Ultimate Beach Guide to Northern Sardinia
Just off the coast of Italy in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea is the beautiful island of Sardinia. The island is known for its epic coastlines, gorgeous blue water and rolling country sides. Quickly becoming one of Europe’s favorite summer spots for it’s pristine beaches and charming towns, there is still an air about Sardinia that makes it feel like a hidden gem. Because the island is bigger than most others in the Mediterranean, it never feels as overwhelmingly crowded. As the shorelines are filled with beautiful white sand, beaches always have open space and opportunities to find your own little private cove. The culture is reminiscent of other coastal Italian towns such as Positano or Cinque Terre with colorful houses stacked high onto the cliff side and food rich in fresh flavors and olive oil.
AT A GLANCE
Currency: EURO, most places take credit card
Language: Italian, most people speak some English
Typical weather: Mild climate, warm sunny summers and cool rainy winters
Nearby Airport: Alghero (AHO), Olbia (OLB) or Cagliari (CAG)
Best way to get around: Rent a car
We didn’t realize just how large the island was until we got there! To drive end to end takes about 4 hours by car, so we chose to stay mostly on the north end of the island for this trip. We decided on the northern side of Sardinia because of it’s iconic beaches and photo spots as well as our best flight options went to Olbia. We spent one week driving around the north coast exploring all of it’s best view points, perfect sunset locations, and some of it’s most unique beaches.
HERE’S OUR GUIDE TO 7 OF OUR FAVORITE SPOTS ALONG Sardinia’s northern coast:
Spiaggia Rena Bianca
Capo Testa
La Pelosa Beach - Stintino
Marinedda
S’Archittu
La Maddalena
Castelsardo
Where to Stay in Northern Sardinia
In northern Sardinia you have the choice of staying in some of the larger posh cities offering world renown shopping and restaurants or discover some of the quiet and relaxing port towns with gorgeous beaches and small cobblestone streets to wander. Both have their charm and offer different styles of vacationing. You might even consider spending a few nights in both if you’re here for a few days. We decided to stay in two of the smaller port towns up north right along the beach with Hotel Marinedda and Hotel Torreruja. We loved getting to walk right out to the beach for sunset and getting to stroll through the small shops along the waterfront.
Spiaggia Rena Bianca
This beautiful blue beach is located right next to Capo Testa, just north of Santa Teresa Gallura. If you drive right through the town straight to the coast, you will come across this gem. Sometimes called the “Caribbean of Sardinia,” the water is crystal clear and gradually fades to a deep hue of blue out toward the horizon. The sounds of the small waves lapping on the sand is as serene and relaxing as any beach we could have dreamed of. When we walked down to the sand, we settled a little over to the left because there were some interesting rock formations to explore. Because it was so shallow for quite a ways out, we enjoyed just relaxing in the water and cooling off from the hot sun.
The beach is expansive and relatively uncrowded, making it easy to find a spot to spread out. There are umbrellas and chairs you can rent for the day from a few of the beach clubs along the coast or plenty of free space to just set up your own.
PARKING
There is designated parking with a lot close to the beach costing around €5 for the day and only a short walk down some stairs to get out to the beach.
2. Capo Testa
This was an unexpected find for us as we were driving without a particular destination in mind. Depending on how much hiking you like to do, Capo Testa has a few spots to check out. You have the option to walk out to the northern most point in Sardinia along a trail or there are other smaller trails leading out to various viewpoints along the coast. We chose to walk up onto a rocky outcrop immediately to the right after crossing the bridge. There was a small trail that led through the brush and we had some time to ourselves overlooking this electric blue bay.
If you are in the hiking mood, you can also find this secret bay called Cala di l'Ea. It took us about 30 minutes to make it down to the beach where we discovered 2 bays. It was quite secluded and there were a few people who camped out there. We hiked up to the top of the rocks on the left side of the bay for a pretty stunning view! They had a lot of smooth white moon looking rocks here that made for a really pretty contrast against the deep blue water. As you can imagine though, it gets hot in the middle of the day, so be sure to bring lots of water!
parking
If you drive to the end of the road, you will find a parking lot with free parking HERE. Or since it tends to fill up, a lot of visitors will also park along the side of the road.
For Cala di L’Ea, you will need to park HERE to access the trail that leads to the coast.
3. LA PELOSA BEACH – STINTINO
This beach was one that we had seen on post cards and were excited to visit in person. It’s actually one of the beaches that convinced us to stay on the northern side of the island, because you can see the remains of an old tower on a small little sand bar a few hundred feet off the coast. The bay is quite shallow and you can even walk out to the ruins during low tide which is really fun. If you do, remember to carry some sandals with you because it gets quite rocky near the base.
