Sardinia: what can be done in a week?
We will certainly not forget this holiday, of course, in a good way. It was the first one we spent like a full pack - with Nina (3,5y) and Jony (6m), from which most people concluded that we would go to a hotel and then make a few trips from there. Actually, I've turned this idea over in my head a few times, but... my more adventurous self kind of took over :)
I decided to spend a week in Sardinia, we rented a car at the airport and drove around as much as we could during those 7 days. I'll tell you right now that if you want to go around the whole island, it's definitely not enough... and 14 days won't be enough. Sardinia is really big and the crossings are quite long because of the often very winding roads. However, if you don't have very high ambitions, for example if you have 2 kids with you :), and you choose only certain parts of the island, you can do a lot. I'll describe more in the itinerary section below.
Let me also point out two things that are very closely related to the fact that we are starting in APRIL. The first is of course the weather and its spring volatility. Originally the forecast was quite optimistic - about 25-28 °C, but in reality a cold front arrived in Europe and even Italy was not spared. We didn't put on winter jackets and scrape the car like in the Czech Republic at that time, but the thermometer went over 20 degrees only a few times and it was often quite windy. Most of the time we made do with a sweatshirt, sometimes just a t-shirt, so either way, we were satisfied. We knew we weren't going swimming :) The other thing is the off-season prices, which was especially noticeable for accommodation or car rental. Count on the fact that if you go July/August, the prices for these items will be multiples.
Flight tickets
Just getting to Sardinia can be quite expensive, especially if you focus only on departures from Prague, where CSA and Smartwings fly from. For a rocket, of course, if you're not lucky enough to get a deal. I'd recommend looking around for Ryanair departures from neighbouring countries. There may also be the advantage of having 3 major airports in Sardinia directly - Cagliari in the south, Alghero and Olbia in the north - so the likelihood of catching some cheap bits is quite high.
- Cagliari - Vienna / Nuremberg
- Alghero - Bratislava / Katowice
- Olbia - Víenna
Rent a car
It was clear from the very beginning that we were going to rent a car. It is ideal for us to go anywhere with the kids at any time, depending on the mood of the people involved, the weather and other factors. Plus, both of them could get a good night's sleep during the crossings, so the choice was clear. After a classic comparison of rental companies, I chose the larger car category at ITALY CAR RENT as the best value. We picked up immediately at the airport and everything went absolutely smoothly. In real terms, we got an Opel Crossland and the weekly rental fee with deductible cost us €124 (deposit 900 €) + €72 car seat for Nina, we were bringing an egg from the Czech Republic for Johnny:
- petrol - €112
- parking - we paid only once in Cagliari, total €1,70. However, in high season you will have to count on larger amounts, as parking meters are also located at many beaches (in April they were still out of service).
- toll - there are no toll sections in Sardinia
Driving in Sardinia - we drove about 1000 km without the slightest problem. Clearly this is still Italy, so speeding is standard, as is the occasional honking, but compared to other Italian regions it was a very uneventful drive. Traffic was absolutely minimal (probably due to the off-season), and we didn't get stuck anywhere even in the larger towns. The only thing to watch out for is the aforementioned winding roads full of curves, especially if you have a more sensitive stomach and feel sick in the car.
Accomodation
We spent every night in a different place, so... we didn't unpack much :) Because of the late arrival, I chose a hotel about 15 minutes away from the airport for the first time (Hotel Santa Gilla), the rest of the accommodation was more of a bed and breakfast type where we were always the only guests, which was great. And the April prices were great too, as our budget was between 63 and 80€ per night with breakfast. The only exception was staying in agriturismo, which I'll come back to in the next section, but I'll list our specific accommodations in the itinerary.
I booked everything in advance through booking.com and we were completely satisfied with all of them, so we can safely recommend them further. If you're thinking of going to Sardinia in high season, figure out your accommodations right after your tickets. Because in the summer months, most of them are sold out... oh, and a lot more expensive too.
