A walk through Castello, Cagliari's walled quarter, from the Saint Remy bastion
2 h 30All agesDog-friendlyAll year
Walk · 2–3 h · Free · All year
Stay3–5 nights
Best timeMay, June, September, October
AirportCagliari-Elmas (CAG)
Direct flightFrom Barcelona and Seville
RegionSardinia
What to do
What to do in Cagliari and Sardinia's South Coast
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Flamingos in Molentargius Park, the old salt pans between Cagliari and Poetto
2 hAll agesAll year
Walk or bike ride · 2 h · Free · All year
Nora archaeological site, the Phoenician and Roman city by the sea in Pula
2 hAll agesAll year
Archaeological site · 1.5–2 h · €10 · All year
From €10
See the activity
Chia and Su Giudeu beaches: dunes, an islet you can walk to and flamingos in the lagoon
Poetto Beach, eight kilometres of sand beneath the Sella del Diavolo
A day on the Matilda II sailing boat around Capo Carbonara and Isola dei Cavoli, with lunch on board
Porto Giunco and the Notteri lagoon, a pink-tinged sandy beach and flamingos in Villasimius
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Cagliari and Sardinia's South Coast, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Cagliari and Sardinia's South Coast
May, June, September and October. The sea is already or still warm, the Villasimius sailing boat runs every day from May to September and the Chia beaches have room. July and August are hot and crowded. In winter Cagliari works as a city, with flamingos in the salt pans, but the sea is for strolling by.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
Cagliari and Sardinia's South Coast your way
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Fly to Cagliari and drive the coast
The airport is Cagliari-Elmas (CAG), with direct flights from Barcelona and Seville; from other Spanish cities you have to change. It is right next to the city: the train reaches the centre in about six minutes. For Cagliari you do not need a car; for Nora and Chia, an hour away, and for Villasimius, a little more, hire one at the airport.
- Getting thereCagliari-Elmas (CAG), direct from Barcelona…
- Getting aroundOn foot around Castello, Marina…
- Where to stayHotel Regina Margherita, in the…
- ServicesAirport train to the centre
Getting there
- Cagliari-Elmas (CAG), direct from Barcelona and Seville
- Trenitalia train from Elmas Aeroporto station to the centre, about 6 minutes and €1.30
- Taxi to the centre from €17 by day
Getting around
- On foot around Castello, Marina and the port
- CTM buses PF and PQ to Poetto, €1.30 ticket
- Hire car at the airport for Nora, Chia and Villasimius
Where to stay
- Hotel Regina Margherita, in the centre, a stroll from the station where the airport train arrives
- Hotel Su Giudeu, in Chia, an hour by car, for the beaches
- Hotel Mariposas, in Villasimius, for the sailing boat and Porto Giunco
Services
- Airport train to the centre
- CTM buses to Poetto
Southern Sardinia by car
You do not need a car in Cagliari, where parking is difficult, but it is the way to reach the beaches of the south. From the centre it is about 45 minutes to Nora, an hour to Chia and a little more to Villasimius harbour. The practical approach is to use it only on coast days, or to sleep outside the city.
100–170 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayHotel Regina Margherita, in the…
- Getting aroundSS195 from Cagliari to Pula…
- Where to eatAntico Caffè, on Piazza Costituzione…
- ServicesAirport train, if you leave…
Where to stay
- Hotel Regina Margherita, in the centre of Cagliari, with a small garage subject to availability
- Hotel Su Giudeu, in Chia, with free parking inside the grounds
- Hotel Mariposas, in Villasimius, with free parking
Getting around
- SS195 from Cagliari to Pula and Chia; turn towards the coast ten kilometres after Pula
- Road along the east coast to Villasimius and Porto Giunco
- In July and August, arrive early at Chia and Porto Giunco
Where to eat
- Antico Caffè, on Piazza Costituzione, from 7:00 to 2:00
- Luigi Pomata, Carloforte tuna opposite the port
- Don Carlo, on the beach next to Nora
Services
- Airport train, if you leave the car for the coast days
- CTM buses to Poetto
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights3
Who you're with
Cagliari and Sardinia's South Coast for whoever you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Cagliari and the south with the family
With children, southern Sardinia is a trip of beaches with shallow, sandy bottoms, flamingos you can see from the path and the odd short visit. Nora is free up to age 5, the Villasimius sailing boat has a child price for ages 2 to 12 and Molentargius park costs nothing.
