r/Sardinia • u/Rough_Swordfish32 • Jun 25 '25
Pregonta Why is Sardinia so hard to figure out? Need some input on itinerary.
Hi fellow travelers and experts on Sardinia.
I've been staring at itineraries, watching you tube videos and going over Lonely Planet for more than a few weeks. Time for some outside help. I know I can't really go wrong wherever we end up but just want to make sure I'm not overstaying or just missing something completely. Everywhere looks amazing, making this a really tough decision point.
We have 10 days in September with flights in and out of Rome. Plan to take the o/n ferry to Cagliari arriving at 9am on the 5th, pick up the car and head to Pula. Not sure if we should do 2 or 3 nights exploring Nora, Chia and a day back in Cagliari. Looking at Villa Cavalieri Country House about a mile outside Pula and at least one meal at Agriturismo Su Lilloni. From there we can go to Oristano for a couple of nights and then spend the final 5 nights in Orosei. Other option is to go to Villasimius or Costa Rei for 3 nights and then finish in Orosei for 3 nights before flying out of Olbia. We definitely want to explore the beaches around Orosei and do some hiking. Not sure if we should trade out Villasimius for Oristano so we can see the museum in Cabras and also Tharros on Sinis. We've been to Italy several times and the islands of Ischia and Sicily. We love eating late, taking evening walks in the villages with everyone, hiking and of course the amazing beaches. We aren't looking for touristy, overly crowded places, that's why we weren't planning on hitting the north of the Island. Bosa and Alghero also look worth a visit, but I haven't been able to fit those in without feeling like we are packing and unpacking for 10 days. We are trying to stay in the 100USD to 200/night range for lodging and open to any suggestions for agriturismos, self-catering or other off-beat places. Want to experience some real local Sardinian food, we are adventurous eaters and love the wine. That's a lot, so thanks for making it this far and appreciate any suggestions.
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u/Kyotoghost74 Jun 25 '25
I’m in Orosei at the moment. It’s my third night out of five and we’ve done a dinghy tour around the gulf today which was fantastic. Orosei is lovely, perfect for evening walks and late eating. They close the central street off after 8pm , there’s an evening market plus some lovely bars and restaurants. After this we drive to Alghero for 5 nights. We flew in to Olbia drove to Orosei and will be leaving from there too after Alghero. Mainly because we can only get direct flights from home to Olbia. Hope that helps!
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 25 '25
Thanks so much for this comment. I had thought about flying into Alghero as there is one from Roma that gets us in early evening and then spending 3 nights in the area and driving over to Orosei for the rest. It is nice to hear about Orosei having that typical evening vibe with night markets and taking strolls in the old town. I feel better locking in for a longer time in that area.
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u/AC_KARLMARX Jun 25 '25
Budoni is also great for chill beach time, all day everyday
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 25 '25
Really want to make it Biderrosa, Berchida and further south, Feraxi. Budoni would be easily in reach from Orosei, but Feraxi is down by Costa Rei.
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u/AC_KARLMARX Jun 25 '25
You have a nice plan already, just do that.
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 25 '25
Hi and thanks for the vote of confidence. When you say "nice plan" are you talking about the option with Oristano or the one with Chia - Villasimius - Orisei?
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u/uranioh Jun 25 '25
If you happen to need some info about Pula feel free to ask me since I'm from there
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 25 '25
Hello and thanks for your offer to answer about Pula. Do you know the hotel I mentioned and would you recommend any agriturismos in the area for meals and even lodging? One person mentioned Chia being gated and overcrowded are there other beaches worth visiting in the far south like Porto Pino?
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u/uranioh Jun 26 '25
Chia is a very nice beach but as you mentioned, might be overcrowded, even if in September it'd be a bit less compared to July and August. You can also plan ahead and leave early in the morning to avoid traffic AND get a good spot either there or at Su Giudeu.
As a good tradeoff, I recommend the Abamar beach and maybe for a good, cheap dinner coming back from there, "Pizzeria Cala d'Ostia" would be a great place to go in my opinion.
I don't know what you're looking forward to though! The hotel you mentioned is a 4 star hotel a bit in the middle of nowhere so every single trip you're going to do implies taking the car out and driving it for a couple of minutes.
The best way to get around in the village would be by just walking in my opinion, since every major parking spot isn't free until the end of October and you'd be wasting more time driving than just exploring. Renting a bike would also be a good choice imo.
As a local, this Agriturismo is where I always went with my parents as a kid, on google maps it shows "permanently closed" for some reason but I'd recommend calling first anyway for a reservation.
Other good restaurants in the center are (not in any particular order): Monang (steak house), S'Incontru (restaurant, pizza and sushi), Pizzamania (take out pizzeria with a couple of tables for dining in, you just take your order and they'll call you when it's ready, cheapest option available?). For sardinian restaurants I recommend every single one listed in Google Maps when searching for "sardinian restaurant", benefit of living in a very small place!
