia!
Cheers
Clelia
Hi Cle, only seeing your response now!! Wow!
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful, detailed response. We have decided you hire a car- thank you for the traffic warnings haha!
If you are ever in Ireland don’t hesitate to ask for travel advice 🙂
Thanks again, and well done on your blog, its super!
🙂
xRoisin
Awww thanks Rosin, I’m always so happy to receive feedback on my answers, i really put all my effort when I reply and I’m glad you found it useful 🙂
Have a smashing holiday in Sardinia!
Cheers
Clelia
Thanks for this lovely blog. It,s very helpful and informative.
Thank you 🙂
Hello Clelia,
There’s so much good information here on your website. Stumbling upon as I did has done a lot to firm my plans for the summer, which, yes, do include a visit to Sardinia! I was hoping to get your advice on something specific and targeted related to Sardinia. My visit to Sardinia would not include the use of a car. I am attempting to forego one to start. However, with that in mind, what would be the one spot in Sardinia that would offer enough in the way of beach, sun, food, and evening entertainment to satisfy? In other words, if one was to stick to one location in Sardinia, which would offer the most in terms of the things I mentioned above? In my case specifically, it would also be worth noting that I’d be arriving to Sardinia via ferry from Ajaccio, Corsica. So perhaps something along that coast or the northeast coast would ideal as well to keep in mind. Looking forward to you sharing your thoughts! Thanks in advance!!!
-Chris
Hey Chris! Glad you liked my post! :)Your question is quite common among my readers! If you don’t want to use the car, there are a few options to consider:
1) San Teodoro is always my top choice. I went there many times with no car, that’s why I know for sure it has everything you need. It’s easy to reach, well connected to other places of interest by bus (Golfo di Orosei, Olbia, Costa Smeralda and all the beaches along the way). Seeing that you’ll be arriving from Corsica, I assume you’ll get to Porto Torres pier? Or are you arriving to Golfo Aranci? That would be a useful info as depending where you arrive some places are more convenient than others but still, even if you arrive at Porto Torres, getting to San Teodoro is not that bad. You can take a local bus to Sassari (only 20 minutes away) and then get a bus (ARST OR TURMO TRAVEL are the ones that cover that route) and you’ll get to San Teodoro in less than 2 hours.
2) Villasimius. It’s another good choice for people without a car as the beach and the village are at walking distance and you also have some great surroundings to explore by bike if you want. Your only problem here is that to get to Villasimius by the northern part of Sardinia is quite an hassle so I’d still recommend san Teodoro.
Other places to consider, that people liked are the Alghero area, but without a car you’ll have to stick to the local beach which is in my opinion not fantastic (yet again, I have to remind you that I’m super spoiled with beaches!) 🙂
So all in all I’d say that San Teodoro is your safest choice!
Hope it helps! Have a great time in Sardinia Chris!
Hi Clelia,
Great blog. We are a group of 4 friends thinking of visiting Sardinia this summer and as a result of knowing very little about the Island were hoping for some advice on where to stay?
Ideally we would like somewhere with reasonably nice accommodation, good beaches and food and somewhere with a bit of atmosphere/night-life in the evenings.
We have had a look at San Teodoro but is there anywhere else that you would suggest which meets the above criteria?
Thanks,
Alex
Hey Alex,
Honestly, from my experience when I wanted to experience nice beaches and great nightlife, my mind immediately goes to San Teodoro or Villasimius. I also stayed at a camping near Arzachena and the vibe was awesome, but mostly because of the great company and the camping experience itself as there is not much going on in Cannigione during the night, unless you have the car, a bit of money to spend and then you can join the jet-set nightlife in Porto Rotondo or Porto Cervo (Costa Smeralda).
I personally prefer the more “simple” nightlife of san Teodoro and Villasimius, with nice cocktail Bars, music places, restaurants and night markets.
All the other areas I know in Sardinia are maybe amazing for the beaches but a bit far away from the villages and their nightlife. I’d never get tired to say it, but you have to consider that for me a beach that is probably awesome for many people is only “nice” or “nothing special” as I’m very spoiled, knowing that in Sardinia we have some truly amazing spots!
Hope it helps!
Ciao! 🙂
Hello,
I stumbled upon your blog by accident and love your tips on Sardinia!
I was wondering if you could reccommend me a place (or two) to stay at during my 5 day trip in June? I’ll be travelling there with my girlfriend and another couple and based on your recommendations in the comments, I was thinking of heading to Golfo di Orosei and spend the five days there (we land in Olbia).
Do you think there is enough to do in and around Orosei for five days or should we spend our time between, say Orosei or Costa Smeralda/San Teodoro?
Activities-wise, we like hiking, watersports, beaches, exploring culture, good food and we will rent a car to get around. 🙂
Thank you very much for taking time to answer my questions!
Cheers,
Kerem
Hi Kerem!
Sardinia is definitely worth a visit 🙂 As per your Itinerary, since you have only 5 days you have 3 choices really (depending on whether you want to move to see more or just relax a bit) 🙂
OPTION ONE:
You stay in Orosei which is a good base for the type of activities you want to try like Hiking, exploring culture and food. Since you have the car you can also move to some other great spots like San Teodoro, Budoni and Siniscola. Obviously you have to take the day trip by boat to Cala Mariolu, Cala Luna and the small coves around the Golgo di Orosei area. When you are not driving around you can relax at the nearby beaches of Marina di Orosei, Osalla Beach and Su Barone Beach.
OPTION TWO:
You stay 2 days in the Orosei Area (one day for the boat trip and the second day to relax on the beach) and then drive up to Palau or the smallest village of Cannigione/Arzachena (around 2 hours drive) so you can check out the other AMAZING boat trip to the Arcipelago Della Maddalena and spend the second day relaxing on a nice beach around Arzachena like Spiaggia del Principe or Capriccioli. Then you can go back to Olbia to take your flight ( 30 minutes by car from Arzachena).
OPTION 3: you skip Orosei completely and just stay in the Arzachena Area take the boat for the Arcipelago della Maddalena, and spend the rest of the days exploring the Costa Smeralda beaches and the more local vibe in Arzachena and San Pantaleo villages.
I don’t want to influence you too much so I won’t tell you which one I’d choose, but if you read my comments you probably know already 🙂
Cheers
Clelia
Thank you for your reply!
I hadn’t received an email that you had replied to me, so sorry for the late reply.
Option one sounds great and thank you for the suggestions to how to spend our time. We will definitely check out San Teodoro, Budoni and Siniscola.
Cheers,
Kerem
No worries Kerem,
I also have big troubles in keeping up with all the messages I receive 🙂 Have fun In sardinia!!
Cle,
I just read almost all the comments, and cannot believe the dedication you have to answer each one, its amazing!
I am an 21 year old argentine student living in Italy right now. During my 6 months in Italy I discovered this blog and am becoming slowly addicted. And of course, cannot finish this experience without getting to the wonderful Sardinia!!
Yet I only have 5 days to visit. I want to do 1 or 2 villages, and as many beautifull beaches as I can. What would you reccomend? San Teodoro blew my mind, but also golfo di orsei.
Still deciding wether to fly to olbia or cagliari, depending on the towns to visit, and probably renting a car. My boyfriend is coming to visit me, and we will go together:)
Thank you for everything!!
Hey Cami!
I saw your emails on my inbox the other day and I was about to reply asking you to post your question in here and you preceded me! Well done, at least some people still read my policy on the contact form 🙂
Thanks for your kind words and for taking the time to read almost all the comments (they are very useful for me too as this way I discover what people really want to know and therefore I’m able to improve this guide and write other related ones…coming soon!)
As for your question, if you really want to see both San Teodoro and The Golfo Di Orosei, I think it’s doable. You should book a flight to Olbia and go straight to Orosei, Cala Gonone or any of the other small villages in the area close to the pier for the boat trips.
From Olbia to Orosei is 1 hours and 15 minutes by car and 2 hours and 30 minutes by bus
From Olbia to Cala Gonone is around 1 hour and a half by car and 4 hour and 30 minutes by bus…the last option is not very convenient, just in case you decide not renting a car.
You can stay there for 2 days, which is enough time to see the best beaches by boat and roam around the villages at night!
Then you can head north to San Teodoro for 3 days and enjoy the party vibe and the beautiful beaches around the area, this way you’ll be closer to the Olbia airport : 25 minutes, max 45 min by car, taking it VERY SLOWLY and counting the possible traffic, or 40 minutes by bus. The bus route, in this case might be better as the bus drives along the coast, but if you have the car you can still take the same road (strada statale 125), it’s up to you, either way, from San Teodoro, the Olbia Airport is very easy to reach!
From Cala Gonone to San Teodoro is a little bit more than 1 hour by car but almost 4 hours by bus
From Orosei to San Teodoro is 1 hour by car and 1 hour and 40 minutes by bus, so a bit more convenient if you don’t want to rent the car and save a bit of money.
So wrapping it up, I think you can see both places! Ok it might be a bit rushed up but don’t forget that I once drove from Cagliari at 4 am to be at the Arbatax Pier (Golfo di Orosei) before 7 am, buy the ticket for the boat trip to Cala Mariolu and the other stunning beaches and drove back after the trip the same day! 🙂 That’s how much I LOVE the area, no matter if you only stay one day, the experience is worth the trip!
Hope it helps and let me know how it goes 🙂
Ciao!!
Clelia
PS: I forgot to tell you something VERY important! I LOVE ARGENTINIAN PEOPLE!!! I met a few during my trips and you guys are so much fun! Very similar to our Italian way of life and similar sense of humor too!
Cle!
Thank you so so much for your tips, and for the nice comment on the Argentinians ☺ I agree 100%, argentines and italians, we are so similar. And if you like travelling, and incredible nature I strongly reccomend the beaches in Uruguay and south of Argentina for your bucket list.
Regarding my questions, do you think these two towns are a good idea for a first impression of Sardinia?
It would be something like this:
June 2:
Fly into Olbia Airport/
Rent a car
Drive to Cala Gonone or Golfo di Orosei.
From June 2 to 5:
Go to the beaches around the area, so Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritze are a must right? Go by boat or driving? What else shouldn’t we miss?
Any recommendations of nice (reasonable price) hotels? You put apartments in your post, but being 2 probably a hotel is the best idea!
June 5th:
Drive to San Teodoro, maybe stop in a beach on the way.
I’m checking the La Palma Hotel wich looks great. If no availability, any other at a reasonable Price?
The best beaches there are near the village?
June 6: Enjoy any specific Beach?
June 7: Drive to Olbia and head back to milan.
I am literally blown away with your dedication to your blog, I will recommend it to everyone I know and likes to travel.
If you are ever in South America, dont hesitate to write and I will give you all the help I can.
Cami
Hey Cami!
Here I am again
Ok, let’s see all your questions!! 🙂
The first one is ABSOLUTELY YES! Golfo di Orosei and San Teodoro are perfect as a first visit in Sardinia. I love both places, but my top one is Golfo di Orosei for its wild beauty and typical Sardinian vibe and San Teodoro because there is so much to do in town and the beaches around are also beautiful.