- What works bestThe Molentargius flamingos, on flat…
- Where to stayHotel Regina Margherita, with Family…
- Where to eatAntico Caffè, open from morning…
- Bear in mindThe Hotel Su Giudeu accepts…
What works best
- The Molentargius flamingos, on flat paths for walking or cycling
- Porto Giunco, in Villasimius, with very shallow water and flamingos in the lagoon behind
- Su Giudeu, in Chia, with an islet you can walk to at low tide
- The Matilda II sailing boat, with lunch on board and €70 for ages 2 to 12
- The ruins of Nora, €6 for under-18s and free up to age 5, and the shallow-water beach at the exit
Where to stay
- Hotel Regina Margherita, with Family rooms in the centre of Cagliari
- Hotel Mariposas, with Junior Suites for four and a pool in the garden
Where to eat
- Antico Caffè, open from morning to night, with pastries and Sardinian food
Bear in mind
- The Hotel Su Giudeu accepts children only from the age of 10
- There is no shade at Nora or on the beaches: bring a hat, water and an umbrella
- The Saint Remy steps and the slopes of Castello: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair
- The sailing day runs from 10:00 to 16:30
What to do as a family
A walk through Castello, Cagliari's walled quarter, from the Saint Remy bastion
Flamingos in Molentargius Park, the old salt pans between Cagliari and Poetto
Nora archaeological site, the Phoenician and Roman city by the sea in Pula
Chia and Su Giudeu beaches: dunes, an islet you can walk to and flamingos in the lagoon
Poetto Beach, eight kilometres of sand beneath the Sella del Diavolo
A day on the Matilda II sailing boat around Capo Carbonara and Isola dei Cavoli, with lunch on board
Porto Giunco and the Notteri lagoon, a pink-tinged sandy beach and flamingos in Villasimius
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're flyingif you're driving
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel Regina Margherita
Why we like it: Four-star, hundred-room hotel in the centre of Cagliari, between the port and Castello, with a bistro, spa, 24-hour gym and a small garage.
Hotel Su Giudeu
Why we like it: Small 18-room hotel in Chia, about 500 m from the sea and a few steps from Su Giudeu beach, with a garden, a bar with a terrace and free parking.
Hotel Mariposas
Why we like it: Family-run hotel in Villasimius, opened in 2007, with a pool in a tropical garden, breakfast included and Simius beach a few steps away.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Cagliari and Sardinia's South Coast
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
Antico Caffè
What to order: at midday, the culurgiones ogliastrini with potato, mint and pecorino (€14) or the fregola with lobster sauce (€18); for dessert, the sebada with strawberry-tree honey
Open every day from 7:00 to 2:00. Cover charge €2.50. Book by phone or email.
Ristorante Luigi Pomata
What to order: the Fuori Tonno menu (€90), all bluefin tuna; a la carte, the hand-cut bluefin tuna tartare (€24) and the linguine alla Nicolo with the house tuna reserve (€24)
Closed on Sunday and Monday at lunchtime. Book at least 24 hours ahead. 8% service charge; the cover charge, bread and water are included.
Ristorante Don Carlo
What to order: at midday, the handmade fregola cooked like a risotto with prawn sauce or the culurgione that meets the sea; for a main course, the barely seared bluefin tuna cube, and seadas for dessert
Also open to guests from outside the hotel. Booking advisable. The website does not publish opening hours or season.
Nearby
Near Cagliari and Sardinia's South Coast
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Use the airport train
Six minutes and €1.30 to the centre: you don't need a car for the first days.
