Sardegna is definitely one of Italy’s hidden gems, super popular with internal tourism but a bit lesser-known to non-Italians until more recently. We had the opportunity to spend a few days in the northeastern part of the island, along the Costa Smeralda and Gulf of Orosei, and are so excited to share all our tips and recommendations with you for this stunning area.
Costa Smeralda, or the “Emerald Coast,” is known for its stunning turquoise waters, pristine white-sand beaches, and rocky coastline, and combined with the Gulf of Orosei area, it’s easy to see why Sardegna is one of the top beach destinations in the world!
After a gorgeous week in Corsica, we were so ready for some beach time, and this area certainly did not disappoint. We’re looking forward to going back to Sardegna in the future to check out cities like Cagliari and the Maddalena Islands, which we didn’t have time for this time around, but this itinerary is all about the best beach weekend.
The area has been inhabited since ancient times, with evidence of prehistoric settlements and nuraghi (mysterious stone megalithic structures dating back to the Bronze Age, which you can still go see if you’d like.) Towns like Orosei, where we stayed, flourished during the medieval period through engagement in trade and agriculture as part of the Giudicato of Gallura, and later through the Aragonese and Spanish.
Other than some time spent in town and sampling local treats like culurgiones (Sardinian ravioli, yum), the best thing to do in the area is hit the beach. Trust us, the beaches here are absolutely pristine! Picture crystal-clear water, silky-soft sand, and beautiful surroundings, and you’ve got the jist.
Olbia Airport is the nearest major airport to the Gulf of Orosei and Costa Smeralda, offering both domestic and international flights. It has regular connections to major European cities, such as direct flights to Amsterdam (which is what put it on our radar.) From Olbia, you can just drive to the town or towns of your choice, with the added bonus of some beautiful scenic views of Sardegna’s countryside.
If you’re elsewhere in Italy (or visiting beautiful nearby Corsica, like we did), there are also a variety of ferry connections near the area, including to Olbia, Arbatax, and Golfo Aranci. We personally took the ferry to Santa Teresa Gallura (affiliate link) and then drove down to Orosei from there.
Note that we do recommend renting a car here. Due to the island’s general lack of public transport, a car will give you way more freedom to explore the beaches and go at your own pace. As you all know, we avoid renting cars on 99% of our travels, but we’d definitely say that a car is a smart option here. We rented a car directly from the Olbia airport that we took with us on our week in Corsica and dropped off when we flew back home.
Beach Recommendations
If you just want to chill and relax, there’s no better place to do so than here. There are loads of beaches in the area, all of which are absolutely gorgeous. We kept pinching ourselves to see if these places were even real!
Some of the most popular options include:
- Cala Gonone: Slightly larger town with parking, stores, and a marina. Boat rides to many of the below depart from here, and we recommend it as a “hub.”
- Cala Luna: Considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Sardinia, Cala Luna has turquoise waters, limestone cliffs, and fine white sand that will literally make you think you’re in heaven.
- Cala Goloritzé: A UNESCO World Heritage site, Cala Goloritzé features a dramatic limestone pinnacle, clear waters ideal for snorkeling, and a small beach surrounded by cliffs.
- Cala Mariolu: Known for its crystal-clear waters and colorful marine life, Cala Mariolu offers excellent snorkeling opportunities.
- Golfo Aranci: A fishing village near Olbia with lots of opportunities for kayaking and snorkeling and a big sea-front parking lot (10€ per day.)
However, full disclosure – we faced a few challenges upon arrival that we weren’t super aware of. We definitely want to share these with you to make your trip a little easier and get you to that beachside relaxation state as quickly as possible.
- The most “unserious” among these is that it can be super overwhelming to pick where to go, as everyone recommends a different beach as the “best one.” That said, they’re all gorgeous. The lesser-known beaches are less likely to be Instagram traps and may be less crowded, but the well-known ones like Cala Luna are famous for a reason. Just take a deep breath and see which is most accessible from where you’re staying, and remember that you truly can’t go wrong with what you choose.
- The most obvious among these (but still necessary) is that it’s really, really hot and really, really sunny. Slather on the sunscreen, pack hats and layers, and bring way more water than you think you’ll need. A lot of the beaches don’t have shops or kiosks to preserve their pristine status, so double-check that you’re bringing everything you need with you (and taking all your trash when you go.) We schlepped around big 2 liter bottles of water and it was super worth it. Water shoes were also a good call here, as the beaches are either sharp and rocky or have boiling hot sand (or both.)
- Another perhaps obvious one– Sardegna is a popular place, and popular places get mega crowded! Instagram may be showing you drone footage of pristine and undisturbed tranquility, but the reality is that the area is packed with hordes and hordes of crowds. It’s a good idea to do some expectation management prior to arriving so you’re ready for how busy and touristy it will be, but trust us, you’re going to have a great time.