Regarding the itinerary, it looks good to me, and yes, Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritze are a MUST indeed!
You’ll need to get a boat trip to get to Cala Mariolu (which also stop to Cala Luna and depending on the company you choose it will take you to some small coves as well).
For Cala Goloritze you can either rent a private small boat (some of them cost as low as 70 euros) and swim to the beach (maybe take an inflatable mattress with you!) or if you are fit, you can reach the beach from the road but it’s a pretty long, steep and not so easy hike (at least 1-2 hours to go down and more to go up). But please, please DON’T SKIP IT! try to go very early in the morning as the beach is very small and can get crowded.
Other beaches you can’t miss in the area (if you stay in the village of Orosei) are Cala Liberotto beach (20 minutes by car from Orosei) and Berchida Beach (less than 40 minutes by car from Orosei), they are stunning sandy beaches, you’ll love them!
So you can spend one day on the boat trip and the other 2 days relaxing on these fantastic beaches!
For the accommodation, you can find something cheap in Orosei, I’d say check both hotels and small houses as sometimes the houses are cheaper! Here is a link to check out the best offers for Orosei (which in my opinion is your best option as a base, because it’s very close to the beaches I mentioned earlier).
On your way to San Teodoro the best stops to check out a few nice beaches are Siniscola (half way between Orosei and San Teodoro) where you can check out one of these 3 beaches: Capo Comino, Santa Lucia or la Caletta. Alternatively you can stop at Budoni Beach (I personally prefer this one to the others, even if they are still lovely!),
When in San Teodoro, if the Hotel La Palma is no longer available, you can check out all the offers in town, click here and you’ll have plenty of choice! (but hurry as that area is very popular so you have to book way in advance, people secure the best spots in January!!).
The main beach, La Cinta is reachable even by foot or bicycle, depending on where you are located in San Teodoro. I love that beach, it’s huge, white sand and turquoise sea, but depending on the season it can get very crowded and sometimes the tourists ruin its beauty. Since you are going at the beginning of June, it should hopefully be still relatively quiet as it’s the beginning of the season. I wouldn’t recommend it in August..
Other beaches worth exploring in the area are Lu Impostu beach (20 minutes by car), Spiaggia di Coda Cavallo, 25 minutes by car on towards Olbia, and Cala Brandinchi, which is also paradise (off season), BUT as per La Cinta Beach, it might get very crowded and the parking it’s very expensive in there (around 15 euros for the day…which is ridiculous). They call it the little “Thaiti” but it’s a bit of a risk to pay such a price and see that it’s full of people, so I’d say ask around before getting there and go first to Lu Impostu, which is less crowded and also protected from the wind. The water is spectacular with awesome colors!
Damn it, I’m writing all this from Sardinia and I have to work (my blog is my job), so I end up talking about my beautiful Island and for now I’m not able to enjoy it :), that’s why I’m taking a break either in July or September, to drive around!
Oh and when I will finally head to South America I’ll definitely let you know as I need a few tips, I really can’t wait to visit your country!!
Dear Cle,
After a bit of coming and going, i have finally my tickets and hotel reservation. Unfortunatley we can only take 4 days, but I did not want to miss my opportunity to see Sardegna. So we are going only from June 15 in the morning, till June 18 at night, and staying at a nice b&b in San Teodoro. We will have a car, so wich beaches do you say we should not miss??
Lu Impostu? Cala Liberotto? La Cinta (doesnt it get too crowdy?) Spiaggia di Coda Cavallo?
Thank you again 🙂
Cami
Hey Cami,
If you only have 4 days I’d say to try and check out La Cinta first (but yes, it does get crowded by mid june as it’s the most popular beach also for people who don’t have a car).
Lu impostu is a lovely beach, but it also get a bit crowded. To be fairly honest, during the summer season it’s very rare to find semi-deserted beaches in sardinia, and if they are, it means that are not spectacular.So you’ll need to compromise a bit and share paradise with other people. When I go to Tuerredda beach for example, I HATE that it gets incredibly crowded, but I understand that its beauty it’s so worth it that I go there anyway. Same applies to all the beaches near San Teodoro.
So I’d say, don’t miss Lu Impostu. Capo Coda Cavallo is also nice but it’s a small beach so not ideal when the tourists start to arrive… and the parking fee it’s quite expensive in there. You should try the Spiaggia dell’Isuledda” instead, they call it the “twin sister” of La Cinta, beautiful water, very crowded in august but less in June and so far the parking is for free (unless they changed things last minute)
Then….you can try and visit Cala Brandinchi. I loved that beach, it’s really awesome but the parking fees are ridiculous and you should go early in the morning to try and enjoy it to the fullest (and I mean very early in the morning!)
If I were you, I’d rather spend one day driving to Orosei or Cala Gonone (only 1 hour after all!) and do the boat trip to Cala Mariolu.
Then I’d spend another day driving up to Palau for the other amazing boat trip to Arcipelago della maddalena.
You’ll see some truly awesome places and June it’s still reasonable.
The remaining 2 days, as I said, try and see how crowded is La Cinta first (it’s so close to the village) and if it’s too crowded try Lu Impostu first and then Cala Brandinchi, as for Cala Liberotto, you’ll need to drive down near Orosei and the beach it’s pretty small but very nice and it should be far less crowded than the most famous ones.
