Our road trip itinerary for Sardinia
Sardinia is perfect for a road trip! The island has much to offer, from cozy towns, stunning landscapes and beautiful beaches. We recommend taking at least 2 weeks for a roadtrip to explore much of the island. But longer is even nicer, of course. Read on and discover our favorite Sardinia itinerary in 2,3 and 4 weeks.
Sardinia regions
Not that much time? No worries. You can also always choose to explore a particular region of Sardinia.
- North: Lots of beautiful bounty beaches. Thanks to its extensive beaches a calm sea, a popular destination among families.
- East: Here you will also find beautiful beaches and one of the most important natural parks. Typical of this region are the beautiful red rock formations.
- South: The south is wonderfully quiet, popular with windsurfers, and you will also find beautiful beaches here. The sea does get a bit rougher here Also, this area is known for the numerous pink flamingos that you can spot here including around the capital of the island of Cagliari.
- West: The coast gets a lot rougher here and is the place to go for surfing. In addition, the west is still relatively undiscovered so you will find numerous deserted beaches.
Sardinia itinerary 2, 3 or 4 weeks
We had no set itinerary for Sardinia and we can recommend it to anyone. No plan is the best plan, right! That way you can decide on the go whether you want to stay somewhere longer or jump back into your camper van as soon as possible and look for something new. The Sardinia itinerary below was perfect for us! During our road trip, we were greatly surprised by the island’s hospitality and diversity.
In total, we were on the road for almost 4 weeks. But along the way, we also worked a few days and sometimes could have stayed in one place a little shorter or traveled further. The speed of our old van didn’t help much either ;p Take a quick look at our Sardinia itinerary.
Route Sardinia 4 weeks
-
- Olbia – 3 nights
- La Maddalena or Palau – 3 nights
- Spiaggia di Porto Ainu – 1 night
- Orosei – 2 nights
- Villasimius – 3 nights
- Cagliari – 2 nights
- Chia – 1 night
- Buggerru – 2 nights
- Oristano – 1 night
- Putzu Idu – 2 nights
- Bosa – 2 nights
- Alghero – 2 nights
- Sassari – 1 night
- Porto Torres – 2 nights
Route Sardinia 3 weeks
- Olbia – 2 nights
- La Maddalena or Palau – 2 nights
- Spiaggia di Porto Ainu – 1 night
- Orosei – 2 nights
- Villasimius – 2 nights
- Chia – 1 night
- Buggerru – 2 nights
- Oristano – 1 night
- Putzu Idu – 2 nights
- Bosa – 2 nights
- Alghero – 1 night
- Porto Torres – 1 night
Route Sardinia 2 weeks
- Olbia – 2 nights
- La Maddalena or Palau – 2 nights
- Spiaggia di Porto Ainu – 1 night
- Orosei – 1 night
- Villasimius – 2 nights
- Chia – 1 night
- Buggerru – 2 nights
- Bosa – 1 night
- Alghero – 1 night
- Porto Torres – 1 night
Olbia (North/East)
Our trip to Sardinia began on the mainland where we took the ferry from Livorno to Olbia. Just outside Olbia, we found campground Tavolara. A nice neat campground about a 30 minute drive from Olbia and within walking distance of a very nice beach. The area around Olbia is immediately one that should be on your bucket list. In addition to bounty beaches, you will also find stunning landscapes. So we stuck here for a few days, taking the Tomos out every day in search of a new beach. Enjoy! Our favorite beaches:
- Spiaggia Porto Taverna / La tavernette beach. This is the beach near the campground and is well worth a visit. In the off-season, the parking lot is a popular spot for wildlife campers.
- Capo Coda Cavallo: This was definitely my favorite. In fact, on the way to the beach you can already enjoy the beautiful azure water.
- Cala Brandinchi: this beach is very popular, so it is also a little busier, but certainly not without reason. The beach is snow-white and the water crystal clear.
Aren’t you with the motor home? View all hotels in Olbia here.
Also read:
Maddalena archipelago
La Maddalena or Palau is also called the Italian Maldives and we fully concur. Unfortunately, we had some bad weather, but even without the sun, it was a gem to visit. The La Maddalena archipelago consists of about 20 islets. We were on the bus not on one of the Maddalena Islands, but in the small town of Palau. Here you will find 2 RV sites where you can easily visit the ferry to the main island of La Maddalena. Almost every hour a boat leaves and takes about 20 minutes. It is also possible to book a boat trip to the Maddalena archipelago. This way, you will discover the most beautiful places in 1 day.
Spiaggia di Porto Ainu
Although Spiaggia di Porto Ainu is a beautiful beach, we especially recommend it because you can be FANTASTIC with the bus here. In fact, you are right on the beach among the pine trees. And yes totally for nope, nothing and nada! It was that work had to be done and the wifi was terrible but otherwise, we would definitely have stayed here an extra night.
