Highlights from Sardinia!
Updated: Sep 10
We just returned from a dreamy escape to this Italian island paradise - it was so nice and relaxing, and copious amounts of gelato and tiramisu were had by all, so I would consider the trip a success! Sardinia is an Italian island in the middle of the Mediterrean Sea, just south of the French island Corsica. There are a couple large airports, and accessing the island is quick and easy from mainland Europe.
We had 12 days, and only managed to do the northern half of the island, moving between 4 different hotels to make a loop. It turns out the island is quite large! Highlights were taking a ferry to a national park inhabited by wild donkeys and then exploring by golf cart all day, a crazy moon crater beach, and a full day boat ride out to the Maddalena archipelago. Plus, gorging ourselves on pizza, pasta and gelato, naturally!
Keep in mind that the northern side of the island along the Smeralda coast is quite chic, attracting lots of mega yachts and of course high prices. We found the western side of the island to be much more chill, and affordable.
General tips / insights
Car rental is a must! Driving was for the most part easy, just avoid driving in the historic centers of towns - you can incur fines, and the streets are narrow!
We booked dinner restaurants the day before or of, or just walked up for lunches and never had any issues. In the north along the Smeralda Coast you’re more likely to need reservations.
Use WhatsApp to text for information on activities and book - websites tend to not have a ton of info on hours and offerings.
Have some cash on you - we found plenty of spots that did not take card.
Download the EasyPark app to pay for parking - really well done and necessary pretty much any time you park.
Lots of popular beaches require booking in advance, usually a few days out. We managed to not go to any of those beaches, preferring to find hidden or less crowded beach options, or showing up in the evening once they were free and less crowded!
Bring water shoes to keep in the car - some beaches are rocky.
Here is our exact itinerary, hotels, activities, restaurants and all!
Day 1
Arrive in Olbia, pick up rental car (we had a Fiat Panda SUV - excellent little car!).
Drive 30 mins to hotel - Lo Stazzo
Family suite with two rooms, two single beds for the kids, with a private patio with nice landscaping. AC worked great, nice breakfast spread, two pools, provided big fluffy towels for the pool as well as beach excursions. It was overpriced (maybe it is more reasonable in the shoulder seasons!) but alas, we were on the fancy side of the island and it was slim pickings on nice hotels!
Dinner - drive 10 mins to Pizzeria Mama - full of locals, ideally reserve and ask for the patio with a view. Thin crust pizzas, our fave was the ricotta raviolis with a realllly good tomato sauce and the pistachio tiramisu. About 80 euros for a shared starter, 4 pizzas, 50cl of the house wine and a shared dessert.
Day 2
Beach Capriccioli Ovest - arrive before 9:30 for easy parking (look for the lot with meters by the minute versus the 15 euro parking lot). Sand and rock beach, great for kids with no waves and shallow water. Not much snorkeling, but there were shady spots on the beach and big smooth rocks jutting out of the water where you can lounge and read!
Lunch - San Pantaleo city
Pizzeria Trattoria Ichnos - the pistachio encrusted tuna was excellent, as was the burrata with tomatoes and anchovies! We also loved the strawberry tiramisu. Save room for a gelato at the place across the street!
Walking around the town is worth it - lots of cute boutiques. Ideally try to go on a Thursday morning for the market, or in the evening it would be very pretty with all the lights!
Drinks with a view - we drove about 10 minutes from the hotel to Moma Terrace Bar - go at sunset, open at 6PM everyday, they have small snacks.
Then we continued onto dinner about 10 minutes away to a pizzeria recommended by the hotel - Blu Cobalto. The pizzas were indeed very good! Reserve in advance.
Day 3
Drive about 30 minutes to La Maddalena Boat Tour from 10am to 6pm from Palau.
This was a splurge but after much research, this was the most affordable the full day boat tour option that still had excellent reviews. A boat ride along the coast is a must at some point during a stay in Sardinia, so you can get to certain areas that are only accessible by boat and so that you can see the coast from the sea!
Our skipper was Lucca - he was very nice but his English was not great so it was less of a guided boat ride with lots of information. I was also a bit disappointed by the crowds - I think a lot of the coast is protected, so all the boats end up in the same spots. I would request an earlier start time if possible to try and beat the crowds! For lunch we opted to debark at the La Maddalena port. Don’t miss gelato at La Finestrella Gelateria!
