Castello and Cagliari Old Town Walking Tour
The walled hilltop district of Cagliari is the city's medieval heart, with Pisan towers, a cathedral, steep stone lanes and wide views over the gulf. A guided walk makes sense of its layers.
Italy
Sardinia
Sardinia is Italy's second-largest island and one of its least predictable.
Bronze Age towers called nuraghi stand in fields older than Rome, a Pisan citadel crowns Cagliari with views over lagoons full of flamingos, and Alghero still speaks a Catalan dialect behind its sea-battered walls. Out on the east coast, limestone canyons and turquoise coves are reached on foot or by boat, while the southwest keeps a Phoenician and Roman city on a windy headland. Twickly covers the parts of the island that work all year: the capital Cagliari and its Castello district, the UNESCO nuraghe at Barumini, the ruins of Nora, Alghero and Neptune's Grotto, the Gorropu canyon and Cala Goloritzé, plus Tuvixeddu's Punic tombs, the Devil's Saddle headland, Bosa, the Giara's wild horses, Tiscali and the Orgosolo murals. Summer-only boat trips and Costa Smeralda resorts are noted plainly, so you can plan around the seasons.
Don't miss
Castello and Cagliari Old Town Walking Tour
The walled hilltop district of Cagliari is the city's medieval heart, with Pisan towers, a cathedral, steep stone lanes and wide views over the gulf. A guided walk makes sense of its layers.
Su Nuraxi di Barumini
Sardinia's UNESCO-listed Bronze Age fortress, a stone tower complex and village built over three thousand years ago. The best place to understand the nuraghic civilisation, and open all year.
Alghero Old Town Walking Tour
A sea-walled Catalan-flavoured town on Sardinia's northwest coast, with golden ramparts, baroque churches and cobbled lanes that stay lively in every season.
Bastione di Saint Remy
A monumental stairway, triumphal arch and wide terrace that turn the old walls of Cagliari into the city's favourite viewing platform, free to stand on and best at sunset.
Things to do in Sardinia
Hand-picked: every experience here has strong traveler reviews and a verified booking link.
FreeBastione di Saint Remy
A monumental stairway, triumphal arch and wide terrace that turn the old walls of Cagliari into the city's favourite viewing platform, free to stand on and best at sunset.
30-60 minutesDetails →
Poetto Beach
Cagliari's long city beach faces the Gulf of Angels, with pale sand, wooden beach bars and the Sella del Diavolo headland at one end. A summer crowd magnet and a sunny winter promenade.
1-4 hoursDetails →
Su Nuraxi di Barumini
Sardinia's UNESCO-listed Bronze Age fortress, a stone tower complex and village built over three thousand years ago. The best place to understand the nuraghic civilisation, and open all year.
Alghero Old Town Walking Tour
A sea-walled Catalan-flavoured town on Sardinia's northwest coast, with golden ramparts, baroque churches and cobbled lanes that stay lively in every season.
Neptune's Grotto at Capo Caccia
A vast sea cave beneath the Capo Caccia cliffs near Alghero, with lakes, stalactites and a 30-minute guided walk. Open daily in winter apart from Thursdays and rough-sea days.
Nora Archaeological Site
A Phoenician and Roman port city on a windswept headland near Pula, with a small theatre, mosaics, baths and sea views, and a short trip from Cagliari.
Gola Su Gorropu Canyon Hike
One of Europe's deepest canyons, a narrow limestone gorge in the Supramonte mountains, reached by a guided hike from the Dorgali and Urzulei area. A real walk, best in dry weather.
Cala Goloritzé
A tiny pebble cove below a limestone pinnacle on the Baunei coast, reached on foot from the Golgo plateau. The beach swimming is summer-only, but the trail and views work in cooler months.
Saline Conti Vecchi Flamingo Saltworks
A historic salt-producing complex near Cagliari where a train tour crosses the pans and flamingos gather in their hundreds. A rare nature visit that suits cooler months.
