North East and Costa Smeralda 

Cala Capra is a beautiful bay between Cannigione and Palau with coves and beaches nestled into the coastline and the stunning headland of Capo d’Orso above, with Bear Rock perched on top. There are wonderful views to Baia Sardinia, with the Costa Smeralda beyond, and also to the island of Caprera. Boat trips leave from the small exclusive marina at Capo d’Orso and there is a very good restaurant adjacent for lunch or dinner.
Cala Capra hotels and apartments >

 

Cannigione is a popular holiday destination with a port and marina offering boat trips and boat hire to visit the nearby beaches and islands of the Archipelago of La Maddalena. The town has a selection of shops, supermarkets, weekly market and night market (high season), plus good restaurants, pizzerias, café bars and gelaterias.
Cannigione hotels, villas and apartments >

12km south of Olbia and situated on the coast is Porto San Paolo which has a few shops, bars and restaurants. Costa Dorata is a quiet stretch of coastline with many beautiful coves and beaches to explore.
Costa Dorata & Porto San Paolo hotels >

Costa Smeralda ‘The Emerald Coast’, a name inspired by the azure colour of the sea, nestles in the north east corner of the island. It was designed and developed by the Aga Khan in the 1960’s, to preserve and protect this earthly paradise. With Porto Cervo at its centre, the Costa Smeralda coastline stretches for 55km, with a harmonisation between Mediterranean architecture, natural landscape and seascape encompassing more than 80 beautiful bays, coves and sandy beaches.
Costa Smeralda hotels >

 

Golfo di Marinella is situated on the Golfo Aranci peninsular, 3km from Porto Rotondo. It has a beautiful bay with a long sandy beach with clear turquoise sea, ideal for swimming, snorkelling and watersports. There is boat hire from the beach to explore the nearby coves and islands. Porto Marana, at one end of the bay, has a small boutique, gelateria, gift shop, dive centre and two restaurants.
Golfo di Marinella hotel >

 

La Maddalena Island is the largest of the 7 that make up the Archipelago of La Maddalena and it can be reached by regular daily ferries from Palau in approximately 15 minutes. There is a thriving port and yacht marina surrounded by little café bars, restaurants and gelaterias and a wonderful place to stop to watch the boats and the world go by. The town has a good selection of shops and attractive side streets. There is a lovely circular coastal road with spectacular views and giving access to some superb beaches and Caprera Island by bridge.

Olbia is the gateway to the Costa Smeralda on the north east coast with an international airport, ferry port, marina and interesting old town. The town overlooks the Gulf of Olbia and the dramatic Tavolara Island. It has a good selection of shops, café bars, restaurants and in high season a night market with live music.
Olbia hotel >

 

Palau is a vibrant town and port with a good selection of shops, weekly market, restaurants and boat trips out to the islands that make up the Archipelago of La Maddalena. It is the gateway to the island of La Maddalena with regular daily ferries leaving from the port. For James Bond aficionados, some scenes from the Spy Who Loved Me were filmed in the port area here.
Palau hotels >

 

Porto Cervo is situated in the heart of the Costa Smeralda. Designed by the Aga Khan as a world class yacht marina, it is surrounded by exclusive hotels and villas set up on the hillside enjoying wonderful views. It is a holiday destination for the jet set with 5 star hotels and the Pevero Golf Club nearby. Designer boutiques and elegant restaurants are set around the Piazzetta, to enjoy a drink overlooking the exceptionally large yachts in the marina!
Porto Cervo hotels >

 

Porto Pollo is a windsurfing and kitesurfing paradise between Palau and Porto Pozzo situated on a double bay with long beaches, sand dunes and clear blue sea. It is a popular spot for watersports and mountain biking, with equipment hire centres located on the beaches. There are boat trips and boat hire to visit the nearby islands.

 

Porto Rotondo is an attractively designed world class yacht marina (second to Porto Cervo) surrounded by exclusive hotels and villas on the hillside. It has stunning views of the Costa Smeralda with azure blue sea, granite outcrops, sun bleached beaches and hidden coves. There are stylish boutiques, restaurants and café bars to enjoy a drink and watch the world go by and the huge yachts moor up in the marina.

 

San Pantaleo is a village situated up on the hillside behind the Costa Smeralda. It is sheltered by rugged mountains that are clearly visible from all over the north east of Sardinia and are a distinctive feature of the island’s unique and diverse landscape. The village itself is typically Mediterranean with terracotta buildings and a few shops, café bars and restaurants. The old folk still sit on the steps around the small piazza watching the world go by.
San Panteleo hotels and apartment >

30km south of Olbia airport, San Teodoro is a buzzing holiday resort in high season with a good selection of shops, café bars, restaurants, pizzerias and gelaterias. On summer evenings there are market stalls in the town piazza to buy typical Sardinian handicrafts and Sardinian specialities are available, including local wines and cheeses, from the small food shops. There is a 9 hole golf course at Punta Aldia and horse riding, mountain biking and nature trails at Monti Nieddu, the hills behind San Teodoro.
San Teodoro hotel >

Santa Teresa di Gallura and Capo Testa are situated on the northern most tip of the island enjoying wonderful views over the Straits of Bonifacio to the island of Corsica. There are some beautiful beaches with clear turquoise sea, ideal for swimming and snorkelling, and fascinating rock formations carved by the wind on the headland and in the Valley of the Moon. The town offers a good selection of shops and restaurants and from the port, boat trips to the islands and daily ferries to Corsica. The town beach of Rena Bianca is lovely.
Santa Teresa hotels >

 

The small village of Sant’Antonio di Gallura with a couple of shops, restaurants and café bars is 2km away from Lake Liscia, an artificial basin in the heart of the Galluran countryside, created in the sixties. It is possible to walk round and fish in the lake which is surrounded by evergreen oaks, centuries-old wild olive trees, wind sculpted granite rocks, with native flora and fauna. There is a small railway station nearby where the scenic ‘Il Trenino Verde’ passes on its way between Palau and Tempio during the summer months. There is also the archaeological site of ‘Nuraghes’ at 340m above the sea level to visit.
Sant'Antonio di Gallura hotels >