As you probably know from previous posts and my Instagram account we were recently on holidays in Sardinia. Not really knowing what to expect, we were completely blown away by this charming island. We had 8 full days and wanted to see as much as possible, but also relax a bit. To give you a brief outline and ideas for your own trip our itinerary looked something like this:
Day 1: Cagliari
We flew into Cagliari airport and landed late in the evening so we headed straight to our guest house to get some sleep in order to be ready to explore Cagliari the next day. If you need a place to stay Guesthouse Da Laura is the place. Our host Giacomo was the best!
Stay at: Da Laura.
Day 2: Cagliari
On our first day in Sardinia we just walked around Cagliari to get the feel of the city and simply enjoyed our time there. More about on what you need to see and do in the capital city of Sardinia you can read in a post here.
Day 3: Cagliari, Costa Rei, Gola su Gorropu, Cala Gonone
First thing in the morning we headed to Hertz and rented a car. We drove out of Cagliari through southwestern part and our first stop was in coastal resort town Costa Rei. White sandy beach with turquoise water was a dream, but it was really busy so we quickly continued along the eastern coast of Sardinia to Silana Pass. When we arrived the weather was completely different than in sunny and hot Costa Rei. It was raining a bit and the temperature dropped to 15 degrees celsius. Nevertheless, we decided to go hiking to Golla su Gorropu, also know as “Europe’s Grand Canyon”. The canyon was amazing, but the rain caught us and we still had to hike around one hour to get back to our car. When we finally arrived we were soaking wet, so we got into our car and drove straight away to Cala Gonone where we planned on staying for two days.
Day 4: Cala Gonone
Cala Gonone is the perfect base for exploring Golfo di Orosei and this was probably the place that I was the most excited about on our whole trip. On our first day there it looked like as though we didn’t have enough hiking the day before, so we decided to hike to the beach called Cala Luna famous for its white moon-shaped beach with caves. First we stopped at Cala Fiuli and then continued on our hike which was 5,6 kilometres one way. The best part of this was that we didn’t had to walk back, since we got a free boat ride back to the marina.
Day 5: Cala Gonone, Santa Teresa Gallura
On our second day in Cala Gonone we rented a small boat to explore the whole Golfo di Orosei. First we headed to the famous Cala Goloritze which is without a doubt one of the best beaches in Sardinia. We had the most amazing time exploring the coast by boat and just enjoying sea, sun and amazing views. If you ask me this was the most memorable day of our whole trip and it’s a must! If you don’t feel like renting a boat you can also go on a group tour, but believe me it cannot compare to the freedom you have with you own boat and your own schedule exploring the most amazing bays. Later in the evening we continued our journey through Sardinia’s northern part and headed for Santa Teresa Gallura, which was a two hour drive away.
Day 6: Santa Teresa Gallura, Porto Cervo
In the morning we decided to explore Capo Testa, which is situated 4 kilometres West of Santa Teresa Gallura. Land end of granite boulders form a unique landscape that is a must see! We actually spent the whole day there just wandering around through many hiking trails and admiring the view over turquoise water. In the evening we drove to the swanky Porto Cervo. With sun sinking down it was perfect time for a stroll along the marine admiring all over-the-top luxurious yachts.
Day 7: Santa Teresa Gallura, Alghero
In the morning we stayed in the cute city centre of Santa Teresa Gallura, had a coffee and strolled through the city. Then we continued to Alghero which took us about two hours. Driving through Sardinia’s diverse landscape is really fascinating and we enjoyed every part of it. There are cactuses growing everywhere, as well as palm trees, and did I mention you can see flamingoes in the wild. How cool is that? Anyway, in Alghero we spent a lovely afternoon discovering its medieval streets and walking on the city walls. You can read all about this magical city in a post here.
Day 8: Stintino, Alghero
Next morning morning we drove to Stintino to the arguably the best beach in Sardinia. La Pelosa is everything you expected it to be. Perfect white sand, crystal clear sea, but also really crowded. If you don’t mind the crowds the beach is a dream! We also went to the beach a little south of Stintino called Le Saline, which we got a recommendation from our lovely host at B&B Sardegna Sole e Mare (check them out here). Also, for a complete beach guide in Sardinia click here.
Day 9: Alghero, Bosa, Oristano, Cagliari
In the morning we checked out of our guesthouse and drove to Capo Caccia to see the famous Grotta di Nettuno. After that we headed south towards Cagliari, but had a few stops planned along the way. We decided to take the road SS125 that is recommended in Lonely Planet as one of the most scenic routes. The road and the scenery was indeed very beautiful, but it took us twice the time. Anyway, we arrived to Bosa where we had lunch and a quick tour around the lovely picturesque town. Then we continued our trip towards Oristano, to have a quick and last dip in the sea in one of the best beaches in the Western part of Sardinia. Is Aruttas beach is really special, because the pebbles are as small as rice grains and look like that too! The sun was slowly sinking down so it was time to hit the road once again. It took us only one hour drive to reach the Sestu (the suburbs of Cagliari) where we had our last accommodation.
Day 10: Cagliari
In the morning we packed our bags and drove to the airport, which was conveniently only 5 minutes drive away. We dropped off our lovely little car and said goodbye to Sardinia.
All in all we did around 1000 kilometres around the island in small Fiat 500. The car was an absolute gem. It drives so smoothly, it’s really responsive and the consumption was incredibly low (only 4.5 litres/100 km). We slept at 5 different locations around Sardinia so we basically moved every other night. If you need a place to stay I would highly recommend:
- Da Laura in Cagliari
- La Finestra Vista Corsica in Santa Teresa Gallura
- Affittacamere Sardegna Sole e Mare in Alghero
At this places we had the most wonderful hosts that went out of their way to make us feel 110% welcome and were really kind and helpful. There are of course a bunch of other wonderful places to discover in Sardinia, but unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to visit them all. These were: La Madallena archipelago, Asinara island, Costa Smeralda (beaches of San Teodoro) and many more. So if you have more time for your trip you should definitely add this to your list. Our holidays were short but sweet and Sardinia’s unspoilt nature, the dreamiest beaches and lovely people left a great impact on us, so we are already planning our trip back! 🙂
Awesome trip!
Author
It definitely was awesome! Thanks 🙂