- The distances between the beaches can be pretty deceptive, and Sardegna is a bigger island than it looks like on a map! We realized that our home base in Orosei was a whopping 1.5 hours to what seemed to be “nearby” Cala Luna, to then embark on an hour+ hike down to the beach from the parking area. Here, we recommend finding a hub like Cala Gonone or Santa Maria Navarrese where you can park your car and take a boat ride to the beaches of your choice, as many are not accessible by car (like the aforementioned Cala Luna.) More on this later 😉
- Not all boat tours are created equal! As we planned our trip, we saw that many of the options on Get Your Guide were 8-10 hour, full day excursions where you get back on the boat every few hours to go to the next beach. To us, this seemed like a very intense, long, and hot day, and many reviews highlighted that it was basically a shuttle service, not a boat tour, and that sometimes you were stuck for 2 hours on the boat transporting between beaches. Our tip here is to not overdo it. The heat can get really brutal, and it may not be worth it to spend 2 more hours sweating on a boat just to see one more beach.
- Conversely… Some boat tours are really awesome! We learned in Cala Gonone that if you go up to the providers (rather than booking in advance like we always do), that you can customize a day based on how many beaches you want to do and if you want to add on grottos or other activities. More on this later 😉
You will never feel like you have enough time here! Sorry, no advice to share on this one unfortunately, other than we hope we can go back sometime soon.
Beach Weekend in Sardegna Itinerary
To not tucker ourselves out too much, we wanted a mix of boat rides, swimming, and maybe a hike or other outdoor activity. After a pretty vigorous week hiking and swimming in Corsica, we ended up forgoing the hiking, but did squeeze in a great kayak ride.
Day 1
Drive to Cala Gonone early in the morning and park the car in the paid lot here or along the highway that slopes up behind it. Tip here: the earlier you arrive, the closer you’ll be to the beach 😉
Grab some water, snacks, or lunch at the supermarket here, and head down to the port to book your desired boat itinerary. Boats tend to leave hourly, and offer a variety of combinations, e.g., Cala Luna; Cala Luna + grottos; Cala Luna + Cala Mariolu, etc. As you tack on more beaches, the price and the number of hours go up.
We opted for Cala Luna + the Grotte del Bue Marino and feel great about this choice. We were gone for about 5 hours in total, which felt like the perfect amount of time, and we got a break from the sun inside the grotto. Once you book, you head over to the port to purchase any add-ons, then ask around for which boat you’re supposed to get on. From the port it’s about 20 minutes to the Grotte and 10 minutes from there to Cala Luna. You can stay at Cala Luna as long as you wish, with hourly departures back to Cala Gonone until 5:30PM in the summertime.
The boat rides are quite cleverly organized. One boat drops you off at the Bue Marino, another picks you up to take you to Cala Luna, and others arrive hourly at Cala Luna to pop back to Cala Gonone (or go on further to other beaches.) This means you’re never on the same boat twice, so plan accordingly.
As we were learning on the fly, a few tips we’d like to share:
- There is an “eco tax” of 1€ per person that must be paid in cash prior to boarding.
- If you add on the Grotte, you need to go to a different kiosk at the port to purchase another ticket (12€ per person), as it’s a protected natural area run by the park service. Be sure to budget enough time to buy this ticket as the line can get long and you’ll miss your departing boat. You can pay with a credit card. Side note, the Grotte is super worth it!
- You end up walking about 2 kilometers along a metal grated path within the Grotte, so it may be nice to have more sturdy shoes than flip-flops.
- You have to take everything with you along each stop, so try to strike that balance of having everything you need (water, sunscreen, food) but not bringing too much stuff, as you can’t leave anything on the boats.
- Tuck your ticket somewhere safe, you’ll need it for each step of the journey and it has a lot of information on it (see above tip about boats.)
- Water shoes are advised for Cala Luna as the rocks are quite sharp on your feet and any adventuring into the caves along the shoreline is best done not in flip-flops. We learned this the hard way 😉
- Bring a LOT of bottled water as there is nowhere to get it at Cala Luna!!! This is super important!!!
When you’re ready to leave Cala Luna, cross-check the names of the boats against your ticket and ask prior to boarding if you’re going the right direction. Your ticket will say which boats and on which timetable they leave. For example, ours were leaving on the hour at the 40 minute mark (i.e., 13:40, 14:40, etc.)
Recommended Reading
And now, a little background on the Grotte del Bue Marino. This was a super interesting place, and we’re so glad we visited. Named after the Mediterranean monk seal, locally known as the “Bue Marino” or “Sea Ox,” which used to inhabit the area, the grottos consist of several large chambers connected by narrow passageways, each offering unique rock formations and crystal-clear underground lakes.
On the guided tour, you will visit the first 4 rooms, until you reach the point where the river and ocean meet. You follow a 1-way walkway with your guide that winds through the chambers, allowing you to view the formations up close– truly a super, super cool experience! You then turn around and go back the way you came.
The caves have been known about since ancient times, as seen in the prehistoric carvings and engravings that have been found there, but spelunking and cave diving began in earnest in the last century or so. Until the 1980s, they were used by the Mediterranean monk seal as a breeding and resting site. The monk seals have largely disappeared from the region unfortunately, but we were glad to hear that they’re not extinct– the noise pollution has just led to them relocating elsewhere.
