Sardinia, passion on a journey:
… from South to North, don’t miss anything!
1000 experiences in 6 days. This could be the name for this Tour. It’s perfect if you want to see the South, the North, the East and the West. If you want to pick your favourite spot. Sand beaches, rocky shores, Cagliari: the capital, the many little isles along the coast, the thousand-year-old Nuragic civilization, the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Middle Ages, the Judicial Reigns, the Spanish, the Piedmontese… up to the present days. Comfortable luxury coaches and local Tour Guides always available, few hotel changes and a new route every day. On a 1.200 km journey to discover the territory and its people.
This proposal is valid through 31.12.2023
from € 190,00/pax
Day 1
From the thousand-year-old Nuragic Civilization to Autarchy in the Barbagia culture.
As soon as you arrive in Sardinia, you will board the Coach and meet your Local Tour Guide that will be with you for the whole Tour. Left behind the city of Cagliari, you will drive by wheat fields, sheep and cork woods and will cross the Campidano plain from South to North to the plateau of Abbasanta. Here you will make a stop to visit the Nuragic remains in the important Archaeologic Site of Santa Cristina, housing the impressive Holy Well dating back to more than 3.000 years ago. You will then head towards Nuoro, where you will visit the largest Ethnografic Museum in Sardinia and will dive into the contemporary Sardinian traditions and get to know its most authentic identity. You will admire the colourful costumes, the fine Sardinian filigree jewellery, the austere masks of the Mamuthones and the other carnival costumes, the fabrics, the carpets. You will have lunch in the capital of Barbagia where you will visit the Monte Ortobene with its marvellous panoramic point near the statue of Christ the Redeemer. In the afternoon you will drive along the North-Eastern coastal road where you will admire the majestic white limestone cliffs of Monte Albo, a Mesozoic outcrop deriving from the Ocean floor, just like the Supramonte that you saw in the morning. Once you reach the coast, you will soon arrive in San Teodoro, part of Costa Smeralda, located to the South of Olbia. Here you will check-in to your hotel for dinner and night stay.
Day 2
Costa Smeralda, Castelsardo, … from magic Gallura to Nurra region.
On this day you will follow the sun, crossing the northern part of the island from east to west: Gallura, Anglona, Romangia, Nurra. In the morning, after a quick stop in Porto San Paolo to admire the Isles of Tavolara and Molara, you will pass by Olbia to reach Costa Smeralda, famous for its bays and beaches and as meeting point for celebrities from all over the world. You will see Porto Cervo, Capo d’Orso, where you will make a photo-stop, Palau, with little bays, crystal clear water and shimmering colours. On the background, few swimming strokes away, you will admire the marvellous Isles of Santo Stefano, La Maddalena, Caprera and Spargi. You will then drive to Santa Teresa di Gallura to see Corsica from Capo Testa. Back to the Coach, you will drive westward, will pass by Vignola and cross Costa Paradiso to reach Castelsardo (awarded as the most beautiful Village in Italy in 2015). Here you will have lunch, do some shopping in the many local artisan labs/shops, take a shuttle to the Castel and visit the Basket Waving Museum (Museo dell’Intreccio). In the evening, you will arrive in Alghero and have dinner at your hotel.
Day 3
Alghero, Bosa, the Sinis Peninsula and Oristano.
You will leave the hotel to have a walk in the city centre of Alghero with its seaside ramparts, the narrow streets in the centre full of handcraft shops and its marvellous architecture in Gothic and Romanesque style. Left behind the lovely “Catalan” town, you will head to the Oristano region, crossing the regions Villanova, Planargia and Montiferru along a partially coastal road. You will admire unique and romantic colour contrasts between land and sea and wonderful steep cliffs, kingdom of the last colonies of Italian Griffon Vultures. You will pass by Bosa, former Phoenician colony and Roman Municipium, located on a hill dominated by the Serravalle Castel. You will cross the River Temo with its typical mooring piers and little bridges. Passing by the village of Cuglieri, you will reach the beach of S’Archittu, in the Sinis region. You will drive by the Pond of Cabras and arrive to the beach S. Giovanni di Sinis for lunch. After tasting typical products in the traditional restaurants, you will visit the marvellous Byzantine church of S. Giovanni and will manage to see a Falasco (typical ancient fisherman’s shack) and the very close Fish Farm Peschiera di Mare Pontis, famous for the production of the typical Bottarga di Muggine. You will then drive by endless artichoke fields across the area known as Mont’e Prama, where the famous Giganti di Mont’e Prama (complex of statues) where found. You will arrive in Oristano for a quick stop and a walk to admire the main monuments in the city centre retracing the importance of the Reign of Arborea and its Judgesses. You will then take the freeway SS131 “Carlo Felice” that will soon lead you to Cagliari where you will check-in to your hotel for dinner and night stay.
