Sardinia is one of the most beautiful islands in Europe. It’s known for its Caribbean like beaches that you won’t find anywhere else in Europe. We spent two weeks traveling and road tripping the entire island and loved every minute of it.
Along the way, we discovered the best beaches in Sardinia, but also the most amazing coastal drives and some other hidden gems that you will find in this blog post.
Our journey began and ended in Cagliari, but you can also start and end your trip in Olbia. Those are the two main cities and the easiest to fly into or reach via ferry from mainland Europe.
Video: Our Roadtrip Route
Sardinia Travel Tips in this Article
Southwest Sardinia
Where to Stay in Southwest Sardinia:
Agri B&B pomo d’oro: This is the perfect stay for exploring the area surrounding Cagliari or if you need to stay close to the airport. It’s an old farmhouse with newly renovated modern rooms and a lovely breakfast.
Sardinia del Sud: A super cute B&B run by a really nice couple. The breakfast is very delicious!
La luna nel pozzo: One of our favorite places we stayed at. New modern rooms with a huge terrace and an awesome shared kitchen. There’s a cute little kitty cat to keep you company too!
Scenic Coastal Route from Chia to Teulada 🚗
Taking this scenic route was Denise’s birthday wish and let us tell you, it was absolutely jaw-dropping! The somewhat short (1 hour) drive takes you up and down the coastal cliffs with breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea. This drive will also take you to the next must-see place in our list: the most beautiful beach in the very south of Sardinia!
Tuerredda Beach 🏝️
This was the first beach we got to see on our trip and man oh man we fell in love immediately. First, there’s a viewpoint (marked on our Sardinia travel map) that let’s you see the beach in all of its beauty with crystal clear waters surrounded by steep cliffs and rocks. We probably took 100 pictures here. After the viewpoint, don’t forget to drive down to the beach, have a swim or just admire the view.
Sa Spendula Waterfall 💦
Now, this is not a beach, but Sa Spendula is definitely worth a stop and the short walk it requires to get here. Tucked between Sardinia’s rugged mountains, this waterfall is a must-see in winter and spring! Please remember that the island is very dry throughout the entire summer, so it’s very likely that the waterfall will be gone during that time of year.
Agricola Sa Pinnetta for Cannonau wine 🍷
You can’t go to Sardinia and not try Cannonau wine! Why? Well it’s one of the reasons why Sardinians live as long as they do. Wait what? You heard right. Sardinia is home to a number of blue zones–locations where the average lifespan is 100+ years. There are many reasons why they live so long, including frequent uphill walks and their a Mediterranean diet, but also their consumption of Cannonau wine. We highly recommend stopping here and buying a bottle or two for your trip. We also bought some homemade cheese that was absolutely delicious and perfect with the wine! The couple running the farm is very old, but super cute and helpful. You might have to walk around and say ‘hello’ a few times before they notice you’re there. If it’s actually closed, just make sure to keep an eye out for signs advertising Vino Cannonau, as there are farms all over the place that sell it.
Scenic Coastal Route from Fontanamare to Portixeddu 🚗
Do NOT skip this drive! This route takes you through a variety of landscapes. First, you’ll be driving on some (in Denise’s opinion) steep and scary mountain roads with insane sea views. After that, you’ll be driving through the most beautiful little mountain towns and then through a gorgeous valley before driving back up to the top of the mountains revealing a landscape straight out of Scotland! Crazy right? We thought so too, but wow what a drive! On this drive we also discovered the beautiful…
Cala Lunga 🏝️
You probably won’t find this beach if you don’t do some research or check out the marked location on our Sardinia Travel Map. You’ll have to do some climbing over some coastal rocks to get here. It’s not far, but a little challenging, so do not attempt to do this in your flip flops. After a short 200 meter rocky walk, you’ll reach the most beautiful hidden cove with crystal clear water!
Northwest Sardinia:
Where to stay:
SA Branda Costa Country: Super cute little Mediterranean-style cabins. All of the cabins have beautiful terraces. Ours even had a view of the surrounding vineyards. The best part of this place were the two little puppies (head to our Instagram highlights) that kept us company.
Torre del Mont Girat🏰
You won’t find this place on any other travel guide for Sardinia, as it’s a REAL hidden gem. Not only are the sea views from this tower absolutely incredible, there’s also a gorgeous little walkway along the steep cliffs creating the perfect spot for a sunset stroll.
Spiaggia La Pelosa🏝️
This is by far the most beautiful beach on the west coast of Sardinia. The water is incredibly blue and the beach is perfectly white and soft. However, it gets super full, so make sure to come early and leave early to avoid the masses. We also marked a hidden bar (and much cheaper compared to others) overlooking this stunning landscape on our Sardinia Travel Map.
