Hi. I'm planning a trip to Sardinia in September, and before I completely lock down my plans, I wanted to post my itinerary here and get feedback from those who have been there before. Our flights in and out are already locked down, and I have a list of things I want to see, but how I arrange my time has not been finalized yet (but I want to do that soon as our departure is looming).
We will have 18 days and 17 nights. We will start our trip in Amsterdam for a couple days to get over the US west coast-to-Europe jetlag, then we arrive in Olbia, Sardinia on a Sunday morning around 9 am. My plan is to hit the ground running, pick up our rental car at the airport and head out. Overall goal is to see as much of this large island (2nd biggest Island in the Mediterranean, after Sicily) at a fairly aggressive (but not totally insane) pace. We have been to Italy before, this will be out first trip to Sardinia. We are OK with a lot of driving, but my goal is not to spend all day in the car every day. The challenge as I see it is that Sardinia has too many great places to go and things to see, and one could easily spend a month there and not see it all. We have about 17-18 usable days so I am trying to stretch things enough to see as much as I can without ruining our experience.
What we like: Beautiful landscapes, beaches & rocky coastlines, castles, ruins, other piles of old rocks. Culture and history. Old world towns with narrow, winding streets and some remaining charm. Good food and wine. Swimming in clear, warm water. Spending time outdoors with a little hiking and walking.
Don't like: crass, crowded tourist traps, over-developed industrial commercialized tourist places, pretentiousness - I know there's more than a little of all that on Sardinia (alas, popularity...) but we're hoping to keep away from the worst of the boom-boom circuit and enjoy things while keeping at least a little physical & mental distance from the excesses of the most popular resort spots. I know this will involve some compromises.
Here's my tentative plan:
Day 1: Arrive Olbia 9 am, pick up rental car. Head out to the north, destination Palau and the ferry to La Maddalena, driving via Porto Cervo and the Costa Smeralda. I know the Costa Smeralda is beautiful, but also touristy, highly developed and highly expensive. I'm thinking that a few hours driving through will be enough since we will get plenty of beautiful coastline elsewhere. Take the ferry from Palau to La Maddalena in the afternoon, spend 2 nights on Isola Maddalena.
Day 2: Isola Maddalena.
Day 3: Ferry back to Palau, then drive eastward along the coast, stopping frequently as the scenery and our whims dictate (Satna Teresa, Isola Rossa), spend the night in Castelsardo.
Day 4: Continue west along the north coast, to Porto Torres, and on to Stntino (the peninsula at Sardinia's northwest tip), Sleep in Stintino or Porto Torres.
Day 5: Head south to Alghero. Spend 2 nights in Alghero.
Day 6: Alghero.
Day 7: Continue south along the coast to Bosa. Sleep Bosa or Bosa Marina.
Day 8: Continue south along the coast to Oristano. Sleep Oristano area.
Day 9: Continue south towards Portoscuso, on the SW coast. Ferry to Carloforte on Osola de San Pietro. Sleep Carloforte (2 nights).
Day 10: Carloforte.
Day 11: Ferry from Carloforte to Calasetta on Sant'Antioco. Continue east towards Cagliari, via Chia, Pula (around the southern tip of the island), sleep Cagliari (2 nights).
Day 12: Cagliari
Day 13: Continue eastward, round the SE corner of the island, and then north to Costa Rei. Sleep somewhere along Costa Rei (maybe Capo Ferrato).
Day 14: Continue north, sleep in Santa Maria Navaresse or Arbatax.
Day 15: Continue north, sleep in Cala Gonone (2 nights).
Day 16: Cala Gonone.
Day 17: Last full day on Sardinia. Continue north to somewhere just south of Olbia (Porto San Paolo, San Teodoro, Santa Lucia), sleep there.
(continued...)