7 Best Sights in Sardinia, Italy

Although there is a perfectly serviceable sandy beach right outside the archaeological site of Nora, infinitely more enticing is the series of long expanses of sand 18 km (11 miles) farther south toward the cape of Capo Spartivento, Sardinia's southernmost tip. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee in summer); toilets. Best for: swimming.

Only 5 km (3 miles) southeast of the city center, Poetto Beach is one of the most enticing spots to relax in summer for both locals and tourists. Its clean, shallow, turquoise waters stretch for some 8 km (5 miles), and the beach is lined with cafés, restaurants, snack bars, and parks. Beach chairs and umbrellas are available for rent for around €15. Away from the sea, you can explore the nearby Molentargius lagoon, and admire the pink flamingos that nest in the marshy reeds there.  Poetto is easy to reach on the frequent public transport services: take Bus PF, PQ, or, in summer, Poetto Express or 5ZE, all from Piazza Matteotti. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee in summer); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking; windsurfing.

Extensive marshlands and shallow lagoons teeming with eels, crayfish, and wildlife surround this calm and compact 11th-century town. Make a stop at the archaeological museum here for its awe-inspiring nuraghic statues, then venture north and west into the Sinis Peninsula to access the pristine beaches of Is Arutas, Maimoni, and Mari Ermi, characterized by fine white quartzified sand grains. The flat terrain and quiet roads of the peninsula make it ideal for exploring by bike.

A couple of kilometers north of Alghero's old town, backed by pine woods, Maria Pia beach offers a convenient though unspectacular spot for an afternoon of bathing and sunbathing, but if you don't mind going farther afield, head for the altogether superior beaches of Le Bombarde and Lazzaretto, on adjacent inlets 10 km (6 miles) west of town. Sheltered from the wind and equipped with bars and facilities for renting pedalos and canoes, the beaches are similar in style—both curves of soft sand studded with a few rocks, and both packed in August. The beaches are easy to reach on public buses or the private tourist bus service, Beach Bus (May–September), both leaving from Via Catalogna in the public gardens. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee in summer); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: snorkeling; swimming; windsurfing.

Sea and nature are the big draws of Sardinia’s Costa Verde, where you’ll find such wild and unpopulated beaches as Piscinas, at the southern end of the coast and reached via a rough mountain road that passes deserted mines and herds of goats. Amenities: none; parking (fee in summer). Best for: solitude; sunset; swimming; walking.

Among the less developed of the Costa Smeralda's five-star beaches, the Spiaggia del Principe is tucked well away from the crowds, mainly because it is not so readily accessible as some of the others. The rewards, however, are all the greater. Edged by jagged, gold-tinted rocks, the beach has fine white sand and water ranging from emerald to a Caribbean shade of turquoise. Access from the car park is tricky—a 10-minute walk along a rough path (stout sneakers needed)—but a tuk-tuk service is sometimes on hand for a small charge. Amenities: food and drink; parking (fee in summer); toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

At the northern end of the Costa Verde, Torre dei Corsari is a long and wide stretch of quartz sand, easily accessible and with plenty of facilities including bars, restaurants, and sun beds to rent. Amenities: food and drink; parking (fee in summer); toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming.