EVERYTHING ABOUT SARDINIA (NE)

Sardinia (in Italian Sardegna) is the second largest island in the Mediterranean by surface area (the first is Sicily). Its capital is Cagliari.

If you are looking for crystal-clear waters, white sand beaches, coves, caves, mountains and lots of green, this is your destination.

In this guide we are going to tell you everything about Sardinia (NE), that is, the Northeast area of the island. Mainly the Emerald Coast and the Gulf of Orosei.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO TRAVEL?

The high season is between July and September. The temperatures here are quite high (so the water temperature is super warm) but it tends to get too many tourists and the heat can be very oppressive for travelling.

If you are looking for good weather and fewer people, the best time is undoubtedly the beginning of October. The weather is ideal for travelling as it generally does not go below 21° and does not go above 27°. The water temperature, therefore, drops a little more but is still ideal for swimming and you will be able to enjoy the beaches/coves more calmly, sometimes almost empty.

Also, until the end of September there are still beaches/coves that require prior reservation (such as Cala Brandinchi or Lu Impostu) and paying a ticket to enter; at the beginning of October it is not necessary to book in advance (check before going because this can vary from year to year).

AIRPORT

To travel around the north-east of Sardinia, the ideal airport is Olbia.

But, if you are going to be in the west, you have Alghero, or Cagliari if you are going to be in the south.

WHERE TO STAY?

This is one of the key points as it can determine the quality of your stay. What you have to decide first is how you want to organize your tour to the Gulf of Orosei's coves.

Because many people will tell you that the best area to stay when touring the northeast of the island is Cala Gonone to be at the key point where the boats leave for the Gulf of Orosei, (which is where the most paradisiacal coves are). But the truth is that Cala Gonone itself has nothing more to offer than the tour around the gulf. And you can do this tour in just 1 day by boat, stopping for a enough time at all the coves/beaches you want and going into their caves.

Therefore, our recommendation is that if you are going to do the Gulf of Orosei tour by boat (which is undoubtedly the best option and we will talk about this later), it does not justify staying in Cala Gonone. Because this way you will be very far from the best areas and points of interest. In this case, the most convenient and strategic option is to stay in the Cannigione / Arzachena area, for example, which is very close to the best areas (which we detail in the next point), and only go to Cala Gonone for the day to take the boat to the Gulf of Orosei. This journey (from the Cannigione / Arzachena area) to Cala Gonone takes approximately 2 hours, but you would only do it for that day.

On the other hand, if your plan is not to do the day trip around the Gulf of Orosei by boat and you prefer to do it on foot and/or over several days, then perhaps it is better for you to divide your stay and stay the number of days that you are going to tour the gulf in Cala Gonone, and the rest of the days in the other areas mentioned.

Regarding hotels, when we stayed in Cannigione we chose the Cala Di Falco hotel. The view is spectacular and the service even better. But it is not one of the most affordable hotels in terms of price.

Another more luxurious hotel in the area is the Aethos.

But the area is full of hotels of different categories and prices and very well located.

TRANSFERS

Car without a doubt. There is really no other way to be able to take advantage of and see everything there is to do than by car, as well as access all the beaches/coves.

HOW MANY DAYS SHOULD YOU GO?

To be able to visit the entire northeast area calm and with no rush, it is best to spend 5/7 days.

BEST AREAS TO VISIT

Porto Cervo: This is the main center of Costa Smeralda and known as the "luxury" area for its shops, houses, port and more. The name of this town comes from the shape of the port that resembles the head of a deer. Beyond visiting its port and shops, we recommend getting lost in the beautiful residential area.
Palau: This is a small town and is where the port is located from where the ferries to La Maddalena leave.
La Maddalena: We will go into more detail in the beaches section since, being an archipelago, its main attraction is its islands and islets, but it also has a port area with several restaurants and bars. You can cross by ferry with or without your car, as you decide.
Porto Rotondo: In this town you also see a lot of luxury both in the boats and in the houses. Its name is due to the fact that the bay it dominates is round. We recommend walking through its port and getting lost in the calm residential streets. The area is very pretty and you can see references to Venice (it's no coincidence that the central square is called San Marco).
San Pantaleo: This historic center surrounded by mountains is located between Olbia and Porto Cervo. It is very small, rustic and picturesque with cobblestone streets that invite you to stroll and get lost in its beauty. Its atmosphere is completely relaxed, and offers an authentic experience that captures the soul of Sardinian culture. We recommend stopping and having an aperitif at Caffè Nina, ideally in the afternoon.
Puntaldia: Located in the municipality of San Teodoro, in the northeastern part of the island. In addition to beautiful beaches, the residential area is very nice. If you are by car, we recommend getting lost around the area. It is ideal to visit it on the same day you go to San Teodoro.
San Teodoro: A small town surrounded by lovely beaches. Many call it the "European Thailand." We will go into more detail about its beaches later on, but we also recommend walking around its streets, its centre or making different plans such as discovering the marine protected area of Tavolara – Punta Coda Cavallo, located just opposite the city's coast. Every day, from the beaches of San Teodoro, Porto San Paolo or Porto Ottiolu, you can take excursions to discover the Molara pools or the island of Tavolara, where the famous Pope's Cave is located, which was the refuge of the monk seal. The best thing is to end the day in San Teodoro's town by eating charcuterie of local products and having a drinks at Localino.
Pevero: Another very exclusive and quiet residential area that we recommend wandering around aimlessly. There is the Pevero Golf Club and also its Grande Pevero Beach.
Capriccioli: Known for its beaches (Capriccioli est, ovest, nord and sud), but we also recommend taking a walk around the residential area.
Cannigione / Arzachena: This is an area that is more of a short drive away, but it is beautiful because it is surrounded by lots of green and mountains, as well as having parts of the route with panoramic points and spectacular sea views. On the other hand, in the Arzachena area you can also go hiking and horse riding. And as we said before, it is a strategic area to stay.
Baja Sardinia: This tourist centre is located 20 km from Arzachena. It is surrounded by unspoilt nature and beaches/coves such as: Poltu Quatu, Cala Bitta, Lu Nibarru and La Pitrizza, all of them with granite rock and crystal-clear waters. It also has a lot of nightlife; the Phi beach club is one of the most popular places with its terraces overlooking the sea, followed by Ritual, a discotheque built inside a natural cave that looks like a castle inserted in the rock.

