We recently returned from our amazing summer trip to Sardinia, Italy. Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and followed by Cyprus. Sardinia is well known for its beautiful blue pristine beaches, delicious sea food, prehistoric archaeological sites, and the highest rate of centenarians in the world. Sardinia makes the perfect summer trip with so many sites to see. We explored the northern part of Sardinia Italy and have our 4 day itinerary to share below. You can very much adapt it to the amount of days your trip is planned out for. I also included a couple things we didn't get to do because we ran out of time (aka lounged in the beach longer than expected).

We are located in Vicenza, Italy so we traveled via a ferry boat and loaded our car onto it which saved us some cash in regards to a car rental. This itinerary includes the beginning of our trip which began the day before our arrival to Sardinia. We took a road trip down to Livorno and and made a stop in Pisa before loading the ferry to Sardinia. If you're only interested in what we did in Sardinia , then scroll down to Day 1. Here is our Sardinia Italy itinerary:

Day o

The day before we arrived in Sardinia, we left our home around 1 pm on Saturday, and drove 2 1/2 hours down to Pisa. It cost about 23 Euro on the autostrada from the Vicenza area.

We parked at Pisa Tower Parking which was easy to find and there was a whole lot of parking spaces available. We then visited the tower and took pictures. We needed to stop for dinner and we were running short on time, so we ate at a small kebab spot right across the street. Below are other restaurant options that I had originally wrote on my itinerary.

• Ristorante da Gino for excellent seafood at Marina di Pisa
• La Pergoletta Pisa
• Pizzeria Martino a little off the main center, but good pizza. You can visit Giardino Scotto, a nice playground/park nearby for the kids to burn off energy. 
• Ristoro-Pizzeria Santa Maria

We then drove to the Livorno port about 30 minutes away. We found our ferry (you can find your boat by following the signs to your destination), and loaded our car onto the garage area of the boat. We then checked in to our rented cabin and the ferry departed at 10pm.

Day 1

We arrived in Olbia, Sardinia at around 6:30 am. After loading back in our car and exiting the boat, we drove to find a cafe called Charme Cafe, but it was closed because it was Sunday.

We ended up going to Conad grocery store to pick up some fruit and the items needed to make our own sandwiches. We then headed to Saline beach and I included the two other options I had listed on my literary.

1. Saline Beach. To reach it you drive down the entrance until you find a large parking space. You then walk through a wooden pier that connects to the beach. There is a cafe with restrooms with a 50 cent euro fee.
2. Dottore Beach Once you reach the parking area, you need to walk 15 minutes to the beach.
3. Porto Istana Beach It is also required that you walk 15 minutes from the parking area to the beach.

We arrived at Saline beach early in the morning and the water was beautiful and calm and perfect for kids. It is a great option to blow up your big floaties like our flamingo one, and enjoy the water. This was one of our favorite beaches in Sardinia. The only issue was that there are many rocks in the water and it can be very painful to enter and exit the water, so I recommend water shoes if you choose this one. This was the only beach in Sardinia we visited that had that problem. Regardless, it was still worth it for us and was a great day spent!

We stopped by a few shopping stores like Decathalon and other clothing stores, then we got back on the road to head to Alghero and check into our Airbnb. We stayed at location 15 minutes away from the city center, it was a quiter area and perfect for families. It is also a good option if you have a car. It was located 25 minutes away from Neptunes Caves and nearby beautiful calmer beaches. The home was very clean, large, and included baby items like a high chair and a playpen.

Here is the Airbnb we booked.

Next we headed to a restaurant in the downtown area of Alghero. We decided on Ristorante Santa Maria because it served Mexican (along with Italian dishes) and we wanted to try something different. We liked the outdoor and relaxed seating, but in our opinion the Mexican food wasn't great. Their Italian options looked delicious, however. We then headed back to our Airbnb.

Day 2

In the morning we drove back to downtown Alghero and ate at a restaurant called Slow Bakery which serves American Breakfast. It was delicious and I highly recommend.

• 

• 

• 

We then drove to Neptunes Caves. If you're driving there you park in the parking lot then walk down the 654 steps to enter the caves. Alternatively, you can catch a boat from the port in Alghero which takes you directly to the tour entrance. You can also catch a bus to the parking area. The tours are 13 per adult and 7 per child. The tour lasts 30-45 minutes and begins every hour on the hour from 9am-7pm. Be sure to arrive on time or you will have to wait for the next tour to begin.

