Sardinia

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The second-largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily, Sardinia is an autonomous Italian region of about 24,100 km², fringed by some 1,900 km of coastline. It is known for the clear waters of Gallura and the Gulf of Orosei, but the interior is just as worth the trip: the limestone plateaus of the Supramonte, the Gennargentu massif, the shepherds' villages of Barbagia and thousands of nuraghi, the Bronze Age stone towers. Cagliari, the capital, Catalan Alghero and Ligurian Carloforte each tell a different story. This guide helps you choose a region, a season and a way to get there, by air or by ferry, and outlines the rules that now apply to several beaches.

An island apart, more mountainous than you might think

Sardinia stretches about 270 km from north to south, just south of Corsica, from which it is separated by the Strait of Bonifacio. Its status as an autonomous region, enshrined in the Italian Constitution, reflects a strong identity. Italian is the official language, but you will hear Sardinian inland, Catalan in Alghero, Tabarchino, a Ligurian dialect, in Carloforte, as well as Gallurese and Sassarese in the north.

The island's history can be read in its stones. The Nuragic civilisation left thousands of truncated-cone towers, including the complex of Su Nuraxi di Barumini, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Phoenicians and Carthaginians founded Tharros and Nora, the Romans followed, then the Pisans, the Aragonese and the House of Savoy. Each era left churches, coastal towers and historic centres that are still lived in.

Distances are deceptive: mountain roads are winding and there is little public transport inland. Allow about 2 hours 30 minutes by road between Cagliari and Sassari on the SS131, and longer to reach the east coast.

Six regions to build your itinerary

In the north-east, Gallura combines granite boulders, coves and the Costa Smeralda around Porto Cervo. Off Palau, the La Maddalena Archipelago national park can be visited by boat; the Spiaggia Rosa on Budelli is no longer open to the public. Inland, Tempio Pausania and Aggius have kept their granite houses and cork oaks.

In the east, the Gulf of Orosei lines up limestone cliffs and coves such as Cala Luna, Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritzé, reached by footpath or by boat from Cala Gonone and Santa Maria Navarrese. Just behind, Barbagia (Nuoro, Oliena, Orgosolo and its murals, Mamoiada and its masks) and the Gorropu canyon reveal another Sardinia, pastoral and mountainous.

In the north-west lie Alghero and its ramparts, Capo Caccia, Stintino and La Pelosa beach, the island park of Asinara, Castelsardo and Bosa. In the west, the Sinis peninsula and the ruins of Tharros near Oristano. In the south, Cagliari and its Castello district, the beaches of Villasimius and Chia, then the Sulcis-Iglesiente, with its former mines and the islands of San Pietro and Sant'Antioco.

May, June and September: the best-balanced months

July and August bring the heat, often above 30 °C inland, full ferries and the highest prices. May, June, September and early October are better: the sea is warm enough for swimming from June and still pleasant in September, the trails are walkable and the regulated beaches less in demand.

Winter is mild on the coasts, but snow can cover the Gennargentu, and many seaside hotels close from autumn to Easter. The mistral, the maestrale, sometimes blows hard over the north-west and the Strait of Bonifacio, which can disrupt crossings and boat trips. As for festivals, Oristano's Sartiglia takes place during Carnival and the Sant'Efisio procession leaves Cagliari on 1 May.

Plane or ferry: the island's gateways

Three main airports serve the island: Cagliari-Elmas in the south, Olbia-Costa Smeralda in the north-east and Alghero-Fertilia in the north-west. Direct flights, often seasonal, leave from many European cities, including Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux, Nantes, Marseille, Toulouse, Geneva, Basel-Mulhouse, Zurich and Brussels-Charleroi; from elsewhere, a connection via Rome or Milan is the norm. Choose your airport according to the region you are heading for.

By sea, Corsica Ferries links Toulon and Nice with Porto Torres or Golfo Aranci, on overnight crossings of around ten hours or more; there is no direct route from Marseille in 2026. From Italy, Moby, Tirrenia, GNV and Grimaldi Lines sail from Genoa, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Piombino, Naples or Palermo to Olbia, Porto Torres, Arbatax or Cagliari. Finally, the Bonifacio–Santa Teresa Gallura crossing (about 50 minutes) makes it possible to combine Corsica and Sardinia.

Getting around and following the beach rules

A car is almost essential. The SS131 links Cagliari with Sassari and Porto Torres, a branch runs to Nuoro and Olbia, and the SS125 follows the east coast. There are no tolls, but mountain roads are slow. ARST regional buses and a few rail lines complete the picture, while the Trenino Verde runs seasonal tourist trips on old narrow-gauge lines.

Access to several beaches is restricted. At La Pelosa (Stintino), online booking and a day ticket are required from 15 May to 15 October, with a cap of 1,500 people and a compulsory mat under your towel. Cala Goloritzé can only be reached on foot from the Golgo plateau, with a booking and within a daily quota; Cala Mariolu and Cala Luna also have visitor caps.

Taking away sand, pebbles or shells is prohibited under regional law 16/2017, with fines of €500 to €3,000; checks are carried out at ports and airports.

A cuisine of shepherds and fishermen

The interior shaped a pastoral cuisine: porceddu, slow-roasted suckling pig, pane carasau, a crisp flatbread, pecorino sardo and fiore sardo, Ogliastra culurgiones filled with potato and mint, malloreddus and fregola. Agriturismi often serve set menus based on the farm's own produce.

On the coast, try Cabras grey mullet bottarga, Carloforte tuna, Alghero's Catalan-style spiny lobster and fregola with clams. Seadas, cheese fritters drizzled with honey, round off the meal, with a glass of mirto. For wine: Cannonau, Vermentino di Gallura and Carignano del Sulcis.

Essentials & your questions

Essentials & your questions

Photo: Yesuitus2001, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons