Discover what to do in Sardinia for activities, where to go on excursions and how to have fun during your holiday.
Beaches and swimming
Sardinia is rightly compared to the Caribbean, the Seychelles or Thailand, with some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. No matter where you go in Sardinia, you'll find the beach of your dreams.
Sardinian beaches have two common denominators. The vast majority of them are covered in fine white sand, ideal for children and those who love comfortable beaches. And on all beaches you'll be swimming in crystal clear water.
Find the best beach resort in Sardinia
On the north and south coasts, the beaches have a very gentle entrance to the sea, which is shallow and pleasantly warm. Thanks to the numerous coves and islets in the north and south, don't expect big waves, just calm waters.
On the east and west coasts, on the other hand, which are much more open, you can ride the bigger or smaller waves and even kite surfers will enjoy it. Usually, however, even on these coasts, at least the first 50 metres of the entry into the sea are very gradual.
TOP 10 best beaches in Sardinia
To help you decide where to go in Sardinia, here are the top ten most beautiful beaches on the island. We have prepared detailed information for all of them, just click on the name of the beach. To help you find your way around, we've put the distance to the nearest airport in brackets:
- Costa Smeralda (32 km from Olbia airport)
- Cala Brandinchi (20 km from Olbia Airport)
- Cala Luna (140 km from Olbia, 180 km from Cagliari)
- Cala Mariolu (140 km from Olbia, 180 km from Cagliari)
- Spiaggia Piscinas (80 km from Cagliari airport)
- Spiaggia Is Arutas (116 km from Cagliari airport)
- La Maddalena (48 km from Olbia airport)
- La Cinta, San Teodoro (28 km from Olbia Airport)
- Porto Giunco, Villasimius (66 km from Cagliari Airport)
- Su Giudeu (58 km from Cagliari airport)
Prices of sunbeds and umbrellas in Sardinia
Travellers often find out about a rather crucial item in the budget, namely the prices of beach equipment rentals. In particular, a sun lounger and umbrella is almost essential equipment for a comfortable stay on the beach. It is important to say that prices vary considerably depending on the specific destination.
On average, for a day's rental of 2 sun loungers and 1 parasol you will pay around 15 eur.
Expect the most expensive prices for these services on the Costa Smeralda and generally around Olbia, where rental prices can go up to over 20 eur, while the cheapest rentals are generally on the west coast with prices also around 10 eur.
Hiking
The island is a great place for hiking. There are easier and very challenging routes available. We leave their choice up to you.
Maps with route descriptions in English can be found, for example, on alltrails.com, and some hiking routes show excellent en.mapy.cz.
Compare car rental prices and Sardinia
Golfo di Orosei National Park and the Gennargentu Mountains
The Golfo di Orosei National Park and the Gennargentu Mountains are home to Punta La Marmora (1,834 m above sea level), the island's highest mountain, and countless hiking trails of a mountain nature. They lead through wooded deep canyons and along bare limestone peaks with beautiful views of the surrounding area.
The best starting points for accommodation are the towns of Dorgali and Cala Gonone in the northern part of the national park, or Lanusei and Ulassai in the south at the highest parts of the mountains.
Selvaggio Blu
Set aside at least a week for one of Europe's most challenging treks. The 45km stretch along the coast of the Golfo di Orosei requires exceptional physical fitness and trekking equipment. Travelling with a guide doesn't hurt at all.
- More on: selvaggioblu.it
Gola su Gorropu competition
Visit the deepest gorge in Europe early in the morning, before it gets too hot and too many tourists start to occupy the place. There are 2 main routes leading here. The more challenging trail of about 8km starts at the car park of the Genna e Silana pass. The easier and second more popular route goes over the Sa Barva bridge. From the bridge it is about a 2 hour walk along the dry riverbed of the Flumineddu to the mouth of the gorge. Of course, guided tours are also available.
Entrance is possible every day from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm for 5 eur.
- More information on the site details
Le Prigionette
The nature reserve offers many nice trails for hikers and cyclists. Wild deer, ponies, wild boar and albino donkeys live in the local woods. The park is close to Cape Caccia and the resort of Alghero and is ideal for a day trip.
The park is open every day from 9am to 6pm and the entrance fee is 3 eur per person.
Monte dei Sette Fratelli
Monte dei Sette Fratelli is suitable for easy and difficult hikes. It is one of the three places where the Sardinian deer can be found, and you can also spot flocks of falcons or eagles. The nature reserve is close to Cagliari, making it an ideal place for excursions if you get tired of swimming in the sea.
Taste Sardinian cuisine
Although Sardinia is part of Italy, the cuisine here is very different from that of Italy.
Bread
The traditional bread, pan carasau, is a crusty thin bread that is still baked in the traditional way in many families.
Pasta
Although spaghetti is very popular, the Sardinians have their own special type of pasta. Try the shell-shaped malloreddus (gnochetti sardi), the ravioli culurgiones stuffed with ricotta or pecorino, or the maccarones furriaos, which are a tangled noodle. They all taste great!
Roast suckling pig and lamb
The roasted suckling pig, lamb and kid are popular, seasoned only with herbs.
Cheeses
Cheese has a thousand-year tradition in Sardinia and the Sardinians are true masters of the art. Most cheese is made from sheep's milk. You'll see sheep in abundance, reportedly up to four times more than the inhabitants themselves. Try pecorino sardo, creamy goat's cheese ircano and caprino, fiore sardo, fresa, peretta and many more. Only the adventurous will taste casumarza, a rotten cheese with live larvae of the small cheese fly.
Desserts
Head to the pastry shop and sample the traditional Easter sweet, pardulas, which is sold all year round. Your taste buds will be tickled by the delicious almond amarettes, but you can't go wrong with the popular seada dessert. Sardinian ice cream parlours do Italian gelato justice and you don't have to worry about not enjoying the gelato. The Italians simply know our tastes like the back of their hand.
Agrotourism
Agrotourism is a big concept in Italy. An agritourism provider must not only offer visitors accommodation services, but must also deal with the ancillary services associated with agricultural production. What does this mean in practice?
Guests stay in farms, castles or even country estates, and can often take an active part in food production or harvesting. There are countless such agritourisms in Sardinia.
What are the best farms with comfortable modern accommodation that we would recommend?
- Tenuta Su Vrau - Western Sardinia near the sea about 51 km from Olbia airport
- Sa Perda Arrubia - beautiful location of meadows and forests near Cardedu, about 127 km from Cagliari airport
- Sa Mandra - well rated farm in a fertile area close to Alghero airport
- Li Pireddi - farm in a stunning location in the middle of the forests of northern Sardinia approx. 55 km from Olbia airport
Agriturismi also offers extensive tasting menus which on average come out at 35 eur per person. You need to book in advance, it gets really crowded!
Cycling
Sardinia is also loved by cyclists. One of the most popular routes is the SS125, which runs between Dorgali and Santa Maria Navarrese. Sardinia is ideal for both road cycling and mountain biking.
Find out more at sardiniacycling.com.
Water activities
Windsurfers head to Porto Pollo, Spiaggia della Pelosa, San Teodoro, Spiaggia Mugoni. Kitesurfing enthusiasts shouldn't miss September's Open Water Challenge Oristano.
Surfers should head straight to the Sinis peninsula and diving enthusiasts to Isola San Pietro, Isola Tavolara or Arcipelago di La Maddalena.
Yachtsmen, paddleboarders, kayakers, and all those who love the water will also find a place to enjoy.
Festivals
Religious festivals are of great spiritual value to Sardes, but they are also a showcase of historical costumes, masks, music, dance and local gastronomy. In February and March, traditional carnivals and festivals are held throughout Sardinia (Carnevale, Sa Sartiglia, Lunissanti, Settimana Santa, Sagra del Torrone).
If you are planning to visit Sardinia in the first half of July, head to the small village of Sedilo in the province of Oristano, where the annual S'Ardia equestrian races are held.
Nuragy
If you still don't believe there's something for everyone in Sardinia, we hope we've finally convinced you. Sardinia has a rich history and there are a number of archaeological sites.
Nuraghe Su Nuraxe, Tiscali, Nuraghe di Santa Cristina, Serra Orrios, Nuraghe di Palmavera, Nuraghe Is Paras are among the best.
And what are these nurages? Nurags are stone towers resembling the towers of medieval fortresses. They were built on the island as early as the Bronze Age, and their construction was not finished until the 3rd century BC.