October 1, 2024, 6:07 am | Read time: 4 minutes
To the north of Sardinia in summer? Everything is great! And super crowded, super hot, and super expensive. Even away from the Costa Smeralda with the villas of the super-rich, the months of July and August are the peak of the high season. If you want to see more of the island, come earlier: now in spring.
It is still quiet in the north of Sardinia in spring. The small supermarkets in the vacation resorts are only gradually reopening after the winter. The beaches are not yet so tempting for lazy idleness. The Mediterranean is too cold as it laps against the coast of Italy’s second-largest island. The wind whistles too strongly. However, the weather is often stable enough for longer excursions. Here are five ideas for varied day trips in the north of Sardinia.
5 day trips in the north of Sardinia
The Bear Cape
A rock resembling a bear! Just a few minutes’ drive east of the vacation resort of Palau, the strong Mistral winds from the northwest have shaped a granite boulder weathered from the bottom up. With its head jutting forward and standing on four legs, it seems to guard the coast. At least, that’s the impression one gets when viewing from afar the 120-meter-high hill where the bear-shaped rock sits enthroned.
Photographing up close is not as easy as in the travel brochures, as visitors would have to leave the permitted paths. But the view of Palau, across to the island of Maddalena and the mountains of the large neighboring island of Corsica towering behind it is phenomenal at Capo d’Orso.
There is a prohibition sign on the way to the old fortress at Capo d’Orso, but it is usually ignored. There are indeed dangerous places in the military complex, which was built in the 19th century: holes in the ground and rotten planks on the drawbridges. But you don’t have to enter the old walls. The most prominent attraction here is the view of the undulating, deep blue sea and Sardinia’s green hills.
The islands of La Maddalena and Caprera
The ferries from Seramar and Delcomar take only about 15 minutes to make the crossing from Palau to Maddalena, a small island situated between Sardinia and Corsica. The old town at the port offers several ice cream parlors and souvenir stores. A 20-kilometer panoramic road encircles the island, flanked by large granite boulders on one side and the shimmering sea in hues of green, blue, and turquoise on the other. Beaches invite you to stop off again and again, for example, at Baia Trinità, with its belt of dunes.
A causeway and a small bridge connect Maddalena with the island of Caprera to the east. National hero Giuseppe Garibaldi, who played an important role in the formation of the Italian nation state in the 19th century, lived here for a long time and is buried on Caprera. The Arbuticci Fortress in the north of the island, built in 1889, has been home to a museum in Garibaldi’s honor since 2012.
The Capo Testa
You could climb for hours in this sea of bizarrely shaped rocks stretching below a small lighthouse. The Mediterranean repeatedly washes debris into the stone labyrinth: plastic canisters, old ropes, splintered wood. Capo Testa is a few kilometers west of Santa Teresa di Gallura. It stands on a peninsula connected to Sardinia by a narrow access road.
Here, too, the view in the sunshine is at its very best. The Strait of Bonifacio, which separates Corsica and Sardinia, is only around twelve kilometers wide. The high limestone cliffs on French soil seem close enough to touch.
Monte Limbara
An excursion into the mountains for a day filled with activity: The highest peak in northern Sardinia stands at 1,362 meters above sea level. From Tempio Pausania, a narrow serpentine road winds past tall pine trees to Località Vallicciola, the starting point of several hiking trails. There may still be snow here in April, but it is certainly much cooler than on the coast.
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Castelsardo
After so much nature, the final of our day trips to Sardinia leads us to—a town. Castelsardo is not large, but it impresses with its striking location. The houses are nestled and stacked close together on a mountain that juts out into the sea. From a distance, the town somewhat resembles the Sardinian counterpart to Mont St. Michel in France.
Steep stairs lead to the Centro Storico. On the city map, these are marked as streets, but navigating them by car would be a feat worthy of James Bond. In the old town, elderly women weave baskets. And from the cathedral terrace, constructed in 1503, with its campanile—a repurposed lighthouse—the view westward across the sea appears to stretch indefinitely.
Also interesting: The most beautiful beaches – 11 we’d like to be at right now
The original of this article was published in 2016.