Five places you must know in Sardinia!

Sardinia, an island that surprises the visitor with its natural contrasts, lights and colors, is a region of ancient traditions, immersed in a wild and immaculate nature. It is one of the most renowned tourist destinations in Italy (and loved by tourists who want to take a break from urban stress to retreat in a simple and refined place). Not only that, Sardinia not only offers nature and style, but also history, culture, activities of all kinds and craft products of the highest level. Today we are going to list the five places you must know in Sardinia! Let us introduce you to the places that you really can’t miss! Here at Your Travel to Italy with Ana Patriciayou make the trip of your dreams!!! ALSO: see our “Accommodation in Italy – Tips for your holidays!”

Our Introduction

Located in the center of the Mediterranean, with a mountainous territory, but without great peaks, Sardinia presents the visitor with a unique natural atmosphere, at the same time rough and sweet. It is rare to see the presence of man in certain areas, in fact, because the vast surfaces have remained magically intact. There are deer, wild horses and large predators and nature is rich in small desert areas, basins and lush forests with trees, including millennial trees. How about taking a 7-hour boat ride, through the Maddalena Archipelago? Click here to learn more!

A little more about Sardinia

In the most frequented places, the sea reigns, contrasting with its colors, and insinuates itself in the winding coves along the coasts and beaches. It is not easy to find a priority among the enchanting beauties that can be admired in Sardinia, just as it is not enough to select only five must-see places, (it is very little, close to what this island can offer). Also read Itinerary in Sardinia by car?

Well, let’s now discover some of the wonderful places available on this magical island, which lies splendidly by the Tyrrhenian Sea. Ready to go? Here are the five places you must know in Sardinia and that you must absolutely put on your travel itinerary!

1) Five places you must know in Sardinia! BARUMINI NURAGHE

First of all, we put this Nuraghe, which is undoubtedly the most important and best preserved of the more than 7,000 nuraghi spread throughout the island. Also called “Su Nuraxi”, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, and is definitely one of the places to visit in Sardinia. For more information, see the official website of the Nuraghi. It is one of the 50 Italian places included by UESCO in the World Heritage List.

Barumini Nuraghe

According to UNESCO, the Barumini Nuraghe, which stands out as the best preserved specimen of all the Sardinian Nuraghi, is an important testament to how well a prehistoric community knew how to use construction materials and techniques of the time in a fantastic and innovative way.

Stone Monuments

Barumini is the Sardinian symbol of the great stone monuments, a suggestive and mysterious place to visit. Not much is known about the ancient Nuraghe civilization. However, it was a people of shepherds and peasants, who lived divided into small communities in Sardinia and, for eight centuries, built these extraordinary structures. There are about 7,000 nuraghi in all of Sardinia, but the use of these buildings has never been proven, most likely they were fortresses, and some studies also suggest that the nuraghi were actually temples.

2) Five places you must know in Sardinia! LA MADDALENA ARCHIPELAGO

Second, we put the La Maddalena Archipelago. Composed of seven larger islands, it is another place in Sardinia considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site, declared in 1994. Its waters are clear and clean, it is possible to make half-day or full-day tours, which allow you to visit those small beaches and coves accessible only by sea, of an untouchable nature and of exciting beauty.

Geo-marine Park

The La Maddalena Archipelago is a geo-marine park that extends over an area of about 20,000 hectares, between land and sea. The National Park includes the entire marine area of the La Maddalena Archipelago and also the land area (in other words, all the islands and islets belonging to the territory of the municipality of La Maddalena). It is located further north in Sardinia, on the Emerald Coast. It consists of seven larger islands (La Maddalena, Caprera, Budelli, Santo Stefano, Santa Maria, Spargi and Razzoli) and several smaller islets, bathed by a wonderful and transparent sea.

Caprera

Among the larger islands, Caprera became famous for welcoming Garibaldi during his exile; his house is now a museum open to the public. The La Maddalena Archipelago was declared a National Park in 1994 and is certainly one of the most beautiful and unspoiled areas in Sardinia.

Cala Cosara

The numerous beaches and coves of the Archipelago are known for their cleanliness and are very popular with tourists, whether they are Italian or foreign. Cala Cosara is considered one of the most beautiful ones: it is on the island of Spargi and is known for its fine white sand and crystal clear sea. Rosa Beach, on the island of Budelli, is undoubtedly the most picturesque, and takes its name from the characteristic pink color of its sand, due to the breaking of the shells of the tiny marine animals.

3) Five places you must know in Sardinia! ALGHERO AND BOSA

Fascinating and unique, Alghero and Bosa, which we place in third place – not in terms of importance – are two tourist regions in Sardinia that must be visited. They are on the northwest coast.

Alghero

Alghero still shows today the traces of its Catalan past, with an attractive historic center and wonderful beaches. The boardwalk, with narrow, paved streets, protected by towers and walls that look like sand castles, offers a walk with the breeze of the infinite sea (Saturday night it is even difficult to walk with so many people, but always beautiful because of the enjoyable panorama) .

Bosa

Bosa is smaller, has the romantic charm of cities bathed by rivers and a rich baggage of traditions throughout its life history. Cittadina, equally characteristic, not only for Malvasia (the typical wine), but also for the beautiful historic center that, seen from a distance, cannot pass without a photo: a row of colorful houses overlooking such a clean river. Dawn is received by the dolphins that come from the Gulf! All framed by a castle that, from the top, seems to take over the town and its tranquility.

