Image by Eszter Miller from Pixabay
So, you’re going to Sardinia. Excellent choice! Sardinia used to be one of the best-kept secrets in travel, offering the bucolic Mediterraneanity of countryside Italy without the clamouring masses of tourists, and the associated tourist-tax-inflated costs of mainland Italian destinations like Florence or Venice.
Unfortunately, word’s gotten out. Not much, thankfully; Sardinia is still a kept secret, just a little more on the ‘worst-kept’ side than it used to be. Being a secret, it’s not immediately obvious to first-time travellers how to make the most of a Sardinian getaway. Luckily enough for you, this very guide will help you figure out how exactly to structure your trip, with some additional tips on favourite spots for food, views and more. Whether it’s a family vacation, a romantic escape, or a solo adventure, this guide will help you get the most out of Sardinia.
Your Sardinia Itinerary: Beaches and Nature
One of the major draws to Sardinia as a destination is its abundance of beaches. Being an island, Sardinia is literally surrounded with them; being an island on the same latitude as Palma, these beaches get some incredible weather, too. The must-visit beaches are, arguably, La Pelosa at the northern tip, or Cala Luna to the west; realistically though, all Sardinia holidays are made better with a beach – and practically any beach.
Your time on Sardinia shouldn’t be defined entirely by sunbathing, of course. The island is large, and its rural interior contains multitudes. For a less-crowded holiday experience, you might try out some of the hiking trails through Gennargentu National Park; the Foresta Di Montes must truly be seen in person to be believed.
Transport Tips for Easy Travel
Getting the most out of your trip to Sardinia means getting to grips with the logistics of it all. This means, in large part, understanding how you’re getting around the island in order to see everything you want to see. Renting a car is an excellent idea if you have a week or more to spend, as it trivialises getting from remote beach to forest hiking route and back again.
If you’re looking for something more like an urban escape, you’ll want to familiarise yourself with the bus and train routes in major cities and between them. If you want to spend the entirety of your time on the coast, you may actually benefit from spending a little on ferries!
Local Culture, Food, and Traditions
Beaches, towns and hiking trails are all well and good, but they don’t speak to the character of Sardinia. You can only really know a place when you’ve experienced its hospitality. There’s wonderful hospitality everywhere you could deign to travel, but my suggestion for the most fulfilling cultural experience would be Alghero – a town with historic charm, and a special hodge-podge of Sardinian and Catalan culture, cuisine and architecture.
