10 ESSENTIAL PLACES TO SEE IN SARDINIA

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This list of places to see in Sardinia, will help you prepare a trip through one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean, perfect to enjoy a dream vacation.
In Sardinia, in addition to its paradisiacal beaches that have nothing to send to those of the Caribbean, you cannot miss its towns and cities that maintain their medieval past, the archaeological sites of the Phoenicians, the nuragas and the Romans, the natural landscapes product of erosion and of course, the delicious Italian cuisine.

The best way to explore the second largest island in the Mediterranean is by rental car. If you have a few days we recommend a circular route from Alghero and if you have more than one week you can make a longer route, ending in Cagliari.
The best time to travel to Sardinia is in spring or autumn, the temperature is pleasant and the prices are not as high as in summer as well as you will not find the island so overcrowded as it usually is in the hottest months.

Based on the experience of our trip to Sardinia in 5 days we have made a selection of what we think are, the 10 essential places to visit in Sardinia. We start!

1. The Maddalena

La Maddalena, an archipelago of more than 60 islands, is one of the places to see in Sardinia more beautiful. Its beaches of fine sand and crystal clear water are a real wonder to snorkel or lie down to sunbathe with very few people around as well as having all the services and good restaurants in its capital.
To get to this main island of La Maddalena you can take a ferry in Palau that takes about 20 minutes to travel. In addition, if you have a car, you can cross over a bridge to the Island of Caprera, where in addition to the natural landscapes, there is the house of Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Another way to explore this archipelago, protected by declaring a national park, is to book this cruise from Olbia. This is the only way to reach other smaller islands that have beautiful coves such as Cala dei Corsari on the island of Spargi, the coves on the island of Santa Maria or the cove of the Spiaggia Rosa on the island of Budelli.

The Maddalena

2. Castelsardo

Castelsardo is one of the most beautiful medieval villages in Italy and another one of the places to visit in Sardinia. This town of Sardinian origin, impresses just see it in the distance to be seated on a rock above the sea and dominated by a castle that has been preserved for more than 1000 years.
In addition to the views from the castle, the old part full of narrow streets and houses of different colors is located along the slopes of the small mountain, which are a charm.
Do not miss the Cathedral of San Antonio Abad, the coves Ostina, San Pietro and Lu Bagnu, The Rock of the Elephant and of course, try the delicious Italian pasta combined with mussels or seafood.

Castelsardo

3. La Pelosa Beach

Another of the mandatory stops if you travel in Sardinia by rental car is the Playa de la Pelosa in Stintino. Considered the most famous and paradisiacal of the island, this beach located in Capo Falcone stands out for its blue colors whose hue is changing according to the depth of its waters.
In addition to this, there are several stretches of white sand beaches and shallow waters in Capo Falcone before reaching La Pelosa, among which the most recommended are Cala Lupo and Cala di Vacca.
When you arrive at La Pelosa you will see a paradisiacal landscape with a small island located in front with an Aragonese tower built in 1578 and the Isola Piana and Asinara, as a backdrop.

Playa de la Pelosa, one of the places to see in Sardinia

4. Grotta di Nettuno

La Grotta di Nettuno, an incredible natural cave located in Cape Caccia, is another of the most essential places to see in Sardinia. Considered as one of the star excursions of the island, during the guided tour of this cave, more than a kilometer in length, you can see large calcareous formations of stalactites and stalagmites and a salt water lake over 100 meters long.
To get to the Grotto of Neptune you can hire a boat excursion from nearby Alghero or go by car or bus to Cape Caccia and go down the more than 600 stairs carved in the rock to the entrance of the cave.
The visiting hours are from 9 in the morning to 7 in the afternoon and in high season, having a limited number of visitors, it is best to book the boat excursion as soon as possible.

A good option to know the history of Alghero, which also includes the transfer to the cave is to book this excursion with a guide in Spanish.

Grotto of Neptune

5. Capo Testa, one of the best places to see in Sardinia

Capo Testa, with a lunar landscape and small dream coves, is another of the places to visit in Sardinia. In this amazing landscape, the original forms of the large rocks resulting from erosion stand out for millions of years, and among its best known places is the Spinosa rocky cove, located on the right side of the lighthouse that dominates this small peninsula overlooking the Strait of Bonifacio and the island of Corsica.
Next you have the town of Santa Teresa de Gallura with a good offer of restaurants and hotels.

Capo Testa

6. Orosei Gulf

The small Orosei Gulf, located on the eastern coast and bathed by the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, is a paradise where some of the most beautiful coves and beaches in Europe are located.
The turquoise blue of its waters, vertical cliffs and limestone caves, make it one of the best places to see in Sardinia.
From Cala Gonone, a small tourist town, you can make excursions on foot or by boat through the most charming and inaccessible coves of the island, which will allow you to enjoy good hiking trails and beaches with few people, being one of the most visited and easier to reach Cala Luna, a true wonder of nature.
Other of the coves and most famous places of this gulf are Cala Biriola, Cala Goloritzé, the pools of Venere, Cala Mariolu, the Grotta de Bue Marino and Cala Fuili, among others.
A good option to see some of the best coves in this gulf is to book this boat tour to Cala Goloritzé.

Cala Luna in the Orosei Gulf

7. Alghero

Alghero known as the "Barceloneta Sarda"for many of its inhabitants, it is the most beautiful city and another of the places to visit in Sardinia.
For four centuries of the Middle Ages it belonged to the Crown of Aragon and was populated by settlers from Barcelona, who turned Catalan into the most used language in the city.
The constructions of the medieval era that are still maintained make it very worthwhile to get lost in the cobbled streets of the old town in which its squares stand out, the historical buildings and the old churches that, together with good restaurants, make it A perfect place to spend at least one day on a trip through Sardinia.

We stayed at the Hotel Aurasol located 5 minutes walk from the beach and the old town with a great quality / price ratio.

Alghero, one of the places to visit in Sardinia

8. Emerald Coast

The Emerald Coast represents the most luxurious part of Sardinia in which millionaires from all over the world take a walk with their yachts, enjoy their white sand beaches, buy in expensive shops and practice sports in private golf clubs.
Although beyond the luxury concentrated in Porto Cervo and surroundings, you can enjoy this area stopping at the beaches of turquoise waters and fine sand such as Pevero, Spiaggie del Principe and Capriccioli.

Emerald coast

Recommended travel cards
Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.

9. Tomb of the Giants

In addition to paradisiacal beaches and medieval villages, archaeological sites are another tourist attraction what to see in Sardinia. One of the most impressive and best preserved is the Tomb of Giants of Coddu Vecchiu, a collective burial of the Nuragic era.
These megalithic constructions whose origin is still investigated and have no equivalent in other parts of the world, are scattered throughout the island and are another reason to visit Sardinia.
In addition to the Coddu Vecchiu, there are other prominent sites located near Arzachena such as the tomb of Li Lolghi and the necropolis of Li Muri.

Tomb of the Giants

10. Cagliari

Cagliari, located south of the island, is the capital and one of the places to visit in Sardinia. Most of its most important buildings and monuments in the city are located in the historic neighborhood of Castello, surrounded by imposing walls, where in addition to walking its streets and shopping in its craft shops, you can see the Bastion of Saint Remy with fantastic views of the city, the Towers of San Pancracio and the Elephant and the Cathedral of Santa Maria.

The Marina neighborhood, located around the port, is another of the most important places with more atmosphere of the city and the castle and church of Sant San Michele, the Roman Amphitheater, the square and the Viceregio palace, the Archaeological Museum and the Market from San Benedetto, the largest in Italy, places that will complete your visit to the Sardinian capital.