Gastronomy
And what would a trip be without a taste of local gastronomy? Sure, you'll have pizza and pasta, but Sardinian cuisine has many of its own specialties. For example, try the typical pasta fregola most often served with seafood or the fish caviar called bottarga. Also great are culurgiones = pasta stuffed with potatoes and cheese. You're sure to encounter a variety of cheeses ( pecorino and ricotta are probably the most typical) and breads (e.g. pane carasau = thin pancakes). Apart from the sweet ice cream, try the almond balls gueffus, good for me :)
Sardinian specialties would be worth a separate article, but you can simply Google it. If you enjoy tasting, I would advise you to go to a local AGRITURISM. There are tons of them on the island and what's more important: they offer a multi-course menu of locally sourced ingredients, which is a great opportunity to try typical regional yummies in one dinner. I chose Agriturismo Pedru Caddu, where we were really happy. To give you an idea, the complete dinner cost us €30/person + €10 for Nina, but it was definitely worth it.
I would like to point out one more thing regarding the food, and that is the opening hours of the restaurants. In echt tourist areas this probably won't be such a problem - for example in Cagliari you could find something open (even if just a kebab) in the afternoon, but on our itinerary see below we dealt with these situations on a daily basis. Most places are open from 12-3pm (give or take half an hour), and then they don't reopen until about 8.30pm, which is no longer
Our itinerary
I'll tell you, it was a struggle to balance it all together - balancing adult and children's fun, sights and nature, coordinating the transfers so that the kids could sleep, finding accommodations where we could roughly get to on a given day, etc... In the end, I did it!
My goal was to avoid the most touristy area = the Emerald Coast (Costa Smeralda) in the north. Next, I checked off the east coast, where some of Sardinia's most beautiful beaches (Cala Luna or Cala Goloritze) are located in Orosei Bay, but going X km down to them and back up with two pieces? No thanks. For the same reason, I've missed out on famous hiking destinations like the Caves of Neptune and the Gorge of Gola di Gorropu, and other hikes in the mountain areas. After all, I didn't want to ruin us, but rather take this vacation in stride... i.e. cafes offset by playgrounds, etc. :) The time constraints meant that the crossings to the islands of Sant'Antioco, La Maddalena and Asinara were dropped. So now what is left?
From Cagliari we head west, which I simply found less famous and therefore attractive in my eyes. We start with some great views on the Chia-Teulada stretch and check out the remains of Sardinia' s mining industry. We make a short detour to the peninsula of San Salvatore di Sinis and by the afternoon we are admiring the beautiful colourful houses in Bosa. Among the towns, Castelsardo, with its narrow streets, will delight us, from where we will head to the northernmost point of our journey, the bay of Li Cossi. Next, we head to Monte Ortobene to enjoy some views from above. We then take the Nuoro direction and drive through a very remote inland tourist area back to Cagliari, where we spend the afternoon before our flight, still quite unplanned (due to the weather).
DAY1
evening arrival Cagliari, car rental
DAY2
DAY3
DAY4
DAY5
DAY6
DAY7
DAY8
In better, not so windy, weather, it could have been a bit better. Maybe Nina would have played with the sand (and waves) a bit more, but that's just not something that can be controlled. I would have left the itinerary like this anyway, because everything fit together nicely, we could enjoy our moments together and even managed to catch the coffee some days :) Sardinia is a beautifully green island that definitely has something to offer on all fronts. Whether you're a fan of a rollercoaster or a more action-packed holiday, there's something for everyone here. Plus I was once again impressed by the Italian attitude towards the kids, with someone constantly smiling and sugar coating both of them. You wouldn't believe how such a smile can make someone's day... Jonah for sure, he was melting with his melodious Italian :D
About half of our itinerary is detailed in the next article 8 places not to miss in the west of Sardinia. The second part, containing the gradual crossing from Castelsardo to Cagliari, I then described in the second Sardinian article 10 stops on the Castelsardo-Cagliari route.
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