Here follows some information to reach Sardinia by air, by sea, by train and by car. For the latest information on possibilities and prices I refer to the linkpages (a link can be found at the bootom of this page). There may also be some Forums on internet where information is shared by travellers or information can be found on Bed & Breakfast, Agriturismo and campings.

Travelling by Air

By air there are several possibilities of flights from European cities and Italian cities like Milan, Bergamo, Rome, Napels to the airports of Cagliari, Olbia and Alghero. During the summerseason flights are more frequent. Disadvantage of going by air is that you may have to rent a car. Best choices are the reknowned companies like Hertz, Maggiore and Avis. Prices are higher than in other European countries due to insurance costs. Some operators like Meridiana (former Alisarda) and Airone have cheaper tickets and for those that were born in Sardinia special tariffs are applicated. From Weeze in Germany Ryanair flies to Alghero.

Travelling by boat

By boat there are more possibilities. Daily from Nice in France, Genua, Livorno (or Piombino) and Civitavecchia near Rome ferries depart to the islands. The car can be taken along. For the high season it is advisable to obtain the ticket in time because august is the traditional holiday season of the Italians. Prices are not so high per person or per car, but that depends also on the type of service, fast ferries or normal ferries.

The traditional ferries take about 12 hours to go from Genua to Porto Torres, the most northerly large port on Sardinia, or 8 hours from Livorno to Olbia on the eastcoast. The fast ferries go twice as fast but are also more expensive. Best choices here in my opinion are Sardinia-Corsica ferries and Moby Lines with Tirrenia on a third place. The Tirrenia is the largest company with most ships and the cheapest. The state railway company (Ferrovie dello Stato, FS) exploit a ferry from Civitavecchia to Golfo Aranci, with coincidence of the trains but also accessible for cars. The service is well spoken of.

Then there are the ferries between Sardinia and Corsica (very frequent) and between Dagliari and Sicily and Tunisia. It can be worthwhile to combine a visit to Corsica and Sardinia, but then do not keep sticking in the north of Sardinia. Ferries like the airway companies are bound to maximum prices by the government because they serve part of the territory of the Italian state.

Travelling by public transportation

Travelling by train can be done. International trains go to Genua where you can take the ferry to Porto Torres. There the train is always ready to take you south to Cagliari. Vice versa this train will bring you to the harbour and the ferry will wait until it has arrived before departing. From Olbia trains reach Cagliari and Sassari, the two most important cities of Sardinia and from Golfo Aranci the FS maintain the connection to Cagliari, and they make sure you will not loose the connection with the ferry. But always inform yourself of the timetable because trains are not very frequent.

The regional bus company is the ARST. Before taking the bus (called pullman in Italian) it is advisable to look up the timetables. In the high season busses and trains are more frequent and are not expensive in relation to the milage.

By car in Sardinia

When travelling by car keep in mind the opening times and frequency of gasstations especially off the main roads. The most important road is the ss131 Carlo Felice connecting Sassari with Cagliari. It is a Strada Statale, not a highway or motorway, so the maximum speed is 90km p hour and often less. The police checks regularly on speed and roadblocks are common, where military police (carabinieri) are armed with guns and will fire if you do not stop. Do not be surprised about the way Sardinians drive; not always the trafiic rules are obeyed, meant in a positive way as well as a negative way. The golden rule is to expect everything and take nothing for granted. It may happen somebody in front of you stops in the middle of the street and starts a chat with a passerby.

Accomodations

Campings zare not everywhere easy to find, but more common is B&B and Agriturismo as well as small appartments for rent for one or two weeks. The combination Agriturismo and Slow Food is a pleasant way of staying on the island.

For further information see:

Links to Travelling information for Sardinia

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Index Sardinia

Sardinia, an introduction Prehistoric Sardinia The bronze age on Sardinia: The phenomena of the nuraghi The Phoenicians on Sardinia Sardinia under Punic rule From the Kingdom of Sardinia to the present Sardinian culture: Oristano The natural environment on Sardinia The natural environment: southwest Sardinia Travelling information for Sardinia