Length
11 days
Best time
Apr-Jun, Sept-Oct
Pace
Balanced
Includes
Guide + map + tips
from our notebook —
Why we loved Sardinia
Sardinia is the island most people underestimate, and then never stop talking about once they have been. This is a road trip, eleven days and a rental car, built on beaches, boats, and long lunches. You start on the Costa Smeralda with cove-hopping and a boat day through the La Maddalena archipelago, then work your way south: the Baunei coast by boat, the cliff hike down to Cala Goloritze, and the covered markets and rooftops of Cagliari. Beaches you reach by boat, by paddle, or by earning the climb back up.
From Cagliari you head up the west coast to Catalan Alghero, with its ramparts going gold at sunset, a winery worth the detour at Sella & Mosca, and the shallow turquoise of La Pelosa out on the northern tip. We built the route so the drives actually make sense and the days stay full of water and table instead of transit. Eleven days, and we still weren't ready to leave.
The trip at a glance.
Some of the highlights of the trip below. The rest? Inside the guide.
3 nightsCosta SmeraldaCoves & boat days
Costa Smeralda beaches · La Maddalena boat day · Stazzu Li Paladini
Emerald-coast cove hopping and a day out in the archipelago.
↳ the rest of this day's features and activities inside the guide!
3 nightsBauneiThe wild coast
Baunei boat day · Cala Mariolu · Cala Goloritze hike
The island's prettiest coves, most of them reachable only by boat.
↳ the rest of this day's features and activities inside the guide!
2 nightsCagliariCity, market & beaches
Punta Molentis · San Benedetto Market · Argiolas wine
The capital on foot, with beaches on the way in.
↳ the rest of this day's features and activities inside the guide!
3 nightsAlgheroCatalan coast & ramparts
La Pelosa · Sella & Mosca · Sunset sail
Gold ramparts, a grand old winery, and the clearest water on the island.
↳ the rest of this day's features and activities inside the guide!
BauneiCala GoloritzeThe hike-in cove
Cliff hike · White pebbles · Limestone spire
The most photographed cove on the island, and you earn every step down.
↳ the rest of this day's features and activities inside the guide!
GalluraLa MaddalenaArchipelago boat day
Pink-granite islands · Swim stops · Sardinia's clearest water
A full day among the islands off the northern coast.
↳ the rest of this day's features and activities inside the guide!
what you're getting —
What's inside.
Every Vacationary guide includes these four things. Yours from the moment you download.
Custom illustrated map
A hand-illustrated map for every destination, with every place we recommend pinned and labeled. Color-coded by category so you can see at a glance what's a beach, what's a meal, and what's a moment.
Day-by-day itinerary
Each day mapped out with timing, locations, restaurants, and activities. Built around how we actually traveled, with margin for sleep and improvisation.
Ground-level tips
What we learned that no blog mentioned. Where to get cash, what to avoid, when to book ahead, and the small things that make the trip easier when you're standing there figuring it out.
Local language guide
Common phrases and pronunciation notes for the places where English doesn't cover it. Enough to be polite, enough to be understood.
answers —
About this trip.
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Sardinia