What to do in Sardinia, 1 Week Itinerary

Sardinia had been on my list for a long time. After seeing photos of the beautiful blue sea and white beaches and couldn’t wait to book my flight. I will outline what to do in Sardinia in my one week itinerary, including the best beaches and things to see. Sardinia is a popular summer destination, but I’ll be showing you why March is a great time to go. I would also recommend Sardinia as a honeymoon destination. There’s something very romantic about wandering through these narrow streets with gelato!

Best time of year to go to Sardinia

We went in March and it was perfect as we were pretty much the only people on the island! The roads were empty most of the time and the beaches we had all to ourselves. Going in March makes this itinerary possible as we saw so much and there was nothing to slow us down.

BUT the water was freezing and it was very windy, when the wind died down it was warmer but it’s still a bit chilly at this time of year. However, perfect for flying the drone with no one in the shots!

Head here to find all the best drone spots in Sardinia!

Summer in Sardinia

The water looks amazing and the temperature goes up to 35/40 degrees which makes it harder to hike but means you can relax at the beach. I’ve been told it gets very busy at the beach in summer. Make sure you’re prepared that it’s not going to be like in our photos. The most beautiful beaches we found were in the North, and if you want to read about these then head to my blog on Northern Sardinia.

How to get around Sardinia 

You will have to hire a car for this Sardinia Itinerary. Public transport is limited. We saw very few buses and it would be hard to do everything on this itinerary without a car! 

Day 1: What to do in Sardinia

If like us you have a late flight into Sardinia, the best place to stop overnight is Bosa. A pretty little town that is right on the water. We stayed in an air bnb and it was freezing! So make sure to take some extra layers if you’re there in March like us. They don’t seem to have central heating in many of the buildings. But waking up and opening the shutters to sun coming in was so lovely after leaving cold rainy England.

Bosa

On the actual day 1 we didn’t explore as much of Bosa as we would have like to as we were heading south already to our next accommodation. However stay in Bosa a bit longer if you can it looked lovely as we drove through! 

Cuglieri

The next pretty town we came to was Cuglieri. We actually found it by accident! From the main road you can see the Basilica St Maria right on top of the hill so we went on a mission to find it. The roads were so winding, so it wasn’t easy to work or whether we were actually getting any closer but just trust that you will.

Basilica Santa Maria

Once in Cuglieri I would say park as soon as you can! Don’t make the mistake we made trying to drive up to the Basilica.. the roads are very narrow and not one way! We got stuck in between two cars coming towards us and three cars driving up behind us. There is a small car park a bit further up if you don’t want to walk the whole way up the hill it’s just down the road a bit and behind the Basilica. It’s a lovely little town with great views from the top. 

S-Archittu

After Cuglieri we headed straight to the beach. I had seen photos of S-Archittu and knew I had to go. It’s a bit like Milos in Greece. There are huge white rocks and a small beach. I would recommend a nice walk the whole way along the seafront to the area where the amazing rocks are. It is also a beautiful sunset spot. 

Day 2: What to do in Sardinia

A full on day but well worth all the driving! You could split this into two days if you have more time. As I said we went in March so there wasn’t much relaxing on the beach as the water was freezing and it was still very windy and a bit chilly. If you’re there in summer then be sure to factor in more time for the beaches than we did. 

Tempio di Antas

Tempio di Antas is an ancient archeological site in the middle of nowhere pretty much. Closed on Mondays! It’s also a no drone site.

Buggeru

Buggeru which is a large area with some great drone spots – Head here to see all the best drone spots in Sardinia! 

Cala Domestica

A lovely beach here was Cala Domestica. The beach is fairly small, but as you walk along the cliffs, there is a small hole in the rocks which once you walk through takes you to another lovely beach! I preferred this one, you just have to battle some waves to get there. We had to time walking along the rocks with the waves. You can do a longer walk here but it was cold and we were a bit wet from the waves. This smaller beach also seemed to be a bit more shaded from the wind so was a bit warmer. 

Porto Flavia

Next stop was Porto Flavia. The history of this place is really interesting. One man decided that the best way to transport the rocks from the mines to the ships below would be to drill through the rock. They then used to transport the rocks this way and send them down to the ships with a crane. This saved the miners carrying the rocks down to the water. You can do a tour through it but we just stopped the car to fly the drone there instead! Exact coordinates for this spot can also be found on the Drone Spots in Sardinia Blog Post. 

Laveria Lamarmora

We then headed to try and chase the sunset to Laveria Lamarmora, a UNESCO site that is an old mining site. I’m not actually sure if you’re allowed to walk down here as they seemed to be renovating a lot of it. We went under a barrier to some steps that lead the whole way down to the site right by the water. It is a very long way down and was a hard walk back up the steps so only go down if you’re prepared to go back up! Laveria Lamarmora is  the perfect spot for sunset. It’s also a bit of a walk from where you park the car down and round the corner. 

Scoglio Mangiabarche

Another amazing sunset spot is Scoglio Mangiabarche which means boat eater, unfortunately we missed the sunset!  But it still made for an incredible photo. Scoglio Mangiabarche an old lighthouse right out at sea. Also perfect for a drone shot. 

