If you’re considering traveling to Sardinia, we highly encourage you to do so.
Sardinia is an Italian island located in the Mediterranean sea, just south of Corsica. It’s known for its picturesque coastlines, great food and drink, and rich history.
Ideally, we would tell you to spend as much time as you can in Sardinia. However, this isn’t an option for everyone.
Bearing that in mind, we’re going to be sharing 6 different options for how many days to visit Sardinia, including what you can do during your time there.
No matter whether you’ll be staying for a whole week or just the weekend, you’ll be able to make your Sardinian vacation a time to remember.
A Weekend In Sardinia
If you only have time to stay in Sardinia for 2 days, don’t worry, because there’s still plenty you can do and experience over a weekend on this gorgeous island!
The only thing to bear in mind when visiting Sardinia for 2 days is that you’ll need to prioritize your time (see more about when to visit Sardinia here).
You don’t want to be spending most of your Sardinian weekend traveling from destination to destination, which means the first and most important decision you’ll need to make is which airport to fly into (for more information about flying to Sardinia, read here).
You can arrive in Sardinia via one of three airports: Alghero, Olbia, or Cagliari.
Since Cagliari is the capital of Sardinia and is located in the south (meaning it has the warmest weather), many tourists choose to vacation here.
If you do decide to spend 2 days in and around Cagliari, we recommend checking out as many of the city sights and attractions as possible during your first day.
You could visit the Cagliari National Archaeological Museum to learn more about Sicilian history and culture, for example.
We also recommend making time for the Palazzo di Citta and Santa Maria Cathedral.
The San Benedetto Market is the perfect place for food and shopping. You can also take a short trip from the city to its nearest beach (Poetto beach).
On your second day, when you’ve recovered from your flight, we also recommend going a little further afield to explore Cagliari’s surroundings, including Sardinia’s only UNESCO World Heritage site (Su Nuraxi Nuraghe) and the Villasimius coast.
Visiting Sardinia For 3 Days
If you have an extra day to spend in Sardinia, meaning you have 3 days to explore the island, we recommend branching out from the capital and seeing a couple of attractions further afield if you can.
Alghero is probably the best place to stay in Sardinia if you’re going to be staying for 3 days because you’ll have time to spend a whole day in 3 key areas of the region: the city itself, Bosa, and some of the more picturesque surroundings of the area (if you want to know where to stay during your trip, check out our guide here).
We’d recommend starting in the city, which involves exploring the old town, where you can see Alghero cathedral and walk around Piazza Civica.
You can easily spend a whole day in Alghero city, but the next day, we recommend taking a drive to Bosa, which is a peaceful and picturesque town to explore at a leisurely pace.
Make sure to bring your camera because there are some gorgeous views, especially at the beaches.
On your final day, having returned to the city, we recommend taking a boat trip to visit the Neptune caves.
In the afternoon, you can choose to either relax on the beach for your last day in Sardinia, or you can be more active with a hike through the natural park in Porto Conte.
Spending 4 Days In Sardinia
If you’re going to be in Sardinia for 4 days, the airport we recommend flying into is Olbia. That’s because Olbia is the perfect area of Sardinia to spend 4 entire days.
On your first day, we recommend familiarizing yourself with the city of Porto Cervo, which is vibrant and the perfect place to do some souvenir shopping thanks to its many boutiques.
You can also find many incredible places to eat here.
On day 2, become an explorer and go sightseeing in Arzachena. There’s plenty to see and do here, so there’s no pressure to check off everything, but we especially recommend the Giants’ tombs.
For your final 2 days in Sardinia, we think you should finish exploring the Olbia area by visiting 2 of the neighboring islands.
It’s probably best to start by seeing Caprera on day 3 because there’s a lot of walking involved, which may not be what you want right before you travel home.
With that being said, the island is definitely worth the exertion once you get to relax on the sandy beaches.
On day 4, close your Sardinian experience by taking a trip to Maddalena. This is the largest island off the coast of Sardinia and it’s easy to drive through it and take in the scenery as you go.
A 5-Day Sardinian Vacation
For those who are lucky enough to have 5 whole days to spend in Sardinia, the possibilities are seemingly endless.
You can combine so many different parts of Sardinia into a 5-day vacation if you plan your time well.
If you’ve never been to Sardinia before, start your 5 days in Cagliari to get the most out of the experience. Spend a day in the Capital, perhaps ending the evening by relaxing on Poetto beach.
Alternatively, you could save your beach experience for day 2. If you choose to do this, we recommend taking a drive to either Capo Carbonara or Simius beach.
Porto Giunco is also a well-loved Sardinian beach. You can access any of these beaches from Villasimius which is not far outside of Cagliari city.
For your final 3 days in Sardinia, you’ll be traveling a little further outside of the city.
We recommend finding the time to see the islands of San Pietro and Sant’Antioco, and also take a drive down La Strada Panoramica della Costa del Sud.
This last suggestion might be best to do on day 3 if you don’t want to do a lot of driving before you travel.
Seeing Sardinia In 6 Days
The North coast of Sardinia is the ideal place to spend 6 days on this beautiful island.
While many people head to the south coast to take advantage of the hot weather, the north coast has some incredible views and the climate is just as enjoyable.
While you’re there, we recommend taking in the sights of Costa Smeralda on your first day.
You can drive along the coast and take in the views for a while before heading to one of the many beaches in this part of Sardinia.
Capriccioli beach is especially beautiful, as is Grande Pevero beach.
From the North coast, you could head Northwest to Bosa village, which is a great place to relax while immersing yourself in Sardinian culture.
From here, it’s easy to get to Alghero and do all of the things outlined in our 3-day itinerary above.
If you’d like to see some more of Sardinia’s historical villages, there’s also Castelsardo, which is on the coast and retains a lot of its original medieval architecture.
Additionally, we recommend checking out the finishing village of Stintino, which has some more wonderful beaches for afternoon relaxation (Spiaggia della Pelosa is a favorite with tourists) and is brimming with Sardinian culture.
Staying In Sardinia For 7 Days
With 7 days to spend in Sardinia, you can explore a lot of different areas of the island and truly start to build up a picture of Sardinian life and culture.
To make sure you can see as much of Sardinia in a week as possible, we recommend skipping Cagliari and heading straight to Alghero instead.
You can spend hours exploring this village on foot or you can simply find a good restaurant to eat lunch and observe your surroundings while you recover from your travels.
From here, since Spiaggia della Pelosa is just a short drive from Alghero village, you can dedicate your second day to exploring and relaxing on one of Sardinia’s best beaches before heading out on a boat to see La Maddalena Archipelago on day 3.
On days 4 onwards, start your Sardinian adventures in earnest.
We recommend going to Oristano and exploring the famous ruins of Tharros as well as making time to see Tiscali mountain (excellent for hikers).
The nuraghe Losa are an important part of Sardinian history, to try to dedicate a day to seeing these.
Depending on your chosen mode of transport, it may be more convenient for you to do these in a particular order.
On your final day, journey back through Bosa on your way to Alghero to complete your week-long Sardinian vacation.
Final Thoughts
If you’d like to visit Sardinia, there are plenty of options in terms of time spent on the island.
Whether you only have a couple of days to see the sights or a whole week to explore, your time in Sardinia will be memorable and insightful as long as you plan ahead and prioritize.
