11 Wonderful Things to Do in Sardinia
There are hundreds of wonderful things to do on my island, but unfortunately you probably don't have time for all that! So, instead of preparing a long list of every single possible activity, I've instead broken up this list of "10 things to do” by type of activity.
So, I've recommended things like boat trips, hikes, cave systems, archaeological sites, etc. For each category, I've then included some specifics on where to do these thigns, trying to offer options that cover the entire island.
I hope you enjoy the list and that it gives you some inspiration for what to do while visiting wonderful Sardinia!
Table of Contents
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1. Hit the beach
Every trip to Sardinia is likely to focus on going to the beach, and this makes sense; they’re the best in Europe!
Each area of the coast has its own appeal, but in general the coves of the Northeast, especially along the famed Costa Smeralda coastline are the prettiest, calmest, and most picturesque.
Also in the Northeast, La Maddalena archipelago is simply stunning with azure waters and white and pink sand beaches.
In the far north, the Gallura coast has long stretches of powdery white sand with views of Corsica across the sea.
Still fairly north and east, Cala Gonone and the Baunei Coast have pebbly beaches with quartz and limestone seabed, shockingly blue waters, and imposing cliffs behind them, creating an almost unbelievable contrast. These beaches are only accessible by boat or hiking.
In the Northwest, the beaches near to Alghero offer sea caves and grottoes, while the Sinis peninsula and its beaches is a landscape unlike anywhere else in Sardinia.
The beaches of the Costa Verde in the southwest are wild, pristine, and practically deserted even in high season. Nature lovers and those who don't like crowds will be very happy here.
On the southern coast, both east and west of Cagliari, you have many gorgeous beaches in close proximity to each other, making them great for beahch hopping. This is also the most populous part of the island, so you get the benefit of plenty going on in the towns and cities. For something a bit different, the islands of Carloforte and Sant’Antioco offer splendid water, but rock beaches which are known as scoglio in Italian.
Villasimius and Costa Rei, in the southeast, have calm bays that stay shallow for hundreds of meters. This is a popular area for beach resorts and many Sardinians from Cagliari have their beach homes here.
Tuerredda beach in the Southwest
Isola di Tavolara island seen from Punta Don Diego beach on the Costa Smeralda
Cala Coticcio in La Maddalena
A "beach”on the island of Carloforte
2. Take a boat trip
In Sardinia, there are few things better than getting a boat and spending a day on the water. In many places you can rent your own little dinghy/Zodiac boat (called a gommone in Italian), but you can also join a small-group boat tour or hire a private boat captain.
My 3 favorite boat trips on the island are:
The Baunei coast to visit beaches like Cala Golortizé and Cala Mariolu
The coast off of Teulada to visit beaches like Porto Zafferano
La Maddalena archipelago to visit the most beautiful beaches in all of Italy
For boat trips to the Baunei coast, you can get a boat or a tour in Cala Gonone, Orosei, Arbatax, or Santa Maria Navarrese. To visit the coast around Teulada, tours leave from… Teulada! For La Maddalena, you'll typically depart from Palau.
Boat trips around the islands of Carloforte and Sant’Antioco are great as well, as are boat trips from Buggeru out to the Pan di Zucchero rock formation.
These are just a few of many potential trips.
Boats off the coast of Cala Golortizè near to Cala Gonone
Boating on the Baunei coast
Porto Zafferano beach, reachable only by boat
3. Explore cave systems
Sardinia has a fascinating network of caves all throughout the island. They are filled with stalactites, stalagmites, and underground rivirs and pools. The island is also rich in minerals and was once heavily mined.
Near to the town of Iglesias in the southwest, Porto Flavia, a now defunct mining site that hangs literally over the sea, offers very interesting mine/cave tours. Adjacent to it, another abandoned mine houses the Grotta di Santa Barbara.
Within a half hour drive you also have fabulous grottoes at Grotta Su Mannau and Grotte Is Zuddas.
Near to Alghero, the Grotta di Nettuno (Neptune's Grotto) located on the Capo Caccia promontory is an absolute must visit.
Around Cala Gonone, you have famous sea caves, some of which are only visitible on boat tour. The Grotta del Bue Marino is by far the most famous.
And inland, you have caves all over the island, especially in the Supramonte mountains. Near to the towns of Ulassai and Bari Sardo, the Grotta Su Marmuri is one of the most impressive.
The Porto Flavia mine carved out of the rock
Grotta di Su Marmuri. Photo: Javier Sanchez Portero, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Grotte Is Zuddas. Photo: Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The entrance to Grotta del Bue Marino near to Cala Gonone. Photo: trolvag, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
4. Go hiking
Most people don’t think of Sardinia as an outdoors destination, but they should because there is good hiking (and biking) all over the island.
The best area for outdoors enthusiasts is in the Supramonte mountains in the interior Barbagia region.