For dinner that night we drove to Don’s BBQ - it had great reviews and I was excited to find an America bbq joint in the middle of nowhere! It was fine but we’ve found better bbq outside of the us:)
Day 4
This morning we packed up from our first hotel, and drove to the brightly colored seaside town of Castelsardo. Beware of parking - like most small cute cities it is an issue to find a spot!
We had lunch at Paninoteca - casual and delicious, with a very copious kids’ menu for 10 euros. The Pinsa with mortadella and pistachios was very good! No need to reserve.
Then we hiked up to the top of the hill - gotta get some steps in to merit all those gelato stops! We visited the castle at the top - nice views and some basic exhibits on local basket weaving etc.
Then we hopped in the car and drive to the next hotel - Antica Villa Colonica. This family friendly hotel has beautifully landscaped grounds, a nice pool, an honesty bar and a family room with a pull out couch. Try to be there on Thursday evening for the pizza class / dinner (45 euros for adults). This hotel is the least luxurious of the lot, but it was very family friendly and a great deal for Sardinia at 250/ night.
For dinner we went to Tramonto Al Molinari - great pizzas and seafood pasta!
Day 5
This morning we drive to Stintino, a little port city, to catch a ferry to a remote national park on the Asinara island! This was one of our fave days, away from crowds and with gorgeous hidden beaches and snorkeling.
We booked the ferry tickets and golf cart rental (180 euros) in advance.
After grabbing sandwiches made from ham and cheese sliced right in front of us near the port - there is no food or water on the island so go prepared!!! - we hopped on the 20 minute ferry. The golf cart was waiting right at the island port, and we jumped in and spent the day exploring little inlets, swimming away from crowds, and looking for the wild donkeys wandering the island! There is also some interesting history to check out - the island was a high security penitentiary (Italy’s Alcatraz!) and a quarantine station! Don’t miss the furthest beach Cala Sabina (30 minute hike to get there) or the Cala Dentenuti.
We caught the 6pm ferry back to Stintino, and made a beeline to the very famous La Pelossa beach. Hot tip - it is free after 6pm AND less crowded. We were there for a gorgeous sunset and the beach really is pretty. Online there is lots of talk about needing a mat under towels and fines for putting towels directly on the sand - we just don’t put towels down and as life’s all the complications:)
For dinner we went back to Stintino and had pasta at Dumbarella - it was fine but with some research maybe you can do better!
Day 6
This day was spent visiting the city of Alghero! It is a pretty medieval city along the water - we did some shopping and had lunch at Gioia Mi (great lasagna!).
In the afternoon we did a 4 hour small group boat ride with directed snorkeling with a non profit group. We drove all through the bay searching for dolphins - no luck! We were the 20% of groups that don’t see the dolphins. 200 euros total. Would I do it again? Probably not.
On the way home we had dinner at the pizzeria La Roccia Porto Torres - good and creative pizzas, with a complimentary dessert:)
Day 7
This morning we packed up from our hotel, and headed to the gorgeous little city La Bossa. This was my fave city so far - very cute and colorful and how you imagine an Italian city. We hiked up to the medieval fort, then had an excellent lunch at Bacco Bistro (around 60 euros total, just walked up). Loved the custom sandwiches and salads, and their local version of French fries with melty cheese!
After lunch we drive to the cane Malu beach - 10/10! Park and then hike about 20 minutes through the craziest surreal landscape. It feels like you are walking on the moon with craters everywhere! Hike til you get to the pool of blue water surrounded by white cliffs where people are cliff diving! Not crowded, free, really unique and cool!
Then we drove about an hour to the next hotel Is Cheas. We were most excited for this hotel and planned the rest of the trip around their availability and being here for my daughter’s birthday! The grounds are scattered with of lots of little bungalows, with private pools plus a common pool. Also it’s half board with incredible 4 course dinners included for all guests (and a GREAT 3 course kids' menu!), and a kids’ club some evenings! They also offer affordable cooking classes for guests. I think it was around 550/night, which honestly felt like a good deal thanks to the delicious meals, friendly and helpful staff and beautiful settings.
Day 8 *This day could easily be removed from an itinerary
This day we drive to the city of Oristano and spent the morning walking around. It was cute but not necessarily a must. We had lunch at Granma Pasta Garage, a pasta bar where you can choose your homemade fresh pasta and sauce. About 70 euros total.
In the afternoon we stayed at the hotel, enjoying the pools.