Day 4
Cagliari and the Protected Marine Area of Villasimius.
Left behind the hotel, you will drive towards Costa Rei through a panoramic freeway crossing the Sarrabus region. You will make the first quick stop in Castiadas, on the beach Cala Sinzias, where you will once again admire the beautiful Sardinian sea. Back to the Coach, you will continue on the coastal road and make another quick stop in front of the Isle of Serpentera and then reach Capo Carbonara. Here, you will make a long stop on the stunning beach of Porto Giunco with the lagoon of Notteri at the back. There will be time for a walk to the sixteenth-century Aragon Tower overlooking the most eastern coast. Otherwise, you could take a fishing boat to the Protected Marine Area from the little touristic port. Around 1:00 p.m. you will pass by Villasimius to reach a typical sheep/goat/pig farm where Sardinian Shepherds will serve you their typical celebration lunch. In the late afternoon, you will drive towards Cagliari along the coastal road overlooking the cliffs and make a couple of photo stops. You will soon get to the Poetto beach by the Site of Community Interest “Molentargius – Saline” with its famous pink flamingos and the polychrome salt mine. You will reach the foot of the famous “Sella del Diavolo”, make a stop on the panoramic Monte Urpinu and pass by the white Basilica of our Lady of Bonaria. You will then have a walk starting from the city centre of Cagliari on the top of the hill of Castello. This city will impress you with its thousand-year-old history, its ramparts, its sighting towers, its palaces and its marvellous Cathedral. Your visit will wind downhill among narrow little streets ending in the Marina district, full of clothing shops and Sardinian and multi-ethnic handcraft labs: a festival of colours, sounds and perfumes. You will have some free time for shopping, before getting to the hotel for dinner and night stay.
Day 5
Sulcis with visit to Pula, Chia, S. Antioco and Carloforte.
Left behind the Hotel and Cagliari, you will admire the endless wetlands of S.Gilla, rich in flamingos, herons, avocets, etc. You will drive along the path covered by the pilgrims walking to Pula for the Festivity of Sant’Efisio This is the Phoenician Coast, where the first large town after Karalis (Cagliari) was Nora. You will continue along the coastal road of Santa Margherita di Pula to the famous beaches of Chia, that will call for a stop. The path will continue along a shore rich in rocky promontories, little isles, Spanish towers and natural fish farms. You will drive by the Interforce Military Shooting Range of Capo Teulada and make a stop at the village of Trattalias to have a look at the Romanesque Cathedral of Santa Maria di Monserrat (1.200 AD). You will then drive along a countryside road in the middle of the Carignano vineyards, then pass by white salt mines populated with “Sa Genti Arrubia” (Flamingos), an impressive Roman bridge (250 BC) and the Sant’Antioco Tophet to arrive at the pier of Calasetta where you will take the ferry boat to Carloforte. The journey to the Isle of San Pietro, with the lovely village of Carloforte, will take 30 minutes. Once arrived in Carloforte, you will admire this Ligurian (from Pegli) enclave with its North African roots (tabarkine), and will walk among the crossroads (carruggi) and staircases in a unique atmosphere. Here, you will be able to taste many delicacies before having a walk in the Southern part of the Isle. You will then take the ferry back and drive towards Carbonia and Iglesias on the freeway SS 131, passing by the famous “red mud area” and later be back at your hotel in Cagliari for dinner and night stay.
Day 6
Historic and Environmental Geomineral Park and Barumini Nuraghe.
Left behind the Hotel, you will drive to the Montevecchio Mine, the largest Mine in Sardinia, awarded as European Destination of Excellence in 2011, where you will visit the ancient mining village and the extraction and mineral processing areas. Among the buildings in Neoclassic style, now refit and turned into a museum, you will discover the nineteenth-century Industrial and Social Revolution that witnessed the invention of huge machineries for the extraction of lead, zinc and silver from the bowels of earth, and the death of thousands of men that made this place famous and gave birth to many of the social patterns of our time. In the late morning you will drive towards the Marmilla region to arrive in Barumini where you will have lunch and soon after visit the most complete and well-preserved of the 5.000 Sardinian Nuraghe, Su Nuraxi, UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will then move to the Spanish Casa Zapata with its “Su Nuraxi e Cresia”, another, different example of Nuraghe. You will later drive towards your departure point where you will say good-by to our staff that has been with you for the whole of your Journey in Sardinia.
