Oh, how beautiful the beaches of Sardinia are! And there are so many of them! Sardinia was still unknown to us: as half of my family lives in Sicily, we have often opted for the Sicilian option. Over the past few years, we have also got into the habit of going to Corsica regularly, and the Island of Beauty has always delighted us; this year, for once, we tried Sardinia and it turned out to be yet another, very different experience. I will actually write a post comparing Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica for those hesitating between these three Mediterranean destinations. No suspense here: what impressed us most in Sardinia were the beaches, hence this post to share with you the ones we tested and approved last month.

I should point out that I haven’t retouched the photos below. Yes, the colours really are that beautiful, the water that clear, and at times it genuinely looks like the Maldives!

Cala Brandichi

To put things back into context in our round-the-world itinerary: we returned from Rio at the beginning of July on a flight to Frankfurt, then took a train to Stuttgart where we picked up my in-laws, before flying the next day to Olbia in Sardinia, the first stop of our little European tour that would round off our Round-the-World trip.

During our 2 weeks in Sardinia, we chose 3 bases from which we explored the area:

• Costa Paradiso (in the north) -> I actually recommend our villa, as it was the best accommodation of our Sardinian stay. Edit 2021: unfortunately, this villa is no longer available to rent. Here is a similar one for 8 people.
• Bosa (on the west coast) -> our accommodation is no longer available to rent. As an alternative, I suggest this charming address in Bosa: La Locanda di Corte or, as a more budget-friendly option, this house with a swimming pool, 4 km from the town (a car is required).
• Posada (on the east coast) -> we stayed at Hotel Sale.

Our 3 bases in Sardinia

Discovering the beaches of northern Sardinia:

Beaches near Costa Paradiso:

The cove of Costa Paradiso, accessible via a pleasant path (10 minutes). The walk down is enjoyable as long as you avoid the hottest hours of the day. The children loved swimming in the river arm that flows into this beach.

Costa Paradiso beach

Cala Sarraina (very easy access, just a short walk from the car park). A lovely little beach bar.

Cala Sarraina

Lu Litarroni/Naracu Nieddu: several access points are possible. We recommend the one that brings you out near the restaurants/bars, with a small shaded path to reach the beach (10 minutes). Paid parking (2€/hour). A very large white-sand beach. Pleasant bar with a view over the beach. When we were there, there were a bit too many waves for the children.

Lu Litarroni

Best access path for Lu Litarroni

Beaches near Bosa:

Compoltitu beach: in fact, we tried three beaches near Bosa, but this one was our absolute favourite, so we went there every day and it’s the one we recommend! Note: getting down to it is a bit of a workout, but perfectly doable (allow about 10 minutes). It was Ticoeur and Titpuce’s favourite beach because the sea was very calm and the water deepens very gradually.

Compoltitu (Bosa)

Compoltitu (Bosa)

Beaches near Posada:

Posada beach

Cala Brandichi

Isuledda (San Teodoro)

Porto Taverna

We also visited the following lovely beaches, but liked them less, mainly because they were too crowded: La Cinta and Porto Istana.

Practical information for enjoying the beaches with children:

• Bring a parasol, as there is rarely any shade.
• We favoured the beach in the morning before 11am and in the afternoon after 4–5pm to avoid the intense heat. What’s more, there are very few people in the morning (note: we were there in mid-July – I imagine there are many more tourists in August).
• We made good use of the small kiosks and beach bars, which are cheaper than in France. Ideal for having a coffee and treating the children to ice creams.
• As usual, don’t forget hats, water and sun cream.
• I don’t know if it was just the beaches we went to, but none of them were supervised :-(. In any case, we never take our eyes off the children.

Cala Brandichi

I hope you enjoyed this little overview of the beautiful beaches of northern Sardinia! Don’t hesitate to also check out our itinerary in southern Sardinia.

Perhaps you already know northern Sardinia and its beaches? Any other spots to recommend?