Please note that some of the links on the website might be affiliate links, which means that at absolutely no extra cost for you our website will earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting this project! Our Disclaimer
Table of Contents:
Climate and weather of Sardinia
Why to go to Sardinia
Sardinia is a fairly large island on the map of Europe, belonging to Italy. Sardinia is famous for its idyllic “paradise” beaches, developed resort infrastructure, medieval cities with a centuries-old history and various natural attractions, including mountains, caves, grottoes, forests, etc. Fans of diving, surfing and other water sports will also like it in Sardinia.
The two main cities on the island are Cagliari and Olbia. These cities are where tourists most often arrive to begin exploring the island. Cagliari is located in the south of the island, close to resorts such as Villasimius and others. Olbia is located in the northern part of the island; from there it is most convenient to get to the resorts of the Costa Smeralda shore. But the best option is to rent a car and travel all over Sardinia, since its landscape is characterized with great diversity.
After some research, I decided to put together information I have previously found out and create a complete guide on how to organize a holiday in Sardinia. I figured out how to get to the island, where to stay & what to see & do there. I really hope this detailed information will help you plan your trip to Sardinia.
Climate and weather of Sardinia
Sardinia is a region with warm weather and gentle climate. Local winters are suitable for excursion holidays, and the spring-summer periods are suitable for beach holidays. To the main question – when can you swim – the answer is standard for Europe – from May to October. It should be borne in mind that the summer months are quite dry, and winter is characterized by short-term rains. As I found out, it becomes stably warm in Sardinia already in March, but the water warms up only by the end of April. In September-October, the daytime air temperature is still quite high, but nights cool down the water faster.
How to get to Sardinia
You can get to Sardinia by plane (faster option) and ferries (longer one). In the summer, some airlines offer direct flights to Sardinia; the rest of the time you can always use connecting flights (for example, with a change in Rome or Milan). In any case, I would recommend using online search engines to find the optimal flight, for instance:
Aviasales is an online search service for 728+ more airlines and ticket sellers in the world.
I often use Aviasales when planning my trips, because it can compare a great variety of available flight options and it has a lot of useful filters to sort the results which is very helpful, in my opinion. Arrival airports in Sardinia are located in Cagliari and Olbia; choose your destination airport depending on the resort where you are planning a vacation.
A ferry is considered to be a rather exotic and romantic way to get to Sardinia. Ferries run to the island from such Italian cities as Genoa, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Naples and Palermo. The shortest way is the ferry from Civitavecchia. As far as I know, it takes about 5-6 hours one way.
Public transport on Sardinia
Public transport on the island is not a strong point. Here, buses and trains run between cities, but train schedules are often inconvenient, and in order to travel by bus you often need to make several changes along the route. So, for example, to get from the airport of Olbia or Cagliari to the nearest resorts by bus, you need to make changes in the center of Olbia or Cagliari; there are simply no direct buses from the airports to the resorts.
The most convenient way to travel from airports to resorts is by taxi or transfer services. In order not to look for a free taxi car upon arrival, you can book an individual transfer car in advance; reservations can be made via various online services:
Kiwitaxi is a system for ordering taxi transfers from airports, train stations and hotels around the world;
Intui.Travel is a system for self-booking tourist transfers to/from hotels via the Internet.
Based on my research, these online services have a lot of positive reviews that is why I can recommend them. For sure, there are a lot of other taxi services available at the airport.
Car rental on Sardinia
Renting a car in Sardinia is one of the best solutions if you plan to stay not in one resort, but travel around the entire island. Having a car at hand will allow you to see the best beaches, access the mountainous areas of the island, and also cross the island from south to north or from west to east. This is the kind of trip that will give you the best idea of the island.
You can find rental offices on the island both at airports and in the center of large cities such as Cagliari and Olbia. In order to rent a car in Sardinia, it is enough to have a basic package of documents with you, including a passport, an international driving license and a bank card to pay for services. I would recommend renting a car from international rental companies, since renting cars from local ones often does not provide any guarantee.
You can book the desired class of car in advance via different online services; this option is especially relevant during the summer holidays, when cars are in great demand.
Discover Cars is a service for searching, comparing and saving on car rentals;
Economybookings is a search service for cheap car rentals around the globe.
I can recommend both online services as they have a decent search with a lot of useful filters to find out the best available car rental options.
I did some map research for figuring out the distances between the settlements in Sardinia. You can find an approximate list of distances and routes for road trips in Sardinia below in the table:
| From | To | Distance | Route |
| Cagliari | Villasimius | 48 km (29,82 miles) | #SP17 (map) |
| Cagliari | Costa Rei | 60 km (37,28 miles) | #SS125var (map) |
| Olbia | Porto Cervo | 28 km (17,39 miles) | #SP73, SP94 (map) |
| Olbia | La Maddalena | 45 km (27,96 miles) | Strada Statale #125 (map) |
| Olbia | Sassari | 103 km (64 miles) | #SS597/SS729 (map) |
| Olbia | Alghero | 138 km (85,7 miles) | #SS597/SS729 (map) |
Towns of Sardinia
There are two large cities on the island called Olbia and Cagliari. These cities boast a rich history and architectural monuments. They are both excellent excursion destinations in Sardinia. Towns scattered along the shore are often smaller in size and have developed resort infrastructure. There are few historical attractions here, but there is everything you need for a comfortable beach holiday.