The caves are also renowned for their super cool geological formations, including impressive stalactites hanging from the ceiling and stalagmites rising from the ground.
Once the tour concludes, you hop back on the boat to go to the incomparable Cala Luna.
One of the most famous and picturesque/Instagrammable beaches in Sardinia, its crescent-shaped bay, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and dramatic limestone cliffs are a sight to behold, truly! A nice perk of this beach is the large limestone caves dotted along the shoreline, which provide natural shade to escape to as well as a fun place to explore (with proper footwear). The shallow, clear waters are ideal for swimming and snorkeling, and the sandy beach is so silky soft you’ll think you’re dreaming. While it’s certainly very, very touristy, we absolutely get the hype, and you will, too! Note that if you forgo the boat ride, you can also get to Cala Luna by hiking from Cala Fuili or Baunei.
Keep an eye on the time and on the shoreline to hop back on the boat when you’re ready to leave, and you’ll get back to Cala Gonone in about half an hour.
Day 2
On our second day, we really enjoyed spending some time swimming at the Golfo Aranci prior to a kayaking and dolphin-spotting trip. Depending on where you stayed, budget in some time to get from your accommodation to the Golfo Aranci. We experienced several slowdowns and some traffic, so it ended up taking us close to 2 hours to go from Orosei.
Golfo Aranci has the big perk of being directly sea-front, and after parking here (10€ parking for the full day, literally centimeters from the ocean), we spent a few hours lounging around in the ocean at Spiaggia dei Baracconi and having some lunch prior to meeting up with our group for kayaking with KayakingMoresca.* While the beginning of the tour was a bit chaotic, you really can’t go wrong with a tour advertising kayaking, snorkeling, and searching for dolphins in the crystal clear waters!
We were in a group of around 12 people of vastly different kayaking ability, but we’d say this tour is suitable for lots of different activity levels and they have life jackets and offer guidance when needed.
We first visited the island of island of Figarolo for some snorkeling, where we saw fish (of course), an octopus, and some sea urchins, and then Cala Moresca for a small aperitivo and a swim, and then paddled over to a fish farm further out at sea that’s home to a dolphin colony. All in all, a nice excursion on a beautiful afternoon.
Truth be told, we were a little skeptical about the dolphins. How many times have we been on tours that promise that you’ll see “x” wildlife, when in reality they’re nowhere to be found? In this case, the colony of 20 dolphins (split into 5 families, adorable) does indeed live nearby and pops by for breakfast and dinner every day.
Of course they are wild animals, so the guides said there have been occasions where they’re not visible, but we were truly in awe of how many dolphins we saw, and can’t say we’ve ever been so close to a wild dolphin before. There are buoys to let you know how far to keep away, and other than some jostling for position with other kayaks, you’ll have an unimpeded view. Truly very special!
*Note that we are a Get Your Guide affiliate, so if you book via this link, we will earn a very small commission from your booking. However, we never accept free trips in exchange for reviews or link postings, so you can rest assured this blurb is unbiased and we paid full price for our kayak experience. You can also book this activity directly via KayakingMoresca via their website.
Tip: If you have time, near Golfo Aranci and Olbia is the Maddalena Islands, only 20 minutes by ferry from the port of Palau and said to be one of the most beautiful parts of the island.
Comprising seven larger small islands and 55 tiny “isolotti”, the area is a protected nature preserve and apparently has some of the clearest water and best snorkeling around. We regrettably didn’t have enough time to do this on this trip, but are eagerly looking forward to checking it out next time.
Other Things to Do
The northeast of Sardegna also offers a variety of activities and attractions that are “non-beach” or “less-beach” that we thought we’d mention.
- Check out the Bidderosa Oasis: This protected area features five (!) beautiful beaches with crystal-clear waters, surrounded by pine forests and Mediterranean scrub. It’s a perfect spot for swimming, picnicking, and hiking.
- Do some hiking in Gennargentu National Park
- Visit the Tiscali Village: Hidden within a cave on Mount Tiscali, this ancient Nuragic village offers a glimpse into Sardinia’s prehistoric past.
- Explore the Nuraghe Mannu: The ancient Nuragic complex located near Cala Gonone offers panoramic views of the Gulf of Orosei and provides insights into the island’s Bronze Age history.
- Sip on some wine: Discover Sardinia’s wine culture by visiting local vineyards and wineries in the region. Enjoy tastings of Vermentino, Cannonau, and other Sardinian wines.
- Take a load off at the hot springs: Located about an hour’s drive from the coast, the natural hot springs around the Benetutti area are super recommended. You can visit Terme San Saturnino, Terme Aurora, or Terme Libere (which is free!)
We hope you enjoyed this quick visit for a beach weekend in Sardegna! We are dreaming of going back someday soon and hope to be able to update this guide with more tips and destinations.
In the meantime, for more sunny Italy content, don’t miss our guides to Taormina, Puglia, and more at our Italy landing page.
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