Hidden Treasures of Sardinia

Day 1 - Cagliari

Join your tour group at the hotel.

Day 2 - Cagliari

Discover Sardinia’s vibrant capital city today on an included guided morning tour. Like many great cities, Cagliari has an extensive history dating back to the Phoenicians and has been influenced by the Romans and the French. Built on seven hills, like Rome, the city nestles between limestone rocks and the sea. With your guide discover some of the many highlights including the old city ramparts, the old town and the cathedral of Santa Maria. The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore at leisure. Stay in Cagliari and perhaps stroll through the beautiful parks and colourful streets, or enjoy the facilities back at your hotel.

Day 3 - Barumini - Aymerich Park - Laconi - Oristano

A busy day of sightseeing begins early this morning with a drive to Barumini, for a guided tour of Sardinia’s best preserved archaeological sites – Su Nuraxi di Barumini. Learn about the history of the UNESCO World Heritage complex of Bronze Age towers, nuraghi, and the nearby village. The complex at Barumini was extended and reinforced in the first half of the 1st millennium, and is the finest and most complete example of this remarkable form of prehistoric architecture. From here continue to Aymerich Park, a beautiful woodland which surrounds the remains of medieval Aymerich Castle. Explore the park and then continue to nearby Laconi, where you have free time to enjoy the charming Palazzo Aymerich, which hosts the Museum of Prehistoric Sardinian Statues. The day ends in the beautiful city of Oristano, where we check into our next hotel.

Day 4 - Tharros - Bosa - Alghero

This morning, we take journey to the northern point of the Gulf of Oristano and the Ruins of Tharros, once an ancient Carthaginian and Roman port built by the Phoenicians in the Middle Ages. The site enjoys a glorious position on the seafront of the Sinis Peninsula. Explore the ruins before travelling an hour-and-a-half this afternoon to charming Bosa with its rainbow houses stacked on a steep hillside. The town straddles the River Temo and cradles the ruins of Castle Serravalle. Visit the tiny museum-village of Tinnura, to see the paved squares featuring statues of Sardinian artists and colourful murals depicting traditional life. Enjoy free time in Bosa to get yourself lunch. Try delicious Malvasia wine and then continue to Alghero. You reach your next hotel by 1900 in time for dinner at the hotel.

Day 5 - Alghero

Sat on the northwest seafront, the one-time Catalonian colony of Alghero is one of the island’s most beautiful medieval cities. Here you will find charming cobbled streets, ancient walls, a pretty old town, as well the island’s best beaches and coastal caves. On a guided walk see Santa Maria Cathedral, San Francesco church and the tower of Porta Terra. Get yourself lunch at one of the city’s charming cafes, then enjoy an ice cream tasting at a local gelateria, before a boat trip to the Neptune’s grotto in Capo Caccia, one of the largest marine caves in Italy completes with impressive stalactites and stalagmites. Dinner awaits at a traditional farm, or agriturismo, accompanied by the local spirit, mirto.

Day 6 - Castelsardo - Golfo di Marinella

Leave Alghero behind this morning and journey towards Golfo di Marinella on the edge of the famed Costa Smeralda. Along the way, visit the Basilica di Saccargia. This majestic structure has punctuated the plain of Saccargia since the 12th century, and its dark bell tower looms above the surrounding countryside. Learn about the history of this important site, then continue your drive to the 13th-century Aragonese stronghold of Castelsardo. Tucked away on the northern coast of Sardinia, Castelsardo is a peaceful haven complete with a castle set on a hill overlooking the sea. Recognised as one of Italy’s most beautiful villages, you can explore the picturesque narrow steep streets. Arrive in Golfo di Marinella later this afternoon and check into your hotel.

Day 7 - Costa Smeralda

Discover Costa Smeralda, the Emerald Coast, and learn why this area is so revered in Sardinia. This morning, visit a traditional Sardinian farm, or stazzu, and learn about honey making. Enjoy an introduction into their age-old processes, and a lovely lunch of local products. After lunch, head to the village of Porto Cervo for free time to walk along the boutique-lined avenues and watch the yachts bobbing in the sparkling marina. Take a 30-minute drive back to your hotel this afternoon in time for dinner.

Day 8 - Golfo di Marinella

Today is free to spend as you please in this small seaside village. Discover a variety of cafés, seafood restaurants and interesting shops approximately 900 yards from the hotel. Alternatively, spend the day on Spiaggia di Marinella beach which is 650 yards from the hotel.

Day 9 - Golfo di Marinella

Say goodbye to your tour group for your onward travel.