Sardinian Tips?
June 28, 2007 1:50 AM Subscribe
Things to do, see and avoid on the island of Sardinia?
I'll be staying in the town of Alghero for ten days but plan on hiring a car for a couple of days to see some more of the island. What are the must "see's" and "do's"?
I'll be staying in the town of Alghero for ten days but plan on hiring a car for a couple of days to see some more of the island. What are the must "see's" and "do's"?
Response by poster: Good grief Zamboni...I take it that falls under the "things to avoid" category.
posted by oh pollo! at 4:42 AM on June 28, 2007
posted by oh pollo! at 4:42 AM on June 28, 2007
Best answer: Hah! Have just got back from Alghero region but four days ago.
One must see is Neptune's Grotto/Grotta di Nettuno. You can drive there and walk down but it (looks) very hot and hard work to walk down all the steps. Alternatively, you can catch a boat from the quayside for between 10-13 euros. Once at the grotto it will cost an additional 10 euros to see inside. It's really nice (cos I love boat rides) and the grotto is pretty amazing (one tip: you'll walk through the grotto and everyone in your group will takes ages and shuffle around and take pictures, then you'll get to the end and realise you just turn around and walk back through it again, so don't be too worried about taking photos first time through).
From Alghero you can drive (highly recommend the car by the way; we had to hire way after a few days of trying to rely on cheap but infrequent and hard to find/use buses) to Stintino (maybe an hour away) which is a nice little port town with plenty of restaurants etc and one kilometre away from that are the white sand beaches of Spiaggia De Pelosa which are really cool.
Also worth a look is the medieval town of Castelsardo. It's insanely hot walking up there, so maybe try and go early/late in the day, but the castle/town at the top of the hill is pretty good and worth a visit.
Other than that, there's the Necropolis de Anghelu Ruju near the airport (very near, like maybe a kilometre or so). This is good if, well, you like archaeology and burial chambers. I thought it was brillig to see burial chambers from 3500 BC; my wife less so.
Anyway; if you want any more specific tips on restaurants/hotels email me (or post here). I will say: always carry loose change, as you'll need it for various things (parking meters, buses etc) and everywhere in Sardinia that you could change a note will be closed for two hours for lunch at the exact moment you find you need it.
posted by Hartster at 4:55 AM on June 28, 2007
One must see is Neptune's Grotto/Grotta di Nettuno. You can drive there and walk down but it (looks) very hot and hard work to walk down all the steps. Alternatively, you can catch a boat from the quayside for between 10-13 euros. Once at the grotto it will cost an additional 10 euros to see inside. It's really nice (cos I love boat rides) and the grotto is pretty amazing (one tip: you'll walk through the grotto and everyone in your group will takes ages and shuffle around and take pictures, then you'll get to the end and realise you just turn around and walk back through it again, so don't be too worried about taking photos first time through).
From Alghero you can drive (highly recommend the car by the way; we had to hire way after a few days of trying to rely on cheap but infrequent and hard to find/use buses) to Stintino (maybe an hour away) which is a nice little port town with plenty of restaurants etc and one kilometre away from that are the white sand beaches of Spiaggia De Pelosa which are really cool.
Also worth a look is the medieval town of Castelsardo. It's insanely hot walking up there, so maybe try and go early/late in the day, but the castle/town at the top of the hill is pretty good and worth a visit.
Other than that, there's the Necropolis de Anghelu Ruju near the airport (very near, like maybe a kilometre or so). This is good if, well, you like archaeology and burial chambers. I thought it was brillig to see burial chambers from 3500 BC; my wife less so.
Anyway; if you want any more specific tips on restaurants/hotels email me (or post here). I will say: always carry loose change, as you'll need it for various things (parking meters, buses etc) and everywhere in Sardinia that you could change a note will be closed for two hours for lunch at the exact moment you find you need it.
posted by Hartster at 4:55 AM on June 28, 2007
My roommate just returned from Sardinia, and his number one recommendation is to try some Mierto, a digestive liquer.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 11:56 AM on June 28, 2007
posted by solipsophistocracy at 11:56 AM on June 28, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
The rural 'agriturismo' restaurants are excellent, offering locally grown/reared food - the main speciality I think is barbecued semi-wild pig.
The Madellena islands on the northern tip are beautiful too. You can take a cruise amongst them - the boat stops at nice spots along the way to swim and lounge. You'll be with a crowd of people but the quality of the trip makes this worthwhile.
Also the local wine variety, Cannonau, is amazing. I wish it was more widely available.
posted by Flashman at 2:22 AM on June 28, 2007