Roadtrip through Sardinia; on the hunt for the most beautiful beaches

Everybody knows those beautiful Instagram pictures taken from Sardinia; crystal clear water and white beaches - and that all in Europe. So when we could only go on holiday during the high season this year, and I found fairly priced tickets to Sardinia, I knew we had to go there.

Sardinia or Sicily? I was recently asked this question and I immediately knew the answer. If you really want a sun-sea-beach holiday, go to Sardinia. If you want more of a cultural experience, go to Sicily.

Route + accommodation 🚗

To tour Sardinia, you will need a car and I also recommend booking your accommodations through Airbnb. They are sometimes even nicer than the hotels, you'll help the local people and it is also cheaper. One of the most difficult tasks when planning this trip, was choosing a good base to discover several beautiful places. With the kids it is not nice to move to a different accommodation every day.

Route for 2 weeks 🗺️

Day 1 to 4; Quartu Sant'Elena

We flew to Cagliari. In the south, I wanted to visit Cagliari and Villasimius, so I chose the village of Quartu Sant'Elena as a base. I chose an Airbnb that is close to del Poetto beach. This beach is no less than 8 km long, which ensures that there is enough space. It is certainly not a bounty beach, but it is clean and you can park for free. Furthermore, there is nothing else to do in Quartu Sant'Elena, but there are some good restaurants (see restaurant tips).

Cagliari

A small lively town full of restaurants. It's the perfect city to dine outside and then treat yourself to Italian ice cream. Walking around this city is a real workout (let alone with the stroller), because of the ramps. You can park your car at 'Metropark' - cheap and a 3-minute walk from the center.

Villasimius

An hour's drive from Cagliari you will reach Villasimius, known for its beautiful beaches. I chose Spiaggia de Porto Giunco. Beautiful beach, but very busy and expensive. We paid €60 for two beds and an umbrella. Parking, on the other hand, is €5 for a whole day. I have to say that I didn't have a 'wow factor' at this beach. I expected more from it.

Day 5&6; Budoni

From the South we go to the East side, and I chose the village of Budoni as a base. The Airbnb I chose was a 5-minute drive from Spiaggia di Budoni beach. You can also easily visit San Teodoro, Porto Cervo and Olbia from Budoni. Budoni itself is very small, but we had some good food  there, and there was a night market which always adds some atmosphere.

San Teodoro

We wanted to have dinner in San Teodoro. When we got there, it was so busy that we just couldn't find a parking spot and drove back to Budoni haha ​​🤭. The next day we drove to San Teodoro again, but this time to La Cinta beach. This beach is really beautiful, but it is extremely busy. I still recommend it! It is also perfect for small children, because the water is very low.

Olbia

Olbia is a lively town with many restaurants. There is also a night market and some attractions for the kids. There is a very nice atmosphere, so definitely recommended for a night out! Parking in Olbia is quite easy; enter Olbia Centro on your navigation, and when you enter the city you will immediately see large parking lots where you can park for free.

Day 7&8; Alghero

I chose Alghero thinking we would go to the famous La Pelosa beach in Stintino for a day. But I was unable to reserve a spot and that's why we didn't visit this beach. In Alghero, we took a hotel on the coast along the boulevard. Alghero is very lively! Especially in the evening, people go out and you see the bars and restaurants filling up. It has a cute little center that you can wander through. You don't have to go there for the beach, because it is full of seaweed and algae.

Bosa

On the way to Oristano, we made a stop in the village of Bosa. Very cute and truly a sight to see. You can also visit a castle there. The village is very small, so spending a few hours here is enough, but it is definitely worth a stopover.

Day 9&10; Oristano

Further towards the west side of the country, I chose the village of Oristano. This village has a church, a beautiful square and a number of restaurants. Tip; Search in advance on Google Maps where you want to eat, because at the good restaurants you have to make a reservation by telephone in advance. In my opinion, Oristano is not worth staying, so I would skip this place.

From Oristano it is a 25-minute drive to Is Arutas beach. Beautiful beach surrounded by rocks, clear blue water and white grains of sand. Definitely recommended. We parked here for €8.50 (6 hours) and there was a beach bar and a rinse-off shower.

Day 11 to 14; Pula

Because we would fly back from Cagliari, our last destination is also in the south. When we arrived in Pula, it was completely deserted. Oh dear, I thought; that will be three long days. But when we entered the village in the evening, I was completely surprised. People watched football at a café, there was a ceremony in the church, small children playing in the square, lights and flags in the streets and cozy restaurants. With a luxurious apartment including a private swimming pool, this was the perfect end to our trip.

Tip; from Pula it is a very short drive to Nora, where you can admire Roman excavations. We didn't go there, because it was 35 degrees, so way too hot to visit. 

When food = life 🍕

We ate quite a variety of food this trip! Where I normally don't deviate from pasta and pizza in Italy, we now also opted for sushi and steak. I must say that I found it quite difficult to find good Italian restaurants. Some restaurants scored a '2' on Google Maps😵‍💫.

I also tried the typical Sardinian dish 'Culorgiones al pomodoro'. Wasn't bad, but wouldn't order it again. The same goes for 'Café Crema' which I thought was iced coffee, but in reality it was some kind of coffee pudding... But hey, Italian food is still delicious! The pizzas in particular were to die for! Here are my tips;

Good to know before you go 🙋🏽‍♀️

I thought the roundtrip through Sardinia was a beautiful trip, but I think my expectations (because of the Instagram pictures) were too high.

Glad we saw it once, but I'm not the type of girl that can lay down on a beach for two weeks. Next time I will choose Sicily again😉.

Ciao,

Nathalie