In October 2021, I had the opportunity to visit the Island of Sardinia to participate in my first Ironman 70.3.
Sardinia is the second largest Island in the Mediterranean Sea and sits directly below the French Island of Corsica. On Sardinia, you’ll find miles and miles of untouched lands, thousands of ancient buildings, sandy beaches with crystal clear turquoise water, mountains, and many other unique gems.
When we visited, we were living in the south of France and opted to take an overnight ferry from Toulon, France, to Porto Torres, Sardinia, bringing our car with us. We rented a room to sleep in and had breakfast in the morning in their cafe. It was a neat experience, but not super fancy. If you want to explore the island fully, rent a car and give yourself at least a week here. It is much larger than you might expect.
In this post, you’ll see pictures from my GoPro and Sony a6600! These pictures were taken in October 2021 while I was trying to become consistent with my camera when we first moved to Europe! It’s fun to look back and see how much better I’ve become since then. Let’s dive in!
7 Unique Outdoor Things to do in Sardinia
1. Visit a Nuraghe
Nuraghes are ancient buildings only found on the island of Sardinia. They were built around 4,000 years ago by the Nuragic people before the Roman Colonization of the island. No one knows what purpose they served but some guess they were either military strongholds, rulers’ homes, or religious buildings!
There are over 7,000 nuraghes scattered around the island of Sardinia and some of these are still being excavated to this day! We chose to visit the Santu Antine because it’s one of the largest on the Island, the entry fee was fair (€8) and we were allowed to roam through the nuraghe on our own! The nuraghe looks relatively small and run down from the outside but when you enter through the front port, you’ll be in awe. You can walk through several different doors and up winding stairs and through hallways. It’s a must-see!
2. Valley of the Moon
The Valle Della Luna (Valley of the Moon) is in the Northeast of Sardinia located on the peninsula of Capo Testa. The valley gets its name from the unique granite rock structures that contrast the turquoise waters along the coast.
To get to the valley, you have to walk about 20 minutes along a nature trail from the road. The valley is only 500 meters long but has many coves to explore and climb up.
A word of caution: this valley is home to “hippies” that live in the coves. You may see tents and people scattered in the rock coves above the valley but do not be alarmed. These hippies apparently help look after the valley and have been living here since the 1960s. While there, we saw a few other groups of people here and felt safe but it did feel strange. I recommend visiting the valley with a friend or group of people just to be safe!
3. The Oldest Olive Tree in Europe
The island of Sardinia is home to the oldest olive tree in Europe and for €3 you can walk around it.
There are three old olive trees here. The first tree by the entrance is the oldest olive tree in Europe (4,000 years old) and is closed off to the public. The olive tree directly behind it is 500 years old and has tons of olives on it. The last olive tree is 2,000 years old and is wild to walk under. The roots are chaotic and you can sense it has been here for a long, long time!
The location of the olive tree is a little remote but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the oldest olive tree in Europe while I was here!
4. Cala Brandinchi
You can’t make a list of things to do in Sardinia without including visiting a beach. While on the island, we visited dozens of beaches, but Cala Brandinchi was by far the prettiest.
Cala Brandinchi is located north of the city of San Teodoro on the east coast of Sardinia. This beach is roughly 700 meters long and has been called “Little Tahiti” by many. The waters are crystal clear and remain shallow for a long time. This makes this beach perfect for families with children and for long walks in the water along the coast.
To the North of Cala Brandinchi, there is a large limestone Massif that looks a bit misplaced (you can see it in the picture below). This Massif sits on the Isola Tavolara and off the coast of Olbia and is massive in person!
5. The Archeological Ruins of Nora
The Parco Archeologico di Nora is located in the South of Sardinia just outside the city of Pula, Italy. It’s about 40 minutes from Cagliari, the Capital of Sardinia, and a must-see if you’re in the South.
This ancient city was discovered when a storm revealed the ruins randomly and since then has been constantly excavated. Nora was once home to the Phoenicians before being conquered by the Romans thousands of years ago.
During the Roman’s time here, this city had thousands of inhabitants. They built bathhouses, religious/public buildings, cobbled streets, and many homes which can be seen today. The most impressive and well-preserved building you’ll see here is the Roman amphitheater near the entrance of the park. In a few homes and buildings, there are intricate mosaic-tiled floors that are in pristine condition and worth admiring for a few moments. There are signs scattered throughout in English/Italian that explain different areas of the park.
The entrance fee here was €6 for adults and you can walk the site in less than an hour depending on how long you linger. If you’re adventurous, you can book a snorkeling tour to check out the parts of the ruins that are still underwater!
6. Compete in an Ironman 70.3
Ironman kicked off its inaugural Ironman 70.3 in October 2021. While this was the first one on the Island, Ironman plans on continuing this event for years to come.
The swim takes place off the coast of Forte Village in Santa Margherita di Pula in crystal clear waters. Though, I’ll admit it was a bit choppy on race day! The bike course follows the SP71 through a few small towns and mountains before coming back along the beautiful coast. The run is relatively flat and partially along the coast.
If you love vacationing to work out – then this is a super fun way to begin a vacation in Sardinia. The Ironman was the main reason we decided to visit Sardinia. If you like biking and you’re not able to visit the Ironman, I suggest biking the SP71, it’s a gorgeous scenic bike ride with mountains and views of the sea!
7. Neptune’s Grotto
Neptune’s Grotto is a cave in the Northeast of Sardinia about 35 minutes outside of the city of Alghero. The Grotto is around two million years old and was discovered in the 1700s by fishermen in the area. It was named after the Roman god of the sea, Neptune, and is now a big tourist attraction in north Sardinia.
There are two different ways to access the cliffside Grotto. You can book a boat ride to Neptune’s Grotto from the city of Alghero or walk 654 steps down to enter it. There is free roadside parking near the entrance of the steps. Once here you can purchase a ticket (€14 for adults) at the ticket building to enter. You can walk the steps at your own pace but must follow a guide through the cave itself. Inside the 1 km-long cave, you will see beautiful white stalactites and shallow turquoise waters.
Find ticket pricing and further details on Neptune’s Grotto website here.
Summary of Things to do in Sardinia:
There are tons of outdoor things to do on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. Whether you’re visiting in the busy summer months or calmer fall months, you should be able to do everything included on this list. Which includes visiting a Nuraghe, the Valley of the Moon, the oldest olive tree in Europe, visiting a beach like Cala Brandinchi, the Archaeological Ruins of Nora, or visiting Neptune’s Grotto!
If you’re a fan of traveling to compete in races, you should check out Sardinia’s Ironman 70.3. It’s a great race with crystal clear waters, a scenic bike ride, and a flat run! If you’re heading to Sardinia, Italy soon – what are you most excited to see?
