Itinerary · 2 nights
A night on a country estate beside the Arzachena nuraghi and another above Porto Cervo harbour, with granite coves, boat snorkelling and Gallura vermentino.
Leaves from Olbia · 45 min
Part of Olbia and the Costa Smeralda
The plan
Designed to arrive on a Wednesday or Thursday, so that both dinners fall between Tuesday and Saturday, when Lu Pisantinu is open. A car is needed.
Day 1
Along the SS125 towards Arzachena and the SP14 towards Luogosanto.
The giants' tomb with the four-metre stele and, a kilometre away, the nuraghe with its village. €7 for both, free for under-12s.
Eleven minutes away. The Brunch, €55, works as lunch; I Colori del Territorio, €45, if you prefer just wine. By reservation.
Enter the estate, go down to the pool or book the spa. The Li Muri necropolis is a few metres away.
At the Tenuta restaurant, with its own meat and wine, or at Agriturismo Rena, with its Gallura set menu, always by reservation.
Day 2
Leave early: the car park has 25 spaces. Two arcs of white sand and pink granite. If the mistral blows, switch to Capriccioli.
Orso Diving Club sails to the Monaci lighthouse from 15:00 to 17:30, for €55, with all the equipment.
Check-in from 15:00. Leave the car and go down to Porto Cervo on the hotel shuttle.
The Piazzetta, the harbour and Busiri Vici's church, with its Mater Dolorosa attributed to El Greco.
A terrace by the sea, chijusoni and fish of the day. Tuesday to Saturday.
Day 3
Infinity pool, Cala Granu with the hotel's sunbeds or the morning snorkelling towards Caprera, from 9:15 to 12:30.
About 35 minutes to the airport. If you have time to spare, eat at Bacchus, open every day.
On a day trip from Olbia, the Costa Smeralda is a beach and back. With two nights you can see its two faces: the Arzachena countryside, with giants' tombs, nuraghi, farms and wineries, where you sleep on a 150-hectare estate; and the coast of granite and turquoise water, with a boat for snorkelling and a night above Porto Cervo harbour. Everything is less than an hour from the airport.
Fly to Olbia Costa Smeralda (OLB): from Spain there is only a direct flight from Barcelona. Hire a car at the airport. Capichera, the first stop, is about 40 minutes away on the SS125 and the SP14; Porto Cervo, about 45. The car is essential: the nuraghi, the winery and the beaches are scattered along provincial roads.
| Accommodation | Area | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Tenuta Pilastru | Arzachena countryside, 5 km from the town | Those who want a pool, spa and Gallura cooking on an estate beside the Li Muri necropolis |
| La Tiara di Cervo | Liscia di Vacca, above Porto Cervo | Those looking for a suite with a kitchen, infinity pools and a shuttle to the beach |
| Jazz Hotel | Olbia, near the airport | Those who arrive late or leave early |
In the countryside, Agriturismo Rena, with a Gallura set menu and its own produce, or the restaurant at Tenuta Pilastru. On the coast, Lu Pisantinu for the special dinner. In Olbia, Bacchus is open every day, at midday and in the evening: it is the fallback for arrival or departure day.
Spend it on the beach and in Olbia: a morning at Capriccioli or at Liscia Ruja and, before the flight, the basilica of San Simplicio and the archaeological museum. Or go south to the Gulf of Orosei, a couple of hours away.
Map
Plan the trip
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
How you travel
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Olbia Costa Smeralda (OLB) is the coast's airport. From Spain, only Barcelona has a direct flight to Olbia; from other cities you fly with a connection or to another Sardinian airport and cross the island by car. From the airport, the beaches in the south of the Costa Smeralda are about 40 minutes away and Porto Cervo about 45.
A car is the way to see the Costa Smeralda: the beaches are scattered along provincial roads with small paid car parks, and the nuraghi and wineries are in the countryside. Distances are short, under an hour between any point and the airport, but the roads are winding and in August there is traffic.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: An 1840 Gallurese stazzo on 150 hectares of countryside, 5 km from Arzachena: 49 rooms, a pool among wild olive trees, a spa and a restaurant with its own meat and wine.
Why we like it: Hotel of 25 large suites with kitchens on ten hectares of scrubland above Porto Cervo, with two infinity pools, a gym, a beach with reserved sun loungers and the Lu Pisantinu restaurant.
Why we like it: Four-star hotel in Olbia, 2 km from the centre with an airport bus stop 50 m away. Pool, relaxation area and the Bacchus restaurant.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
What to order: at lunchtime, the paccheri with stracciatella or the Bacchus salad; in the evening, the black fregola with clams and bottarga or the Bortigali beef tagliata.
What to order: let yourself be guided by the fixed menu and do not fill up on the board of cured meats and cheeses: the zuppa gallurese, the oven-roast meat and the ricotta with honey come afterwards.
What to order: the chijusoni with guinea fowl ragù and black truffle or the culurgiones with crustacean sauce, and for a main course the rack of lamb or the fish of the day from the display.
Tips
The tasting at Surrau, the snorkelling and dinner at Lu Pisantinu.
By mid-morning the car parks at the coves are full; at that hour it is better to be on the water on the boat.
Lu Pisantinu is closed on Sunday and Monday.
Each has its small car park and its walk. Two well chosen are worth more than five in passing.
Questions
Yes. Without a car you only reach the centre of Olbia; in summer the beach bus stops at some coves, such as Capriccioli.
The activities, about €120 per person: €7 entry at Capichera, €55 for the brunch and €55 for the snorkelling. Plus accommodation, dinners and car.
June to September for swimming and snorkelling; May and October for the countryside, with colder water.
One in the countryside, near the nuraghi and the winery, and another above Porto Cervo, near the boat and dinner.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sardinia/costa-smeralda/itineraries/two-nights-among-nuraghi-and-coves