North East Sardinia:
Where to Stay:
Monolocale belverde su porto rotondo: Gorgeous wooden cabins with an amazing terrace overlooking the sea and the mountains. The rooms include a kitchen and have been newly renovated. You’ll have the cutest cat following you around at this place–she loves to cuddle.
Spiaggia dei Baracconi🏝️
We made it to the east coast of Sardinia and to be fair, the most beautiful coastline! There’s a reason why it’s called the Emerald coast. Spiaggia die Baracconi was only the second beach we visited on this side of the island. The second we arrived (after having to drive awhile on a bumpy dirt road) at the parking lot, our jaws dropped. Like how is this place even real? There’s not much of a ‘beach’ here, but the different shades of blue in the water were the most beautiful we’ve ever seen and the view of the small island out in the sea makes you feel like you’ve just been teleported to Thailand!
Scenic Coastal Route from Portisco to Palau🚗
Just thinking about this drive makes us want to go back asap! We highly recommend taking this drive for sunset, as you’ll have the most amazing views of the sea, the giant boulders and the mountains. Don’t worry, we marked all the best viewpoints and where we got this delicious ice-cream on our Sardinia Travel Map!
Spiaggia Porto Taverna🏝️ & Spiaggia di Lu Impostu🏝️
On our drive south, we stopped at these two gorgeous beaches. Long white sand beaches straight out of the Caribbean is how we would describe both of them. You can easily spend a whole day here just swimming, snorkelling and enjoying the most amazing beach life in Sardinia.
East Sardinia
Where to Stay:
Apartamento Pedra Longa: The apartment with the best views we had on this trip! The area is just absolutely amazing and staying here was a dream!
Scenic Mountain Drive from Dorgali to Baunei⛰️
This scenic mountain drive in Sardinia will take you through the most dramatic mountainous landscape the island has to offer. We’re not lying when we say this place looks like Yosemite National Park in the US (you’ve probably seen pictures of it). We actually ended up doing this drive twice because it’s just so incredibly beautiful. Highly recommend doing this drive for sunrise or sunset. Again, we marked all the best viewpoints on our Sardinia Travel Map!
Cala Goloritze🏝️
The only ‘real’ hike we did in Sardinia was hiking to Cala Goloritze, because you cannot visit this island skip this incredibly beautiful beach. Entrance fee for the hike and the park is 7 Euros per person. We highly advise you to start this hike as early as possible, which would be 7 am. It gets incredibly hot in this part of the park as the sun beats down on it all day. It’s easy hiking the 4 km down, but hiking straight up for 4 km in the heat is incredibly hard even for experienced hikers like us. Make sure to bring plenty of water, food and wear appropriate attire!
Town of Baunei (Blue Zone)🏘️
Welcome to the center of the blue zone where people often live to be more than 100 years old. You’ll find out why pretty quickly. There are lots of steep stairs and roads to climb, there is plenty of delicious fresh food and the mountain air is just amazing. We loved staying in this cute town that not only has the best views, but also the best ice cream on the island!
Pedra Longa🏝️
If you can’t or don’t want to attempt the hike to Cala Goloritze then at least drive down to Pedra Longa. You can drive all the way down to the coast, park your car and walk around while admiring the views–they are incredible. We also recommend walking down the stairs to the rocky beach to get the absolute best view of the gorgeous waters in the area!
Spiaggia il Golfetto🏝️
We spent an entire morning at this beach to relax and recharge. While the beach is super white and soft, you’ll find huge boulders and rocks scattered in the water making it look absolutely stunning! We highly recommend coming here and just enjoying the beauty of Sardinia.
Ghost Town Gairo Vecchio🏚️
Naturally, we had to check out Sardinia’s mountain towns. One of the locals recommended visiting this abandoned ghost town which was pretty cool and eerie at the same time. All houses are completely abandoned and falling apart. It’s definitely worth a short stop while driving through Sardinia’s mountains.
The town of Ulussai (Blue Zone)🏘️
Another cute mountain town in Sardinia is Ulussai. Just like Baunei, it’s located at the top of a mountain overlooking the gorgeous landscape surrounding it.
Bonus Tip: Spiaggia di Porto Giunco for flamingos🏝️
If you’re like us, you had no clue about the fact that the southern part of Sardinia is full of flamingos. And isn’t the most amazing place to see flamingos right by the beach? We sure think so, so we picked out this little nature preserve to observe these beautiful birds in their natural habitat and it was absolutely amazing. We thought you could only see them in Aruba where you have to pay 200 dollars to see them, but nope, you can watch them right here in Sardinia for free!
Make sure to get our Sardinia travel map to not only have all of these places in one well-organized map, but to also benefit from even more hidden gems, restaurants and other tips that you won’t find in any other travel guide for Sardinia!
About the Authors
Ryne and Denise Cook: We spent two weeks in beautiful Sardinia. We traveled the entire island to find all the best beaches and spots so that you can spend less time planning and more time exploring!
