There are dozens of islands around Sardinia, and each has its own character. There are archipelagos of pink granite where the water is so clear that boats seem to float in mid-air, park islands that were prisons for a century and are now home to white donkeys, islands settled by communities of Ligurian origin who still speak a Genoese dialect, and even an island that had its own king in the 19th century. Visiting them is the best way to see Sardinia's most beautiful sea without the crowds of the most famous beaches.
This eight-day itinerary runs from Olbia to Cagliari via six islands: Tavolara, the Maddalena archipelago with Caprera, Asinara, Sant'Antioco and San Pietro. It uses scheduled ferries and private boats, and on some days you leave the car on the mainland. See also our pages on Sardinia's islands and ferries.
Itinerary at a glance
- Duration: 8 days, 7 nights
- Distance: about 600 km by car, from Olbia to Cagliari, plus the boat trips
- Transport: hire car, scheduled ferries and boat trips
- Best time: May, June and September; in July and August boats and accommodation must be booked well ahead
- Indicative budget: about €1,250 per person sharing a double room, flights and mainland ferries excluded
- Ideal for: couples, families, lovers of the sea and snorkelling
- Olbia: arrival
- Tavolara: the tiny kingdom
- Palau: the port for the archipelago
- La Maddalena: the archipelago by boat
- Caprera: Garibaldi's house
- Stintino: the gateway to Asinara
- Asinara: the national park
- Sant'Antioco: sea silk and the Punic necropolis
- Carloforte: the Tabarchini island
- Cagliari: departure
Islands and their stories
Sardinia's islands have been settled and abandoned many times. On Sant'Antioco the Phoenicians founded one of their oldest cities, Sulki. On Asinara a quarantine station and a maximum-security prison operated for more than a century until 1998, which is precisely what preserved its nature. On San Pietro in the 18th century the Tabarchini settled, Ligurians who had lived for two centuries on the island of Tabarka, in Tunisia. Giuseppe Garibaldi lived and died on Caprera. And Tavolara was for a few decades of the 19th century a "kingdom" of the Bertoleoni family, a story halfway between fact and legend.
- 800 BCThe Phoenicians found Sulki, today's Sant'Antioco
- 1738The Tabarchini found Carloforte on San Pietro
- 1836Paolo Bertoleoni declares himself King of Tavolara, according to tradition
- 1856Garibaldi buys part of Caprera
- 1882Garibaldi dies on Caprera
- 1885A quarantine station and penal colony open on Asinara
- 1994The Maddalena Archipelago National Park is created
- 2002The Asinara National Park is created
Day 1: Olbia and the coast
Fly into Olbia and drive south to Porto San Paolo (about half an hour), with the huge silhouette of Tavolara in view, a limestone mountain rising more than five hundred metres from the sea. In the afternoon swim at Porto Taverna or Cala Brandinchi, looking out at the island.
Where to stay: between Porto San Paolo and San Teodoro.
Day 2: Tavolara
From Porto San Paolo boats reach Tavolara in about twenty-five minutes. The island lies within a marine protected area: you land on the Spalmatore di Terra beach, with shallow, crystal-clear water, visit the small cemetery of the "kings" of Tavolara and have lunch in one of the island's two restaurants. In the afternoon many boats circle Molara and the natural pools, where the sea is an unbelievable turquoise. In July an open-air film festival is held on the beach.
Day 3: Palau and the archipelago by boat
Drive up the coast to Palau (about an hour), through the Costa Smeralda. From Palau boat trips set out into the Maddalena archipelago, a national park: in one day you visit Budelli, with its famous pink beach, which can only be admired from the sea because it is protected, Razzoli and Santa Maria, with their natural pools, and Spargi, with Cala Corsara. Boats leave around ten and return in the late afternoon, with lunch on board. See Gallura.
Where to stay: in Palau or on La Maddalena, for two nights.
Day 4: La Maddalena and Caprera
The scheduled ferry takes you from Palau to La Maddalena in about fifteen minutes, car included. Stroll through the town with its colourful houses and harbour, and drive the panoramic road around the island. Then cross the bridge to Caprera and visit the Compendio Garibaldino, the White House where Garibaldi spent the last twenty-five years of his life and where he died in 1882, with his belongings, his bed and his tomb. In the afternoon swim in one of Caprera's coves, such as Cala Coticcio, reached by a path of about an hour. See Garibaldi in Sardinia.