In Nora the (only?) options are Rada (nice cocktail bar and restaurant) and Machri, although I find them really overpriced, especially the latter since you'd be spending ~80€ for a dinner there. First one is fine but an Aperol Spritz is 8€ which I take as an insult (/s)
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 26 '25
Thanks so much u/uranioh for the information! I had it in my mind that the Chia beaches were pretty much wide open and not so visited, but I guess since they are so close to Cagliari that wouldn't be true. It is good to know that ANY sardinian restaurant will be good, makes that easy and I appreciate the advise about parking and being able to get into the city easily. I'm considering changing from Chia and Pula 2 nights to a place called Buggerru or Portixeddu area. This was mentioned in another thread as being beautiful, laid back and more locals. It is close to Piscinas too which looks amazing. The agriturismos look amazing up there too.
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u/TropicalAppleSauce Jun 25 '25
Chia is a crowded and gated resort town, don't waste your time. Carloforte is authentic AF! Be absolutely sure to stop by Su Gologone Experience for a lunch on your way to Orosei.
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 25 '25
Thanks for that lunch recommendation. The food (especially the pig since I'm a southerner) looks really good. I actually had Carloforte as an overnight in one of many iterations. I would still like to fit it in somehow, but might be another trip. If I skipped Chia and went straight there from Cagliari, up to Oristano and across to Orosei, that might work, would have to give up Costa Rei/Villasimius.
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u/_superpurple Jun 25 '25
Just did:
1 night in Cagliari
3 nigths in SMN
2 nights in San Teodoro
4 nights in Palau.
Had a car rental pick-up in Cagliari airport, drop-off in Olbia airport. Managed to visit also Tempio Pausania, San Pantaleo, Porto Cervo, Golfo Aranci. Had two dinghy rentals in SMN and Palau, and hiked to Cala Goloritzè.
I believe that it is a good plan, I’m super content with what I have visited and did.
Enjoy!
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 25 '25
Thanks, I hadn't considered SMN or San Teodoro, did you find the beaches crowded or over touristy?
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u/LloydO112 22d ago
Hi I’m looking at this car rental situation. Pick up Cagliari and drop off Olbia. Which company did you use? There’s seems to be these one off drop off charge frequently. TIA
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u/Markiza24 Jun 25 '25
What are the thoughts on Alghero, for a stay of 7 days? I have seen some City Hotels, and those seem decent, like 3 star range, but was wondering about the Beaches? Would welcome any information ( beside being given by the Agency)
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u/Parking_Country_61 Jun 25 '25
We have a small child at home and can’t leave the US for more than 8 days absolute max. So I’m struggling to narrow down our trip planning as well. We want to stay at the Conrad for at least 2 nights, but spend the remainder of our time in the north. I’ve never been to Rome either so we would like 1 day there. Is this even possible? It feels so so rushed!!
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 25 '25
Rome in a day sounds overwhelming. We were going to do 3 nights in Rome and a week in Sardinia and decided we wouldn't be doing either place much justice. I loved Napoli and stayed for 3 nights and I think Rome would be similar if you give it some time, so much to see there between Vatican City and all of ancient Roma. We plan to go back and stay in the Trastevere neighborhood.
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u/Parking_Country_61 Jun 25 '25
The truth is we don’t care about Rome but I feel like I at least need to hit a few sites bc I’m there so one day is fine. I want to get on to Sardinia.
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 25 '25
Sure, sounds about as much as I care about a Conrad in Sardinia. Have a great trip.
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u/ShardanaGoddess Jun 26 '25
Honestly if you’re coming in September, even the north side of the island won’t be that crowded. If I were you I would take a ferry to Olbia or Porto Torres and do your route the other way around. I think at that time the “Autunno in Barbagia” event series will start, and if you’re someone that loves exploring you’d have a chance to see the towns in the innermost part of the island.
If you really aren’t looking to do a purely beach holiday, then you could also just stay somewhere in the middle and do day trips, distances aren’t that crazy!
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 26 '25
u/ShardanaGoddess , my partner just came across these fall fesitvals in Barbagia. I'd love to see, hear and taste what's on offer. Do you think basing for 5 nights out of Orosei would give us a chance to head in to one of these villages?
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u/ShardanaGoddess Jun 27 '25
Yes definitely! You would be quite close to Bitti or Lula for example, both worth a visit imo ✨
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 27 '25
u/ShardanaGoddess Thanks again! We actually are booking a couple of nights in Carloforte, 2 nights at Agriturismo Majori near Portixeddu and then 5 nights in Orosei. I'll put in a trip report when I return. We are giving up Villasimius, Chia and Oristano and a night in Cagliari, which we will sadly miss, but I think this offers up some unique experiences and not so travelled parts of the Island. Someone on this thread said Carloforte is very authentic and another frequent contributor recommended the agriturismo Majori, so that's what we are doing!
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u/Bubbly_Pineapple9577 Jun 26 '25
Chia is lovely but actually preferred the beaches in Villasimius and cape carbonara. However if you’re a history buff and a fan of a pretty town, I’d take the Chia-Pula-Nora route as Villasimius felt much more like a tourist resort than Pula did. We did both sides and loved equally so you can’t go wrong. There’s a cool (but easy) hike in Chia up to the lighthouse with amazing views, if you don’t want to miss out..