From towns like Dorgali, Baunei, and Oliena you have fantastic day and multi-day hikes through rugged granite mountains and untouched wilderness. Cork forests abound and you’ll hike through curious Mediterranean landscapes unlike any you’ve probably seen before.
The most famous hike in Sardinia is a short and relatively easy hike near to Baunei that takes you into one of Europe’s deepest canyons - Gola Su Gorropu.
There are plenty more excellent hikes deep in the interior, and also quite a few close to Cagliari in Sette Fratelli park. However, you have lovely coastal hikes all over the island.
The trail descending into Su Gorropu canyon
Inside the canyon
At the base of Su Gorropu canyon
Hiking on the "Capo Spartivento” trail near to Chia
5. Tour pre-historic settlements
Prior to the arrivals of Carthaginians, Romans, the Spanish, then and modern day Italians, Sardinia was once settled by a mysterious Bronze Age people. Little is known about them, but evidence of their history here can be seen in the countless “Nuraghe” stone structures and complexes that dot the island. Visitors can tour the ruins and learn about the history and culture of the island.
The UNESCO-recognized site of Su Nuraxi di Barumini in the countryside near to Cagliari is by far the most famous nuraghe ruins complex, but you will find them everywhere you go. If out hiking, you'll often encounter them with no signage at all; just silent remains of a culture long gone.
In addition to Bronze Age ruins, you also have remains that remind us of Phoenician and Roman settlement on the island. The ruins at Nora (near to Cagliari) and Tharros (in the Sinis peninsula) are two of our most well-known.
A section of Su Nuraxi archaeological site. Photo: Ángel M. Felicísimo from Mérida, España, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The ruins at Tharros. Photo: Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Nora archaeological park. Photo: Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
6. Have a meal at an agriturismo
An agriturismo is a sort of working farm that is also a hotel/B&B, almost always run by local families. There are countless throughout Sardinia, often in picturesque locations.
Staying at them can be a great experience, but even if that doesn’t interest you, having a meal at one is still a must.
Almost all agriturismi offer the option of having dinner on their property to guests, but many also allow for visitors to come and eat. In many cases, you'll sit at communal tables and be served a menu of whatever is fresh, with ingredients and products that are produced directly on the property.
This is an interesting way to have a social meal, learn about Sardinia culture and cuisine, and try some really fresh and local food.
7. Try some traditional foods
Sardinian cuisine is fantastic, fresh, and very different from that of mainland Italy.
Because we are an island, people generally think that traditional Sardinian food is fish and seafood. While that’s true to an extent, many of our most traditional dishes actually have nothing to do with the sea.
Here are a few dishes you should try while here:
Porceddu is perhaps our most iconic dish. It’s suckling roast pork, grilled over an open flame for many hours until the meat becomes crisp on the outside but juicy and tender inside. It’s fantastic.
Pecorino Sardo is Sardinian Pecorino. Most people hear “pecorino” and think of the Roman variation, which is used in many dishes, like Carbonara. What most people don’t know, however, is that the vast majority of that “Roman” pecorino is actually produced in Sardinia!
But here we also have our own types of pecorino, along with many other fantastic cheeses. Aged Sardinian pecorino is more nutty and much less salty than pecorino romano, meaning that you can eat it straight and not only grated. We also have fresh goat cheese, whipped and creamy variations, and everything in between. Fiore Sardo is another cheese you should try.
Malloreddus are a type of pasta that look like small little shells and are only found here. Although sometimes referred to as Sardinia gnocchi, they are not made of potato so really have nothing in common. The mosty typical way to serve them is “alla Campidanese” which is a red sauce with ground meat.
Culurgiones are another iconic pasta dish. It’s a stuffed pasta that looks a bit like a cross between a ravioli and an Asian dumpling. They come in all sorts of different variations, but one very traditional recipe is a ricotta stuffing with nuts and a drizzle of honey.
Saedas are a typical desert that are basically huge fried ravioli stuffed with cheese and soaked in honey.
Bottarga is the dried and pressed eggs of a tuna. It looks a bit like a sort of sausage when packaged and in Sardinia you’ll see people just cutting off little slices of it to eat. In most of the rest of Italy, people tend to grate bottarga over seafood pasta.
Culurgiones, a typical Sardinian pasta, in a red sauce
Cured cuts of pork and Sardinian pecorino cheese
Malloreddus alla Campidanese, a typical dish
A "Seada”, a traditional Sardinian dessert. Photo: Romainbehar, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
8. Visit islands within an island
Sardinia is not just one island, but actually one large island and then a host of smaller ones just off the coast.
In the northwest, the island of Asinara is very interesting to visit. Once home to a prison colony and now uninhabited, it's a protected reserve with clear waters and pretty beaches. It makes for a very interesting day trip.