BEACHES / COVES BY AREA

GULF OF OROSEI

As we suggested before, the best way to tour the gulf is to take a 1-day boat tour. Some beaches can be accessed on foot, but the vast majority have very long, difficult routes, or cannot be accessed on foot at all (*). Therefore, we suggest going by boat to be able to tour the entire gulf.

At the port itself there are stands for different rental companies, but we recommend renting the boat in advance. We did it through a website that works as a "match" with direct owners and the rental is much cheaper this way. The one we used was Click & Boat and it worked great for us, but there are others like Sam Boat. When renting you can choose whether you want to add a "skipper" (someone who drives the boat) or not. We suggest going with a "skipper" regardless of whether you know how to drive a boat, since this person knows the area perfectly and will take you to places that you would not get to without information. We rented a boat from Agostino Charter and Giuseppe was our skipper, who made the experience really excellent.

In general, they all do the same route and take you to the most famous coves. If you rent from a rental company, the stops at each cove are stipulated, and you can choose to rent a shared boat (which is cheaper).

If you do it through the pages we detailed, you do the tour privately and you arrange the time in each cove directly with the "skipper", which is much better and personalized.

Some include food and drinks, but most do not. Check beforehand and bring along in case it is not included since the total tour is about 7 hours and in general the coves do not have restaurants.

Now, the beaches/coves of the gulf:

Cala ulicc

Cala Fiuli
Cala Luna (there is a little stand to eat and drink)
Cala Sisine
Cala Biriola
Piscina di Venere
Cala Mariolú
Cala Gabbiani
Cala Goloritzé

And the caves:

Cala Fiuli

Grotte del Bue Marino
Grotte de la Catedrale
Del marinaio
Grotte del Piccolo Fiordo

(*) If you were to do it on your own by foot, Cala Luna takes 3 hours to get there (if you don't want to walk back, you can rent a boat back for about 25/30 euros). Access to Mariolú is very difficult and takes about 3:45 hours. Gabbiani is also difficult to access.

The easiest is Cala Fiuli, which you can access by car, or Goloritzé, which takes 1 hour walking.

LA MADDALENA

An archipelago made up of seven main islands and other smaller islets. You cross from Palau by ferry and you can bring the car up and then tour the island easily. Going by car is definitely the best option. If you don't have a car, we recommend renting a motorbike when you arrive because the beaches/coves are very far from each other, La Maddalena is very big.

Of all the islands/islets we toured La Maddalena and Caprera. The coves/beaches we got to know in each one were:

IN LA MADDALENA:

Cala Spalmatore (Easy access).
Monti D' Arena (You park on the road and go down through an easy access).
Cala Lunga (It's small. Park on the street and go down the stairs that are a few meters before the hotel entrance.).
Bassa Trinita.
Cala Francese (More rocky).
Spiaggia del Cardellino.
Punta Tegge (Access is very easy, you can park right there, but it is not one of the prettiest.).

IN CAPRERA ISLAND (to get here, you cross by car from La Maddalena):

Cala Coticcio (Most popular. 1hs walking with a tour guide.
Cala Andreani (You park on the road and go down through an easy access).
I Due Mari (Easy access and a place to eat).
Spiaggia del Relitto
Cala Napolitana (Passing Coticcio. Easy 40-minute walk. One of the most beautiful).

OTHER ISLANDS / BEACHES (to cross by ferry from La Maddalena):

Isola Spargi (Granara Beach).
Budelli (Spiaggia Rosa. For the moment, to preserve it, it can only be seen from the boat).
S. Stefano
S. Maria
Razzoli

SAN TEODORO

La Cinta (The most popular, VERY nice and spacious, you have a paid parking lot and another smaller one in front that is free).
La Caletta.
Cala Girgolú.
Cala Brandinchi (One of the most popular, during the season you have to book in advance, and even out of season you pay a ticket for the length of your stay. It is very spacious and has a small bar where you can eat and drink something. You can park inside.).
Puntaldia.
Lu Impostu (During the season, reservations are also required in advance).
Isuledda.
Capo Coda Cavallo.
Cala D’Ambra.
Punta Molara.
Porto Ottiolu.
Isola Tavolara (you cross by ferry).

CAPRICCIOLI

EST: You go down a path from the parking lot. 20 meters aprox. There is a small bar. A path connects you to Capriccioli Nord.
NORD: You can also go down from the parking lot, or you can access it via the path from Capriccioli Est.
OVEST Y SUD: The entrance to both is at the roundabout before the parking lot. From there you go down to another sandy parking that gives access to each one.
Capriccioli Sud is nice and spacious. It has a beach bar where you can eat and drink something.