Holiday Sardinia: Country Sardinia & Charming Sardinia

Sardinia rewards those who look beyond the beach. The island’s interior is a landscape of granite peaks, cork woods and silent hill towns, while its coast holds some of the Mediterranean’s most celebrated stretches of sand. Together they make for a holiday that can be as active or as unhurried as you choose.

A countryside of its own

Inland Sardinia is often described as a island apart, and the description holds. The Gennargentu massif forms the island’s mountainous spine, its slopes clothed in holm oak and cork oak, and the Supramonte plateau to the east is a wilder place still — limestone crags, deep gorges and the cave complex of Su Gorropu, whose walls rise to around 500 metres in places.

This is also sheep country. Pecorino and other Sardinian cheeses, roast suckling pig and the crisp flatbread known as pane carasau belong to the interior as much as to the coast, and the island’s agriturismi — working farms that take in guests — are one of the best ways to taste them. Many sit among vineyards and olive groves, offering home cooking and a pace of life that has changed little in generations.

Monuments older than the pyramids

Sardinia’s most distinctive archaeological legacy is the nuraghe, a conical stone tower built from large blocks without mortar. Thousands survive across the island, and the best known, Su Nuraxi at Barumini, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The same civilisation left the so-called giants’ tombs and the mysterious wells and meeting places that dot the interior.

Elsewhere, the island carries traces of Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman rule, and later of Catalan and Spanish influence, particularly in the old quarters of Cagliari and Alghero, where the street signs still appear in Catalan.

The coast, and the islands off it

The Costa Smeralda, in the north-east, is the island’s best-known resort coast, with Porto Cervo at its centre and a reputation for polished marinas and high-end shopping. Further south, the gulfs around Orosei and Villasimius offer long sandy bays and clear water, while the south-west around Chia and Pula combines dunes with lagoons that draw flamingos.

Off the north-east tip lies the Maddalena archipelago, a national park of seven main islands and numerous islets. Boat trips run from Palau and La Maddalena, and the snorkelling and diving around Caprera are among the island’s highlights.

Getting around

Distances on Sardinia are greater than they look on a map, and public transport outside the main towns is limited. A hire car is the practical way to combine coast and countryside, and the island’s road network, though sometimes slow and winding, is generally good. Several of the itineraries below are built around a car, with accommodation chosen to break up the driving.

Ways to stay

Accommodation on the island spans the full range. Agriturismi and country hotels suit those who want the interior; resort hotels and thalasso spas line the better-known coasts; and self-catering residences and villas work well for families and longer stays. In the historic centres, albergo diffuso — literally a ‘scattered hotel’, with rooms distributed among restored buildings — offers a way to stay in the middle of a old town rather than on its edge.

When to go

Late spring and early autumn are the most comfortable times to travel, with warm sea temperatures and quieter roads. High summer brings the warmest water but also the busiest beaches and the highest prices. Winter is mild on the coast and quiet everywhere, though some coastal facilities close.

A note on touring

Round trips of eight to fifteen days are a popular way to see the island, and most combine a hire car with a sequence of stays in different regions — north and south, coast and interior. Shorter breaks tend to focus on a single area. Whichever you choose, allow more time than you think you need: Sardinia is an island best taken slowly.