Orosei
Orosei is one of the most beautiful places in Sardinia and is about an hour from Olbia. The center is very charming, you will find beautiful historic buildings and numerous churches, and the coastline is absolutely breathtaking. You also have several sea caves and vineyards. Therefore, it is a good combination of history, nature and beach.
Most beautiful beaches of Orosei
- Cala Liberotto
- Marina di Orosei
- Cala Sisine
- Cala Goloritzè
- Cala Birìala
- Su Barone
- Cala Ginepro
Villasimius
Our itinerary through Sardinia went from to the south where we decided to stay a few nights at Villaggio Camping Spiaggia del Riso. A very fine campsite right on the beach. The beach itself was a bit disappointing, but is perfect for windsurfers. From our incredibly nice German neighbors at the campground, we were allowed to borrow a supboard. Super fun, but holy crap in the waves though a pot of heavy say. If you walk a little further, you will reach the beach Spiaggia di Porto Giunco. This beach is an absolute gem. You can also have a drink or dinner in the town near the campground. We really loved the atmosphere here and stayed here for a few days.
Prefer to stay in a hotel? In Villasimius you will also find wonderful hotels and vacation rentals.
Chia (South)
We read on several Sardinia blogs that in Chia you can find one of the most beautiful beaches in Sardinia. So hoppa into the camper and off to Chia with the whole gang. We decided to spend the night at a simple RV stop Area Sosta Camper to visit the popular Su Guidi Beach, just a little past Chia. The RV stop was terrible, 20 euros for a parking space and a dirty squat toilet. But oh we are 5 minutes from the beach, so who cares. Sometimes you don’t need much for a top time. A picnic blanket, a few beers, beautiful beach and an amazing sunset ensured that we had one of our finest evenings in Sardinia.
Don’t you get so excited about our camper stop experience? You also have lots of other options for accommodation near Chia.
Buggerru
Buggerru is the place to go surfing and should definitely be added to your Sardinia itinerary. You have several simple RV stops here to spend the night. The nearest campsite is campeggio ‘Ortus di Mari’ and you will also find several hotels near the village. We stayed at the campground in 2019, but found the distance to the beach just a bit too far to walk. In 2022 we went back to Sardinia and Buggeruru and then we decided to book a few nights at Area Sosta Camper San Nicolò. This place gets incredibly bad reviews, but we really loved it! It is right on the beach where you can surf great.
Oristano & Torre Del Pozo
On the west coast of Sardinia, you’ll find the town of Oristano. It’s a medieval city with about 75,000 inhabitants, where remnants of medieval buildings can still be found. It’s a nice addition to your itinerary.
To the west, we found IS Arena, a fantastic campsite by the sea run by lovely people. In the area, you can do various things. Mari Ermi is a deserted beach popular among windsurfers, and the town of Oristano is worth a visit. Great Gelato too!
Putzu Idu
Putzu Idu is a long and narrow sandy beach in Sardinia, mainly known for windsurfing. You also have several places where you can do good wave surfing, but this is a little more for experienced surfers due to the many rocks found here. The beach’s bounty-like appearance might depend on the weather, especially when strong winds reduce its charm. Nonetheless, it’s a fun place to visit, especially for windsurfers.
Bosa
By chance, we ended up in Bosa, and it was delightful. The town is incredibly cozy, colorful, and charming. Slide into one of the many cozy restaurants for a delicious Italian meal or stroll along the Temo River. If you’re up for a day at the beach, Spiaggia di Bosa Marina is the place to be.
Alghero (North/West)
Alghero is one of the nicest towns in Sardinia. The city is not very big, but there is always something to do there. You will also find numerous nice restaurants to eat at. Also, go eat at Trattoria Tipica Sarda | La Saletta, a big tip! The tiramisu is truly divine. The best campsite is Village Laguna Blue. From here you can catch the bus to the city for about 2 euros, which stops right in front of the campsite. Spend the night in the middle of town? View all hotels in Alghero here.
Porto Torres / Sassari (North)
Our trip ends in the north, as we take the ferry back to Spain at Porto Torres. This time we will not spend the night in a campground, but in the brand new Antica Villa Colonica. What a wonderful and peaceful place to end this trip. The surroundings also managed to surprise us. Le Selopa is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island and was even voted the most beautiful beach in Italy in 2017. A visit to Stagno di Pilo is also recommended, as here we were able to admire a large group of flamingos at very close range.
We look back on an incredible road trip across the island. The nature here is incredibly beautiful and the people so friendly. How much we enjoyed. And although 4 weeks was very long, there are still places we would have loved to have added to our trip, such as:
- La Maddalena: The area around La Maddalena has been described as the Italian caribbean.
- Monte Ortobene: this is the largest mountain on the island and you are said to be able to hike beautifully.
- The caves of Neptune
- Cala Goloritzé: high bounty level
