My teenage daughter and I will be going to Italy this summer. We have been to Italy before numerous times. We would like to visit Sardinia this time as part of a longer trip within Italy. I am just now beginning my research on Sardinia. I would welcome advice from travelers who have been to Sardinia before. I have several specific questions. Where do you catch the car ferry to get to Sardinia? How much does it cost round trip for a car and 2 passengers? How long should we stay there? What towns should we visit and stay in? What sights should we be sure to see? Restaurants we should try? Other suggestions? Thanks.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Roberto will probably chime in with more information, but while you're waiting, here are two other recent threads with information:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/sardinia-a4b6bf34-12f0-4f41-aa46-cc7c08ab1f7f
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/beautiful-island-of-sardinia
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16243 posts
Refer to the previous posts linked above.
If you have to rent a car anyway, it's probably cheaper and certainly faster to fly and rent a car in Sardinia once you land. The shortest crossing is from Civitavecchia to Olbia. It's about 6 hours. Cost varies depending on ferry company and dates of travel, but it's about 50 euro for the car and 40 to 50 euro per person for a round trip ferry fare. If you decide to go by ferry, you should still return the car in the mainland and rent a new one in the island. That way you save the cost of ferrying the car across and also some rental companies do not permit to put the car on ferries (check the contract if you decide to take a rental car across). I always flew and rented car on arrival. Via sea takes too long, you waste a day each way.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
795 posts
We took the Civitavecchia ferry and rented a car at the Olbia airport....
We were there for 5 nights, we did a whirlwind trip around the island and the thing we saw most of was the inside of our car....I would suggest narrowing it down to what types of things you want to see and do a quadrant of the island......not that I am an expert, but I felt the south had more attractions (we went into a cave, explored Cagliari and forts and such) and the north was more scenic, beaches, a mountain or 2 and Alghero's old town.....I wasn't too excited by Olbia.....
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
795 posts
I guess I meant that there wasn't much to see in Olbia, so you wouldn't need to go there :)