- 2Hire the car for the coast
Nora, Chia and Villasimius are an hour away and buses are few.
- 3Go up to Castello early or at sunset
At midday the stone heats up and the bastion has no shade.
- 4Bring binoculars
The Molentargius flamingos are best seen with them.
Cagliari is the capital of Sardinia and the gateway to the south of the island. It's a real city, with a market, traffic and life out of season, built on a hill looking over the gulf. At the top is Castello, the walled district built by the Pisans; below, the port and the districts of Marina and Stampace. To the east, between the city and the sea, the old salt pans of Molentargius are now a park where flamingos nest, and behind it begins the Poetto, eight kilometres of city beach.
The best thing is that within an hour by car the landscape changes. Towards the south-west, along the Pula coast, you reach Nora, the Phoenician and Roman city by the sea, and the dunes of Chia and Su Giudeu. Towards the east, Villasimius and the Capo Carbonara marine area, with the Isola dei Cavoli and Porto Giunco. This page brings together the city and those two coasts.
How do you get there from Spain?
Fly to Cagliari-Elmas (CAG) airport, which has a direct flight from Barcelona and from Seville. From other cities you need to connect. The airport is right next to the city: the train from Elmas Aeroporto station reaches the centre in about 6 minutes and costs €1.30, and by taxi the minimum daytime fare is €17.
If you're staying in Cagliari, you don't need a car: Castello is explored on foot and the CTM bus takes you to the Poetto. For Nora, Chia and Villasimius, hire one. From the centre it's about 45 minutes to Nora, an hour to Chia and a little more to the port of Villasimius.
Where to stay: city or coast?
With three to five nights, the most convenient is to sleep two in the city and one or two on the coast. In Cagliari, the Hotel Regina Margherita is between the port and Castello, with a small garage. In Chia, the Hotel Su Giudeu is small and a few steps from the beach, for adults and children from age 10 only. In Villasimius, the Hotel Mariposas has a pool and Simius beach a few minutes' walk away.
For eating, the Antico Caffè, at the foot of the Saint Remy bastion since the 19th century; the tuna cooking of Luigi Pomata, opposite the port; and Don Carlo, on the beach next to Nora. There are two day plans, Castello, flamingos and Poetto and Nora and the beaches of Chia, and a two-night getaway with a boat at Capo Carbonara.
What to do
In the city. Climb up to Castello by the Saint Remy bastion and pass under the Pisan towers of San Pancrazio and the Elephant. In the afternoon, go and see the Molentargius flamingos, free and a step from the centre, and finish at the Poetto with the Sella del Diavolo in the background.
Towards Pula and Chia. The ruins of Nora are on a peninsula over the sea, with a theatre, baths and Roman mosaics. Further south, the beaches of Chia and Su Giudeu have dunes up to twenty metres high and an islet you can walk to at low tide.
Towards Villasimius. From May to September, the sailing boat Matilda II leaves Villasimius harbour with lunch on board and stops at the Isola dei Cavoli. On land, Porto Giunco combines a pale-sand beach with another flamingo pond.
When to go?
May, June, September and October. That's when the water is good and the beaches have space. July and August are the hottest months with the most people on the beaches. From November to March the city stays open and Molentargius park is a good visit, but the sailing boat doesn't run and many beach businesses close.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is there a direct flight from Spain to Cagliari?
Yes, from Barcelona and from Seville. From other cities you fly with a connection.
How do I get from the airport to the centre?
By train from Elmas Aeroporto station, about 6 minutes and €1.30, or by taxi from €17.
Do I need a car in Cagliari?
In the city, no: Castello is explored on foot and the bus goes to the Poetto. For Nora, Chia and Villasimius, yes.
Where can you see flamingos?
In Molentargius park, between the city and the Poetto, and also in the ponds at Chia and Notteri, next to Porto Giunco.
How many days do I need?
Three or four: one for the city, one for Nora and Chia and another for Villasimius and the sea.
Which beach is closest to Cagliari?
The Poetto, a few minutes from the centre by bus, with eight kilometres of sand.