We arrived a little bit later in the afternoon as the crowds were beginning to die down. This is one of the most popular beaches on the island, so keep that in mind if planning to visit on a weekend or during peak season. Try to plan a visit either in the early morning or late afternoon, especially if you are keen to rent a chair or umbrella from one of the beach clubs.
Note: When we visited this beach, there are strict rules about bringing beach mats instead of towels to the beach to sit on. Because of the popularity of this beach, many tourists were sitting on towels and the towels would take sand away from the beach. It was enough of a problem where it was affecting the beach negatively that the local authorities put this new rule in place. Be sure to ask your hotel about the rules for visiting, that way you can come prepared!
Parking:
Plan to park along the street. If you cannot find a spot on your first loop, the road stretches back around and you can keep on circling until you find a spot. You will pay by meter for each hour.
4. MARINEDDA
Up on the north eastern portion of Sardinia you have some unique coasts with gorgeous red and pink rocks along the shoreline. One of our favorite bays was Marinedda as it flaunts these vibrant red rocky outcroppings juxtaposed with sapphire blue water. They have a few beautiful white sand beaches as well as trails you can hike all around the bay to find your own little private cove. The bay is situated facing the west so it gets a perfect sunset view every night. As we were researching the trip, we loved how picturesque these bays were, that we actually chose to stay along the bay of Marinedda so that we could wake up and walk out to see these views everyday.
PARKING:
Simply find a spot for street parking as you circle through this cute town.
5. S'Archittu
Located along the west coast of Sardinia, S’archittu was a couple hours drive from our hotel, but we wanted to experience this unique beach in person! S’archittu is famous for having one of the largest sea arches in Sardinia and for the smooth moonlike white rocks along the coast. To get out to the arch you will walk on a pathway for about 5-10 minutes before reaching the arch.
The arch itself was very impressive, but we enjoyed walking beyond the backside and exploring the next cove over just as much. No one was over here and it was fun to have it all to ourselves. There’s a great spot to do some cliff jumping if you are up for it as well as other alcoves and curved rocks for some stunning photos.
PARKING:
To arrive here you will drive through a small town following the handwritten signs that say “l’arco” which will eventually lead you to HERE. You can park along the side streets too if the lot is full. From here you will walk along the coast until you see this gorgeous bay with the arch.
6. La Maddalena
Accessible only by boat, La Maddalena was a quaint town located on an island just off the northern coast of Sardinia. If you have time, we definitely recommend taking a trip around to the different islands and beaches of this archipelago. There are great chances for snorkeling as the water is super clear and bright turquoise in the sun. The area is even known for having dolphins! We were lucky and had the chance to see multiple groups of them traveling between bays.
Most of the islands are not inhabited, just rocky shorelines with expansive beaches. The exception is the town of La Maddelena which is quite bustling. It was filled with cobblestone streets lined with all different types of flowers as well as cute little shops and cafes with waterfront views. It was the kind of place we wished we could stroll through for hours to take it all in. And because it’s only accessible by boat, it wasn’t filled with many tourists, giving it a very authentic feeling.
We appreciated having the chance to take a boat around to these different islands as it was a quick and easy way to experience the ruggedness of these coastlines and visit the quiet little town of La Maddalena. We always love the different perspective it brings getting to see a coastline from the water looking in.
PARKING:
As the island is only accessible by boat, you won’t have to worry about parking your car when visiting. Depending on the route you take this will likely be a half day or full day activity.
7. Castelsardo
This was a hidden gem that Sydney found as we were heading back to our hotel on our last evening in Sardinia. One of the staff at the hotel mentioned they were from Castelsardo, so we figured we’d give it a look. We had been searching for the idealic Italian coastal town with colorful houses stacked along the cliff to take some photos and enjoy the views.
We came right as the sun was setting and were able to find a perfect spot to watch it settle down right behind this picturesque little town. We sat here and enjoyed some of our last moments in Sardinia as the sky slowly turned from gold to red with the sunset. It was an enchanted find that we will remember for a very long time!
Parking
We parked our car HERE and walked down the stairs to this quiet rocky beach. There are quite a few stairs but worth it for the view at the bottom.
Before you go:
Pay attention to the airport you book- Be conscious of which airport you fly into and the distance from your accommodation. Sardinia is a large island as we mentioned so you’ll want to minimize your transit time.
Rent a car - Plan to rent a car if you want to explore different beaches around the island. Distances may be too far for a scooter.
Leave time to explore - try not to pack your itinerary too full because there are so many little towns and beaches to explore. We were glad we left our schedule flexible to be able to stop off at any ones we chose and just stroll through the streets, relax in a private cove, and find our own hidden gems.
The north coast of Sardinia was such a special trip for us. It felt like the best combination of Mediterranean island and coastal Italian culture. It’s an island we hope to return to very soon, so we can explore more of the beaches and viewpoints. Comment below and let us know if you’ve been to Sardinia and know of any other fun spots or have any questions!