Last year I spend one month travelling through the west coast of Sardinia with a trailer. Its beauty and wild nature, the amazing beaches, perfect water sports conditions and delicious Italian food made me fall in love with the island. It’s still calling me and I know one day I will go back there for a longer time.
In the meantime, I want to share with you the best things to do in Sardinia. All of them are based on my subjective experiences. If you like to mix off-the-beaten-path places with touristy attractions, stay close to nature and eat a lot of pizza, you will love them, I promise. You will also find some parking tips if you are travelling in a van/camper.
What will you find in this article?
Stone arch with a natural pool
One of my favourite places in Sardinia. It’s a beautiful Arco dei baci – a stone arch with a natural pool right next to an amazing cliff. The way down is a little bit demanding (so be careful). Thank’s to that you will be able to enjoy this place without big crowds of tourists.
The water in the pool is crystal-clear but don’t forget your water shoes – there are many sea urchins there.
Sunset and pizza in Nebida
Nebida is a small town on the South-West side of the island. There is a nice walking path on a cliff. I saw there one of the most beautiful sunsets. You can also see the abandoned mine Miniera di Nebida from there.
If watching the sunset during a walk is not enough, go for a pizza at the 906 Operaio restaurant. This will allow you to enjoy the sunset while having an amazing dinner.
However, if you are into a more local experience, visit Pizza Mare. It’s a very small pizzeria with a wood oven and only one employee – an Italian grandpa. Definitely one of the best off-the-beaten-path experiences in Sardinia.
Visit a local (hidden) beach
When I go back with my memories to Sardinia, the first place that comes to my mind is the Spiaggia di Su Crastu Biancu beach. Millions of small white stones make the water look crystal-clear and amazingly turquoise.
For me, it was the best beach I visited in Sardinia. Most probably because I was there off-season and had the whole beach for myself. Anyways, it’s a little bit remote and wild. So, even if you have to share it with some locals it’s worth it!
Travelling in a van: you can park your car right next to the beach and enjoy the incredible view drinking your morning coffee (only reachable by a dirt road, no service).
Try Kitesurfing in Sardinia
In Sardinia, there are several really good spots for kitesurfing. Everybody will find something for themselves: from flat bays with shallow water to waves on the open sea.
Porto Botte
In Porto Botte you will find relatively flat water, so it’s a good place to learn to kitesurf. It can get deeper, but on the left end of the bay, there is very shallow water. Some parts of the beach are very narrow. As a result, there is not much place for preparing the gear.
If you are going to Porto Botte I can recommend you to visit SkyHigh. It’s a great Polish water sports school right next to the spot. Say hi to Marta and Orzeł for me 😉 If you’re already in the area, don’t forget to check out Pizzeria Pulcinella in Giba. That’s the place where all the locals eat pizza.
Moreover, in this area, you will also find a lot of great running trails between salinas full of flamingos. On windless days you can take advantage of the perfectly flat water which is a mirroring the small fisher boats and take some fantastic photos.
Travelling with a campervan: We spent 2 weeks at this spot right on the beach. There is a small tap/fountain with fresh (non-potable) water. The beach bar (with showers and toilets) is also open in high season – however, it was closed in November 2020.
Chia
This is a spot for those who like to kite with some waves. There is plenty of space to prepare your equipment on the sand.
Chia is also generally a beautiful beach with nice sand, surrounded by dunes.
Travelling with a campervan: at the beach itself and in the surrounding area, there are many spots where you can wild camp waiting for the wind or enjoying the views.
Other
There are other popular kitesurfing spots in Sardinia. One of them is located near Porto Botte and it’s called Punta Trettu. This is a lagoon with flat and mostly shallow water. The second spot is a bay in the northeast of the island called Porto Pollo. A great spot with a beach, some bars and a surfer atmosphere.
Travelling with a campervan: in both places, there is a parking area before the entrance to the spot, where you can park your car and spend the night.
Alghero and the delicious Fainè
I wouldn’t be myself if I wouldn’t add a city to the list 😉
Go for a walk through the narrow streets of Alghero’s Old Town and enjoy the local atmosphere. You will quickly realize that this city is famous for red corals, which can be found in this area.
Pay also a visit to the harbour and don’t forget to try fainè. You will love it. It’s a local not very famous speciality – a kind of flan made out of chickpea flour. You will find a delicious one in Pizza Canu.
Travelling in a van: We parked the trailer in the car park next to the harbour and spend there one night without any problems. It’s located 5 min away from the old town.
Abandoned mines
One of the best things to do in Sardinia is to visit an abandoned mine. There are plenty of them but I would recommend you to go to Miniera dell’Argentiera. It’s not only a mine but a while abandoned city which you can freely explore. You can walk through the empty street and you can even enter some of the buildings.
Moreover, it’s possible to use an augmented reality app while sightseeing. On some of the buildings, there are paintings that will move or turn into videos on your phone’s screen if you point your camera at them.
The famous La Pelosa beach
You will find this beach on every possible list of the best things to do in Sardinia. And there is a very good reason for that. La Pelosa looks like a Caribbean paradise. It’s a lagoon with white sand, shallow and intensively turquoise water. Simply amazing.
I was able to go into the water in November but, although I enjoyed the beach alone, I couldn’t really enjoy the temperature. I guess you can’t have it all.
Whether you go into the water or not, after visiting the La Pelosa beach go to the nearby town of Stintino. You can eat there some fresh seafood or drink a good Italian coffee.
On the way to La Pelosa beach or to your next destination you can also stop for a small snack at Take & Eat Away and after that buy some local sweets in Biscottificio Demelas or go to Sapores Antigos for the local dessert Seada – deep-fried semolina dumpling filled with soured Pecorino cheese and lemon peel.
Travelling with a van: at the end of the street leading to La Pelosa there is a car park. We spend there a few nights. Normally you have to pay for it, but in the off-season, we didn’t.
Other (best) things to do in Sardinia
Sardinia is a relatively big island so there are plenty of other great places to visit and things to do. Even after spending one month in Sardinia, my map is still full of undiscovered places. I will have to visit them next time. However, for now, I definitely can recommend to you all of the “best things to do in Sardinia” mentioned above. Especially, if you plan to travel through the West coast of Sardinia.
Note: I visited all of these places in October/November 2020. It means I was there out of season and during a strong outbreak of COVID19. In other words, probably under different circumstances, these places are much more crowded.
Google Maps: best things to do in Sardinia
Below you will find a map with the best places in Sardinia that you can visit during your stay on the West coast. All of them are mentioned in the blog post above. By clicking on the star ⭐️ you can save it in your Google Maps Account under Your Places and use it later while travelling. Enjoy!
