Olbia and the Costa Smeralda: pink granite, turquoise water and nuraghi half an hour from the sea.

The Costa Smeralda is the stretch of Gallura coast running from the Gulf of Cugnana to that of Arzachena, north of Olbia. In 1962 a group of investors led by the Aga Khan founded the Consorzio Costa Smeralda and built, in an almost uninhabited area, villages designed for tourism such as Porto Cervo. The result is rare in the Mediterranean: small coves of very fine sand between pink granite blocks, mastic and juniper scrub, and houses with rustic walls that hide in the landscape rather than rising above it.

Behind the coast there is another Gallura that few people visit: that of the Arzachena countryside, with giants' tombs and nuragic villages more than three thousand years old, farms that raise their own pigs and vermentino wineries. This page brings the two together. Olbia is the gateway: airport, port and the city with the most services in the area.

How do you get there from Spain?

By plane to Olbia Costa Smeralda (OLB). From Spain, only Barcelona has a direct flight to Olbia. If you leave from another city, you fly with a connection or choose another airport on Sardinia and cross the island by car. The airport is right next to the city: urban bus lines 2 and 10 drop you in the centre for €1, and the car hire desks are in the terminal.

From Olbia, Porto Cervo is about 45 minutes by car and the beaches at the south of the coast, such as Capriccioli or the Spiaggia del Principe, about 40. The Capichera giants' tombs, inland from Arzachena, are less than 40 minutes away.

Do you need a car?

Yes, if you want to see more than a beach and a village. The beaches are scattered along provincial roads with small paid car parks, with 25 spaces at the Spiaggia del Principe and 80 at Liscia Ruja or the Grande Pevero; the archaeological sites are in the countryside, and the wineries among the vines. In summer a beach bus that the consortium calls Lu Pustali runs, but it doesn't reach all the coves. With a car, set out early: in July and August the car parks at the small coves fill up before eleven.

What to do?

Sea. The Spiaggia del Principe is two arcs of white sand separated by a granite promontory, 300 metres on foot from the car park. Capriccioli is easier: coves sheltered from the mistral, facilities and a summer bus stop. To put your face in the water, the snorkelling by boat from Poltu Quatu run by the Orso Diving Club leaves in the morning or afternoon for Caprera and the Monaci lighthouse.

Porto Cervo. The Piazzetta, the harbour and the church of Stella Maris can be seen on an hour's stroll. The church, by Michele Busiri Vici, holds a Mater Dolorosa attributed to El Greco and a 17th- or 18th-century Neapolitan organ.

Nuraghi and wine. At Capichera, six kilometres from Arzachena, the Coddu 'Ecchju giants' tomb has a granite stele more than four metres high and, a kilometre away, the La Prisgiona nuraghe preserves its village of huts. The joint ticket costs €7. Very close, the winery Vigne Surrau holds Gallura vermentino tastings by reservation, from €45.

Olbia. If you arrive or leave with a few hours to spare, the basilica of San Simplicio and the archaeological museum tell the story of the city: a basilica from the late 11th century and the Roman ships that turned up in the old harbour.

Where to sleep?

It depends on what you want nearby. In Olbia, the Jazz Hotel is a four-star with a pool 2 km from the centre and the airport bus stop 50 metres away: good for the first or last night. In the countryside near Arzachena, Tenuta Pilastru is a 150-hectare estate with an 1840 stazzo, 49 rooms, a spa and a Gallurese restaurant, a few minutes from the Li Muri necropolis. And above Porto Cervo, La Tiara di Cervo is 25 suites with a kitchen and two infinity pools, for those seeking the luxury Costa Smeralda.

Where to eat?

In Olbia, Bacchus, the Jazz Hotel's restaurant, opens every day at lunchtime and in the evening, with Sardinian pasta, fish and meat from Bortigali. In the countryside near Arzachena, the Agriturismo Rena serves a fixed Gallurese menu with cured meats, cheeses and vegetables from its farm: zuppa gallurese, roast suckling pig, seadas. For a special dinner, Lu Pisantinu, in Liscia di Vacca, has a terrace over the sea and the same family in the kitchen since 1985.

When to go?

May, June and September are the best months: the water is about 18–19 °C in May and reaches 24–26 °C in August, according to the Poltu Quatu diving centre. July and August bring the Porto Cervo atmosphere, but also the highest prices and crowded coves. Out of season, from November to March, many restaurants and hotels on the coast close, although the archaeological sites stay open and the countryside is green.

Plans and getaways from Olbia

For a day: Capichera nuraghi and vermentino at Surrau or snorkelling in the morning and dinner at Liscia di Vacca. With more time, the two nights among nuraghi and coves getaway sleeps one night in the countryside and another above Porto Cervo. If you have days to spare, the Gulf of Orosei is a couple of hours to the south.