What gets to my nerves is that I LOVE Sardinia and I truly think that 99% of the beaches are some of the most amazing in the world. And I’ve seen a lot of beaches in Thailand, Philippines etc, but when the tourist arrive they get a bit ruined. I get it, as I said… the beautiful beaches are the ones that everyone wants to see, but the Sardinia Region should put a limit for the number of people to get access to the beach (which is never going to happen as it would be a disaster for the travel industry) so I do hope you’ll find your little corner in these small paradise beaches and you might have the chance as June is still borderline and the mass tourism is still concentrated in August!
I hope that helped a bit!
Cheers
Clelia
Ciao Clelia,
I wanted to thank you for keeping this page, it’s very informative and useful. Actually I just came back from one-week trip, Tour della Terra Sarda 😉 and had checked 9 of 10 beaches you have recommended to see. I added some too, as people I met have recommended me to see some more (i.e. Is Arrutas, Porto Pino, Capo Testa – being not a beach exactly, but what a view!). I didn’t make it to Maddalena’s archipelag, next time will do.
I must say I fell in love with Sardegna, it is a truly beatiful island and a definite must-come-back for me 🙂
Thank you for all the effort of keeping this blog,
kind regards from Poland!
Hey Ilona, thanks so much for your comment, and WOW, you really checked out 9 out of 10 of these beaches in 1 week?! what an accomplishment! I know, there are so many other great beaches in Sardinia to discover, that’s why I’m planning to write many more articles about it and opened my new section. Still work in progress as there is too much to say!
Next time don’t miss the Arcipelago della Maddalena, is really a great place, but still I’m so glad you loved the Island and I’m always happy to receive these kind of comments and feedback, as they prove how beautiful my place is! I just landed in Sardinia yesterday where I’ll be staying for the summer and I can’t be happier!
Cheers from Sardinia!
Clelia
Hi Clelia,
I’m travelling to Sardinia for 4 nights mid May. I’m flying into Alghero. I would really like to spend time on a nice beach/beaches. What would you recommend? Is it worth leaving the area for 2 nights to get to these beaches or are there some near Alghero?
Thanks,
Dee.
Hey Dee, since you just have 4 nights, I’d recommend to stay in the Alghero Area, explore the surroundings, check out the beautiful “La pelosa beach” and “le Bombarde” beach and if you feel like driving a bit further you can either go to Bosa marina (lovely Village a few hours away by car from Alghero), or alternatively you can discover the northern part of Sardinia (Costa Paradiso, Castelsardo, Badesi beach and Isola dei Gabbiani).
Hope it helps 🙂
Cheers
Cle
Hi Clelia
Is it even worth going to sardinia for only 4 nights?
And id it is, where is the best area to stay for beautiful beaches and good simple sardinian food?
Please help me!
Thanks so much
Hi Jared,
I know of people who spent only 3 days on the Island and loved it, that said it depends on your budget and what you are expecting from the experience. Four days is definitely not much to see a lot of what Sardinia can offer, but is enough to stay in one cool location and enjoy the beach! Since you won’t have much time, I’d say to stay in one of the beautiful beaches on the east coast. You’ll have plenty of choices depending on your budget of course. If you could give me a bit more info I might be able to point you in the right direction.
It’s always good to know when you want to go (even if you’re still not sure, but at least I need to know if you prefer high season or low season), your budget, age range and main interests 🙂
As for your question, YES Sardinia is worth a visit, even for 4 days!!
Thanks so much for the reply clelia
I was thinking of staying in the Cala Gonone area? It seems the best way of getting to beaches like Cala Mariolu, Cala Goloritze and Cala Luna?
And from what I’m reading its not as commercial and pretentious as the north?
All i want is good food and good beaches.
I don’t need fancy accommodation, just clean. Hopefully i could find a 2 bedroom apartment or something because my friend and his wife are meeting us there.
We are both from South Africa, so spending in Euros is not ideal, but i don’t mind spending a bit to be in a good area with a neat clean room (i was thinking like around 150-200 euro for a room as i don’t really know what these things cost).
I also heard that you can rent a boat for like 80 euro per day which between 2 couples is not the end of the world i think. That way we can take ourselves to these beaches as apparently cars can’t get there?
Is this realistic?
We are all 30 and fit so also don’t mind walking to find things.
Sorry i meant to say that we will be there from the 24th or 25th of June until 30 June. Is that time busy already?
Hi Jared
I think your idea looks very doable! The Golfo di Orosei Area is actually a perfect fit for your needs, not too far away from Olbia Airport and you can rent a small apartment or book a cheap decent room in one of the hotels in Cala Gonone (if you want to be close to the sea) or to discover more of traditional Sardinia, also Baunei and Orosei are good choices.
From Cala Gonone there are boat rental services and if you split the cost with your friends that’s absolutely the best way to discover these beaches at your own pace and even avoid the crowds, as June is going to start getting crowded, but you can wait for the big boats to leave the beach and you’ll have it for yourself (or at least less crowded) for a few hours!
If you check my article, I link to some convenient places where you can book a nice place in the area of Orosei, Baunei and Cala Gonone. I usually use Booking.com as you don’t have to pay in advance and can cancel last minute so you will have plenty of time to decide what’s best for you without the risk of penalties.
I think you can even get better deals than 150/200 euros, just check it out and always follow my advice on booking asap as the best places get fully booked for the whole season starting from March!
Cheers!
Cle
Great thanks Cle
Lastly, i wanted to know if there are any good markets near this area, to buy fresh produce every morning?
And are there decent authentic restaurants in the area?
I also don’t mind driving to find decent places, if they will serve just good honest sardinian/italian food.
