Mrs NSF and I are thinking of going to Sardinia on holiday this year, around September time. Haven’t been before so has anyone any experience of Sardinia? Any comments, feedback or suggestions would be appreciated. Where to go - where not to go What do / see - what to avoid Anything I need to be aware of etc etc that sort of thing. Cheers
We've only stopped off on the ferry from Barcelona to Cittiavechia, but have Italian friends who go there every summer from Rome and rave about it.
Me and Mrs Smug spent two months there and it was wonderful mate. Tell me what kind of holiday you enjoy and I'll give you a really good run down. The people are 'special' and you'll find they'll have little interest in you or why you're there ... ... it's not the kind of place to go if you want a cosy 'have a nice day sir' kinda holiday. But, if you want to feel like you're totally abroad and a little isolated it's wonderful.
Don’t want a typical tourist holiday with organised events etc. Quite happy relaxing and then investigating the local area. Enjoy finding local bars cafes restaurants etc off the tourist route. I might sound like a miserable git but I prefer to be left alone to find my own entertainment. Enjoy nature so anything to do with wildlife, sea, streams, rivers, mountains forest etc is fine by me.
That's exactly the kind of holiday we love mate, September is good when the main tourists have gone and the kids are back at school. By then the locals will be more relaxed and life will be more normal. My last question is, will you be hiring a car and, if not, where will you fly into? Sardinia is a proud country that's been occupied by various invaders, and taken on various cultures, but has it's own language and identity. You're actually tempting me to go back
Not sure where we will fly into as I know nothing about the island so not sure where to head for - any suggestions ? Yes will probably hire a car !
We went to Chia in the south west of Sardinia in 2016, flew into Cagliari and hired a car. We really liked it, nice and quiet, spectacular scenery especially the coastal cliffs. Great food, swimming, lots of flamingoes and we even had our own gecko called Gordon.
Well, great minds ... I've never been, but as it's the only Italian region I've never been to, I have indeed booked for July and was doing some planning when I noticed your thread! Italian friends wax lyrical about the place. Apparently the east coast is very commercial and part of the Italian jet set - I will not be going there. The west coast is less developed and wilder - I will be going there. It hadn't struck me how few people live there. Even the capital, Cagliari, isn't that much bigger than Darlo.
It's only the Costa Smeralda that's 'jet set' and quite rightly avoided. The rest of the place is fabulous and 'foreign'.
Did you get to Nuoro Smug? It's a bit of a bugger to get to by public transport - which is what I'll be relying on - but I'm keen to get inland and away from just the seaside parts.
I've had a good think about this and there are loads of things to see, the only place we didn't enjoy was Cagliari. The beaches are excellent, the interior is spectacular and the public transport is good, trains and buses. We were towing a boat so went to places with jetties which were all good and interesting. One thing I'd definitely do is take the ferry from Santa Teresa Gallura to Bonifacio*, birthplace of Napoleon. You'll pass the Maddalena Archipelago which is a fabulous group of islands and it's only an hour to Corsica. The arrival, into Bonifacio, is incredible and the town is interesting with lots of good restaurants ... it's French but the locals don't see themselves that way and have their own language. It's definitely worth a day trip, in my opinion, and a bit of an adventure. Just go as foot passengers, it's cheaper and you only have a nice walk into town. * Bonifacio please log in to view this image I'll post a few more suggestions later.
Brilliant - thanks Smug. I appreciate this and any other suggestions you may have when you have time.
If you like history, views and and seafood this is a lovely place to drive to, Tharros. It's an ancient town, about 1000 years BC, that was built and lived in by a succession of people until Saracen raids destroyed it. You'll need to use your imagination but it remains a fascinating place. We found a lovely family run restaurant where they catch fish and serve it the same day so it's never frozen ... cheap as chips but there are no chips . please log in to view this image
You and Fletch are in for a treat mate, there's everything you could wish for except typically touristy stuff. The people aren't particularly interested in you but not unfriendly, just as I like. They're religious, honest and hard working with a strict moral code so don't encourage pissed up night life, etc. In the more isolated hill villages they're pretty insular, Mrs Smug had old men spit on the floor as she passed until we realised she was the only woman with shorts and bare legs. We nipped back to the van and changed The young people don't booze and their local 'festival days' can be astonishing and slightly unnerving, they're for themselves and not fake nonsense for the tourists. You certainly won't feel edgy even if you're out late in town, they just dance in the streets until the small hours. They take it all seriously, especially if they bring the statue of the Madonna out of the church, etc, but you're fine unless you act up ... ... then you'd probably never be seen again, they do walk around with shotguns carrying cartridge belts quite often. The one below is in September but they have them throughout the year.
Just found the restaurant at Tharros ... ... not posh but a lovely family run place. https://www.google.com/maps/place/D...try=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw==
If you like walking, more like hiking tbh, there’s a spectacular place to go to, Tiscali. It’s an incredible Bronze Age village situated inside an extinct volcano in a mountain range. The walk up in spectacular and you’ll see eagles, mouflon, wild boar, etc. At one point you have to climb up and squeeze through a crack in the rock face to make progress, not as bad as it sounds. The place wasn’t discovered until 1910 so it has a real atmosphere about the place. https://www.perfectsardinia.com/trip/nuragic-village-of-tiscali-hiking-sardinia/
