Sardinia-worth going if only for two days?
 

My daughter is studying in Siracusa Sicily for the semester and now has a 3 day weekend in February off. She wants to go outside of Sicily for the weekend and has come up with a 19 euro fare each way on Meridiana to Sardinia.Flight would not leave until late Friday night and return at 6am on Monday morning.Can one do any justice for a 2 day trip and does anyone have any suggestions(GAC,AP320,etc.) as to what one could accomplish in that short of time without a car and being almost 21? (Her internet time is very short with her school and there are only a few in Ortigia where she is studying so that is why I am asking for the info for her-thanks!)

If she is flying into Alghero or Cagliari, she could easily just stay in the city/town that she lands in and fill 2 days. If it's Olbia, I would imagine that would be hard without a car. Let us know what town she will be in.

It is Olbia

It is one of those "deals" from Catania to Olbia on Meridiana airlines for 19 euros each way. Thanks!

GAC can probably speak to the public transit network. Olbia is located in an area that is accessible to all the beach resorts, and in Feb. these will all be shut down (I would think). If I were to go to Sardinia in Feb., without a car for 2 days it would have to be Cagliari or Alghero. Maybe she could take a bus to Alghero? I believe GAC also had a reasonably priced accomodation in Alghero, but I cannot remember the name right now.....

Please forgive my bluntness, but in my opinion, the trip makes little sense, allowing for only two full days where two weeks are needed for a meaningful introduction to Sardinia.

Nevertheless, were I to do this trip, I would focus on ONE primary destination, which in the case of Sardinia means the capital city of CAGLIARI, which is very interesting from an architectural, artistic and cultural point of view. Old Town Cagliari, its archeological museum and cathedral are all very worthwhile sites.

Alghero is very, very cute and charming, though nowhere near the importance of Cagliari from an artistic point of view.

Olbia itself has virtually nothing of note to see (aside from the old church of S. Sempliciano).

In February, all seaside and beach resorts are shut down, and the cold weather precludes any talk of this type of vacation.

Assuming your daughter spends Friday night in Olbia (Hotel Centrale, Hotel Gallura and Hotel Cavour are all worth considering), she could travel to Cagliari on Saturday morning, spend one night in Cagliari (Hotel Bundes Jack Vittoria or Hotel Quattro Mori are both good), return to Olbia Sunday evening, overnight again in Olbia, and fly back to Catania on Monday morning.

There is a DIRECT train from Olbia at 7:52, arriving in Cagliari at 11:51. There are later trains requiring one short connection at Ozieri-Chilivani station.

The return DIRECT train departs Cagliari at 18:30, arriving Olbia at 22:27, though once again, there are earlier departures with the one connection.

The Hotel Gallura in Olbia is nearly across the street from the bus and train stations.

The two Cagliari hotels noted above are both within 300 yards of the train station.

Round trip train fare is 27.20 Euros.

ANOTHER possible itinerary is the following:

Saturday morning: Olbia to S. Teresa di Gallura to Castelsardo by ARST bus. Overnight either in Castelsardo or in Sassari.

Sunday: Castelsardo to Sassari (bus only), back to Olbia (bus or train). Both Castelsardo and Sassari merit a half-day visit. Overnight in Olbia.

If her mind is set on Alghero, she can go there on Saturday and return on Sunday. There is a DIRECT bus from Olbia in the early morning, returning to Olbia in the late evening. This bus is timed for ferry connections between Olbia and Civitavecchia. Travel time is 2 hrs each way.

CORRECTION: the direct bus connection between Olbia and Alghero, noted above, has apparently been discontinued. This means that passengers must now connect in Sassari, as follows: Olbia to Sassari by bus or train (2 hrs.); Sassari to Alghero by bus (1 hr.). Total travel time, including the connection in Sassari, will be close to 4 hours in each direction (compared to the 2-hour direct bus ride now discontinued).

In essence, Olbia to Alghero will take roughly the same amount of time as Olbia to Cagliari by direct train, even though the distance to Cagliari is significantly greater.

NOTE: taking the train between Olbia and Cagliari is an EXCELLENT way to see the Sardinian landscape and hinterland, even though the train essentially crosses the plains and avoids the mountainous areas.

dutyfree,

with a 3 day weekend, would your daughter consider a slightly shorter trip, like to the Aeolian islands, which are a bit closer by? I travelled to Salina, Lipari and Stromboli for a few days in 2000 and really enjoyed my time there. One can easily travel between the islands by ferry (though i have no idea what the fares are like now), or just shack up on one of the islands the whole time. They're quite relaxing and all have their own unique beauty and charms.

I had a great trip to Sardinia last year (thanks to information from AP6380 and GAC), and if I was set on going to Sardina for a very short 2 or 3 day break, my choice would be to base myself in Alghero.

Like2bike's idea of visiting the Aeolian Islands is a great one (one of my favorite places) if your daughter has not been there and is not set on leaving Sicily. There are many islands to choose from and they are all different.

Thanks for all the help-as usual GAC you are the ultimate authority with regard to transit scheduling etc.I really appreciate you all taking the time with the information and I have forwarded it on to her.I did mention last night about Olbia being closed up for the season so she is rethinking the short time to go there. She is scheduled to go to the Aeolian Islands next month with her Volcanology class so she is very excited-almost as much as her skiing Mt. Etna last weekend.(Not bad for a kid who has only skied the small hills up in Wisconsin!!)I think that she is trying to make sure that she doesn't miss anything in regards to 3 day weekends-some of the kids are actually going up to Torino for 1 day for over 350 euros which makes no sense that weekend? If any of you have any other great weekend trips that you enjoyed in Sicily please let us know. She is scheduled for Palermo and Corleone one weekend with her Mafia class;Agrigento,Aeolians and possibly a trip to Marsala on other weekends. End of the month is Malta and spring break is hopefully Tunisia.Any tips/thoughts or opinions on what you loved in Sicily-pass it on.Once again-appreciate all the help and advice! FYI-she absolutely loves Sicily/Ortigia and the whole experience living there which I am so happy.

dutyfree:

Thanks very much for your generous compliments.

I fully agree that spending 350 Euros for one day in Torino seems to be a great waste of energy and resources.

The weekend trips which you mention within Sicily itself (Palermo, Agrigento, Marsala, Aeolian Islands) are all EXCELLENT ideas, well worth doing. She must ABSOLUTELY not miss Palermo and Agrigento!!!

Where else could your daughter go on Sicily for the weekend? Here are a number of other worthwhile places:

1. Ragusa, Modica and Noto (all heavily baroque cities)
2. Taormina and Castelmola
3. Piazza Armerina, Roman Villa of Casale and Enna (cold!)
4. Selinunte (it's really, really beautiful, and much less crowded than Agrigento)
5. Segesta (wow, what a sight!)
6. Trapani and Erice (could be fogged-in)
7. Catania (it's so close to Siracusa!)

Then there are the three Egadi Islands, and Pantelleria Island (all reacheable from Trapani), but I can't recommend these destinations any sooner than April, unless she happens upon a particularly sunny and mild weekend in Feburary or March.

All of the places mentioned above can be visited with public transportation, although a car speeds things up considerably.

CORRECTION: In my original posting, I mentioned the old church of San Sempliciano in Olbia. This is incorrect. The correct name is San Simplicio! What an error!