Tuvixeddu Necropolis
One of the largest Punic burial grounds in the Mediterranean, with hundreds of tombs cut into a limestone hill above Cagliari. A guided visit brings the shafts, chambers and Roman tombs to life.
Orgosolo Murals and Shepherd Lunch
A mountain village in the Barbagia known for hundreds of political and community murals painted on its walls. Visit with a 4x4 guide and a traditional lunch at a shepherd's table.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Villa Las Tronas Hotel & Spa
Seafront promontory, Alghero
A former royal summer residence on a private seafront promontory beside Alghero, now a five-star hotel with a seawater spa, a garden and sea views. Alghero's romantic splurge and a winter-friendly choice.
Check rates →Miramare Cagliari Hotel Museo
Marina District, Cagliari
A four-class hotel on Via Roma facing the port, with art in the lobby, a library and a short walk to the Saint Remy Bastion, the station and the old town. A strong, central Cagliari base.
Check rates →Hotel Nautilus
Poetto Seafront, Cagliari
A highly rated three-class hotel on the Poetto seafront, steps from the beach, with a free breakfast, free bikes and a garden. A relaxed base for sea air and a short bus ride from Cagliari's old town.
Check rates →San Francesco Heritage Hotel
Old Town, Alghero
A small heritage hotel in the historic centre of Alghero, with a free breakfast on a garden terrace and the old town's lanes, churches and walls on the doorstep.
Check rates →Hotel Italia
Marina District, Cagliari
A good-value three-class hotel in Cagliari's Marina district, a five-minute walk from the port and the station, with a free breakfast buffet and a very well-reviewed location.
Check rates →T Hotel Cagliari
Via dei Giudicati, Cagliari
A modern four-star design hotel beside the Lirico theatre, with a free continental breakfast, an art gallery, a spa and exceptional guest scores. A polished, comfortable base a little outside the old centre.
Check rates →Hotel Catalunya
Harbour, Alghero
A large four-star hotel facing Alghero's harbour, with a rooftop terrace, a restaurant with sea views and the old town a few steps away. A convenient, well-reviewed base for a first visit.
Check rates →Hotel Ristorante Calamosca
Calamosca Bay, Cagliari
A simple three-star seaside hotel on the Calamosca bay at the foot of the Devil's Saddle, with a beach terrace, a restaurant and quick access to the headland trail. A quiet, nature-side base.
Check rates →Sardinia guides
First-Timer's Guide to Sardinia: What to Book, How to Get Around and When to Go
A practical plan for a first trip to Sardinia: what to book ahead, how to get around, how many days you need, which sights work all year and which are summer-only.
Where to Stay in Sardinia: Cagliari, Alghero or the Coast
A guide to choosing your Sardinian base: the Marina district and Poetto in Cagliari, Alghero's old town and seafront, and which of our eight hotels suits which trip.
Sardinia in Three Days: A Cagliari-Based Itinerary for Every Season
A three-day plan for Sardinia built around Cagliari: the old town, ancient tombs, a headland hike and a day trip to the island's Bronze Age heartland, with tips that work in any season.
Eating and Drinking in Sardinia: What to Order, Where to Try It and When
A guide to Sardinian food and wine: culurgiones and fregola, roast suckling pig, pecorino and carasau bread, bottarga and Cannonau, with advice on markets, shepherd lunches and seasonal eating.
Best Time to Visit Sardinia: Season by Season
When to go to Sardinia: what each season offers, what closes in winter, the best months for hiking, beaches, wild horses and cities, and how to plan around the weather and the crowds.
Best Day Trips in Sardinia from Cagliari and Alghero
The best day trips in Sardinia: Nora, Barumini and the Giara, the Sinis peninsula, Bosa, Palmavera and Capo Caccia, and the mountain villages of Orgosolo and Tiscali, with how to get there and when to go.
