Sardinia

What time of year are you traveling? Will you have a car? Answers to both are necessary based on influx of visitors during season and the lack of public transportation to different locations.

And where are you flying to?

We are planning to be there in late May, 2026. We will rent a car. Planning to fly there from Rome. Not sure if we should fly into Caligari or not.

Well I can't suggest one area over the other to you (they are all appealing), but I can tell you that late May was a fantastic time to be on the island. We had pretty warm days but not hot-hot, and evenings were marvelous (open windows all night). I would flip thorough a guide book and see which portion of the island stands out the most to you--south (Cagliari), north and east (Olbia), or north and west (Alghero). If you have ample time, then you can fly open jaw and see a bit of more than one area, but with something like a week or so, I would stick to one area.
We are hikers and nature nuts but also wanted to see some mountains and archaeology sites (Note you can do this on multiple parts of the island) and felt that the east was the best choice for us. I would not hesitate to visit the other areas, it just was easy for me to pick for the first trip given the large park in the east.

If you like quiet places then Santa Teresa Gallura might be nice in May. This is our trip report for our May Trip this year:
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2025/07/santa-teresa-gallura-in-may-trip-report.html
Nearest airports are Olbia or Alghero.
This is one option - there are dozens.....

If you fly into Cagliari, look at Nora/Pula, or even Sant'Antioco

Thanks so much for your comments and the link to your trip report. Greatly appreciated.

I’d recommend flying into Cagliari which is worth a visit in itself. Some of my favorite towns were Oristano and Alghero on the west coast, Orosei and Arzechena on the east side. Beautiful beaches on Capo Testa just west of Santa Teresa.