Day 5: Stintino and Asinara
Cross northern Sardinia to Stintino (about two and a half hours), a former tuna fishermen's village at the island's north-western tip. From here excursions set out to the Asinara National Park: you land at Fornelli or Cala Reale and tour the island by little train, by jeep with a guide, by bike or in rented electric cars. You see the white donkeys, found only here, the former prisons, the quarantine station and beaches such as Cala Sabina. On the way back swim at La Pelosa, one of Sardinia's most famous beaches, with limited access by reservation. See Stintino.
Where to stay: in Stintino.
Day 6: down to Sant'Antioco
A travel day: drive down western Sardinia to Sant'Antioco (about three and a half hours), an island joined to the mainland by an isthmus and a bridge. In the town, built on ancient Sulki, visit the archaeological museum, the tophet and the catacombs beneath the basilica of Sant'Antioco. Sant'Antioco is also the island of byssus, "sea silk", a filament produced by a large mollusc, the noble pen shell, once woven into precious fabrics: a small museum tells the story. See Sant'Antioco and the Sulcis.
Where to stay: in Sant'Antioco or Calasetta.
Day 7: Carloforte and San Pietro
From Calasetta, at the northern tip of Sant'Antioco, the ferry reaches Carloforte in about half an hour. Carloforte is the only town on the island of San Pietro: colourful houses, steep lanes, a seafront lined with bars, and locals who still speak Tabarchino, a Ligurian dialect. Tour the island by car or bike: Le Colonne, two sea stacks in the south, La Bobba beach, the Capo Sandalo lighthouse at sunset. Eat tuna in all its forms, Carloforte-style, with pesto and with cascà, the local couscous. In late May or early June the Girotonno festival celebrates bluefin tuna. See Carloforte.
Where to stay: in Carloforte.
Day 8: back to Cagliari
The ferry takes you from Carloforte to Portovesme in about forty minutes, and from there Cagliari is about an hour and a quarter away, for your flight or ferry.
How much it costs
| Item | Indicative cost per person |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 7 nights sharing a double room (mid-range hotels; June and September) | €560-840 |
| Hire car for 8 days shared by two, plus fuel | €180-260 |
| Boats and ferries (Tavolara, archipelago tour, La Maddalena ferry with car, Asinara, Calasetta-Carloforte-Portovesme with car) | €170-240 |
| Admissions (Compendio Garibaldino, Asinara park, La Pelosa, Sant'Antioco museums) | €30-50 |
| Meals | €280-360 |
| Total | about €1,220-1,750, flights and mainland ferries excluded |
To save money: in June and September accommodation costs much less than in August; on La Maddalena and in Carloforte you can leave the car behind and get around by local bus or bike. See car hire.
Practical information
- Bookings: in summer book boat trips, the car ferry to Carloforte and La Pelosa access well in advance.
- Sea: trips depend on the wind; the mistral can stop boats for two or three days. Keep a spare day.
- Park rules: in the Maddalena and Asinara parks it is forbidden to take sand, shells or pebbles, and there are areas where swimming or anchoring is banned.
- Snorkelling: bring a mask and snorkel; the waters of Tavolara, Spargi and Cala Sabina are among the best.
Variations
- Mal di Ventre: the uninhabited island off the Sinis, with boats from Putzu Idu; see Cabras.
- Isola dei Gabbiani: the Porto Pollo beach, a windsurfing and kitesurfing paradise near Palau.
- Serpentara: off Villasimius, with dives in the marine protected area; see Villasimius.
What to read before you go
Garibaldi's Memoirs, to understand the man of Caprera; a history of Asinara and its prison; and a snorkelling guide to Sardinia. See also Sardinia's beaches.
Final tips
- Pace: always keep a free day for the wind; islands are best enjoyed without hurry.
- Combinations: from Gallura you can link up with the Nuragic civilisation itinerary and the giants' tombs of Arzachena; from the Sulcis with the mining itinerary.
- A tip: in Carloforte, sit by the harbour in the evening with an ice cream and watch the fishing boats come home: it is a piece of Liguria preserved intact in the middle of the Mediterranean.
Where to stay
Tours and activities in Sardinia
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