In the Southwest, you have the two charming islands of Sant’Antioco and San Pietro (commonly called Carloforte). Carloforte was heavily settled in the past by Ligurians, and the town itself somewhat resembles towns you’ll find in places like Liguria’s Cinque Terre. There are also good beaches, nice hiking trails, and some of the best bottarga and tuna you’ll find in Italy.
And then of course there’s the famous La Maddalena archipelago, home to more than a few of Sardinia’s best beaches (as well as the final home of national hero Giuseppe Garibaldi)!
Boats off the coast of La Maddalena archipelago
The harbor of Carloforte island. Photo: trolvag, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cala Sabina beach on Asinara Island. Photo: dirk hartung, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
9. Shop for knives, cork, and coral
As you drive around Sardinia, you are sure to see trees whose bark has been stripped away from most of the tree. These are cork trees. Sardinia is a major producer of cork, and cork forests dot much of the island.
As such, we produce a lot of high quality cork products, which I think make for great souvenirs because they’re actually useful and will also remind you of your trip.
Beyond cork, Sardinia has a long tradition of fine knifemaking, and the typical Sardinian knives were once an item that were given to each boy when they officially become a man in the eyes of their community. These lovely knives with slightly curving blades and brightly polished handles made of sheep horn are one of the best souvenirs you can take home with you. You'll find knives in shops all over the island, but the best place to buy one is at the "laboratory” of the craftsmen Vittorio Mura & Figli in the town of Santu Lussurgiu.
For anyone who likes jewelry (or is overdue for a gift for a loved one…), a high quality coral necklace is always a winner. In the region around Alghero they harvest some of the best quality coral in the world. The jewelry shops in town all have coral jewelry. Alghero is the best place to buy, but you'll find shops selling local coral everywhere. You'll find a mix of jewelry featuring the natural coral shapes and beautifully worked coral beads in their distinctive rich red color.
Typical Sardinian knives
10. Sample Sardinian wines
Sardinia is motly known as a producer of Cannonau, our local varietal made from BLABLA grape. It’s a full bodied, high alcohol wine with a slightly fruity flavor that pairs excellently with roast meat, heavy pasta, and rich cheeses. We also produce quite a bit of Vermentino, a crisp white wine that is perfect for pairing with a meal of fresh seafood overlooking the sea.
While these are our most famous wines, we actually produce quite a bit more and production (and quality) has increased greatly in the last few decades.
Previously, much of our wine (mostly Cannonau) was produced in the Barbagia mountains, but now production has expanded to the north of the island as well as the region around Cagliari, with more varietals being grown as well.
You’ll find plenty of good wine wherever you go.
Young grape vines growing in the countryside near to the town of Mamoiada
Me having a glass of Sardinian Vermentino, a white wine!
11. Visit our cities
Given most people come to Sardinia with the goal of relaxing on idyllic beaches and doing very little, I won't chastise you too much if you're not planning to spend time in our cities. But I will chastise you a little!
Although the beaches steal all the glory, visiting at least a few of Sardinia's cities should be on your to-do list when coming.
The prettiest two cities, by far, are Cagliari and Alghero.
Cagliari, in the south, is the island's capital, its biggest city, and the most cosmopolitan place. With a population of around 200,000 people, it has some nice sights, great restaurants, pretty good nightlife, an excellent city beach, and lots of really fabulous beaches all within an hour's drive. It's a great base for a couple of days.
Alghero, in the northwest, is small - home to only 50,000 people - but really beautiful. Built right on the sea, it has preserved more of its historic architecture than Cagliari. You can walk along the city walls and get lost in the very atmsopheric narrow streets of the old town. Like Cagliari, Alghero also has good restaurants, good nightlife, a solid city beach, and excellent ones nearby.
Alghero was also once under the rule of the crown of Aragon (now part of Spain) so the architecture in places looks a bit Spanish/Catalan and the dialect that older residents still speak is not Sardinian, but actually a medieval version of Catalan!
In the north, Sassari is Cagliari's second largest city, but it's inland and really doesn't have a whole to offer tourists. It's only 30 minutes from Alghero though, so if you have bad weather one day during your visit and find yourself wondering what to do, it's worth the trip.
Olbia, the gateway to Northeastern Sardinia and the Costa Smeralda, is perfectly nice, but it's a mostly modern and fairly nondescript city. It's not a place that I really recommend spending your precious vacation time in.
There are a few more cities I could mention, like Nuoro and Oristano, but I'll save those for a future article!
Cagliari
Alghero's city walls by the sea
Alghero seen from across its port
More Sardinia travel info
For more advice on planning your trip to Sardinia, have a look at some of my other guides and itineraries!
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Simone Scalas
Sardinia Expert based in Cagliari
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Hi, I'm Simone, and I've been a tour guide and travel consultant here in Sardinia for the last 21 years. If you're looking for some local advice on your trip, I'd love to help!
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