Are there any sardinian specialities you recommend?
I really appreciate what help you have been.
Thanks so much
Jared
Hi Jared,
I reply to your last comment in here as I’m having some IT issues to reply to comments after 2/3 replies… need to fix it! 🙂
Ok, as for the market, there are plenty of markets in the area, where you can find typical Sardinian Products or simply fresh fruit and vegetables, here are a few markets in the Golfo di Orosei area (and the days they are open):
Barisardo: Saturdays
Baunei: Wednesdays
Tortoli: Fridays
Dorgali:Mondays
Orosei: Tuesdays and Fridays in Piazza S. Francesco (8:00-13:00)
For night markets, in San Teodoro, Porto San Paolo and Olbia from June till September you will find lovely night markets with typical food and much more.
I’d recommend you to try the Seadas,Suckling pig,Pasta alla Bottarga, Malloreddus (Sardinian pasta), and obviously the typical Sardinian cheese Dolce Sardo and Pecorino Sardo and the delicious Sardinian salami!
I don’t know any specific restaurant to recommend but the best way is always to ask around, at your hotel or to the shops in town, they will be happy to direct you to the good restaurants.
Make sure to translate it in Italian (bring with you a piece of paper if needed!), and try to ask:
” Dove posso mangiare cibo sardo buono?” (meaning: Where I can eat good Sardinian food?)
and “Puoi dirmi il nome del ristorante per favore?” (can you tell me the name of the restaurant please?)
This way if they don’t know English they can still write down the name, or who knows, maybe they will help you out by escorting you there! 🙂
Hi Cle
I was wanting to know if you know any olive farms i can go to and buy good olive oil?
Apparently sardinian olive oil can be really good, and although near Sassari seems to be best for olives, apparently there are some very good ones near Nuoro as well.
Is there any chance you would know any of them of how i would be able to find out?
I have spent hours on the internet and i have no luck.
Thanks so much
Hey Jared, for the Olive Oil….good question! I honestly don’t know any farm in the area, my aunt used to buy olives from the farmers to make home made Olive Oil (quite strong in fact!), but other than that, I really don’t know. If you are interested in cheese instead, I know that there are a few places in Tertenia where we used to go and buy home made Pecorino Sardo. Maybe in those areas they also know about the oil..
IMPORTANT NOTE: Hey everyone! I’m always happy to see all your comments and as you can see I reply to everyone with as much detail as possible.
Due to the amount of messages that I receive, sometimes it happens that I miss one, so if you are waiting for an answer and you see that I haven’t replied to your comment yet, you can write a new comment below your first one as a reminder. I’m sorry when I see that I’ve missed a comment as you might wonder why I am so rude to you 🙂
Nothing personal obviously!
Hi Clelia,
this is such a helpful post and thank you for all the great information.
We can’t wait to visit Sardinia this summer. The only problem is that we don’t drive. Which place would you recommend as the best option for non-drivers? San Teodoro looks absolutely beautiful and I get the impression that the access to the nearby beaches is relatively easy on foot. Would you agree? Also, could Villasimius be an option relying on the public transport?
Many thanks, Elesa
Hey Elesa, I’m so glad you find the post useful (you have no idea on the time I spent to create it and also update it regularly!) 🙂
As for your question, I’ve had other people asking me the same. For me the best options to see fantastic beaches without driving is either San Teodoro or Villasimius. They can be reached easily by bus from Cagliari or Olbia for a reasonable price and you also get to relax and see the beauty of Sardinia during the ride! The only downside of this option is that both places are very touristic so it’s not ideal to go there during peak season (July and August are the worst months). But if you’re willing to compromise, these are two good options for you!
I hope this helps! 🙂
Cheers Clelia
Dear Clelia,
Thank you so much for the above post and all of your amazing content! I was literally going round in circles trying to come up with a one week itinerary for a trip to Sardinia with my boyfriend in the first week of July this year, and this has finally given me some kind of structure to my thoughts/planning! I am still struggle to nail down the final final itinerary however as I have a couple of outstanding questions about what would be best to do, and was wondering if you would be able to answer them? To help you (if you have the spare time, though I am sure you are bombarded with questions and very busy so no worries if not) the background / aims of our trip are as follows:
• We’re both in our mid 20s
• We’ve got 7 nights in total (Saturday-Saturday) right at the end of June/first week of July
• We’re flying into and out of Olbia (as it is by far the cheapest option)
• We’re intending to rent a car
• We’re looking to stay in two or three different places with the aim of having a fairly relaxing time, spending the majority of it near / on some great beaches (ideally some of it at least where it is not too touristy / busy). We would like to spend part of it in a town that is on / close to a beach and pretty and lively (some good restaurants, bars, a bit of buzz) but not too touristy / big (generally we prefer areas that give us a taste of the “real” country we are visiting) and then maybe some of the rest of it somewhere that is a little bit more remote
Given this, with the help of all of your research, a potential itinerary that I have put together is as follows:
• 2 x nights in either Santa Theresea Di Gallura or Stintino (is Stintino is chosen we would hopefully be staying at the Park Asinara Hotel you recommend!)
• 2 x nights in Tresnuraghes (as we would like to do the coast drive from Alghero down to Bosa as it is supposed to be very nice, and hear this region is quite nice in general)
• 3 x nights in Orosei (or one of the other towns around there) to explore the Golfo di Orosei which you so highly recommend!
It would be really helpful if you could let me know whether you think this is a good itinerary or not, or if not, what you think it would make sense to change? Is there anything major that we would be missing by doing this that you would recommend instead?
