About the size of New Hampshire, at 9,301 square miles, Sardinia (Sardegna in Italian) is a Mediterranean island of breathtaking beauty divided into four provinces. In the south, the capital city of Cagliari draws travelers for its walled medieval Castello quarter, seafood restaurants, and internationally acclaimed marina. In central Nuoro, scenic, curvy road trips cut through the rugged mountains, craggy gorges, and thick forests, while spiky cliffs on the eastern Ogliastra coast entice seaside hiking and rock climbing.
Head to Alghero in the northwestern Sassari for Spanish-influenced cuisine and Catalan medieval architecture. Visitors to Oristano can explore a multitude of archaeological riches in addition to the more than 7,000 Bronze Age conical-shaped, beehive monuments (nuraghi) scattered across the island.
From the northeastern Costa Smeralda’s swanky beach resorts, popular among celebrities, to remote mountain villages steeped in centuries-old traditions, and ancient landscapes strewn with stone relics, here are some of the best ways to explore the treasures of Italy’s Sardinia region.
Explore Sardinia’s capital city
Flanked by the Gulf of Cagliari’s turquoise waters and flamingo-filled marshes, Cagliari’s Castello Quarter bustles with aromatic cafes, medieval palazzi, and artisanal shops. Enjoy a creative cocktail on the rooftop terrace of Caffe Libarium Nostrum, located near the 19th-century limestone Bastione di Saint Remy—a great vantage point for spectacular sunset views.
Located in the historic center of Cagliari, the Bastione di Saint Remy is a neoclassical structure that features, a stairway, gallery space, and the Umberto I terrace that looks out over Piazza Costituzione and offers a view of the Mediterranean Sea and mountains at a distance. Photograph by Chris Hutty, Alamy
The National Archaeological Museum provides a chronological history of the island from the Neolithic Age to the Middle Ages, and it features the Nora Stone (from the 9th century B.C.). It is considered the oldest Phoenician text in Western Europe and the first recorded instance of the name “Sardinia,” signifying the existence of Sardinian people 3,000 years ago.
For beachgoers, the five-mile stretch of golden sand known as Poetto Beach, features food kiosks, great people-watching, and nighttime clubs. Meanwhile, the path to Devil’s Saddle— towering above the marina—is a popular hike. For typical Sard products, such as cheeses, charcuterie, and wines, Bonu has it all and ships worldwide.
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Enjoy a traditional feast, art, and a regional park
In Malacalagonis, feast on a multi-course banquet at Ristorante Sa Festa di Casa Atzeri, where there’s dancing in traditional dress, cantu a tenor singing, and musicians play launeddas—an ancient woodwind instrument unique to Sardinia.
Visit the open-air museum of San Sperate, the hometown of sculptor Pinuccio Sciola (1942-2016), who invited local and foreign artists in the 1960s to paint the town. Over 200 of their colorful murals depicting social and political themes adorn the exterior walls of local homes and shops. Sciola’s basalt sculptures sprinkle the streets with his spirit, transforming an agricultural village into a workshop of creation.
An hour northeast of Cagliari, get lost in 10,000 acres of oak forests and hiking trails at Sette Fratelli Regional Park, named for its seven peaks. Visitors will find a museum devoted to the Sardinian deer, but for real wildlife sightings, keep a watchful eye out for the Sardinian goshawk, golden eagle, wild boar, and mouflon.
Savor Sardinia’s celebrated wines
Sardinia’s red wine grape, Cannonau, has been produced in the Ogliastra since the Middle Ages. This aromatic, spice-driven red pairs well with meats and aged cheeses and is rich in procyanidins—credited with heart-healthy properties that promote the exceptionally long lives of its residents. In Jerzu, known as the Citta’ del Vino (Wine Town), visit Cantina Sa Pruna, a family-run business, for Cannonau di Sardegna DOC tastings and vineyard tours.
For white wine connoisseurs, Vermentino is best paired with Sardinia’s seafood, which is produced in the northern Gallura region. The Wine Museum in the ancient village of Berchidda offers an immersive experience that connects the region’s history, culture, and flavors with Vermentino di Gallura DOCG. Cantina di Contini’s Vernaccia of Oristano DOC is a white grape dessert wine made in the Cabras area since Roman times.
(Related: These are the must-see sights of Italy’s Abruzzo region.)
