Photo: Konrad Gałczyński via Google
The shape of the trip
- The planLand at Olbia and read the east coast southward, from the soft sand of San Teodoro through the glamour of the Costa Smeralda to a boat day in the Gulf of Orosei, then the calmer beaches of the deep south before you fly out of Cagliari, so the week flows one way with no long backtrack
- Best basesSan Teodoro for the easy northern sands, Olbia or a Costa Smeralda village for the famous coves, and a base near Villasimius or Chia for the quiet, wide open south
- Calm or loudThe Costa Smeralda is the scene, polished, pricey and busy in season, while San Teodoro is relaxed and family friendly and the deep south is the unhurried, wide sand end of the trip
- The honest noteSardinia is at its most crowded and most expensive in August; come in June or September for the same clear water with room to breathe and gentler prices
Published 15 April 2026. Last reviewed 7 May 2026
Sardinia is too big to circle in a week, so the smart beach trip picks a lane and reads it slowly. This route takes the east coast, the side with the headline sand, and runs it from north to south so you never double back. It opens around Olbia and San Teodoro, where the water turns that improbable pale turquoise, swings into the Costa Smeralda for the famous coves and the people watching, then gives a full day to the cliff bound bays of the Gulf of Orosei that you can only reach by boat. From there it eases into the wide, quiet beaches of the deep south and finishes near Cagliari for the flight home.
The scene shifts as you go, which is the pleasure of it. The Costa Smeralda is the loud, glossy heart of the island, all yacht harbours and dressed up beach clubs, and it is worth a day or two for the spectacle. But the trip is built so the volume drops as the week runs on, from the buzz of the north to the slow, sun bleached sands of the south, where you can still find space in high season. Hire a small car, lead with the early hours before the day trippers arrive, and Sardinia delivers some of the best swimming in the Mediterranean. Prices and conditions are typical and best confirmed when you book.
Seven days down the coast
Land and ease in
Fly into Olbia, collect the car and drop straight down to San Teodoro, a relaxed, friendly resort town with the gentlest introduction to Sardinian sand. Spend the first afternoon on La Cinta, a long pale ribbon backed by a lagoon, where the water shelves out shallow and warm. It is unhurried and easy, the right pace for a first day, and it sets the tone before the coast gets dramatic.
The little Tahiti sands
Give a full day to the postcard coves just north. Cala Brandinchi is nicknamed Little Tahiti for its pine fringed white sand and glassy shallows, and its quieter neighbour Lu Impostu offers the same clear water with a touch more room. Both are family friendly and calm, and both reward an early arrival, since they fill fast and some now cap daily numbers in peak season, which is worth confirming locally.
The glamour coast
Head north into the Costa Smeralda, the island's most famous and most polished stretch. Swim the sheltered curve of Pevero and the pine backed sands of Capriccioli, then seek out the hidden Spiaggia del Principe and the long, lively Liscia Ruja. This is the loud, dressed up day of the trip, busy and pricey in season, and all the more fun for it if you take it for what it is.
A boat day under the cliffs
The showpiece. Drive down to Cala Gonone and take a boat into the Gulf of Orosei, a wall of white cliffs hiding coves you cannot reach by road. A single trip can string together Cala Mariolu and Cala Luna, with the slender, celebrated Cala Goloritze at the southern end, also reached on a long marked hike. Boat times and access rules are seasonal and best confirmed locally before you go.
South to the clear shallows
Make the drive south toward Villasimius, where the water turns Caribbean clear again. Porto Giunco pairs soft white sand with a flamingo dotted lagoon behind, and the rocky cove of Punta Molentis nearby has some of the most vivid water on the island. The pace is calmer here than on the Costa Smeralda, the kind of relaxed beach day the second half of the trip is built around.
Wide sand, fewer crowds
Spend the day on the broad beaches of the deep south. Tuerredda is a sheltered, picture perfect bay with a tiny islet to swim out to, while Su Giudeu at Chia is a long dune backed sweep with space even in summer. This is the quiet, wide open end of the coast, where the crowds thin and the light goes golden, and it makes a fitting near finish before the drive to the airport.
The gentle finish
Save the final morning for one more unhurried swim before the short run into Cagliari for the flight home. Keep it loose, a slow coffee and a last hour on the sand, and you end the week soft rather than rushed. For the wider picture and what you might add another time, see the best beaches in Sardinia and the island's when to go guide.
The practical notes
| What | The short answer |
|---|---|
| The route | Olbia and San Teodoro, the Costa Smeralda, the Gulf of Orosei, Villasimius, the deep south, out of Cagliari |
| Headline beaches | Cala Brandinchi, the Costa Smeralda coves, Cala Mariolu, Porto Giunco and Tuerredda |
| Getting around | A small hire car is essential; one boat day for the Gulf of Orosei coves |
| Beach type | Soft white sand and clear shallows, with some coves reachable only by boat |
| When to go | Roughly May to October; June and September are calmer than the August peak |
| Airports | Fly into Olbia and out of Cagliari to avoid backtracking up the island |
Prices are typical guides and should be confirmed at the time of booking. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
Plan your day on the sand
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The Sardinia trip, answered
Is one week enough for Sardinia's beaches?
One week is enough for one run down the east coast. This route reads from Olbia and San Teodoro through the Costa Smeralda and the Gulf of Orosei to the quiet deep south near Cagliari, without trying to circle the whole island, which is far more relaxing than rushing the lot in seven days.
Do you need a car in Sardinia?
Yes, for a beach trip. The best beaches are spread along the coast and buses are slow and seasonal, so a small hire car is both cheaper overall and far more flexible. The one stretch you do not drive is the Gulf of Orosei, where the prettiest coves are reached by boat from Cala Gonone or the Baunei coast.
Which airport is best for a Sardinia beach trip?
Fly into Olbia and out of Cagliari for this route. Olbia sits beside San Teodoro and the Costa Smeralda where the trip begins, and Cagliari is closest to the deep south beaches where it ends, so flying open jaw saves a long backtrack up the island.
When is the best time to go to Sardinia?
Roughly May to October for warm sea, with June and September the sweet spot. You get the same clear water as high summer with smaller crowds and lower prices, while August is the hottest, busiest and most expensive stretch and the Costa Smeralda is at its most crowded.
Are the Gulf of Orosei beaches only reachable by boat?
The most famous coves largely are. Cala Mariolu, Cala Luna and Cala Goloritze sit under cliffs with no easy road, so most visitors arrive on a boat trip from Cala Gonone, and Cala Goloritze can also be reached on a long marked hike. A single boat day covers several of them and is the highlight of the week.