If not (or if we do stick with this route), in particular it would be useful to hear if you think that it is worth going to Tresnuraghes and that region for a couple of days (are there nice beaches around there to go to?), or if given our time constraints it would be better to just do the North and East and have longer in 2 places? It would also be useful to know whether you think that Stintino or Santa Theresea Di Gallura would be a better option for our first stop? I am currently leaning towards Stintino just because that hotel sounds so great, both others seem to think Santa Theresea is a better option. My concern with both of them is that at that time of year all of their beaches would be very crowded – are there also less busy beaches (aside from the main tourist ones) near to both)?
Thank you in advance for an insight you can offer into this, and for all of your amazing content in general!
Best wishes,
Emma
Hey Emma! wow I have to confess that when I saw your long message I almost fainted! but then reading it, I started to feel better as you at least give me a very detailed idea on what you would like to experience, and it’s also helpful for me to try and help you out 🙂
You’re right, putting together an Itinerary for one week is not an easy task, considering that Sardinia is not exactly a small island and there are too many places worth seeing! (I had to stop at ten, but oh my… I could go on forever with some other amazing spots!)
Sooooo, let’s get into your questions! I saw your itinerary and it looks good but in my opinion there is one possible problem: the last point (3 nights in Orosei).
Now, you know already how much I LOVE that area (by the way, I’ll be back in Sardinia from Thailand where I currently live in less than one week and I CAN’T WAIT!!), sorry…just daydreaming a bit! Back to your itinerary!
It is possible to drive from Bosa to Orosei (I personally never took that road so I can’t tell you my first-hand experience). I checked online and it’s less than 2 hours drive by car and around 4 hours by bus. If you have some sort of GPS on your mobile it can be done, but you will have to change roads a few times, so if you really want to try the adventure, make sure to know the name of the main roads and where you need to change. I know for a fact that crossing Sardinia from the east coast to the west (and vice-versa) can be a bit tricky even for locals that don’t know the area quite well.
On a plus side, you will probably get to see some interesting places on the road. I’m personally always fascinated by driving in Sardinia passing through the centre. maybe you could even arrange a few short stops on the way if you get to pass a typical Sardinian village. Or take a small detour and get back to the main road if the driving gets monotonous. There are plenty of nice villages and landscapes to see in that area.
This is basically my only concern regarding your itinerary. But if you feel like exploring a bit, then go for it! As for Tresnuraghes and Bosa, they are both lovely places, I0d suggest you to skip the main beach in Bosa and visit the nearby beach called “Spiaggia S’acqua Druche”, which is much better and it’s actually not a proper beach but it’s divided in 3 small “calette” (small beaches). Another beach worth visiting in the area is Spiaggia Cumpoltitu.
It’s definitely less touristy than other areas in Sardinia, but obviously you will find the locals 🙂 (so my suggestion is to try to avoid the weekends).
As for the Stintino Area, you will just relax in front of a beautiful beach, which is perfect to start your trip! You will need to drive from Olbia to Sassari and Alghero (it will take around 2 hours by car). If your flight arrives early in the morning it’s not a problem, as you won’t lose the day driving to your destination, otherwise you’d need to revise the Itinerary a bit, as you’ll spend most of the time driving and it’s a shame as you will be not really relaxing.
Let’s calculate the time you’ll be spending driving
Saturday: at least 2-3 hours to get from Olbia to Stintino
Sunday: Enjoy Stintino!
Monday: Leaving Stintino to reach Tresnuraghes (a little less than 2 hours drive by car)
Tuesday: Tresnuraghes (exploring the surrounding area or going to Bosa and the beaches): 15/20 minutes by car
Wednesday:morning still in Tresnuraghes/Bosa- Afternoon leaving for Orosei (let’s say 2/3 hours drive with breaks)
Thursday: Boat trip to the beautiful Cala Mariolu, Cala Luna, Cala Sisine and Grotte del Bue Marino, Grotta del fico etc
Friday: If you feel like it, you can try the hike to Cala Goloritze (if so, make sure to wear appropriate trekking shoes as the path is steep and not so easy) and bring A LOT of water with you!
Saturday: Drive back from Orosei to Olbia (not sure what time is your flight!) Around 1 Hour and 20 minutes drive (always allow a bit more than I’m saying!)
That is the summary of how much you’d need to drive. It is feasible, but a bit stressing (but hey, you’re in your 20’s, I did much more than that when I was your age!:)
Wrapping it up, I’d say that it’s not a bad itinerary IF you like to explore and also see things when driving from one place to the other. If you’re more oriented to a relaxing holiday, then it’s better to create a second itinerary to just discover the north east coast only! So Santa Teresa, maybe one day to Isola dei gabbiani or Costa Paradiso and back to Orosei! That would be less stressful but a bit more touristy…
I hope I didn’t confuse you more 🙂
Let me know if you need further help!
Cheers
Cle
Hi Cle,
WOW I’m blown away from the detail of your response. That is so, so kind of you; I have never had such a detailed response from a blogger. Please let me know if you are ever going to be in England at any point or if I could return the favour in anyway! I’m so jealous that you currently life in Thailand btw – sounds like you have got a fab life going on at the mo.
Your post has also made me realise that doing 2 places may be a better idea as you suggest so I think I will revise my itinerary to:
– 3/4 nights in the North (either Santa Theresea di Gallura or San Pantalau which I have just come across and sounds lovely; which of these two do you think would be best?)
– The remaining 3/4 night in either Orosei or Cala Gonome (again, any view on which would be best? If not, I may just decide it on the hotels I find.