Day 9
We booked a 2.5 hour kayak excursion with Aléa Ricerca to explore a lagoon, bird watch and find flamingos! Binoculars around our necks, we paddled all around the lagoon with our excellent guide Marco - 10/10. Great price - 50 euros / adult and 15 euros for kids. Marco was wonderful with the kids and gave us tips for the rest of the stay too!
Then we popped over to the Quartz beach at Spiaggia Corrighias. If we had more time we would’ve gone a bit further to a potentially less crowded spot at Spiaggia di Muras. This was quick - maybe an hour!
For lunch we drove to the Bar Foccaceria Casas for relaxed (you can wear your swim suit - that relaxed!) focaccia sandwiches and salads. Total 40 euros, loved the authentic vibe, it was packed with locals.
Then back to the hotel for a pasta cooking class (offered twice a week in the afternoon, adults 60 euros, kids 30 euros). The kids LOVED this, and have already made us pasta back at home. A must? Not necessarily, and there are probably 'better' classes if you search, but those tended to take a full 1/2 day and we were not sure the kids would want a longer class.
Then that evening the kids did the Kids' Club at the hotel (This was a Wednesday - the club is a couple nights a week, from 5-7PM, included in the hotel booking).
Day 10
This was another fave day for us!
We drove over to the Lake San Sebastiano, locally known as Lake Is Barrocus - a surprisingly beautiful man-made reservoir located in Isili. We rented a paddle boat with a slide from Circolo Nautico (we called ahead to reserve but there was no one else so I think you could just show up after making sure it is open). The owner gave us a key and pointed to a little church up on top of a rocky island in the middle of the lake - YES! We paddled over, hiked to the top, fiddled around trying to get in and were rewarded with exploring the tiny little church on our own - it all felt quite thrilling!
We paddled on for another hour or so, and then headed back to the car to change and head to one of my fave lunches of the trip, about 20 mins away.
I can only sing the praises of the winery and olive oil farm Tenutas! They have multiple experiences listed on their very clear website - olive oil tastings, wine tastings (15 euros, running every 30 mins, ideally book online), and other more elaborate experiences. We booked a delicious lunch and combined the wine tasting with it. The staff was AMAZING - just so so kind and everyone seemed so happy to work on such beautiful grounds. We learned they still age some wine in amphora, and they kindly walked us down to see in person! The lunch was minimal as far as options go but everything was great and lcoal.
Then we continued onto the Sa Mola olive oil farm to have one more tasting. We texted via whatsapp ahead of time to arrange the tour, and they kindly obliged to give us a tour in the afternoon even thought they were technically closed:). I think most guides speak english, but we had the father who only spoke Italian. He used Google translate like a pro and honestly it was not an issue! We loved hearing about the health properties of good olive oil, and that his mother is still alive at 107 years! This was a paid tasting, I cannot remember how much it was - maybe 20 for adults? We bought lots of wonderful olive oil to bring home!
Day 11
This day we changed hotels again, heading to a glamping accommodation called Borgo di Campana . This is not too far from Olbia, so perfect if you want to catch a flight from the area! We rented a family tent with AC and a bathroom - it was pretty and modern, and the grounds were nice with a big pool. I found it to be (no surprise) overpriced at 350/night! But I guess that is just Sardinia in the summertime:). There was a big breakfast spread, lots of animals including chickens wandering around and other activities on the grounds.
We drove to Porto San Paolo to explore this very cute seaside town and had a gelato on the port, and then went to another highlight of the trip - a half day boat trip to Tavolara & Molara islands with Sole Sale Sardinia. We loooved our time with Simona, who expertly navigated to the most quiet spots along the coast. She spoke great French and English, was wonderful with the kids, and just a lovely person! The ride included snacks and drinks including fresh fruit and a big cheese and charcuterie plate, along with prosecco for the adults:)
That evening we went to one of our fave dinners at Il Fare in San Paolo - great pizza and pasta. It was hopping so reserve in advance for sure!
Day 12
Departure Day - boo! We had an evening flight so we spent the day in Olbia getting lunch and gelatto, and then going to the enormous Conad grocery store to stock up on pasta, parmesan and pecorino and other Italian delicacies. The store has a large artisinal and local section!
There you have it! I hope this guide to Sardinia with kids is useful and that if you are lucky enough to go, these activities and tips are enjoyable! Or maybe this will inspire you to try a vacation in Sardinia yourself!
If you have been to Sardinia and have any activities or tips to add, we are all ears!
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