• 

• 

*It's a good idea to stop by the Cappe Caccia view on the way to or returning from Neptune's Caves.

We then stopped by Conad grocery store again, in Alghero. We picked up some more fruit, veggies, and ingredients for sandwiches, (and wine ;)). We had lunch at our Airbnb and relaxed for a bit before heading out to another beach.

We decided on Mugoni Beach which was only 5 minutes away from our Airbnb. It is another great option for kids because the water is calm and it is not deep. There are also no rocks. There is a large parking lot for a small fee. There is a restaurant cafe, and other water sport options. We stayed until sunset then headed back to our Airbnb.

Day 3

We headed for breakfast at a bakery cafe called Cohiba about 5 minutes from our Airbnb. We had croissants, orange juice. and coffee. This restaurant may be a good option for dinner, their dinner menu looked delicious.

We headed an hour away to Castelsardo. It is a cute town with colorful homes and a castle with a lot of history to visit. There is also a beach in the town and many restaurants and shopping options. We drove through the town but didn't stop by to explore because the girls were tired from the car ride and really wanted to have fun at the beach. So, we drove 5 minutes back to Lu Bagnu beach which is a larger beach with creamy beautiful sand. This beach had large stronger waves than any of the other beaches we visited in Sardinia, so be aware of that. That didn't stop us from having lots of fun!

A good place to stop by and visit is Roccia del Ellefante and take pictures. It is a large rock along the road that looks like an elephant. We didn't stop by because we missed our turn and did not want to turn back around.

We headed to our second Airbnb in Santa Teresa Di Gallura. This town is a great option to stay in as you circle around the northern part of Sardinia. Santa Teresa is across the French island, Corsica and is located 30 minutes away from Palau port.

The Airbnb was a smaller apartment, but it was near the beach and in the middle of a lot of shops and restaurants. It is also very close to the town plaza. There wasn't any air conditioning option and no towels were provided. However, the owners mother lives in one of the other apartments on the property and although she didn't speak any English she was a very sweet older lady and made us feel at home. We only stayed for one night, so we really only needed a place to sleep.

Here is the link to our Airbnb in Santa Teresa Di Gallura.

We headed out to explore the town center, on foot, and have dinner. We dined at a seafood and Italian restaurant called Il Grotino. I highly recommend this restaurant, the pizza and spaghetti was very delicious and we also ordered the catch of the day and it was probably the best food(fish) I ate in Sardinia. We then grabbed some gelato at a nearby shop. As the night goes on there is a market that sets up with many vendors selling woven baskets, jewelry, and other goods.

When we returned from our apartment our airbnb lady had left us a basket full of crackers, jam, and tea on our doorstep.

Day 4

We checked out of our apartment in the morning, and headed down to Reno beach. We could've walked but we decided to drive because we had our umbrellas and other beach gear with us. We stopped by the cafe-restaraunt before entering the beach and purchased some snacks and smoothies. Reno beach was very beautiful and blue and maybe my favorite beach in Sardinia. There is also a stairway that leads to the cliff on the right side of the beach and it is a great area for a nice view of the blue clear waters and to snap some beautiful pictures.

After a few hours at the beach, we headed back up to the main plaza in Santa Teresa for lunch. We had burgers at one of the local restaurants. I can't find the name to the restaurant, but there are a lot of options in the town.

We originally had planned to head to Palau and book a boat tour that would take us all around the small beautiful islands of La Maddalena, but we decided against it because it was an all day tour and we knew the girls might be too exhausted. However, if you have the time for it, I would definitely recommend heading out there and booking a tour or renting a boat. Another beautiful town option to visit along the way is Ponte Cervo.

After lunch we drove back to Olbia to catch our ferry back to Italy mainland that night. We stopped in the Olbia main town first where you can find many many restaurants and retail stores. We stopped at a sushi restaurant called Blu Square Restaurant and Music Pub, that I highly recommend. Their sushi and steak was amazing.

We then drove back to the Olbia port and loaded the ferry once again.

Overall, I am very happy we visited a few different beaches in different parts of northern Sardinia. We had an amazing summer trip. I hope my itinerary helps you plan out your trip.

If you have any other questions or comments, please leave them below or you can email me.

Thank you for reading!

With love,

Melissa.

Grab a copy of my itinerary here!!