Thank you so much again – I’ll be recommending your blog to anyone who I meet who is considering going to Sardinia! And will hopefully be recommending Sardinina to everyone once I get back from this holiday!
Best,
E
Having done some more research on it and had a bit of a think therefore I think that what may be a better plan is one place in the north, and one place in the Golfo di Orosei.
Hey Emma,
I’m so glad to hear that I was able to help you out, Sardinia is my first love as being born and raised there, I had 19 years to discover every bit of it! And I can tell you that it’s a bit of a curse as no matter where I go, I’m so spoiled that it’s very difficult for me to be impressed with the other amazing beaches I’ve seen.
The only place that was actually better than Sardinia (for its amazing underwater flora and fauna) are the Philippines… If you ever decide to visit Asia in the future I highly recommend them. I wrote a post on one of the many places I visited during my 4 months of travels in there, it’s called Siargao and it’s fantastic, not to mention Palawan where you will see the real “The beach” (in the movie was shot in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand, but the original book took inspiration from the hidden beach in Palawan….breath taking!)
Anyway! I always digress 🙂
Back to your itinerary now! I think that for a relaxing holiday the choice to visit 2 places is better. Both Santa Teresa and San Pantaleo are nice, the first one is closer to the main beaches and a bit more touristy of course, whilst in San Pantaleo you will find a traditional Sardinian vibe and you will be very close to the beautiful beaches of the Costa Smeralda Area.
Now, I’m actually not a huge fan of the Costa Smeralda. It’s a stunning place no doubt about it, so stunning that the Arabs decided to buy it completely ruining the area by taking away every inch of Sardinian culture. The beaches are STUNNING in there, porto Pollo, Romazzino, Capriccioli and many others, so you could pay a visit without staying in one of those impersonal resorts. but hey that’s my opinion of course.
Depending on what you want (if you’d rather taste a bit of the real Sardinia I’d say San Pantaleo, otherwise Santa Teresa it’s also a great choice.
Between Cala Gonone and Orosei… that’s a tough one. They are both great locations to discover the Golfo di Orosei area. As per the village itself, my personal preference goes to Cala Gonone, as it’s closer to the main beaches and the road is particularly interesting as you will admire the beaches from the mountains and you’ll also have the opportunity to drive through the Parco del Gennargentu area. It’s truly stunning!
I’m sure I won’t miss the opportunity to go there again this summer! I love that place too much and one time I was crazy enough to get up at 3 am, drive from Cagliari to the Golfo di Orosei, take the boat to see the beaches and drive back home! I was exhausted and it wasn’t my first boat trip in there of course, and that gives you an idea on how much I love that place. Or how crazy I am 🙂 maybe both!
I really hope you will have a great time in Sardinia Emma!
Enjoy your stay and let me know how it goes!
Cheers
Cle
Hi Cle,
The Philippines is very much on my bucket list – I really want to go there, so I’ll make sure to track down that place if/when I do!
Ok, thanks, that is really helpful. I think I’m sold on Cala Gonome and will do a bit more research into San Pantaleo vs Santa Teresea and then make a decision there. Thanks again – I’ll et you know how I get on!
Best,
Emma
This places looks amazin and I would love to visit them!!
They indeed are amazing, I’m actually going back home for summer and I can’t wait to be there! If you visit Europe and Italia, Sardinia is a MUST!
Hello,
Your blog has been very helpful, I am just planning my first holiday to Sardinia for this September.
I’m looking for a 2 week holiday with the usual; beautiful beaches, not too touristy but with some authentic restaurants nearby. I’ve found 2 places – one in santa margherita di pula and the other in san giovanni. Out of the 2 areas which would you say would be the best? We’ll hire a car but don’t want to have to travel too far to see the best bits.
Sorry, I know you get questions like this all the time but I’ve gone through all the comments and am still confused on where would be the best place to stay.
Thank you!
Helena
Hey Helena,
glad I could help you with my post! Ok September is a great time to visit Sardinia, as for your question… they are both great choices really. I know bot places and the surrounding areas quite well. So what should I suggest you? Probably I’d say Santa Margherita, even if the beach itself it’s not one of my top favorite (please remember that I’m VERY spoiled when it comes to rating the beaches!),if you have the car you can access some of the most beautiful beaches around, in 15-20 minutes you can reach Chia Beach, Cala Cipolla Beach and in 30 minutes (or less, depending on the traffic), you can see Tuerredda and in September is going to be far less crowded so you can really enjoy the experience!
San Giovanni di Sinis is also very nice, you can drive around and see some nice typical villages like Cabras and Riola and discover some other beautiful beaches like Is Arutas and S’Archittu.
It’s really difficult to choose as I’m a bit biased here, being Tuerredda one of my top favorite 🙂
Thank you for your help. Booked the Santa Margherita one. Can’t wait now!
Good choice! Enjoy your stay in my beautiful island Helena 🙂
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Cheap hotels
Will share this on my networking site,
It’s really good.Thank you for this information.
Thank you!
Hi Clelia,
Thanks for all this info, its really usefull!
I am going to Sardinia on the first week of June, flying to Cagliari. We will rent a car and we do not mind to spend some time on the road.
Could you tell me the top 3 places that we can’t absolutely miss? We only have 4 nights. We are looking for breathtaking beaches and at some point some nightlife and good food.
Hi Leonor!
Well that’s an easy question for me 🙂
Pity you only have 4 days, but you can’t miss the “golfo di Orosei” (so Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritze are a must) and going back to Cagliari I won’t miss Villasimius and the surrounding beaches.
