10 days of Sardinia's best beaches

Ten days, four coastlines, one theme

This route exists for one reason: to string together the best swimming Sardinia has, region by region, without pretending the towns and ruins matter more than the water for this particular trip. It’s the longest itinerary on this site by design — ten days gives enough slack to move slowly between four genuinely different coastlines rather than rushing each one for a single afternoon.

It runs anti-clockwise from Cagliari through the south, up the east coast’s boat-only gulf, across Gallura’s granite coves, and finishes in the north-west around Alghero and Stintino — by design, since those hold two of the island’s most quota-restricted beaches, best tackled once you’re already on the ground and can watch the weather.

	Details
Where	Cagliari → Villasimius/Chia → Cala Gonone → San Teodoro/Costa Smeralda → Alghero/Stintino
Duration	10 days, 9 nights
Best for	Beach-first travellers, snorkellers, photographers
Getting around	Hire car throughout, plus three separate boat days
Best months	June and September for water temperature without August’s crowds

What this route costs

Ten days with three separate boat excursions and a mix of resort and quieter bases adds up, so it’s worth budgeting for the whole trip rather than day by day.

	Typical cost
Double room, mid-range	€90-180/night, higher in Gallura
Boat excursion (per person, per day)	€55-100
Dinner for two	€45-90
Total boat/tour spend over 10 days	roughly €350-500 per person

Costs rise noticeably once the route reaches Gallura and the Costa Smeralda around days 7-8, so budgeting more for that stretch and less for the south and east coast keeps the trip’s overall average sensible. Our Sardinia on a budget guide has wider tactics that apply across a trip this length.

Days 1-2: Cagliari’s coast — Poetto and Villasimius

Start with Poetto beach in Cagliari itself, a proper city beach worth a first afternoon after landing — a gentle way to ease into the trip after a flight rather than driving straight on to somewhere more remote — then move on to Villasimius for two nights. The boat and snorkelling tour around Capo Carbonara covers Isola dei Cavoli and the marine reserve, water noticeably clearer here than closer to the capital.

Our best beaches in south Sardinia guide ranks every cove in this stretch if you want options beyond what’s listed here. Poetto works well as a low-key first day given how easy it is to reach directly from the airport, while Villasimius rewards two full nights rather than a rushed overnight, since the marine reserve at Capo Carbonara has enough variety to fill both a boat day and a separate day exploring its beaches by car.

Day 3: Chia and Tuerredda

Drive to Chia for wide dune-backed sand and a Saracen watchtower on the headland, or book the full-day beach tour to Chia and Tuerredda to skip the driving entirely.

Tuerredda, just past Teulada, is quota-controlled — check current booking rules in the beach access quotas guide before this day, since walk-up access isn’t guaranteed in peak season. If Tuerredda’s daily allocation is already full by the time you plan this day, Su Giudeu and Cala Cipolla nearby carry no such restriction and are a reasonable, less crowded alternative within the same stretch of coast.

Days 4-5: The Gulf of Orosei by boat

The transfer north to Cala Gonone takes around two and a half hours, best done as its own travel day. Once there, the full-day boat trip through the Gulf of Orosei reaches Cala Luna, Cala Sisine and, depending on conditions, coves further south — arguably the single best day of swimming on this entire route, since none of these beaches have road access at all.

The Gulf of Orosei boat trips guide compares operators if you’d rather choose your own route length. Book this excursion as early in your trip planning as possible — it’s the single most in-demand boat day covered by this route, and July and August departures can sell out several days ahead.

Day 6: Cala Brandinchi and San Teodoro

Drive roughly two hours north to San Teodoro, home to Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu — shallow, Caribbean-blue water that’s earned Cala Brandinchi the nickname “little Tahiti.” The snorkelling tour around San Teodoro, Molara and Puntaldia extends the day onto the water for anyone not ready to stop swimming for the day. Cala Brandinchi in particular shelves so gradually that you can wade out a genuinely long way before the water reaches chest height, which makes it one of the calmest, most reassuring beaches on this whole route for anyone travelling with less confident swimmers.

Day 7: Costa Smeralda beaches

A short drive north into the Costa Smeralda reaches Spiaggia del Principe, among the most striking coves on this stretch, framed by pink-tinged granite boulders. Our best beaches of the Costa Smeralda guide has the full spread if you want to compare against Liscia Ruja or Capriccioli instead. Prices climb noticeably in this stretch compared with San Teodoro the day before — a sunbed and umbrella at any beach club here runs €30-50 for the day, against free access at most beaches further south on this route, so factor that into the day’s budget if renting one appeals.

