There’s Sardinia you see on postcards – all turquoise water and white sand – after which there’s Sardinia on the street.
Gradual mountain switchbacks. Vast valleys scattered with cork timber. Hill cities the place the shutters keep closed within the warmth of the day.
This journey focuses on the north of the island, the place the coast and countryside sit nearer collectively, and the place it’s straightforward to slide between clifftop walks, native wine tastings, and sea swims – typically throughout the similar hour.
This can be a street journey for individuals who like a mixture of coast and inland, who don’t thoughts buying and selling a number of seashore days for time in slower locations, and who like their views earned by a flexible little bit of street.
Begin: Alghero – Catalan roots and a golden-hour seafront
Begin in Alghero, a west coast city with Spanish vitality, coral retailers, and among the best sundown walks in Sardinia.
It’s full of life with out feeling touristy and makes a fantastic base to your first evening (or two, when you’re constructing in buffer time).
What to do:
- Stroll the outdated city partitions at golden hour – they face west for a motive.
- Seize seafood at Osteria Macchiavello or native bites at Bar Focacceria Milese.
- Go to Spiaggia di Maria Pia if you would like a straightforward seashore near city.
📍 Good to know: Alghero’s sufficiently small to discover on foot – park simply exterior the centre.
Cease 2: Capo Caccia – cliffs, caves and steep stairs
Only a quick drive from Alghero, Capo Caccia is a jagged limestone headland with sharp cliffs, sea caves and dramatic views.
It seems like the other of seashore tradition – wild, vertical and just a bit moody.
Should-do:
- Stroll the 600+ steps of the Escala del Cabirol all the way down to Neptune’s Grotto.
- Convey water – the climb again up is not any joke.
- Or simply keep above and take within the panoramic view from the Belvedere.
🧭 Professional tip: Arrive early or late; parking is proscribed and the sunshine is best.
Cease 3: Bosa – color, allure and a slower tempo
Head south down the coast on a shocking, winding drive to Bosa, a riverside city of pastel homes and outdated stone bridges, watched over by the ruins of Malaspina Citadel.
What to do:
- Stroll the Riverside Promenade.
- Climb to the citadel ruins for panoramic views.
- Attempt Malvasia di Bosa – the area’s signature dessert wine.
📍 Why it really works: Feels lived-in, not touristy. Gradual mornings listed below are notably good.
Non-obligatory detour: Stintino
If you need extra time on the coast earlier than heading inland, add a detour northwest to Stintino and La Pelosa Seashore – typically touted as among the best in Italy.
Simply understand it comes with the crowds to match.
Cease 4: Tempio Pausania – stone cities and mountain air
From Bosa, lower inland towards Tempio Pausania, a granite-built hill city within the coronary heart of the Gallura area.
It’s a quieter cease, however a extremely good distinction to the coast – and a pleasant strategy to catch your breath mid-route.
What to see:
- Wander the stone streets and piazzas – particularly at siesta time when it’s silent.
- Go to Nuraghe Majori, a well-preserved Bronze Age website close by.
- Sip a glass of Vermentino from a neighborhood vineyard.
📍 Good to know: Don’t count on nightlife right here – it’s all concerning the tempo.
Non-obligatory cease: Aggius – conventional life and native textiles
In case you’re heading by the hills, find time for Aggius – a small inland village identified for its craft heritage and dry-stone structure.
Why go:
- Go to the Ethnographic Museum for perception into Sardinia’s rural traditions.
- Try native textile workshops and choose up a home made memento.
- Stroll the Valle della Luna (Valley of the Moon) close by – a surreal granite-strewn panorama.
Cease 5: Monte Limbara – excessive floor and quiet views
Drive on to Monte Limbara, Sardinia’s fourth-highest peak, and a spot that provides a very completely different view of the island – forested slopes, eagle’s-nest roads, and air that smells like pine and rock.
What to do:
- Drive so far as the Punta Balistreri lookout.
- Brief walks or simply scenic pull-offs; it doesn’t have to be a full hike.
- On a transparent day, you possibly can see all the way in which to Corsica.
📍 Tip: Nice picnic spot – no cafés up right here, so convey provides.
Cease 6: Castelsardo – clifftop color and medieval streets
Drop again to the coast at Castelsardo, a cliff-perched city that’s extra dramatic in actual life than any photograph suggests.
The citadel on the prime is definitely worth the climb, however the actual allure is within the slender streets and on a regular basis rhythm.
What to do:
- Go to the citadel and weaving museum.
- Discover the lanes at nightfall, when all of it cools down and involves life.
- Eat at Rocca ‘Ja or Trattoria da Maria Giuseppa for no-fuss native cooking.
📍 Why keep right here: In case you’re splitting the journey over a number of nights, this can be a robust contender – views and ambiance in equal measure.
Non-obligatory detour: Costa Paradiso
Between Castelsardo and Olbia, you possibly can detour to the Costa Paradiso – extra rugged and fewer polished than the Costa Smeralda, with pink rocks and teal water.
Not important, however price it when you’re chasing swims in quieter locations.
Cease 7: Olbia – not only a transit city
Olbia is usually often known as a ferry hub or airport cease, however when you’ve bought a number of hours, it’s price a brief discover.
Fast concepts:
- Stroll the Corso Umberto I for cafés and retailers.
- Go to the Basilica di San Simplicio.
- Eat seafood at Trattoria Il Gambero or seize a fast pizza earlier than heading north.
Remaining cease: La Maddalena – the payoff
End your street journey with a brief ferry journey to La Maddalena, a part of a shocking archipelago off the northeast coast.
It’s every part Sardinia’s seashores are identified for – however with fewer individuals, extra rock swimming pools, and a neighborhood tempo that sticks with you.
Why finish right here:
- Take the ferry from Palau to La Maddalena city.
- Drive the Scenic Loop Highway across the island (Strada Panoramica).
- Take a ship tour to close by Spargi or Budelli for these well-known pink-sand coves.
📍 Good to know: You may convey your automobile over, or hire a scooter when you’re on the island.
Highway journey ideas for Northern Sardinia
- Guide lodging forward in July–August – or purpose for shoulder season (Might/Sept).
- Hire a small automobile. Some roads inland are slender and flexible.
- Use offline maps. Sign will be patchy within the hills.
- Don’t rush the inland sections – they’re half the allure.
- Ferries to La Maddalena run incessantly from Palau – ticket cubicles on website.
Remaining ideas
A street journey of Northern Sardinia is one which builds slowly: a stretch of cliff right here, a quiet piazza there, and a run of shoreline that at all times appears to have yet another bay you weren’t anticipating.
You can persist with the seashores, certain. However taking the good distance spherical – by the hills, the small cities, the odd inland view – is what makes all of it really feel a bit extra full.