Villasimius is a popular seaside resort in Sardinia, located in the southern part of the island on Cape Carbonara. The resort is famous for its sandy beaches, cozy atmosphere and developed infrastructure. Villasimius is perfect for a complete beach holiday. The main attractions of the resort are Cape Carbonara, the Archaeological Park and the nearby islands of Serpentara and Cavoli. Local beaches are part of the protected area, and therefore they manage to maintain their natural beauty. As I discovered, the beaches are covered with white sand; the entrance to the water is gentle and gradual; the water is clear and warms up by May;
Costa Smeralda is a whole area in the north of the island, which includes several resort towns, such as Porto Cervo, Porto Rotondo, Bahia Sardinia and others. The local shore is famous for its white beaches and warm sea. The infrastructure of the Costa Smeralda resorts is one of the best on the island. The main attraction of the shore, without a doubt, are its beaches. In my opinion, it is also interesting to visit the local ports, the Aquadream Water Park and several historical monuments. There are also excellent places for shopping at the resorts;
Porto Cervo is the largest resort on the Costa Smeralda shore, located in the north-eastern part of Sardinia. For relaxation, there is everything you need, including a well-developed infrastructure, a lot of entertainment from active sports to quality shopping and gourmet restaurants, spacious sandy beaches and much more. Porto Cervo is perhaps one of the top three resorts in Sardinia in terms of popularity;
Alghero is a major resort and historic city in north-western Sardinia. There is everything for a comfortable holiday, from snow-white beaches to all kinds of entertainment. In the old part of Alghero, you can find a lot of historical monuments and attractions, while in the new part there are hotels, restaurants, cafes, diving and surfing schools, an aquarium, as well as a spacious shoreline;
Many architectural and archaeological monuments have been preserved in Cagliari; similar sights can be found here at almost every turn. At the same time, Cagliari is a very green city; this can be seen both thanks to the city parks and the huge botanical garden (about 5 hectares). Cagliari is located in the Gulf, so after strolling around the city streets, you can safely go to the local beaches and promenade. In general, I can say that Cagliari is three in one – entertainment, sightseeing attractions and beach holidays;
Olbia, along with Cagliari, is considered to be one of the largest cities in Sardinia. The city is located in the northeast of the island and is the main “gateway” to the Costa Smeralda. As I found out, Olbia is famous for its historical and archaeological monuments, as well as its special atmosphere. Olbia is very visited by tourists. Most often, travelers come to Olbia for excursion purposes, and then go on vacation to the resorts of the Emerald Shore.
Beaches on Sardinia
The entire shore of Sardinia is full of beaches. Most often, these are white sands in secluded Gulfs, protected from the wind. The Costa Smeralda (“Emerald Shore”) boasts many beautiful beaches. In my point of view, it is definitely worth looking for them, for example, in the Gulf of Pevero. There are two extensive sandy beaches here called Piccolo Pevero and Grande Pevero.
Capriccioli beach, still in the same Costa Smeralda, can boast of its picturesque views – rocks extending into the sea, crystal clear water and fine white sand. As I discovered, Capriccioli Beach is a great place to both swim and take the best photos while on vacation.
Other equally picturesque beaches of the Costa Smeralda include Cala Granu, Celvia, Dolce Sposa, Piccolo Romazzino, Mortorio and others. The beach of Calo di Volpe also stands apart.
In the Alghero area the beaches are slightly different. The sand here is of a golden hue, and corals can be found in the water. It is a great spot for light snorkeling off the shore. The most popular beach here is Lido Beach, which is located within the town. However, if you are looking for privacy, then it is worth considering the options of beaches outside the town, for example, Bombarde, Maria Pia and St. Giovanni beaches. I would recommend visiting both of them if you have enough time.
In the Villasimius area, the beaches are mainly hidden in coves. Accordingly, these are small flat sandy areas, framed by hills and sheltered from the wind. These, in particular, include the beaches of Timi Ama, Riso, Punta Molentis, and Porto Guinco.
The beaches of Sardinia are free, with the exception of private areas owned by hotels. The surface is sandy, with a gentle entrance to the sea. Basically, only private beaches are equipped. Keep in mind, a feature of local beaches is that there is practically no public transport access to them, so tourists most often use either a taxi or rent a car.
Where to stay on Sardinia
Sardinia is a popular tourist destination; it is not surprising that the hotel infrastructure here is quite developed. If you wish, you can find hotels for accommodation in different star categories here. In larger towns, three-star hotels and bed and breakfasts will be more common. Beach resorts are dominated by four- and five-star hotels with many additional options.
My recommendation for booking hotels in Sardinia is to search and book early, because local resorts are quite in demand, and all the best options in terms of price and quality are sold out the fastest, especially on the eve of the summer swimming season. You can find a suitable hotel/apartment on the shore of Sardinia or in the cities of the region, as well as check availability for specific dates, using specialized services for finding hotel offers, which are convenient because they compare the maximum number of available accommodations.
In addition to standard hotels in Sardinia, you can also rent apartments, holiday houses or even villas, as well as stay in guest houses or farm houses. At the same time, you need to understand that resort hotels are most often located on the first beach line; from other places you will have to get to the nearest beaches by public transport or by car.
Take a note! When going on a trip to Italy, do not forget to take out travel insurance, which is useful for receiving a tourist visa and for solving emerging medical problems when travelling in another country. You can purchase insurance via online services, for example, via EKTA and others. You can choose from different modes, including quiet, active or extreme rest.
Photo above the article: Tobias Scheck
Julia is an experienced traveller, BA in International Relations and Languages and true lover of planning trips in advance. Learn more about the author…