Day 8: La Maddalena archipelago

Drive to Palau for the full-day archipelago catamaran tour, taking in several islands’ worth of coves past Caprera and Spargi in a single day — genuinely the widest variety of water colour anywhere on this route. The La Maddalena archipelago boat tour guide has smaller-group alternatives if a big catamaran isn’t your preference. Expect the water colour here to genuinely surprise you even after nine days of good beaches already — the combination of white granite sand and shallow water produces a turquoise that photographs almost look artificially saturated, but isn’t.

Days 9-10: Alghero and Stintino to finish

The transfer across the top of the island to Alghero takes about two and a half hours; once there, the small beaches e-bike tour with aperitivo links several coves inside Porto Conte Natural Park without any parking stress.

Finish the trip at Stintino for La Pelosa, Sardinia’s most photographed and most tightly quota-controlled beach — genuinely worth saving for last, since nothing earlier on this route quite matches its near-white sand and shallow, almost tropical-looking water — book your slot before travelling using the La Pelosa beach guide, and consider the half-day catamaran tour of La Pelosa with aperitivo as a way to see it from the water on top of walking the sand — a fitting final evening for a trip built entirely around finding the best water on the island.

Timing this route around water temperature

The sea genuinely doesn’t warm up fully until June, and by late September it’s still swimmable while crowds and prices drop sharply from August’s peak — see the best time to visit Sardinia for month-by-month detail. Water temperature typically peaks in late August, which means the very start of September often delivers the best combination of warm sea and thinner crowds anywhere on this route. If you can only travel in shoulder season, shoulder-season swimming in Sardinia covers which beaches hold their warmth longest into autumn.

Packing and gear for a beach-focused trip

A mask and snorkel of your own, rather than relying on rental gear at every stop, pays for itself quickly across ten days of varied swimming — water shoes are also worth packing for the rockier coves around Capo Carbonara and parts of the Gulf of Orosei, where bare feet on volcanic or limestone rock get uncomfortable fast.

Reef-safe sunscreen matters more here than a passing environmental nicety; several of the marine protected areas covered on this route, including Capo Carbonara and the waters around La Maddalena, actively discourage conventional sunscreen for its effect on the seagrass meadows that keep the water so clear in the first place. A dry bag is worth having for every boat day, and a light rash vest saves on sunscreen reapplication during the longer snorkelling stops.

How to shorten this route if ten days isn’t realistic

If time only allows a week rather than ten days, cut either the Cagliari-to-Chia stretch (days 1-3) or the Costa Smeralda and La Maddalena stretch (days 7-8), rather than the Gulf of Orosei boat day, which has no real equivalent elsewhere on the route. Our 7 days in southern Sardinia and 7 days in northern Sardinia itineraries each cover one half of this route in more depth if a single region interests you more than the full coast-hopping spread.

Frequently asked questions about a ten-day beach trip in Sardinia

Which single beach on this route is worth prioritising if time runs short?

Cala Luna, reached during the Gulf of Orosei boat day — the combination of cliff backdrop, cave and no road access is hard to match anywhere else on the island.

Do all the boat days on this route need advance booking?

Yes, particularly the Gulf of Orosei and La Maddalena archipelago tours in July and August, when they regularly sell out days ahead.

Is ten days enough to also fit in some non-beach sightseeing?

Not really as designed — this route is deliberately beach-first; for a more balanced trip, see 14 days in Sardinia instead.

What’s the total driving time across this whole itinerary?

Roughly 10-12 hours spread across the ten days, concentrated on the transfer days between regions rather than daily driving.

Can this route work in reverse, starting in the north?

Yes — flying into Olbia and running it clockwise works just as well; choose based on which airport your flights favour.

Are any of these beaches suitable for people who can’t swim well?

Cala Brandinchi and Le Bombarde near Alghero both shelve gently and suit weaker swimmers better than the deeper coves around Capo Carbonara or the Gulf of Orosei.

Should I bring my own snorkelling gear or rely on rentals?

Bringing your own is worth it across a trip this length — rental quality varies between operators, and having gear that fits properly makes a real difference across five or six separate snorkelling stops.

Which part of this route has the most reliably calm water for a non-diver?

San Teodoro and the beaches around Alghero’s Porto Conte Natural Park are generally the calmest; the Gulf of Orosei and La Maddalena archipelago can have more chop depending on wind direction on a given day.