Sardinia Practicalities

Sardinia is a land of friendly people, ancient ruins and excellent diving. The second largest island in the Mediterranean, it is surrounded by marine caves and cliffs shearing into the sea. You can dive here all year round, but holidaying in May, June or September is perhaps the most pleasant.

For more on the dive sites and dive centres in Sardinia please browse through the topics to the left. We also welcome your views - contact us with your Sardinian or other Italian experiences.

Getting to Sardinia • When to Go • Paying for Dives • Car Hire • Eating Out • Other Things to Do •

Getting to Sardinia

Sardinia has three airports: Alghero in the North West, Olbia in the North East and Cagliari in the South. Direct flights are available from many European countries. Try the flight-finder below to see which flights are available. This compares prices from a range of airlines.

Ferries

Ferries leave from Italy (Genoa, Livarno, Civiavecchia, Naples and Palermo) and France (Marseille and Corsica).

When to Go

July and August are high season in Sardinia. Avoid these months if at all possible: accommodation prices are often double. May, June and September are good months to go. The sea is warm in October (21 ^oC) but thunder storms likely.

Paying for Dives

Not all dive centres in Sardinia accept credit cards. Even if yours does, they are not always able to confirm the transaction owing to the problems communicating with the bank. If possible have a back-up way to pay.

Car Hire

Car hire can be expensive. If you are booking a holiday it may be cheaper to book car hire at the same time.

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Eating Out

The food is excellent: Italian with some peculiar Sard specialities. Don't be afraid to follow tiny signs down back roads to restaurants - you'll often be rewarded with an excellent meal in a beautiful location.

Other Things to Do

Rock Climbing: The climbing looks fantastic on the cliffs around the coast. Take your boots if nothing else.

Caving (Spelunking): Sardinia has over 336 caves. We haven't done any caving here but a quick web search finds that these clubs have and their websites give more information: Croydon Caving Club, Red Rose and Spéléo Club de Figeac.

Windsurfing: The North coasts are often windy and excellent for windsurfing.

Fishing: I watched with interest a fly-fisherman cast into the sea in vain. There are not many large fish close to the coast. However, the "fly" the fisherman was using was an exquisite little shrimp-mimic which wouldn't look out of place framed and hung on the wall. It was a surprise to me that shrimps could be flies, or indeed that flies could be shrimps. But apparently a fly is anything that copies a fish's food stuff. The fisherman tied the shrimp-fly himself; I doubt that you will get anything as delicately done from fishing shops but we can put you in touch with a skilled fly-tier if you would like to buy some.

More Information

More information about Sardinia is given in these guide books. See also our page of recommended books to take to Italy.

Sardinia: by Dana Facaaros and Michael Pauls, Paperback, Cadogan Guides, 308 pages, (2004)
Very good on Sardinian history and cuisine. Includes the normal sections on getting there, opening hours, festivals, money, etc. Small amount on where to stay or eat but plenty of information on beaches, ancient sites, churches and general site-seeing. Recommended
Buy with 20% off from Amazon.co.uk
Buy from Amazon.com

The Rough Guide to Sardinia: by Robert Andrews , Paperback, Rough Guide Travel Guides, 431 pages, (2007)
Worth a look.
Buy with 38% off from Amazon.co.uk
Buy from Amazon.com

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