Taste a culinary specialty near two historic sites
In the western Oristano province, the Cabras Lagoon is home to Sardinia’s revered bottarga, air-dried and cured mullet roe, nicknamed gold caviar for its amber glow. Residents and visitors can nibble raw bottarga with celery or grate over spaghetti at the Bar Focacceria Casas in the seaside village of San Giovanni di Sinis. It’s just a short walk to the archaeological site of the ancient city of Tharros, founded by the Phoenicians around the 8th century B.C. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, it was one of the most important trading centers in the Mediterranean.
Today, visitors can see the ruins of Tharros, which include monuments, temples, tombs, and necropolises, evidence of the ancient Nuragic civilization that inhabited Sardinia during the Bronze Age. Don’t miss visiting Mont’e Prama, too, where over 5,000 fragments of shattered limestone were discovered in 1974 and recomposed between 2005 and 2011 into 30 massive, six-and-a-half-foot-tall stone sculptures of warriors, boxers, and archers. Six of the statues are on exhibit in the Civic Archaeological Museum of Cabras, and the remaining sculptures can be found in the National Museum of Archeology of Cagliari.
Immerse yourself in Sardinia’s outdoor adventures
Extending from the eastern Gulf of Orosei into the central Supramonte mountain range, Gennargentu National Park is a combination of rocky peaks, craggy gorges, gushing waterfalls, and hidden caves. Hike Sardinia’s tallest mountain, La Marmora (6,017 feet), or snowshoe Bruncu Spina’s snow-covered slopes. Trek into the Tiscali sinkhole and explore the Nuragic dwelling’s archaeological ruins.
When visiting Gennargentu National Park, hikers can make the adventurous trek through Gola di Gorropu Gorge. The park has 53 trails for hiking, birding, and backpacking with elevation gains ranging from 374 to 21,266 feet. Photograph by lukaszmalkiewicz.pl, Shutterstock
If wind or board surfing is your pleasure, head to the Bonga Surf School on Porto Ferro, a beach outside the Italian island’s second-largest city, Sassari. Alternatively, for mountain bikers, head to southwestern Campidano to hit the dirt tracks at Giara di Gesture Park. The cork and evergreen forests of the Giara plateau are home to the wild and protected horses of the Giara, survivors of an ancient native species. They have inhabited Sardinia since the Middle Ages. Horseback riding tours for adults and children are available. For a more low-key activity, visitors should consider a relaxing dip into one of the thermal pools at the Sardara Baths.
Plan a day trip to this Geological Mining Park
Phoenician and Carthaginian invaders began exploiting Sardinia’s rich mineral treasures in Iglesias around 500 B.C. Montevecchio, the island’s first mining complex, was built in the 19th century. At its height in 1865, it employed 1,100 miners from Europe and Italy. The mining operation became one of the most important ore and zinc mines in Europe through 1950.
While visiting Motevecchio, travelers should consider staying at Casa Marmida, a family-owned farmstead with cottages, where farm-fresh dishes are served like Giuggiole ice cream with salty caramel and liquirizia. Photograph Courtesy Andrea Pani, Casa Marmida.
After ceasing operations in 1991, it was restored into an open-air museum as part of the UNESCO Geomineral Park network. Visitors may choose among the five guided tours available. See the owners’ Renaissance-style palace and offices—a stark contrast with the miners’ living quarters. Consider staying overnight at Casa Marmida, a family-run agriturismo (farmstead) with reasonably priced, cozy stone cottages and delicious farm-fresh meals.
(Related: 10 must-do experiences in Italy’s Lazio region.)
Taste Pecorino Sardo cheese
To avoid sea invasions, ancient Sards retreated inland to the central Barbara region and became farmers and pastoral nomads. Today, an estimated three million sheep, goats, and cows graze Sardinia’s hilly pastures, outnumbering the current 1.6 million people by about two to one. The Sardinian sheep’s milk cheese, pecorino, is one of the oldest known. Fiore Sardo Pecorino conjures notes of hay and spices, while soft Pecorino Sardodelivers hints of fresh milk and a sweet aromatic flavor.
Seadas al Miele, a popular Sardinian treat, is made with fresh pecorino and lemon peel, wrapped up in a dumpling, and drizzled with honey. Another option is to simply spread pecorino cheese onto pane carasau, a tasty Sardinian crisp flatbread. You can sample a variety of pecorino Sardo cheeses at shops like the fourth-generation, family-owned Cabigliera & Zidda Formaggi in Ozieri, or Sa Marchesa, an award-winning master of smoked, aged pecorino cheese in Gavoi.