Day 3 – Seeing Flamingos and Hiking with a view over Cagliari 

I saw photos of flamingos in Sardinia but I read that they only come back for summer. As we were there in March I had no hopes to see any. So we headed to the beach at Quartu Sant Elena for the day and on the way stumbled upon a whole lake full of pink flamingos! There was the lake just in front of the beach. If you drive to the first bridge where you can turn right and right again and then right again you can stop and walk amongst the huge reeds right along the water and see the flamingos more up close! They are less likely to see you as well with the reeds in the way they come much closer. 

Spiaggia Del Poeto – Beach

The beach here is one of the biggest stretches of sand we saw and there is a small old bunker that makes for a good drone photo! Other than that, there is a ruin of a hotel and I’m sure in summer it’s perfect to sunbathe all day!

Here is a link to the exact location of this beach!

Hiking in Sardinia: Sella Del Diavolo

We were actually aiming for a specific spot, but we got to where google maps told us to walk and it was a military area with prohibited entrance! With a lot of military areas in Sardinia, make sure you are not trespassing when hiking somewhere not far from the beach, a lot of the coastal areas seem to be controlled military areas. The one sign post near this hike said ‘Area Archeologica Sella Del Diavolo’. There’s no other way I can describe where it was!

We also stumbled upon this hike like a lot of the other beaches and pretty towns! But the nearest town was Cagliari which you could see from the top of the hike, which takes about 40 minutes without really a proper path but you can’t get lost. Also at the top there are lots of old bunkers again. There isn’t a way to get to the top, we climbed up it from the outside and it wasn’t easy to get back down! But the views from the top of the hike over the blue water and then over Cagliari were amazing. 

Day 4 – What to do in Sardinia – Beach Time 

All of these beaches you can go to in one day or you can choose your favourite and spend a whole day there they are all stunning!

Solanas

Solanas – Is a huge stretch of white beach that had some beautiful colour water! I lay down for a drone photo but I wouldn’t recommend this in March the water was SO COLD!! There is a big car park just where the sand starts. 

Capo Carbonara

Capo Carbonara is a beautiful secluded beach we stumbled upon near a place called Villasimius if you try to look for it. This is a marine protected area and apparently you can see turtles here too. The beach has no a car park, but there were small bays where you could stop the car to park. Then you have to jump over the barriers and walk through the bushes to get down to the next road! From there it’s a short walk down to the beach. It is a perfect white beach, as it’s not easy to get to it was just beautiful with rocks all around it reminded me of photos of the Seychelles.

Cala Pira

Cala Pira – Another beautiful white sandy beach. Head here for the great view as you walk up the tower.

Where to Eat after all that beach time?  

Pizza at Pizzeria Da Peppe in Torpe has the BEST pizza and it’s only €2.50 for two huge slices! As it was low season and not much else was open I’ve got to admit we ate here about 4 nights in a row. They also do a good burger. I’m sure if you go in summer there is more choice! For supermarkets, there are a few in Torpe where you can buy food if you stay in an air bnb and have a kitchen. 

Day 5: What to do in Sardinia

Bear Rock (Capo D’Orso) which is in Palau – We spent most of Day 5 making an IGTV on Sardinia. The best part of Day 5 was Bear Rock! Bear Rock an incredible rock formation that resembles a bear and has the most amazing sunset views. It actually closes before sunset but we just hopped over the barriers and climbed up. Steps take you the whole way up so as long as you don’t climb on the rocks then you are safe! Tip: There is no designated parking area at that time. We found a derelict place with a parking area and we had a short walk from there. 

Day 6 – Cala Coticcio

Cala Coticcio – the most northern part we visited! From Torpe, which is the closest town to where to stayed at L’Essenza Sardegna, it was about a one and a half hour drive up to the ferry port from where you can get the ferry to Maddalena island. The ferry port is in Palau. It costs about €30 return for 2 people and a small car. 

Head to my Northern Sardinia Blog to read about how to reach this stunning beach! If you go in summer it definitely won’t be this empty but as it’s so shaded from the wind it was actually even warm and nice to sit on in March! And we had it all to ourselves. The walk there from where you park is quite a long one and some of it requires a bit of climbing so once you’re there you may as well spend all day there! 

Day 7 – Lighthouse walk and the best sunset spot! 

On Day 7 we explored some areas right by the North West of the island, as this is also the closest to Alghero Airport. 

Capo Cervo lighthouse – an amazing lighthouse that has steps leading right up to it with water either side. The lighthouse is just a short walk from the road but here again there isn’t really a parking area so we parked and hoped for the best! You also get a great view over Maddalena island and all the other islands nearby from here. 

Capo Caccia

Capo Caccia – the most amazing sunset spot! Make sure to watch out for birds, as they do go for the drone if you are into droning like us. The cliffs here are incredible and you might even see some dolphins. There is a sunset viewpoint where all the cars park and it’s a beautiful spot. If you get there earlier than we did you can also pay to walk right down to the end of the rocks but the best sunset spot is free.

Head to my blog post on Northern Sardinia to read about the best place to stay in the North! 

On our last night we stayed in a hotel right on the road that leads to the airport. It was perfect for an early flight the next day! 

In the south we also stayed in an air bnb, which was perfect as we could cook our own food. It also had its own parking area and the balcony overlooked the small beach down below. The owners didn’t speak any English but we had no problems at all! And it had heating which was perfect in March! 

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