Things to Do in Sardinia

Between the two huge islands of Sardinia and Corsica is a small group of islands that also belong to Italy – the Maddalena Archipelago, which is made up of seven major islands that are located just off the gorgeous Costa Smeralda on Sardinia. Visitors weren't always allowed on the islands, largely because Isola Maddalena (the largest one) is a NATO base. Today, however, travelers can much more easily discover the area. The town of La Maddelana houses the vast majority of the archipelago's local residents.

The islands are included in one of Italy's 24 national parks and are also on UNESCO's tentative list as a World Heritage site. The islands' beaches are among Sardinia's loveliest.

The Italian island of Sardinia (Sardegna) is known for its stunning natural beauty, including a pristine coastline and tiny offshore islets. In 1997 one of these, the island of Asinara, became Asinara National Park—a nature reserve that is home to wild animals, historic ruins, hiking trails, and idyllic beaches.

Asinara Island was closed to the public for over a century before becoming Asinara National Park (Parco Nazionale dell'Asinara). This uninhabited island, whose remote location was perfect for isolating prisoners, housed a prison camp during World War I and Italy’s maximum security prison beginning in the 1970s. Decades of limited human impact resulted in the preservation of the island’s pristine Mediterranean landscape, which today you can enjoy in the park. Asinara is home to several animal species, including the Sardinian albino donkey, mouflon sheep, wild boar, and a variety of birds. In addition, you can see the remains of a medieval monastery and the Castellaccio fortress.

Asinara National Park is visitable only with an authorized guide as part of a day tour. Most tours include a boat ride from Stintino (on the main island) around Asinara and a stop to explore the park by land—either by joining an off-road vehicle or bus tour or a guided hike or bike along the trails—before heading back to Stintino. Many day trips include stops in the tiny coves of Fornelli, Cala Reale, and Cala d'Oliva for swims.

Asinara is part of the province of Sassari, just offshore from the coastal village of Stintino. The nearest large town is Porto Torres, which is connected by highway to Sassari and Alghero. You can take a private boat tour or water taxi to Asinara from Stintino, or the ferry from Porto Torres.

The park is open all year long, but the best seasons to visit are spring and fall. In the winter, choppy seas make the crossing difficult; in the summer, the heat can make visiting the park uncomfortable.

One of Asinara’s biggest attractions is its local breed of albino donkeys that graze the island’s countryside and make for memorable pictures. Remember to avoid approaching the animals, even if they seem friendly.

Travelers who walk through the doors of Italy’s National Museum of Archaeology will be immediately transported back in time. In addition to an impressive collection of Graeco-Roman artifacts, visitors will find Egyptian relics, iconic European sculptures, original carvings, stunning frescos and even ornate mosaics from the city of Pompeii. 

Visitors can easily wander the halls and galleries on their own, but travelers who want to learn more about the museum’s most iconic pieces may prefer to purchase an audio guide that offers up rich details of the museum’s top attractions, like Hercules and the infamous raging bull.

Not far from the town of Santadi in southern Sardinia is a network of caves that stretches more than a mile underground. It’s called the Caves of Is Zuddas, and they are a popular tourist attraction in the region.

While the caves themselves go on for more than a mile, the portion that can be visited by tourists is a little less than one third of a mile long. In that distance, visitors go through multiple large chambers and see the incredible stalactite and stalagmite formations for which the caves are famous. There are also remains of a rodent species that was only found on Sardinia and nearby Corsica, and is now extinct.

Visits into the Caves of Is Zuddas are only possible with a guide. Some guided tours of the Is Zuddas caves also include other geological points of interest in the area, too, such as the Cave of Campanaccio and Cave of Capra.

Italy’s idyllic island of Sardinia is known for its beaches and turquoise waters, which encircle beautiful inland parks and natural areas. One of the most important is Molentargius Natural Park, a wetland of shallow pools once used to harvest salt that now hosts a wealth of bird life.

Located just inland from the Sardinian coast between Cagliari and Quartu Sant'Elena, the 4,000-acre (1,600-hectare) area was recognized by the Ramsar Convention in 1977 as a vital wetland, and has been the Park of Molentargius (formally the Regional Nature Park of Molentargius-Saline, or Parco Naturale Molentargius-Saline) since 1999. Today, the coastal lowland is divided between the freshwater basins of Bellarosa Minore and Perdalonga, and the saltwater basin of Bellarosa Maggiore. Among the birds you may spot here are slender-billed gulls, pink flamingos, and kingfishers. Native amphibians include the green toad, green whip snake, and marsh turtle.

The park is just outside Cagliari, so it’s an easy excursion if visiting the city as part of a walking tour or tuk-tuk tour. To explore the park, you can take advantage of the bike rental service at the park entrance, hop on one of the park’s electric minibuses, take a boat trip through the canals, or simply follow the area’s walking paths.

Molentargius Natural Park is between Cagliari and Quartu Sant'Elena, just inland from the Poetto beach. The park entrance on Via La Palma, and there is no public transportation to the park.

Molentargius is open daily year-round. The best time to spot birds in the park is early spring and late fall, when the seasonal migrations bring a host of species to rest and feed in the wetlands.

Until 1985, Molentargius was the most important basin for extracting sea salt on Sardinia. The area’s name comes from su molenti, meaning “donkey” in the local dialect—a nod to the historical means of transporting the precious loads of salt.

There is a distinctive rock formation on a promontory near Cagliari that, because of its shape, is known as the Devil’s Saddle - Sella di Diavolo in Italian. The promontory overlooks the city’s popular Poetto Beach.

The easiest way to see the Devil’s Saddle is simply by visiting the beach, but there are also hiking trails along the promontory for a more close-up look. Hikers can walk along what began as an ancient Roman road and can climb up to one of the points on the Devil’s Saddle.

Among the sights to see near Devil’s Saddle are the remains of a Roman cistern, an 11th-century monastery, and fortifications from World War II. There are even Punic ruins to see that date from the 6th century BC, before the ancient Roman era. A Punic temple was built on the promontory, dedicated to the Goddess Astarte. For many visitors, though, the main draw is the panoramic view from the top of the hill.

The capital of Sardinia, Cagliari, sits on the island’s southern coast in the middle of the large bay created by the Gulf of Cagliari - also known as the Golfo degli Angeli, or Gulf of Angels.

The gulf is often busy with ships and ferries - Cagliari is an important port city - but it’s also a recreation hub. Many of the beaches surrounding the gulf are beautiful sandy beaches next to clear water. Sardinia is a haven for outdoor sports, including horseback riding, hiking, and a multitude of water sports.

One of the most recognizable features of the Gulf of Cagliari is the St. Elia Promontory in the middle of the bay near the city of Cagliari itself. It’s known as the Devil’s Saddle for its distinctive carved-out shape, and it’s a popular hiking location. There are some ancient ruins on the promontory, too, including the remains of a huge Punic water tank and Roman cistern.

Other historic sites ring the gulf, including the ancient Roman and pre-Roman ruins at Nora on the western end of the gulf. The ancient theater at the archaeological site is still in use for performances during the summer.