Itinerary · 7 days · 32 places
7 Days in Sardinia
A week in north-east Sardinia: first the turquoise water of the Costa Smeralda and the Maddalena islands, then the mountain villages of the Supramonte and the Barbagia, and finally the cliffs of the Golfo di Orosei.
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Photo: Domenico Adornato · Pexels
The route on the map
The plan, day by day
Day 1Arriving in Olbia
Arrival in Olbia
Hotel check-in
The area around Corso Umberto is Olbia's pedestrian zone, a short walk from the harbour and the bus stops.
Corso Umberto I
The shopping street from the town hall square to the harbour, where half of Olbia strolls in the evening.
Basilica di San Simplicio
Romanesque granite church from the 11th century, built over a Roman necropolis.
Parco Fausto Noce
Shady town park with cork oaks and a pond, where Olbia's residents meet after work.
Evening: Molo Brin at the harbour
The harbour pier looking out on the incoming ferries, lined with bars and ice-cream parlours in the evening.
Day 2Costa Smeralda
Porto Cervo Marina
The Aga Khan's marina with its yacht club, arcaded lanes and yachts longer than the church.
Spiaggia del Principe
Crescent-shaped bay with pinkish sand and shallow water, reached by a footpath from the road.
Spiaggia di Capriccioli
Two sandy coves between granite rocks and juniper bushes, looking out to the island of Mortorio.
Baja Sardinia
Small coastal resort above Cala Battistoni, from which you can see the Maddalena archipelago in the evening light.
Evening: Piazzetta in Porto Cervo
The covered square above the harbour, where bars and boutiques fill up in the evening.
Day 3Palau and the Maddalena archipelago
Onward to Palau
Hotel check-in
Roccia dell'Orso
Granite rock above Palau, sculpted by the wind into the shape of a bear, with views as far as Corsica.
Fortezza di Monte Altura
19th-century fortress above the harbour, open only on guided tours, with a panoramic view over the strait.
La Maddalena – old town
The island lies twenty minutes by ferry from Palau; its lanes of pink granite all run down to the old harbour.
Compendio Garibaldino on Caprera
Garibaldi's country house with his bed, his wheelchair and the granite tomb in the garden, reached via the causeway from La Maddalena.
Evening: Cala Gavetta
La Maddalena's old harbour basin, where restaurant tables spill right down to the water.
Day 4Into the Supramonte to Oliena
Onward to Oliena
Hotel check-in
Su Gologone – karst spring
Ice-cold water from the Supramonte gushes out of a rock fissure here, several hundred litres every second.
Oliena – old town
Narrow limestone lanes below the rock face, where the black traditional waistcoats are still worn.
Cantina Oliena
Cooperative winery where the dark Nepente di Oliena is made from Cannonau grapes and can be tasted.
Monte Corrasi – viewpoint
The limestone wall above Oliena, whose hairpin road gives views as far as the Gulf of Orosei in the afternoon.
Evening: Piazza Santa Maria in Oliena
The church square in the village centre, where the benches and the two bars fill up in the evening.
Day 5Barbagia — masks, murals, Nuoro
Mamoiada – Museo delle Maschere Mediterranee
Home to the Mamuthones masks of black pear wood with the cowbells that parade through the village in February.
Orgosolo – murals
Over 150 murals on the houses of Corso Repubblica tell of shepherds' strikes, war and Sardinian politics.
Museo Etnografico Sardo in Nuoro
Costumes, jewellery and looms from all over the island, arranged by village, in a replica mountain village.
Casa Museo Grazia Deledda
The birthplace of the 1926 Nobel laureate, with her kitchen, wine cellar and manuscripts.
Monte Ortobene – Cristo Redentore
The bronze statue on Nuoro's local mountain, from whose base you look out over the whole Barbagia.
Evening: Corso Garibaldi in Nuoro
The town's main promenade, where the passeggiata takes place between nine and eleven.
Day 6Golfo di Orosei
Onward to Cala Gonone
Hotel check-in
Cala Gonone – harbour
Boats leave from the small harbour basin below the cliff for the coves of the gulf.
Grotta del Bue Marino
Sea cave reached by boat and explored on foot, with a freshwater lake and Neolithic rock carvings, named after the monk seal.
Cala Fuili
Pebble cove at the end of the road south of Cala Gonone, starting point of the trail to Cala Luna.
Dorgali – old town
Craftsmen's village above the coast, known for filigree jewellery, leatherwork and black ceramics.
Evening: Lungomare Palmasera
Cala Gonone's beach promenade, where you stroll under oleanders down to the water in the evening.
Day 7Granite village and farewell
Return towards Olbia
San Pantaleo – granite village
Whitewashed village below granite pinnacles, whose piazza becomes a craft market on Thursdays.
Spiaggia Pittulongu
Olbia's local beach with views of Tavolara, twenty minutes by car from the airport.
Departure from Olbia
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