# Two nights in Cagliari and Villasimius: Castello, flamingos and Poetto, and a sailing day around Capo Carbonara First night in central Cagliari, a day of Castello, flamingos and Poetto, second night in Villasimius and a sailing day around Isola dei Cavoli, with Porto Giunco on the way back. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sardinia/cagliari-south-coast/itineraries/two-nights-city-and-capo-carbonara · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Dónde: Cagliari and Sardinia's South Coast The south of Sardinia has two faces that are well seen over a weekend. One is Cagliari: a capital with a walled quarter, a nineteenth-century café, flamingos in the salt pans and eight kilometres of urban beach. The other is the sea of Villasimius, the Capo Carbonara marine protected area, with Isola dei Cavoli and pale-sand beaches. With two nights you do both: the first in the centre of Cagliari, the second in Villasimius, to sail on Sunday without an early start. ## How do you get there from Spain? Fly to Cagliari-Elmas (CAG), with direct flights from Barcelona and Seville. From the airport to the centre, a train of about six minutes for €1.30. On Saturday you do the city on foot and by bus. On Saturday afternoon you pick up a hire car: Villasimius is a little over an hour away, and on Sunday night you drive back to the airport in it. ## Where to stay? AccommodationWhereWho it suits Hotel Regina MargheritaCentral Cagliari, between the port and CastelloTo get around the city on foot Hotel MariposasVillasimius, beside Simius beachA garden pool and the harbour nearby The first night, at the Hotel Regina Margherita, a four-star a short walk from the station and from the Saint Remy stairway. The second, at the Hotel Mariposas, a family hotel in Villasimius with a pool, breakfast included and Simius beach a few steps away. ## Where to eat Three different tables. The Antico Caffè is the city's historic café, open from seven in the morning to two at night. Luigi Pomata is the tuna dinner, in the Michelin guide; closed on Sunday. On Sunday you eat on board the sailing boat: malloreddus, pecorino, wine and myrtle are in the price. ## What if you change a day? Nora and Chia. If the sailing boat does not sail because of the wind, swap Sunday for the ruins of Nora and the beach at Su Giudeu, on the other side of the gulf. ## El plan ### Friday · 21:00 · Arrival in Cagliari Train from the airport to the centre and a night at the Regina Margherita. ### Saturday · 09:00 · Castello Up the Saint Remy stairway, the Pisan towers of San Pancrazio and the Elephant and the Santa Croce bastion. Free. ### Saturday · 12:30 · Lunch at the Antico Caffè Culurgiones or fregola at the 1855 café, at the foot of the bastion. ### Saturday · 15:00 · Molentargius flamingos CTM bus PF to the salt pans. Free; bring binoculars. ### Saturday · 17:00 · Poetto A walk to the beach and a swim if it is hot. Back to the centre on line PF. ### Saturday · 20:00 · Dinner at Luigi Pomata Red tuna from Carloforte facing the port. Book 24 hours ahead. ### Saturday · 22:30 · Car to Villasimius A little over an hour to Hotel Mariposas. If you prefer not to drive at night, pick up the car on Sunday at 8:00 and go straight to the port. ### Sunday · 09:30 · Sailing boat Matilda II Meet at pier M of the port before 10:00. Beach, Isola dei Cavoli with a climb to the lighthouse, snorkelling at the Madonna del Naufrago and Sardinian lunch on board. €80. Back at 16:30. ### Sunday · 17:00 · Porto Giunco Pinkish sand, shallow water and the flamingos of the Notteri pond. Climb the tower if you have the energy. ### Sunday · 19:30 · Back to the airport A little over an hour by car to Cagliari-Elmas. ## Consejos ### Book the sailing boat beforehand There are forty places at most. ### Saturday dinner Luigi Pomata is closed on Sunday: Saturday is your night. ### Travel light You change hotel and go by train, bus and car. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How many nights do you need for Cagliari and Villasimius? Two for the city and a day at sea; with three or four you add Nora and Chia. ### Do you need a car? Only to go to Villasimius. The city is done on foot and by bus. ### How much is the sailing boat? €80 per adult and €70 for ages 2 to 12, with lunch included. ### When should you go? From May to September, when the sailing boat runs; best in May, June and September. ## Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Hotel Regina Margherita**: A city hotel between the port and Castello The Hotel Regina Margherita is on Viale Regina Margherita, the avenue that runs down from the Castello quarter to Cagliari's port. It is a large, modern four-star hotel with 100 rooms, designed for business travellers and tourists alike. Its great advantage is the location: you can walk out to the Saint Remy steps, the Marina quarter, the shopping streets of the centre and the quay, and the railway station, where the airport train arrives, is a short stroll away. The rooms There are several categories: the simpler Smart rooms, single, double or twin; the Superior rooms; the Family Rooms for families; and two types of suite, the Suite and the Suite Presidenziale. Two rooms are Easy Access, adapted for guests with disabilities. Wifi is free and unlimited throughout the hotel. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times or prices: you see them when you book. Bistro, spa and gym On the ground floor is the Bistrot Regina Margherita, which is open at lunchtime from 12:00 to 14:00 and in the evening from 19:30 to 22:00, and sends food up to your room if you ask. There is also a lounge bar. For unwinding after a hot day, the hotel has the Therms SPA and a gym open 24 hours. They also offer an ironing room and a laundry service. If you are driving Parking in the centre of Cagliari is not easy. The hotel has a small garage that can hold your car subject to availability: ask for a space when you book. There is also a charging point for electric cars. If you are going to use the car only to go out to Nora, Chia or Villasimius, the hotel puts you a few minutes from the road to the coast. Who it is for For sleeping two or three nights in Cagliari and getting around the city on foot, and for a first or last night near the station and the port. With children, the Family Rooms are the option. - **Hotel Su Giudeu**: A small hotel beside the Chia dunes The Hotel Su Giudeu is at Località Capo Spartivento, in Chia, the dune coast of Domus de Maria, about 50 km from Cagliari and 60 from the airport. It is about 500 metres from the sea: a small road takes you on foot to Su Giudeu beach, the one with the islet you can walk to at low tide. It is a quiet, unpretentious hotel with 18 rooms, for anyone who wants to sleep next to the best beaches in the south without going into a big resort. The rooms There are 13 doubles, one single, two triples and two rooms adapted for guests with disabilities. They fall into two types: the Superior Mare, with a sea view from a balcony or a window, and the Standard Collina, which face the hill, also with a balcony or window. All have television, air conditioning, hairdryer, minibar, safe and a bathroom with a shower. Extra beds are not provided. Garden, bar and breakfast The hotel has a garden with shaded areas, a bar with a terrace, a small library for guests and a breakfast room. It has no restaurant or pool: the sea is five minutes' walk away. Wifi works only in the common areas. Inside the grounds there is free parking, something you will appreciate in summer, when the car parks at the Chia beaches fill up. Rules The hotel accepts children only from the age of 10 and does not accept animals. The website does not publish prices, check-in and check-out times or opening dates: email or call them before booking, especially outside the summer. What is nearby Su Giudeu beach and the Spartivento lagoon, with flamingos, a few steps away; Tuerredda, another well-known beach in the area, about two minutes by car; and the ruins of Nora, in Pula, half an hour away. For dinner you will need to take the car. - **Hotel Mariposas**: A family hotel a step from Simius The Hotel Mariposas is on Via Mar Nero, in Villasimius, between the centre of the town and Simius beach, the main beach, which you reach on foot in a few minutes. It opened in 2007 and is run by its owners, with the feel of a family home. What sets it apart is the tropical garden with a pool, which means you do not miss being on the front line. The rooms There are six types. The Junior Suites, of 27 m² for two to four people, with one large bed and one French bed: the Superior, on the first floor with a terrace with a sea view; the Garden, on the ground floor with a veranda towards the pool and garden; and the Classic, also on the ground floor with a veranda. For two, the Garden Room (15 m²), modern and with a veranda onto the garden; the Doppia Superior (15 m², up to three people), with a sea terrace or a veranda on the pool; and the Doppia Classic (14 m²), with a veranda or terrace that does not face the pool. The Junior Suites are the choice for families with two children. Pool, breakfast and beach The pool is free for guests, with umbrellas and sunloungers. The buffet breakfast is included, with Italian and international products. Beside the pool they serve food and drink, and there is a bistro bar for a drink or a light meal. Wifi reaches the rooms, the pool and the garden. Parking is free. On Simius beach, the hotel has a service with one umbrella and two sunloungers for the whole day, which is booked and paid for separately. The website does not publish prices, check-in and check-out times or opening dates: ask for a quote or check availability on its booking engine. What is nearby From the hotel, the centre of Villasimius and Simius beach are on foot. By car, a few minutes away, you have Porto Giunco and the marina, from where the Matilda II sailing boat leaves for Isola dei Cavoli. Cagliari is a little over an hour away. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Regina Margherita**: A city hotel between the port and Castello The Hotel Regina Margherita is on Viale Regina Margherita, the avenue that runs down from the Castello quarter to Cagliari's port. It is a large, modern four-star hotel with 100 rooms, designed for business travellers and tourists alike. Its great advantage is the location: you can walk out to the Saint Remy steps, the Marina quarter, the shopping streets of the centre and the quay, and the railway station, where the airport train arrives, is a short stroll away. The rooms There are several categories: the simpler Smart rooms, single, double or twin; the Superior rooms; the Family Rooms for families; and two types of suite, the Suite and the Suite Presidenziale. Two rooms are Easy Access, adapted for guests with disabilities. Wifi is free and unlimited throughout the hotel. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times or prices: you see them when you book. Bistro, spa and gym On the ground floor is the Bistrot Regina Margherita, which is open at lunchtime from 12:00 to 14:00 and in the evening from 19:30 to 22:00, and sends food up to your room if you ask. There is also a lounge bar. For unwinding after a hot day, the hotel has the Therms SPA and a gym open 24 hours. They also offer an ironing room and a laundry service. If you are driving Parking in the centre of Cagliari is not easy. The hotel has a small garage that can hold your car subject to availability: ask for a space when you book. There is also a charging point for electric cars. If you are going to use the car only to go out to Nora, Chia or Villasimius, the hotel puts you a few minutes from the road to the coast. Who it is for For sleeping two or three nights in Cagliari and getting around the city on foot, and for a first or last night near the station and the port. With children, the Family Rooms are the option. - **Hotel Su Giudeu**: A small hotel beside the Chia dunes The Hotel Su Giudeu is at Località Capo Spartivento, in Chia, the dune coast of Domus de Maria, about 50 km from Cagliari and 60 from the airport. It is about 500 metres from the sea: a small road takes you on foot to Su Giudeu beach, the one with the islet you can walk to at low tide. It is a quiet, unpretentious hotel with 18 rooms, for anyone who wants to sleep next to the best beaches in the south without going into a big resort. The rooms There are 13 doubles, one single, two triples and two rooms adapted for guests with disabilities. They fall into two types: the Superior Mare, with a sea view from a balcony or a window, and the Standard Collina, which face the hill, also with a balcony or window. All have television, air conditioning, hairdryer, minibar, safe and a bathroom with a shower. Extra beds are not provided. Garden, bar and breakfast The hotel has a garden with shaded areas, a bar with a terrace, a small library for guests and a breakfast room. It has no restaurant or pool: the sea is five minutes' walk away. Wifi works only in the common areas. Inside the grounds there is free parking, something you will appreciate in summer, when the car parks at the Chia beaches fill up. Rules The hotel accepts children only from the age of 10 and does not accept animals. The website does not publish prices, check-in and check-out times or opening dates: email or call them before booking, especially outside the summer. What is nearby Su Giudeu beach and the Spartivento lagoon, with flamingos, a few steps away; Tuerredda, another well-known beach in the area, about two minutes by car; and the ruins of Nora, in Pula, half an hour away. For dinner you will need to take the car. - **Hotel Mariposas**: A family hotel a step from Simius The Hotel Mariposas is on Via Mar Nero, in Villasimius, between the centre of the town and Simius beach, the main beach, which you reach on foot in a few minutes. It opened in 2007 and is run by its owners, with the feel of a family home. What sets it apart is the tropical garden with a pool, which means you do not miss being on the front line. The rooms There are six types. The Junior Suites, of 27 m² for two to four people, with one large bed and one French bed: the Superior, on the first floor with a terrace with a sea view; the Garden, on the ground floor with a veranda towards the pool and garden; and the Classic, also on the ground floor with a veranda. For two, the Garden Room (15 m²), modern and with a veranda onto the garden; the Doppia Superior (15 m², up to three people), with a sea terrace or a veranda on the pool; and the Doppia Classic (14 m²), with a veranda or terrace that does not face the pool. The Junior Suites are the choice for families with two children. Pool, breakfast and beach The pool is free for guests, with umbrellas and sunloungers. The buffet breakfast is included, with Italian and international products. Beside the pool they serve food and drink, and there is a bistro bar for a drink or a light meal. Wifi reaches the rooms, the pool and the garden. Parking is free. On Simius beach, the hotel has a service with one umbrella and two sunloungers for the whole day, which is booked and paid for separately. The website does not publish prices, check-in and check-out times or opening dates: ask for a quote or check availability on its booking engine. What is nearby From the hotel, the centre of Villasimius and Simius beach are on foot. By car, a few minutes away, you have Porto Giunco and the marina, from where the Matilda II sailing boat leaves for Isola dei Cavoli. Cagliari is a little over an hour away.