4) Five places you must know in Sardinia! ORGOSOLO MURALS AND MAMOIADA MUSEUM

In fourth place are the murals of Orgosolo and the Mamoiada Museum. They are two traditional places in Sardinia, located in the heart of the island, in Barbagia, in the province of Nuoro. Orgosolo is known for its murals (there are about 150 of them), while Mamoiada for its typical carnival masks (it is possible to admire all of them, and much more, in the city’s Museum of Mediterranean Masks).

The Murals and the Museum

When visiting Orgosolo, you will be able to discover on every corner of its curvilinear historic center, splendid murals painted by famous painters, who went to this city to witness, with their works, a difficult past and of harsh protests. Continuing through Mamoiada through a panoramic road that divides the farms from the two centers, we arrive at a museum where extraordinary specimens of carnival masks are preserved, witnesses of a distant past full of pagan rites. Throughout Barbagia, more than in other parts of the island, the human being maintains a relationship with the past, to which it feels connected and recognizes itself in it.

5) Five places you must know in Sardinia! GORROPPU CANYON

The deepest canyon on the island, and one of the deepest in Europe, is in the region of Ogliastra, in the southeastern part of Sardinia. It is a place to visit but, above all, to live – where it is possible to admire the island’s wildest nature and walk in the centuries-old lands. It is said that, in Ogliastra, there is a piece of magical land: whoever has the chance to pass over that land will have a long life. Nobody knows where it is, but why not try your luck?

Grand Canyon

The barbagian territory, immersed in the Supramonte mountain range, is surrounded by dense forests and beautiful flower beds, where we find the most imposing natural gorge in Italy and Europe: the Gorroppu Canyon, also known as the “Grand Canyon of Europe”.

This is one of the most fascinating and impressive symbols of the Gennargentu hills. The huge vertical walls exceed 400 meters in height – a step highly recommended for anyone visiting Sardinia. Very tiring adventure, but with charming panoramas and unique paths that show the spectacle offered by nature. For this excursion it is advisable to take one or two liters of water with you, also walking shoes, comfortable clothes and a lot of desire to walk through the various ascents and descents. It is advisable to book the climb by jeep; it costs 15 euros (fairly paid, since the desire to climb on foot is accompanied by zero physical strength).

How to get to Sardinia?

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean and has three international airports, which connect to other cities in Italy and other destinations across Europe.

1) How to get to Sardinia? BY TRAIN

The railway infrastructure in Sardinia covers a total of 400 km of lines, about forty stations. They are part of the complementary network: the Cagliari – Oristano – Macomer – Chilivani – Olbia line, and the “dorsal Sarda”, which crosses the entire island from north to south. The line of Olbia – Olbia M.ma / Ilha Branca, with direct connection from Olbia to the sea, and the line Porto Torres – Porto Torres Cristóvão Colombo complete the railway infrastructure of the region.

Also find out “What is the difference between trains in Italy?”. Would you like to save? So buy your ticket online in advance and save a lot, read the Post “How to buy a train ticket in Italy?“.

2) How to get to Sardinia? BY AIRPLANE

In Sardinia there are six airports as listed below:

Alghero-Fertilia Airport;
Cagliari-Elmas Airport;
Decimomannu Airport;
Olbia-Costa Smeralda Airport;
Oristano-Fenosu Airport;
Tortolì Airport.

For those who choose air transport, there are three main airports with regular flight services: Cagliari, on the south coast, is the island’s main airport and offers connections to the main Italian and European airports, with regular flight services. The airport is 7.5 km from the center of Cagliari and is accessible via:

FS TRAIN, from Elmas to Cagliari Central Station, in 9 minutes, it costs € 1.25.
RADIOTÁXI, in 10 minutes to the city center.
ARST BUS, from the Airport to Cagliari Central Station, Piazza Matteotti, every 30 minutes.
ON FOOT, through the bike path (both through the center and through Macchiareddu and Capoterra).

The other airport is Olbia, on the northeast coast, and Alghero, on the northwest coast.

Traveling by car in Italy

How about if I give you a rental car option? Are you ready for it? If you are renting a car be sure to read our posts in the section Driving in Italy on the blog Your Travel to Italy. In addition to car itinerary tips, we have everything about signage, tolls, roads and many more tips.

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3) How to get to Sardinia? FERRY CONNECTIONS

Ferry connections are frequent in the summer; companies have recently been offering fast boats, which allow for a trip of just 6 hours. Sardinia is accessible from all ports on the Italian continent. The destinations in Sardinia are Cagliari, Porto Torres, Olbia, Golfo d’Aranci (Olbia) and Arbatax. It is advisable to book in the summer! The high season booking normally opens in late March, early April.

Shipping companies heading towards Sardinia:

Tirrenia (www.tirrenia.it) Genua – Porto Torres; Olbia, Arbatax;
Civitavecchia – Olbia, Arbatax, Cagliari; Fiumicino – Golfo Aranci, Arbata;
Moby Lines (www.mobylines.it), Genua – Olbia, Livorno – Olbia;
Civitavecchia – Olbia; Corsica Ferries (www.corsica-ferries.it);
Livorno – Golfo Aranci;
Civitavecchia – Golfo Aranci; Grimaldi (Grande Navi Veloci, www.gnv.it); Genua – Porto Torres; Genua – Olbia.

Conclusion

Five places you must know in Sardinia! There are places where it is possible to find ourselves again and rediscover the sense of time, a more natural dimension – places where the word “harmony” has a tangible and concrete meaning, where time takes on another dimension to be discovered, where we can sharpen our senses, until then dormant by the gray city life.

Traveling along primitive beaches, where you can still exchange glances with locals, exchange a few words and perhaps even sit at the table as a guest to taste those delicacies that you only see in the places of origin. You can find all of this and more on this wonderful island!

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