If you still have one spare day and are not too tired you can drive from Cagliari to Tuerredda and Chia beach.
These are my personal favorites, the only problem is …from the Golfo di Orosei to Villasimius and then Chia, it’s quite a ride so you need to organize everything very well. A bit stressful but well worth it!
Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Thank you so much Clelia! You are the best! Where do you think it would be a good base to stay? Do you know of some area with nice bars/ restaurants / beach clubs in the area of the Golfo di Orosei?
My pleasure Leonor!
The beauty of the Golfo di Orosei area is that it’s still relatively quiet compared to some other touristic spots in Sardinia. The villages of Orosei and Baunei have a fascinating traditional vibe but are very chilled out and there are not typical bars/clubs for tourists (if you don’t count the local bars where the old men go there to meet their buddies for a hand of poker in the afternoon :)) but you know what? even as a teenager, I LOVED to sit there and watch them play, it’s pretty entertaining!
But probably you are looking for some good night life as well, right? In that case I’d stay in biggest villages, San Teodoro is not that far away and you’ll have both the party scene (also on the beach!) and the possibility to drive and discover the Golfo di Orosei by car and boat (it’s 80km away, so around 1 hour by car), not that bad.
If you stay in Orosei be prepared to stay in quiet villages, so I’d say, San Teodoro is a safe choice for the nightlife. I prefer that to big cities as I’m not a big fan of cities, too much chaos and stress and usually the beach nearby is never the cleanest you’ll ever see!
Cheers, oh and by the way, I might see you around as I’m heading back to Sardinia in 2 weeks for the summer…CAN’T WAIT! there is no place like home. I truly love my island so much!
Hi Clelia
I wonder if you can help me. I am looking for a honeymoon destination in late October this year. I am coming from Johannesburg, South Africa.
We are getting married on the 23rd October and are considering Sardinia as a destination, can you please help me with some information on what the weather is like at that time and also what the best beach is to stay at together with hotel for our honeymoon.
Thank you
Hi Lara, first of all…congratulations for the wedding!! 🙂
As for your question, to be honest, Sardinia in LATE October (the beginning is OK), it’s not ideal. The weather is usually not nice anymore and you’ll risk ruining your party! Some years the weather stays warm and sunny until the end of October but it’s a rare event, so I can’t really recommend it, especially for such an important occasion when everything should be perfect 🙁
Unless you want to stay indoor and admire the view, but the beaches are usually not a good idea by that date…
Hey Celia!
I’m thinking of solo-traveling to Sardinia in April for about 3 days.
I can’t make up my mind between Olbia and Alghero!
I’m mainly looking forward to relaxing on beaches and sight-seeing some beautiful places.
Any recommendations?
I’m also a college student on a budget; are there be any other cheap activities that are available?
Thanks a bunch, xx.
Hey Iris, pity you will just have 3 days!
If you’re traveling on a budget i’d say that it really depends on where you are flying to. There are cheap flights with Ryanair to Alghero but you might also find something convenient for Olbia.
As per which place I’d choose… easy to guess: I LOVE the east coast so for me is a no-brainer and I’d say Olbia’s surroundings. There are cheap buses that will get you to the main beaches and if the weather is good you’ll be one of the few lucky people to enjoy the beach for yourself!
Cheap activities… in April unfortunately there will be not much going on as it’s still not in season, in my opinion the best you could do is find accommodation close to a nice beach and a village (there are so many around Olbia):
North of Olbia: Santa Teresa di Gallura
South of Olbia: (Budoni, San Teodoro etc).
My only advice is to go near a village so you’ll be able to talk or at least interact with the locals and see how real life in Sardinia is when not many tourists are around.
If you decide for Alghero (some people like it more…what can I say?), you might find more activities to do in the city, but the beach close to it is nothing special to me (maybe I’m spoiled) and to get to La Pelosa beach you’ll need to get to the bus or rent a car, so if you are on a budget is not ideal..
I know it’s difficult to choose, and I hope I helped you a bit 🙂
Safe trips!
Cle
Hi,
I liked a lot your article!
All the places that you show are really paradises.
I was looking for some nice beaches, to maybe some day I go visit…and this one is pretty! I loved.
I made a Top 5 best beaches in USA.
Take a look, I hope you can be inspired with my website like I’m with your 🙂
See you soon!
Thanks Hellen! I saw your article and the US ones are very nice too…what a competition we have here 🙂
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Dear Clelia,
I am planning a 10 days visit to Sardinia around mid July and after some readings I have understood that the nicest beaches of Sardinia are in the East Coast. I get a little confused about certain things so Would you please answer my questions concerning my itinerary.
We are traveling as a family with 2 young girls 14 and 19 years.
1) If the East coast is the nicest, where should we stay in order to be close to all the nice beaches?
2) if we are flying from madrid, in which airport should we land?
3) Should we split our vacation in Sardinia or we stay only in the East coast?
4) if we like to stay in a beach front hotel which one would you suggest?
5) do you think it is better for us to rent a car?
Thank you very much for answering as soon as possible.
Hi Yasmina, sorry for the late reply but I’ve been crazy busy lately!
Ok, let’s get straight to your questions! 🙂
1)I’d suggest you to stay in San Teodoro and Budoni area ad it’s great for both you and your girls (being that a lively village with bars and restaurants, but if you have a car you can find a quieter place to stay). From San Teodoro to the best beaches in the area it’s around 1 hour, max 2 (Cala Gonone, Cala Mariolu, Cala Goloritze and Cala Sisine to mention a few).
2) I think that from Madrid the best option would