Visitors traveling by ferry to Sardinia are enchanted by the alternation of landscapes, a patchwork of natural beauty and cultural elements through history!
Sardinia is located on the west coast of Italy with the Tyrrhenian Sea to the east, below Corsica and they are connected via the ferry from S.T. di Galluro to Bonifacio. It includes important provinces such as Cagliari, which is the regional capital, Nuoro, Oristano and Sassari as well as cities of historical interest such as that of the ancient city of Tharros, where you can find evidence of civilizations that came from the conquerors of the island (Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, etc.), over the years. During the trek to the island of Sardinia the visitor will encounter prehistoric settlements such as the huge walls of Nuraghe, fortresses and castles but also Roman finds and Christian churches.
The island includes many rocky shores, bays as well as capes with the most important bays being those of Azinara, Cagliari, Parma and Oristano.
In addition, many smaller islands can be found around Sardinia, some of which have a special tourist traffic, primarily from the locals, such as the Arcipelago della Maddalena!
Sardinia combines places with natural beauties, picturesque seaside towns and villages and cosmopolitan resorts like Costa Smeralda , incredible sandy beaches like la Pelosa and Chia, friendly people, but also an interesting tour of its old and modern history.
As it is an attraction pole for many tourists, especially in the months of July and August, we would suggest booking your ferry tickets to Sardinia in advance in order to be sure that you will find your desired travel dates.
Ferry connections to Sardinian ports
Sardinia is a very popular destination, accessible by ferry from ports in Spain, France, and of course Italy. More specifically there are several ferry connections to Sardinian ports of Santa Teresa di Gallura, Golfo Aranci, Porto Torres and Olbia from the Corsican ports of Bonifacio, Porto Vecchio and Bastia.
Here are some of the most popular connections:
Ferry from Civitavecchia to Olbia: Departures on a daily basis with the crossings to reach up to 5 per day in high season. The average journey duration is from 5 to 8 hours.
Ferry from Livorno to Olbia: There are 2 daily departures with journey time of 8 hours.
From Naples to Sardinia (Cagliari) by ferry: There are only one or two crossings per week between Naples and Cagliari with an average time of the ferry approximately 14 hours.
From Genoa to Sardinia (Olbia and Porto Torres) by ferry: There 5 crossings per week to Olbia and 9 crossings/per week to Porto Torres and journey time from 9 to 10 hours.
From Barcelona to Porto Torres by ferry: The crossing operates 4 times weekly with sailing durations from around 12 hours and 15 minutes.
Ferry ports of Sardinia
There are various connections between Sardinia with Italian and other ports in Mediterranean. Some ferries to Sardinia indicatively leave from Civitavecchia, Genoa, Livorno, Marseille (France), Naples, Palermo, Piombino, Toulon (France), Trapani, Tunis (Tunisia).
The main ports of Sardinia are in Olbia, Cagliari, Porto Torres,Santa Teresa di Gallura and Arbatax.
Port of Olbia
The port of Olbia is the third port and a major city on Sardinia Island (Italy), while constituting the main connection between Sardinia and the Italian peninsula. It is located on the island's northeastern coast, inside Olbia Gulf in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The port has the capability to host many passenger and cruise ferries and unload hundreds of passengers every day having eight available quays.
Port of Cagliari
The port of Cagliari is the main port of Sardinia and one of the largest Italian seaports in terms of ships and passengers' traffic and due to its strategic position, as it is located 18 km from the Gibraltar-Suez, suitable for various transshipment activities in the Mediterranean sea. There are daily connections with the Italian ports of Civitavecchia, Palermo and Naples.
Port of Porto Torres
The port of Porto Torres is located at the north coast of Sardinia and is a port of great importance that has connections with ports in France and Spain.
Port of Santa Teresa di Gallura
The port of Santa Teresa di Gallura is located on the northern coast of Sardinia where several ferries depart for Corsica with the main ferry landing point the port of Bonifacio. The crossing to Bonifacio takes about 50 minutes with 3 connections per day (up to 7 in high season).
Port of Arbatax
Arbatax is located on the peninsula of Capo Bellavista, on the central-east coast of Sardinia. From Arbatax depart many ferry routes to Cagliari, Genoa and Civitavecchia, with more than 6 crossings a week connecting Sardinia with Rome and Italy.
Holidays in Sardinia
Choosing Sardinia for your holidays is an interesting wandering in an earthly paradise. The combination of endless sandy beaches, picturesque fishing villages and places with interesting archaeological sites, like Nuraghi, recognized as Unesco World Heritage, satisfies all tastes and attracts every year throngs of travellers.
In Sardinia, you can find vivid places, like Cagliari, with its museums, bars, restaurants and beautiful beaches or others with historic interest like Olbia. Also a wide range with expensive hotels and resorts in beautiful beaches like Costa Smeralda and Archipelago di La Maddalena.
Last but not least enjoy the high gastronomy that Sardinia offers not only in dishes but also in wine.
Although it is difficult someone to list all the worth-visiting sights in Sardinia, however, we give you a small guide with some remarkable places that you should not miss during your stay on this beautiful island :
Sightseeing:
- Visit the capital of Sardinia , Cagliari with its interesting historical centre, il castello , the National Archaeological Museum and many other sites worth visiting.
- Olbia ,with an extremely rich history
- The Nuraghes, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
- Tharros archeological site.
- La Maddalena Island with spectacular beaches. You can reach the island with ferries leaving from Palau.
Beaches:
- Costa Smeralda
- La Pelosa
- Spiaggia Rosa (Pink Beach)
- Is Aruttas
- Cala Brandinchi
- Porto Campana