... total price starting € 190,00/pp for the “Essential Package” to € 310,00/pp for the “Complete Package”
The price Includes: Basic Services for the price of € 190,00/pp-
Luxury Coach Service, with highly professional and experienced driver from arrival to departure (Airport/Port).
Highly professional and experienced local Tour Guide from arrival to departure (Airport/Port).
Two typical lunch meals (0,25l wine and 0,5l water included): in Villasimius and Carloforte.
Guided tours in the free entrance museum sites as in the programme.
Tickets to the following museums: Museo dell’Intreccio of Castelsardo, Ethnographic Museum of Nuoro, Su Nuraxi in Barumini and Montevecchio Mine in Guspini (3 paths).
Round-trip Ferry tickets (bus, driver and Tour Guide included) Calasetta/Carloforte
Ticket to the Touristic Train: “Shuttle” in Castelsardo and Capo S. Marco in San Giovanni di Sinis.
Guided Tours to all the sites of interest as in the programme.
Board and Lodging for Coach Driver and Tour Guide, not necessarily in the same Hotel as the Group.
Tour organization and travel arrangements, included booking and management of all participants’ needs.
24/7 phone assistance available during the Tour.
Insurance: for guided tours and third parties people transportation.
Taxes and VAT.
The Price does Not Include (1):
Participants’ travel costs (by airplane and/or ship and/or bus from residence to meeting point in Sardinia.
Hotel costs (e.g. 3-4* Hotel, double rooms with private bathroom, with or without discounts or additional costs).
Tourist Tax (normally approx. € 1,00/pp per day to be paid locally, if needed).
Insurance: Medical, Luggage, Cancellation, ect.
Freebies for Tour Assistant, Tour Leader, ect.
Tips, porterage, extras
Anything not listed in “the price includes”.
The Price does Not Include (2): - additional services, maximum total additional price € 120,00/pp
Museum Tickets: - Archaeological Site S. Cristina (Paulilatino) on Day 1.
Tickets to fishing boat (ancient wooden boats, now refit) in the Protected Marine Area of Capo Carbonara (Villasimius)
4 typical lunch meals available (0,25l wine and 0,5l water included) in: Castelsardo, Nuoro, S.Giovanni di Sinis, Barumini.
Important notes:
This offer is valid throughout 2023, but it is subject to availability and will be confirmed with booking confirmation. The Service will last 6 days and 5 nights with arrival in the morning of Day 1 and departure in the evening of Day 6 from the Port or Airport of Cagliari. The meeting point (at the Airport or Port), the daily programme and the total Tour duration can be adapted to the specific Client’s requirements.
The daily programme will be confirmed depending on the specific arrival/departure times, on the meeting point in Sardinia and on the Hotel location. Logistically, the best Hotel locations are S.Teodoro (Day 1), Alghero (Day 2) and Cagliari (Day 3, 4, 5), where we can suggest Hotels of guaranteed quality, for which we can offer our corporate rates. However, the Tour can be adapted to the requirements of your partner Hotels, whatever their location.
The Price of the “Essential Package” as defined in the Programme and in the lists “the price includes”, “the price does not include (1)” and “the price does not include (2)” is € 190,00 per person and is valid for a group of minimum 48 paying participants. One or more Services from the list “the price does not include (2)” can be added to the package with a maximum additional cost of € 120,00 per person for the “complete package”. The price might be subject to commissions/discounts (max 20%) to Tour Operators, Travel Agencies and Clients entitled to direct purchase.
<< in the last few days I had a look at the many remains of the Nuragic Civilization. And I wondered how many people have inhabited or even just visited those megalithic constructions since when they were built, in some cases more than 4.000 years ago. I believe this is where the ancestral Sardinian identity originated. This is what came to my mind yesterday, while I was admiring the typical masks and costumes, the new interpretations of their ethnic music, the handcraft, the agro-pastoral cooking traditions followed for the preparation of those simple and basic delicacies I tasted>> (…)