Have you ever dreamed of vacationing in the Caribbean? But the high costs have kept you away from doing that? Then you should keep an eye on Sardinia! Sardinia is the second largest island in Italy and is known as Europe’s Caribbean with its gorgeous white beaches and crystal clear waters. Sardinia is a dream for everyone – whether sunbathers, athletes, surfers or celebrities.
Stay tuned for my personal hotspot tips and find out which places you should not miss!
About Sardinia and the perfect travel times
Sardinia is located in the heart of the Mediterranean and offers enchanting contrasts: you will find small and large bays with emerald green water, fine white sandy beach and on the other side a mountainous, green natural landscape that invites you to hike and climb.The most beautiful time to travel to this popular island is in early or late summer, when everything is blooming and the temperatures are still pleasant. In April, May, June and September you will have beautiful weather, pleasant temperatures and only few guests. The temperatures are then around 25 °C. In summer it can get very hot, so Sardinia is suitable for a pure beach holiday. Depends on the season but especially in August it can be quite busy at the beach. Depending on what you plan to do, you should take this into account when planning your trip.
My Sardinia highlights for you
Sardinia shows off a wealth of cultural attractions, beautiful beaches and towns. To make your selection a little easier, I now tell you about my top highlights in Sardinia that you should not miss.
La Maddalena National Park
MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE PART OF SARDINIA!!! Here you get the pure Caribbean flair in the middle of the Med!
La Maddalena is a national park that covers 180km of coastline and lies north of Sardinia. To reach this archipelago, which consists of 7 major and more than 62 smaller sub-islands, go by ferry from Palau. It’s really easy to get a ticket on the ferry counter right on the harbour.
The national park offers a varied and dreamlike landscape with Caribbean-like, fine white sand beach and pink granite rock walls.
Immediately after arriving by ferry, it is great to explore the historic center of La Maddalena, which is pleasantly visited even in high season. The historical buildings are something special that you will not find anywhere else in Sardinia. The houses have different beautiful colors and line up with their narrow balconies, which conjures a super cozy atmosphere. It’s a great scenery for your holiday photos. Here you can go shopping or take a romantic walk along the palm avenues in the evening and have a really good spanish dinner in one of the cozy restaurants.
The most popular beaches of the main island are “Spalmatore”, “Punta Tegge” and “Baia Trinità”, which despite their fame are usually not too crowded. For example, Spalmatore is only 5 km from the city of La Maddalena and therefore very easy to reach. This bay is especially popular because the rocky environment protects very well against waves and wind. You should, however, take care of the rocks on the beach.
If you want to see more of the island, then it is a good idea to drive to the stunning Bay Baia Trinità in the northwest of the archipelago. On the island beautiful roads lead along the coast. The drive to the bay leads over hilly through a picturesque landscape and is now also easily accessible by car. The bay Baia Trinità convinces with crystal clear water, golden sand and a beautiful flower landscape in early and late summer.
Generally, you should keep in mind that the infrastructure is not the best. This is actually a national park whose protection is in the foreground. So that you still get along well everywhere, inform yourself best in advance about it.
What you absolutely need to do when you come to La Maddalena is to rent a little boat at the port of Palau, which is not too expensive there and really worth it! If you take a motorised dinghy boat, you can even drive without a boat drivers license and it´s total fun! We did it and i felt like Captain Jack Sparrow, exploring the loads of little islands and sandbanks of La Maddalena National Park. Anchoring wherever we wanted gave a an incredible feeling of pure freedom and jumping from the boat into the cold blue did the rest to make this day perfect! Take some wine or beer and some snacks with you and you gonna have an unforgettable daytrip! This was my absolute favorite day during our whole Sardinia Trip and i enjoyed every second of it! Check it out, you will speak about this trip for ages.
Porto Cervo and the Costa Smeralda
Porto Cervo is a tourist resort on the Costa Smeralda, in the northeast of Sardinia. The Costa Smeralda is called “Emerald Coast”, because of its crystal clear water and beautiful bays that invite you to swim. Even the celebrities are drawn to Porto Cervo, a picturesque place that is one of the more luxurious destinations on the Costa Smeralda. For a leisurely evening at the harbor it is worth a visit in any case!
Worth seeing is, among other things, the famous promenade, where you will find really nice boutiques and cozy restaurants & cafes. After a stroll through the historic streets, you can reach the famous Piazzetta, the heart of nightlife. From there you have a wonderful view of the harbor, where the luxury yachts line up.
Among the most beautiful beaches in Porto Cervo are the Long Beach Caprera, Portisco, Arena Bianca and Razza di Iuncu. Nearby to Porto Cervo you will also find the beautiful coves of Cala Granu and Cala del Faro.
Alghero
Alghero is an ancient place in Sardinia, attracting many tourists for its elegance and relaxed atmosphere.
In Alghero you can explore the historic town of Alguer Vella by taking a tour of the ancient city walls, where you get a wonderful view over the oldtown and down to the sea. For example, you can start from Piazza Porta Terra. Here you should not miss the tower of San Giovanni, which is with its 22m the most impressive tower of the wall ring.
If you are looking for a cozy restaurant or café overlooking the harbor, then you should go to the bastion Marco Polo, which is located opposite the historic lighthouse Garita Reial. Here is the perfect place to taste fish specialties and traditional foods, such as lobster alla catalana and bogamarì (sea urchin) or agliate (dogfish in garlic sauce with vinegar). Of course, a good wine, such as the dessert wine Passito Alghero Doc and the dessert Crema catalana should not be missing! Super delicious!
I could have spent there a full week just to enjoy the italian flair thanks to the small streets and ancient houses. Walking through Alghero is a wonderful experience to dive into the sardinian way of life.
Highly recommended is also a trip to the Neptune Grotto (Grotte di Nettuno), a stalactite cave at Capo Caccia. Here you can either go by car, bus or boat. The Neptune Rifts are among the natural wonders of the island and are definitely worth the visit. The grotto is located on a 110 meter high lime-white rock wall, which can be reached via two paths: either by boat (only in calm waves) or over the 650 steps. The steps lead along the rock wall, from where you have a breathtaking view of the sea and the rocks.
The Neptune Grotto can only be visited with a guide, but no prior booking is necessary. You get the ticket right in front of the impressive entrance to the grotto! The entrance fee for the half-hour tour is 13€ ($16) per person. Learn everything about the super exciting formation of stalactite caves – this is really a natural wonder!
Usually the tour is hold in different languages such as spanish, italian and english.
How to get from A to B?
For me, Sardinia is a perfect island just to go for a really beautiful summer holiday but also for a great road trips with stunning places, landscape and historics.
So if you want to experience multiple places on the stunning island, rent a car right from the start and fall in love with the island. Sardinia is very well suited to drive everything by car or scooter.
We have previously booked a car on the internet which was really easy. Here you have the best overview about prices and services compared to the airport where it’s really busy and hard to compare the prices.
But what you should pay attention to is the insurance and the included services. If you know, for example, that you are driving on gravel roads, the subsoil should be insured. Otherwise, it can end up being very expensive if something happens. Just look here, which feels best for you. Also make sure that the car is filled up at the beginning and you bring it back fully.
If you have an European driving license, you do not need to think about anything else. If not, remember to bring an international driver’s license.
Tips for the perfect road trip experience: download a good music playlist, bring a cable to charge your phone in the car and to connect it via AUX for music. Usually bluetooth works but so you are on the safe side! Time to let the good times roll!
I can not wait to plan my next trip !!! What about you?