Visit a UNESCO site and other historical landmarks
Of the 7,000 nuraghi that pepper the Sardinian landscape, Su Nuraxi of Barumini, about 40 miles north of Cagliari, contains the remains of the largest and most complete Nuragic fortress. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. Its oldest section, a 62-foot stone defensive tower, was built around 1500 B.C. Three hundred years later four subsidiary towers and a wall were added.
Additional fortifications were constructed in the 7th century B.C. to ward against the threat of a Phoenician invasion. Excavations reveal a village located outside the main fortress with circular dwellings, paved streets, and a sewer system that preceded the Roman period by centuries.
Nearby, Casa Zapata Museum—once a 16th-century villa for the Spanish (Aragonese) dynasty that ruled this area for nearly 500 years—was restored with glass floors to reveal a Nuragic settlement discovered beneath it.
In 2020, a “Sardinia Toward UNESCO” initiative was launched to petition the inclusion of 31 additional Nuragic monuments to be listed as World Heritage sites. The monuments include one of the best preserved examples of Nuragic funerary architecture, the 4500-year-old Gallura’s Coddu Vecchju; and the 10th century B.C. Well Temple of Santa Cristina, located in Paulilatino, Oristano.
Swim at Sardinia’s best beaches
Visitors looking for some of the best beaches in Sardinia won’t have to look far. Some local favorites include the crescent-shaped, Spiaggia del Principe, bordered by maquis and woodlands, on Costa Smeralda; the super secluded Cala Luna in eastern Ogliastra, accessible by boat or a challenging four-hour hike through pink-flowered Oleander trees; and the endless dunes of Piscinas Beach, located on Costa Verde. in southwest Iglesias.
The shorelines of Sardinia and nearby islands are ideal for a proper beach day like on Spargi, an island in the La Maddalena archipelago (seen above). And if you’re visiting Costa Smeralda, Spiaggia del Principe is another option for vacationing beachgoers. Photograph by Fabio Lotti, Alamy
Try an off-island beach getaway to the Maddalena Archipelago—seven wind-sculpted, granite islets off the northeast coast of Sardinia. Board a 20-minute ferry from Palau to the main island, La Maddalena, and stroll its cobbled piazzas. For a full day of beach pleasure, book a cruise, such as the Marinella IV to the smaller islands and their beaches.
On the island of Spargi, visitors can relax beneath fragrant pines on fine, white sand along the turquoise waters of Cala Granara, the island’s largest beach. Sunbathe on the natural rock formations at Cala Corsara.
Visit Carloforte on the hilly San Pietro Island, located near the southwest coast of Sardinia. Just four miles from town, Spiaggia La Bobba, the first in a series of picturesque beaches in the area, provides a sanctuary for diving, snorkeling, and sunbathing.
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Getting around
Most travelers heading to Sardinia fly into Cagliari’s Elmas Airport (CAG). With rail transportation limited and infrequent bus services, the fastest and most efficient way to get around the island’s most scenic and remote parts is by car. Major car rental companies operate out of CAG and the islands’ other two airports: Olbia Costa Esmeralda and Alghero-Fertilia Riviera del Corallo. Plan your trip over the spring or fall to avoid summer crowds and peak prices.
From Cagliari, you can reach Alghero in about three hours, and Oristano and Iglesias in one hour. If you are traveling to Nuoro, in the mountainous, central interior, or further north to Sassari or Olbia, you may want to plan a stop-over along the way for a leisurely, scenic visit.
Where to stay
If Cagliari is your base, check into the 5-star Hotel Palazzo Tirso located in front of the tourist port, a few steps from Via Roma, the city’s most important boulevard. The hotel features 76 guestrooms and nine suites—some with private balconies that provide views of the historic city center and the Gulf of Angels.
In Alghero, Villa Las Tronas Hotel & Spa is located on a private promontory within walking distance of the city’s historic center, boutiques, and restaurants. The villa’s origins date back to the 1880s when it was a hunting lodge. Forty years later, a major renovation transformed the lodge into a villa for Italian royalty. Hollywood royalty Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as well as author Samuel Beckett were among its first guests when it became a hotel in 1959. It received a five-star hotel classification in 2006.
Nestled in the steep, Supramonte peaks outside Oliena, Hotel Su Gologone is a mountain retreat, heralded for its traditional regional cuisine. Tasty specialties include macarrones de busa, a popular Sardinian pasta; culurgiones, a ravioli filled with ricotta; and spit-roasted porceddu. Try a cooking class to continue enjoying these dishes back home.
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