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2wk trip to Sardinia with multiple questions??

Posted by (Pensacola, Florida) on

My husband and I are planning our second trip to Italy. It's a 5wk trip and we want to spend 2wks in Sardinia which we've never been to. Our plan is to Fly Milan (MXP) to Olbia (OLB) May 6th via EasyJet. We have not booked our flights yet because their calendar does not go out that far. To stay on budget we will rent a car in Olbia for a week and return it to Olbia.
While we have the car we are considering visiting Castelsardo, Alghero and Bosa for one or two nights. Is there another town we should not miss? Our focus is to explore the Northern region. After we return the car to Olbia we will rely on the bus to take us to a town (home base) for a week. We will need the bus to take us back to the Olbia airport to catch our evening flight. Therefore, we thought Palau or Santa Teresa would be a good choice for the second week. Which of these two towns would be a better choice for our second week stay? Or is there another choice?

We would like a walkable town, quaint and charming with lots of good places to eat. We are interested in historical sites/museums. We are NOT interested in bars, nightclubs and the party scene. We are also interested in excursions such as visiting Corsica one day and over to La Maddalena another day.

Has anyone taken the bus from Olbia to Palau or Santa Teresa? Is it dependable?

Another thought, would be spending 3 or 4 nights in Santa Teresa or Palau and spending 3 nights in La Maddalena. Has anyone stayed on this island? If so, any recommendations of clean budget friendly lodging?

Posted by
4473 posts

Sherwhy, I have not noticed a lot of Sardinia activity here, but I have on fodors. I hope it is okay to share that! After all, forums naturally have differences.

Posted by
3179 posts

I visited Sardinia (10 days) and Corsica (4 days) a year and a half ago. I rented a car for the whole time and was happy I did to explore the island at my convenience. I don’t know your budget for the whole trip but if you could have a car for your entire stay, I think you would enjoy more than just the north of the island.

I flew into and from Càgliari and it’s a wonderful city to visit. Other places of note include the Nuaraghe di Barumini, the quaint village of Oristano and the nearby Roman ruins of the Sinis peninsula, the Grotta di Nettuno near Alghero.

Definitely visit the Madelena Archipelago. I stayed in Santa Teresa only overnight and I don’t think that I’d spend any long period of time there. It has some very nice restaurants. Piazza Vittoria Emmanuele and the Via XX Septembre are beautiful, especially the outside balconies lining the street. If you have a car here, leave it parked and take the ferry to Bonifacio for a day. The views of the chalk cliffs and the entrance to the marina in the calanque is spectacular. Roam the city and take take a boat tour to see more of the cliffs and the fortress from the sea. I crossed on the early morning ferry as the sun rose over the Strait of Bonifacio. One of the most beautiful I’ve ever witnessed.

I visited Palau as well as Santa Teresa and would not spend any length of time in either. As a base, I would opt for Alghero. Larger but the centro storico is compact and interesting. Great reastaurants and terrific pizza at OK Pizza out of the town center. My hotel was Hotel Domomea (€85 per night) a short walk to the city center and very comfortable.My second choice as a base would be Oristano. I stayed at a rustic, in-town B&B called Sa Domu e Crakeras. Free parking and only €40 per night and Trattoria Portixedda recommended by the owner was great, local and affordable.

In regard to car vs. bus - A compact car for a week from Avis through AutoEurope is $95 a week. For an additional $95 you would have the freedom to roam anywhere on the island on YOUR schedule. Weigh the difference in cost. $95 + fuel - bus fares - inconvenience - restricted visits = $$$. Right now neither AutoEurope nor Kemwel (its sister company) are quoting any $0 deductible rates from Olbia for next May. I wouldn’t rent a car in Italy without it. Especially with very high deductibles. Very few credit cards or even Amex premium car insurance cover cars rented in Italy. If in doubt, call their toll free number. As next year approaches, I think they’ll have more options. If you do rent through them, check every four weeks or so because as supply and demand change, so do their prices. Find a lower price and they will honor and refund the difference.

Posted by
15266 posts

I would rent a car for the whole time. You’ll need it.
I’ve been to both Santa Teresa (where I like to stay) and Palau (where I like to eat) often.
Palau is bigger, but I like Santa Teresa better. You can take boat excursions to the Maddalena Archipelago from either. Santa Teresa has the car ferry to Bonifacio (Corsica), a 45 min crossing. If in Corsica you visit Bonifacio only, a car is not needed at all. If you also want to venture beyond to see the rest of Corsica, then take the car across.
Alghero has some historical sights, like the ramparts. The rest of Sardinia has the Nuraghi, which need a car to be visited because they are out in the country.
Sardinia is primarily a beach and scuba diving paradise. That should be your focus.

Posted by
743 posts

I would say absolutely a car too, but I think you have figured that out.

I took a ferry from Civitavecchia to Olbia and rented a car from there. We did the north, Olbia, the northeastern port cities, then went to Stintino (swam from Stintino to isola piana....crazy thing) and then did Alghero on the way down to Pula to be able to explore the Cagliari and southeastern area......we were there only about 6 nights, but could have DEFINITELY been there for much longer, as we were basically on a breakneck pace.

I would say Alghero is amazing and so different from other parts, and then a visit to Cagliari is a must. But it looks like you are on the right path to a great visit!

Posted by
9 posts

Thank you Katherine for sharing your experiences. I remember reading your story about the Jellyfish encounter. You are a brave soul. We have decided to cut back our visit to one week so we can afford to rent a car the entire time. That zero deductible coverage bites! But I don't want to risk having a problem. Unfortunately two of the days the car will not be used because we'll be doing day-long excursions. We have planned 4 nights in Santa Teresa and 3 nights in Alghero. Now off to find some affordable places to stay. Thanks again.

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