← All destinations · Europe

Sardinia

Italy · Europe · northern hemisphere

SwimmingLakes & CoastlineHiking

Sardinia is at its best for hiking in April to May and October. Good but not prime in March, June and November. Crowds peak in May and bottom out in December.

JFMAMJJASOND
Swimming
14
14
13
14
42
70
91
91
89
64
16
14
Lakes & Coastline
11
18
42
64
91
93
69
70
92
87
42
16
Hiking
10
19
66
86
94
72
16
16
42
88
62
15
Crowds

Swipe the table sideways for the rest of the year.

primegoodpossibleoff-seasoncrowds, on this place’s own scale

The short version

The least developed coast of its quality in Italy — the Golfo di Orosei has beaches reachable only by boat or on foot, and Cala Goloritzé is a paid booking on foot only

What the walking is like

Steep half-day coastal descents and karst uplands. No guide needed, though Gorropu charges at the gate and opens limited hours.

When not to come

August on the Costa Smeralda unless money is no object — and booking a ferry with a car in August without reserving months ahead.

Busiest

August for Italians and July for foreign visitors — the island is full either way

With children

The famous coves need a boat or a walk in, and the roads are slow and winding. The resort beaches in the north are easy; the spectacular ones are capped and ticketed.

Where to stay

The Costa Smeralda in the north is priced for yachts. Cala Gonone on the east coast puts you at the boat departures for the Orosei beaches for a fraction, and the south around Chia and Villasimius is cheaper again.

What can go wrong

Wildfire risk

Summer fires close inland roads and trails.Jul · Aug

Kept out of the score on purpose. Averaging a rare catastrophe into a monthly number would tell you something false; the warning is the honest form.

Dates that matter

  • Sant’Efisio, Cagliari (1 May) — one of the largest traditional processions in the Mediterranean
  • Ferragosto (15 Aug) — peak week, peak ferry prices
  • Autumn in Barbagia (Sep–Dec) — inland villages open their courtyards in rotation

Walks

  • Cala Goloritzé — a steep hour down to a beach you cannot otherwise reach, and the same hour back up
  • Selvaggio Blu sections — Italy’s hardest trek, barely waymarked and usually guided, in day pieces from Baunei
  • Tiscali — a Nuragic village inside a collapsed cave, a half-day walk from the Lanaitho valley

Limestone, no shade and very little water on the coastal routes. The full Selvaggio Blu involves abseiling and a guide; the day sections do not.

Crowds, month by month

26293563100929985864180

0 is this destination’s own quietest month and 100 its busiest. The scale never compares one destination to another. Source: Wikipedia — Alghero

See everything else at its best in May

Organised trips

Multi-day trips to Sardinia

These are affiliate links: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page is chosen by who pays — not a score, not a month, not a warning.

Elsewhere in Europe

ChamonixZermattThe DolomitesJungfrau RegionZakopane & the TatrasChianti & TuscanyDouro ValleyRioja