10 famous beaches of Sardinia — and how to visit them

Rena Bianca, Santa Teresa Gallura

• ~65 km · 1 h 10
• Booking required

The white-sand town beach of Santa Teresa Gallura, at the very northern tip of Sardinia. Since 2024 the town has protected it with capped visitor numbers, a ticket and advance booking.

Combine: with Capo Testa and the Valle della Luna, a few kilometres away.

Spiaggia Rosa, Budelli

• Palau ~80 km + boat
• View only

The famous Pink Beach of Budelli, in the La Maddalena archipelago, owes its colour to tiny fragments of coral, shells and a pink micro-organism. It lies in the park's strictest protection zone: since 1994 landing, walking on the sand, swimming and anchoring are all forbidden. You can admire it only from the sea, on a boat tour.

The beach starred in Michelangelo Antonioni's 1964 film Red Desert.

Note: stepping ashore brings heavy fines — a tourist who landed was fined €1,800.

La Pelosa, Stintino

• ~90 km · 1 h 20
• Booking required

Powder-white sand and shallow, Caribbean-coloured water facing a tiny islet with an old watchtower. From mid-May to mid-October entry is limited to 1,500 people a day, booked online with a €3.50 ticket (under-12s free). A mat under your towel is mandatory, and dogs are not allowed during the day.

Tip: access is free after 18:00 — the evening light here is magical.

Spiaggia del Principe, Costa Smeralda

• ~110 km · 1 h 45
• Costa Smeralda

Locally called Poltu di Li Cogghj, this crescent of pale sand and pink granite near Romazzino (Arzachena) is often named the finest beach of the Costa Smeralda. It takes its nickname from Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, whose consortium created the Costa Smeralda in the early 1960s and who fell for this cove at first sight.

Tip: arrive early — parking near the access path is limited in summer.

Is Arutas, Cabras

• ~200 km · 2 h 30
• Quartz "rice" sand

The best-known beach of the Sinis peninsula marine protected area, about 14 km from Cabras on the west coast. Instead of sand it has rounded grains of quartz the size of rice — white, pink and grey. The deep water and exposure to wind also make it popular with surfers and windsurfers.

Never: take any quartz home — it's illegal and fined; the town even celebrates visitors who send stolen sand back.

Cala Luna, Gulf of Orosei

• Cala Gonone ~230 km
• By boat or on foot

One of the icons of the Gulf of Orosei on the east coast: a beach of sand and pebbles backed by large caves that offer cool shade in summer. Boats run daily from Cala Gonone between May and October; hikers can reach it on a demanding trail from Cala Fuili.

Plan: this is a multi-day trip from Badesi — stay a night or two near Cala Gonone.

Cala Mariolu, Baunei

• Cala Gonone ~230 km
• By boat

A cove of white pebbles beneath the limestone cliffs of the Baunei coast, with some of the best snorkelling in the Gulf of Orosei. Most visitors arrive on boat trips from Cala Gonone or Santa Maria Navarrese. Since summer 2025, landing on Baunei's beaches with your own or a rented boat requires a booking with a QR code.

Tip: come in the morning — by mid-afternoon the cove is in the shade of the cliffs.

Piscinas, Costa Verde

• ~250 km · 3 h 15
• Giant dunes

On the wild Costa Verde in the south-west, golden dunes up to 60–100 metres high — among the tallest in Europe — roll straight down to the sea. The road passes the old mining village of Ingurtosu, and there are only a few facilities on the beach.

Careful: the mistral often makes the sea rough here — swim with caution.

Cala Goloritzé, Baunei

• Baunei ~290 km
• Booking required

A natural monument since 1993: white pebbles, a limestone pinnacle and impossibly clear water. Access on foot is by booking only, through the Heart of Sardinia app or the Baunei municipality website, opening 72 hours ahead; the ticket costs around €6–7 for adults. The trail starts at Su Porteddu on the Golgo plateau and takes about 1–1.5 hours downhill. Boats must stay about 300 m offshore.

Rules: trekking shoes are compulsory (no flip-flops), and the trail closes to descents in the afternoon.

Porto Giunco, Villasimius

• ~320 km · 4 h
• Sea & lagoon

In the Capo Carbonara marine protected area at Sardinia's south-eastern tip, a strip of sand as fine as icing sugar separates the sea from the Notteri pond — hence the nickname "two seas". The pond, only about half a metre deep, hosts flamingos in winter; an old coastal tower watches over the bay. The shallow water is great for children.

Plan: best combined with a few days in the south (Cagliari, Villasimius).