Went out of season so can’t speak for beach busy-ness but we found it very easy to find space anywhere. :)
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 26 '25 edited Jun 26 '25
u/Bubbly_Pineapple9577 Do you know anything about the area around Buggerru or Portixeddu? Would you think that a good trade for staying 2 nights rather than Pula? It looks like we will head to Oristano for 2 nights and then 5 nights in Orosei.
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 26 '25
Update based on suggestions and some info from other threads
4th O/N ferry to Cagliari
5th Cagliari - seems an oversite if we don't take in the main city for at lease a night.
6th Drive to Nora and Chia then on to Buggerru or Fluminimaggiore
7th same and check out Dido and Piscinas
8th Drive Oristano, visit Cabras Museum for the giants.
9th Oristano drive out to Sinis for Tharros and Is Arutas
10,11,12,13 Orosei
We may try to fly in to Cagliari so we can save a day or fly into Oristano and go in reverse.
Definitely could put Pula back into the mix and drop Buggerru, but Piscinas looks like its worth a trip.
Thanks you all.
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u/SpicyTriceratops Jun 26 '25
We stayed in Cannigione at Resort Cala Di Falco and loved it- we also got a Catamaran cruise from a little dock in Cannigione to La Maddalena - we just walked to the dock from our hotel - took about 20 min along the water- gorgeous views. The cruise around the archipelago with lots of stops for swimming took about 7 hours and omg was it fantastic. FYI the main beach right near the harbor is clean but doesn’t have the spectacular water color Sardinia is known for, , but our hotel had a shuttle ( took 10min) to Mannena where the water is spectacular and almost as insane as the water around the La Maddalena archipelago. We only met one other American group in Cannigione- and they were on our Catamaran tour. Interesting mix of people at our hotel- there was a Russian family who all looked like pro tennis players who motored over in a tender from an insane 500-million-dollar-plus yacht that was moored out in the harbor , and then there were tons of Italian families who were vacationing there for a month and rented out the condo-type units at the hotel, quite a few English tourists too. It was cool being like the only Americans around- Cannigione feels like the secret summer vacation spot for Italians from the mainland- reminded me a lot of Wellfleet on Cape Cod . The vibe was definitely locals vacation spot as opposed to crazy summer tourist spot - it was so relaxing and beautiful :):):))
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jun 26 '25
Thanks, sounds like a wonderful time! I've heard Cannigione a bunch of times in different threads. I'll have to take a look.
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u/gattangolo Jun 30 '25
Hey - I would go for this!
Other option is to go to Villasimius or Costa Rei for 3 nights and then finish in Orosei for 3 nights before flying out of Olbia.
- It depends what you are into, but I would skip Cabras / Oristano, sure they are nice and stuff but...
- in 10 days you would be fine with Cagliari -> Villasimius -> Orosei -> Olbia
- On the other coast I would rather do Carloforte -> Buggerru -> Bosa -> Alghero or smtg along these lines
- No idea about the north, sry.
Let me know if you need some stuff about Cagliari and Villasimius
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jul 01 '25
Thanks so much u/gattangolo. I actually decided to take Oristano out of the mix and fly into Alghero for 3 nights, 2 nights in Maddalena and 5 nights is Orisei. We want to see some of the archeological sites around Alghero and certainly Orisei. The Autunno in Barbagia festival should be going on and we'd like to check out Orgosolo and lunch with the Shepherds. Besides, the beaches around Orosei are enough to keep anyone busy for more than a few weeks. Maddalena wasn't on our list at first but we couldn't deny how beautiful it is and the town looks nice for a couple nights of eating and walking around in the evening. Definitely will miss not hitting Carloforte and some of the wild west beaches around Buggerru. We will skip the area from Maddalena to Olbia. Let me know if you have recommendations for Orosei and inland Supramonte region and beaches around Alghero.
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u/gattangolo Jul 02 '25
Good plan! I wouldn't skip Bosa while in Alghero - it should be kind of one hour drive but worth the time :) Kindly consider that the beaches around Orosei are incredibly hard to reach - you might want to consider the boat tour (on the dingy - not on the huge ships)!
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jul 02 '25
u/gattangolo Thanks again for the tips. We do plan to rent a dingy for the ride down to Cala Luna and then go north by car to explore Biderossa and Berchida. We will also hike the gorge while in Orosei. Just need to secure our lodging now that we've locked in the locations thanks to all of the great input.
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u/gattangolo Jul 03 '25
Hey, one last bit. Personally, I would not recommend renting the dingy - but rather take one of the day tour. As a matter of fact, you cannot land the dingy anywhere, if not for unloading ppl. Meaning, you would end up looking at the beaches from far away. But maybe you prefer more flexibility :)
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u/Rough_Swordfish32 Jul 08 '25
Good point. I've been watching the videos on YouTube of people that rent the boats and I can't tell if they drop people off and then anchor and swim to the beach or if they just stay on the boat off-shore.
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u/Mikeeattherich Jun 25 '25
Take a day and go to Corsica. There is a ferry that leaves from Palau. Cannigione is also a very nice place to stay.