The easiest way to reach the south of Sardinia is via Elmas Airport from Cagliari. Unlike Olbia, however, the city should not be left out: The hilly old town is very varied and offers shopping opportunities, restaurants as well as picturesque residential areas.
Cagliari - What to do in the capital of Sardinia
With 150,000 inhabitants, Cagliari is the largest city in Sardinia and forms a stark contrast to the otherwise rather rural island.
As a result, you will find a wide range of cultural, shopping and restaurant options here.
Because of the seven hills on which the city is built, exploring the various districts can be strenuous, especially in hot weather. But it’s worth it!
During a day trip to the city, you can see the most important sights in the center. If you also want to visit museums and other districts, you should plan two days in Cagliari.
Il Castello – in the historic center of Cagliari
The Il Castello quarter rises like a fortress on one of the seven hills.
In addition to the many beautiful old town streets, the cathedral and the bastion of Saint Remy are an attraction here.
View from the bastion of Saint Remy
The Bastione di Saint Remy and its Piazzetta David Herbert Lawrence offer a beautiful view of the city and the Golfo degli Angeli.
The huge cruise ships in the marina are also clearly visible from here. Spanish is the order of the day on our city excursion: the shopping streets are practically full of Spanish sailors with their colorful cruise ship ribbons.
Picturesque old town district near the Piazza Costituzione
Below the Bastione di Saint Remy, two pedestrian zones with all kinds of stores branch off from the Piazza Costituzione: To the west is the sloping Via Giuseppe Manno and to the east Via Giuseppe Garibaldi.
North of this shopping street, you can stroll through picturesque residential areas with evocative street names such as San Giovanni, San Giacomo or San Domenico.
Around Cagliari on the Golfo degli Angeli
Picturesque little town of Pula
A half-hour drive southwest of Cagliari you will reach Pula.
Pula is probably the prettiest little town in southern Sardinia: the small pedestrian zone is lined with countless stores. Several restaurants and bars offer Mediterranean cuisine in Piazza del Popolo.
If you’re feeling peckish, we recommend “Bentu Lounge Bar & Bistrot”: their spicy fried tuna tastes great!
The snacks at “S’Osteria” opposite are also very popular and the “Gran Gelato Gelateria Artigianale” is constantly packed with families with small children ;-)
And when it’s open, art lovers can visit the Banksy Café.
Flamingos of Chia Laguna Sardinia
A further 20 minutes’ drive southwest of Pula you will reach Chia with its chic Conrad and Hilton hotels.
Behind the beautiful beaches of Spiaggia di Monte Cogoni and Spiaggia di Sa Colonia, there is also a lagoon with a flamingo colony!
The landmark visible from afar is the Torre di Chia.
.
Excursion to the island of Sant’Antioco
From the hotel in Chia, Katja and I take a day trip to the island of Sant’Antioco in south-west Sardinia.
The road leads picturesquely past several fishing villages, beaches, defense towers and more lagoons with flamingos.
There is no shortage of photo opportunities here…
In the northernmost tip of the island, at the port of Calasetta, we discover a restaurant with very high ratings. And the fish at Perla da Donatello is indeed very tasty!
After caffè and limoncello, we head back along the Strada Provinciale 71 into the sunset.
Beaches in the south of Sardinia
Many beaches in the south are good for children because the sea is shallow and you can stand in the sand even far from the shore.
In contrast to many beaches in the north, the sand is very fine-grained.
The long, white sandy beach of Costa Rei is famous.
For a simple lunch, the “Tabu Beach Club” is the place to be. The menu is a little small, but the ambience and service are good.
In the Region of Chia, e.g. at the Spiaggia di Monte Cogoni, the beaches are also very fine-grained, but interrupted by cliffs. Many shorter beaches are lined up here.
The Beach of Tuerredda a little further east is particularly beautiful with its bay and uninhabited island in front of it. The “Poseidon” restaurant is comparatively large and has a lot to offer.
Beach clubs or at least beach kiosks can be found on almost all beaches. The most stylish beach clubs with restaurants are “Araj” and “Arveskida”, both on the Spiaggia Su Giudeu, and the aforementioned “Tuerredda Beach Club”.
If you don’t want to eat right away, it’s best to order a Crema Caffé, a kind of soft ice cream with coffee flavor. Smaller kiosks don’t have a machine for this. Then order a frozen Crema Caffé from Grom or a Zero Caffé and soften it with a normal espresso (to be ordered as “Caffé” in Italy).
You can find travel tips for the beaches in eastern Sardinia in this separate review.
The beaches on Sardinia’s east coast
Hotel tips in and around Cagliari in the south of Sardinia
An hour’s drive east of Cagliari airport, we stay in the cozy Boutique Hotel Villa Escargot (link to Booking.com) directly on the beach of Costa Rei.
(All our hotel links open in a new window. If you book via our link, we receive a small commission. The price remains the same for you)
A few days later, an hour’s drive southwest of Cagliari, we stay at the luxurious Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia by Hilton. With the Chia Laguna Hotel Village and the chic Baia di Chia Resort Sardinia Curio Collection by Hilton, there are several accommodations with different characteristics to choose from at the same location.
All are within walking distance of beautiful sandy beaches and, as the name suggests, all have a view of the Stagno di Chia lagoon, which is home to flamingos!
In the middle of the complex is the Sardissimo grocery store with all kinds of Sardinian delicacies.
Other hotels we have on our list for the south of Sardinia:
- Cala Sinzias Resort
- Falkensteiner Resort Capo Boi (very nice, but more expensive than others)
- Faro Capo Spartivento (hideaway in a secluded lighthouse!)
- Hotel Aquadulci
- Hotel Costa dei Fiori
- Moon’s Tower suite & rooms (on the southwest coast)
- Suimi’s Hotel
- Villa Fanny (Beautiful city hotel in Cagliari)
Pick up and return the rental car
Picking up the rental car in Olbia is quite simple.
But apart from Sixt, the other providers are not immediately obvious: When you come out of the airport building, keep going to the right. You will find Sixt on the left across the road, all other providers further straight ahead along the airport terminal in a single building.
As we arrive late in Olbia, the car rental counter is still manned, but not the personal pick-up of the rental car. So we are given the car keys, but then nobody checks the condition of the rental car.
In the poorly lit parking lot, we illuminate the scratches with one cell phone and photograph them with the second one.
The fact that no one will take the car when we return it to Cagliari early in the morning is a bit spooky. But practical.
And since we don’t produce any additional scratches, we don’t hear anything more from the car rental company later. At least they confirm by email that the rental contract has been duly concluded.
The return of the rental car at Cagliari airport is poorly marked, so allow extra time: At the last traffic circle before entering the airport parking lot, you do not have to drive to the barrier of the parking lot entrance for AVIS, Europcar and a few others, but turn right in direction Zona Militare. At the next traffic circle, turn left into the barely labeled rental car return area.
For Sixt and other providers, take a separate entrance with a separate barrier at the first traffic circle to the left of the main barrier to the parking lot.
This is particularly important if you pick up the rental car in Olbia and return it in Cagliari.
