Ciao ciao friends!  I just got back from the most incredible summer holiday to Sardinia!  To be honest, I didn’t really know what Sardinia had to offer before we arrived – we saw the decently priced, direct flights from Stuttgart to a destination both Dave and I hadn’t been to before – but once there I was absolutely blown away by it’s incredible natural beauty.  Aren’t those the best kind of trips?  I’ve been telling anyone who will listen that this has been my favorite vacation of my life, and that holds a lot of weight!

Planning Your Trip: The Logistics

Sardinia is a very large island by European standards and has 3 international airports, so make sure you don’t overextend yourselves when planning your itinerary!  I had a hard time finding nearly any information via blogs on Sardinia before our trip but am so pleased at our itinerary of 2 nights in Santa Teresa di Gallura in the north and 2 nights in Cala Gonone in the east, although my only complaint is I wish we stayed for at least a week.  We went for 5 days which is the bare minimum I recommend.  If you have time to stay longer, absolutely do it.  Also note, because the island is so large a rental car is a must to get around.

We flew in and out of Olbia in the northeast since Eurowings offers roundtrip direct flights from Stuttgart to Olbia.  If you’re flying into Cagliari in the south for a quick holiday, this itinerary may not be for you on a short timeline because of the island’s large size!

After landing in Olbia, it is a 1 hr drive to Santa Teresa di Gallura, the most northern part of the island and just south of the French island Corsica.  In fact, you can see Corsica from this region, it’s only 11km away!  The town has a beautiful beach and a Corsica ferry terminal both in walking distance, so that’s why we booked our stay here and I really didn’t know much more!  It ended up being my favorite little area – extremely un-touristy but full of gorgeous nature: stunning beaches, rocky cliffs, and untouched beauty ready to be explored!

 

Santa Teresa di Gallura

We stayed at Hotel Muita di Mari (find them here), which I absolutely recommend as it is an easy walk to the main square and beach, but a block or two from the central downtown area which meant parking was never a problem.  The rooms were large and clean, included a nice breakfast and the hotel also has a restaurant in the evenings.

The town of Santa Teresa di Gallura is pretty small and quaint, the buildings are all different shades of pastel and it has an easy atmosphere.  Our hotel was on the southern side of town and the walk to the beach on the north side took 12 minutes.  Talk about easy access anywhere!  We decided to check out the town en route to the town’s beach, Rena Bianca.  But first… gelato! Amoretto for her and Chocolate for him.

As we approached the shoreline, we were suddenly surrounded by a gorgeous flower lined path leading us down to the beach.  Sardinia is full of these beautiful flowers, it is so lovely!

We explored the beach some although we didn’t even think to bring our bathing suits since we had just arrived to town!  It was still nice to walk along the water and see what the beach was like.

There’s a little beach shack just behind the sand that serves easy food and drinks.  We popped in and do our due diligence on the local fare

The beer showcases the Sardinian flag, which they are very proud to represent!  Sardinian flags are everywhere on the island and I loved it.  From the shack I spotted a pathway leading up a hill to the right of the beach and wanted to check it out.  Off we went to explore!

Just off of the beach near the flower lined pathway, there is a rocky hill you can climb up and it takes you to a pathway around the northern tip facing Corsica.  What ended up being a curiosity turned into an amazing little hike, unbeknownst to us!

This area, known as the Punta Falcone, is the northernmost point of Sardinia, across the sea from Corsica’s southern tip.  The sea is a subset of the Medeterranian called the Straight of Bonifacio and is made up of granite rocks.

The rocks are just insane!  I spotted David walking by the all-knowing-Grandpa-rock ; )

I learned so much about Sardinia on this trip.  It is an autonomous region of Italy, similar to the Basque region in Spain (another one of our favorites!).  The island is so diverse over a small area that it is considered a micro climate!  I can definitely see why – in thedrive from the Olbia airport, we passed through mountains, forests, and rocky coastlines, much of it untouched- all in an hour!

Sardinia is also the first discovered Blue Zone, or a region where there are high concentrations of long life expectancy.  I’ve researched for you all and the lowdown on the Sardinian Blue Zone criteria is: Sardinians (1) have moderate physical activity as part of their daily routine, and I can definitely agree that their rolling hills, rocky terrain, and just plain fun exploring the uninhabited island and seas make this an easy part of every day life – you are exercising even when you don’t realize it; (2) drink wine high in polyphenol, you know I can get on this train! but really, the wine here is naturally high in a specific body-healthy antioxidant; and (3) have high engagement in family and social life, and it’s easy to see why.  The island is not very populous (at least the regions of the north and east that we visited) thus making your family and social circle all the more important to your health and well being.

It is safe to say that after this half day in Sardinia, I am completely hooked.  Thankfully we have tons more to explore, from the Capo Testa region 10 min drive from Santa Teresa di Gallura, all the way to the insane beaches of the Bay of Orosei in the far east.  Stay tuned!

 

Know

Getting Around:

Sardinia is a LARGE island, and a car is a MUST!  Don’t overextend yourselves trying to travel every day.  Give yourselves a few days in each area.  This island is made for exploring, it feels like ‘undiscovered land’ so enjoy it and don’t try to just quickly hit highlights!

Ideal Holiday Length in Sardinia:

Our trip was for 5 days but that would be the bare minimum length I would recommend.  Ideally you would want 7-9 days at least!  The entire island is lined with incredible beaches: sandy, rocky, some flat, and lots with dramatic coastlines.  They also have wineries throughout the island.  Basically there is a ton to explore and the more time you have here, the happier you will be.

On Deciding to Take the Ferry to Corsica or Not:

I realized that since we only had 1.5 days in Santa Teresa di Gallura, the ferry to Corsica was out – we had a car in Sardinia and could do more exploring on 4 wheels than ferrying and being stuck to exploring Corsica by foot.  Plus, logistically we’d have much more time exploring and it was cheaper to stay.  I’m so glad we stayed in Sardinia!  If you had 5 days or so on this side of town, a ferry to Corsica would be a great idea.

The Terrain

Pack your Dramamine if you’re at all like me 😉 the roads are mountainous and hilly (like right until you reach the coast), especially diving to Santa Teresa di Gallura!  It was a one-lane mountainous road the entire drive from Olbia to STdG.  I actually didn’t take any Dramamine for the car rides and was fine, but took two throughout our boat rental day and it was a lifesaver (always!) 😀