Day itineraries
There and back in a day
Capichera, Vigne Surrau and Agriturismo Rena from Olbia
Spiaggia del Principe, snorkelling and dinner at Lu Pisantinu
La Maddalena and Caprera by car from Olbia
La Maddalena by boat in a day from Olbia
Mamoiada and Orgosolo by car from Olbia or Cagliari
Tiscali and Su Gologone by car from Olbia or Cagliari
Grotta di Nettuno by boat and Alghero in a day from Olbia
A day under sail around Asinara
Bosa on foot and by boat on the river, from Cagliari or Olbia
A day at La Pelosa and Capo Falcone
Malvasia and the vulture coast, from Cagliari or Olbia
Escala del Cabirol, Palmavera and Sella & Mosca from Olbia
Overnight itineraries
Overnight from Olbia
Two nights on the Costa Smeralda, 40 minutes from Olbia: Arzachena nuraghi and vermentino, coves, snorkelling and Porto Cervo
Two nights in the La Maddalena archipelago from Olbia: a boat day around the islands, Caprera and a night on each shore
Two nights in Alghero from Olbia or Cagliari: the Grotta di Nettuno by boat, the walls, the nuraghi and Nurra wine
Two nights in the Barbagia from Olbia or Cagliari: the Gennargentu from Fonni, Mamoiada, Orgosolo and Tiscali with a guide
Two nights in Stintino: Asinara by 4x4 with white donkeys and Cala Sabina, La Pelosa by reservation and Capo Falcone
Two nights in Bosa, two hours from Olbia and Cagliari: castle, boat on the Temo, Malvasia and the coast road
Only Barcelona flies direct to Olbia
There is a direct flight to Olbia airport (OLB) from Barcelona; from the rest of Spain you arrive with a connection. It is the practical entrance to the north of the island: Alghero has its own airport, but no direct flight from Spain, so the north-west coast is also reached from here.
Almost everything that leaves Olbia needs a hire car, which is picked up at the airport itself. Outside the fast roads the roads are narrow and winding, and the times on this page are approximate. Without a car, what works is sleeping in Palau and getting around by boat and on foot.
Three-quarters of an hour to the Palau quay
The shortest outing, and the one repeated most, heads north on the SS125, the coast road towards Santa Teresa. In about 45 minutes you reach Palau, facing the La Maddalena archipelago, and from that quay there are two ways to see the islands.
The first is to leave the car in Palau and board an excursion boat that stops at La Maddalena and continues to Spargi, Cala Santa Maria and the natural pools of Budelli, with the Spiaggia Rosa seen from the deck: the islands by boat from Olbia. The second is to take the car across on the ferry, about twenty minutes, to tour the old town, cross the bridge to Caprera, see Garibaldi's house and tomb and end the afternoon on the panoramic road: La Maddalena and Caprera by car. Each plan takes a whole day. To do both without returning to Olbia there is two nights in the archipelago, one in Palau and one on La Maddalena.
Before reaching Palau, about 40 minutes from Olbia, lies the Costa Smeralda, which has two faces. One is the sea: a pink-granite beach first thing, boat snorkelling from Poltu Quatu and Porto Cervo at sundown, in a day by the sea from Olbia. The other is the Arzachena countryside, with the giants' tomb of Coddu 'Ecchju, the La Prisgiona nuraghe and a vermentino tasting: the Capichera nuraghi, about six hours that leave the afternoon free. The two combine in two nights on the Costa Smeralda, one at a country estate and one above Porto Cervo harbour.
Towards Nuoro or Sassari, about two hours away
From an hour and three-quarters the island changes. Along the SS131 DCN towards Nuoro you enter the Barbagia: the mamuthones museum in Mamoiada and the Orgosolo murals are a little under two hours away, in masks, murals and Cannonau, and Oliena, from where you climb with a guide to the Nuragic village of Tiscali, is about the same distance: Tiscali and Su Gologone.
To the west, via Sassari, in about two hours you reach Alghero: the Grotta di Nettuno by boat and the bastions at sunset in Alghero from Olbia, or on foot down the 654 steps of the Escala del Cabirol, about two and a half hours away, in Capo Caccia on foot. About two hours away are also Stintino, with La Pelosa and Capo Falcone and Asinara by sailing boat, and Bosa, with the castle and the boat on the Temo and Malvasia and the coast road.
With four or five hours of driving in the day, at this distance it pays to sleep there. Each area has its getaway: two nights in Alghero, two nights in Stintino, two nights in Bosa and two nights in the Barbagia, from the Gennargentu to Oliena. On the east coast, the Gulf of Orosei, with the boats to Cala Luna and the path to Cala Goloritzé, does not yet have a plan leaving from Olbia.
With the mistral, the Arzachena countryside
The sea plans run from May to October, and those for Stintino and Asinara, from June to September. In July and August Palau fills up early and the car ferries are full at peak hours: it is wise to leave Olbia around eight. If the mistral blows, the boat around the islands changes route or does not sail; that day the Arzachena countryside, which does not depend on the wind, fits better.
From November to April the sea plans are out of season and what works is what is on land. The Capichera nuraghi and the Mamoiada and Orgosolo day are good for any month, and Tiscali from February to November. Spring and autumn are also the best months for the Barbagia, without the summer heat of the interior.