A traveler's guide to Sardinia
Rent a car. Sardinia's beaches are a coastline, not a single resort strip. The east coves want a boat; the north wants a reservation.
White sand and granite, not just one famous bay. Liscia Ruja and the Maddalena archipelago are the glamorous north. Cala Mariolu and the east coves are the boat-day religion. August is a different, louder island.
North vs east
Costa Smeralda is polished and priced accordingly. The Gulf of Orosei is cliffs and pebble-sand coves you reach by boat from Cala Gonone. Both are 'Sardinia.' They are not interchangeable.
When
June and September have the water without the August density. July is already busy. Some beach clubs take the best sand — pay or walk farther.
If you only remember this
- Ferries from the mainland book out in summer. So do cars.
- Cala Mariolu is a morning boat, not a 2 p.m. idea.
- Bring water shoes for rocky entries.
- Sardinian bread, cheese, and a seaside lunch beat another resort buffet.