Cagliari: what to see in southern Sardinia

Cagliari literally captivated me; it’s a paradise for foodies and a really lovely little town. I was a bit torn between Cagliari and Alghero – where to go and for how long. In the end, I split my time between the two towns exactly in half, and I’m glad I did. In Cagliari, I enjoyed the town and the food more, whilst in Alghero I enjoyed the car trips and walks along the coast.

Where to stay in Cagliari

Cagliari isn’t exactly small and has a decent bus network, so even accommodation further from the centre needn’t be a problem. Poetto Beach is worth considering if you want to spend most of your holiday by the sea. But personally, I prefer staying in the city itself, which is lovely and has plenty of nice places to eat and relax.

The city centre is pretty straightforward, and then there’s the Castello district – that’s where I stayed, and I really liked it there. Castello is situated on a hill above the city centre, where the cathedral and the castle are located; it has those classic narrow streets and offers a beautiful view of the whole city, as well as the sunset over Cagliari. There are car parks there too, but you’re unlikely to be able to manoeuvre your car right up to your accommodation (or you probably won’t want to). Just bear in mind that the narrow streets also mean the flats tend to be quite dark; if you’d like to spend more time in your accommodation, it’s better to look for somewhere with a view or overlooking a small square. From Castello, it’s a 10-minute walk down to the centre; the climb back up isn’t an insurmountable hill, but there are buses running that route if you prefer.

Tickets, day trips and experiences in Cagliari

Beach trips and boat tours fill up ahead of time in season, so booking in advance pays off.

• Old town walking tour – a guided walk, a good start if you want to get your bearings quickly.
• Trip to Chia and Tuerredda beaches – a full-day trip; without a car these are complicated to reach.
• Cruise with snorkelling – a boat tour with 5 stops; it fills up ahead of time in summer.
• Cagliari food tour – a tasting of Sardinian specialities; capacity is small, book ahead.

What to see in Cagliari

You’ll find the main attractions up in the Castello district. Narrow streets, city walls and beautiful views of the city, the Tyrrhenian Sea and the sunset. It’s a bit of a climb, but the walk is short and pleasant.

Bastions of Saint-Rémy

The Bastione di Saint Remy is a fortified terrace and viewing platform built on top of old Spanish fortifications; it has a star-shaped layout. From the centre of Cagliari, you can easily walk here from the Monumento a Carlo Felice (the statue at the roundabout right in the centre), along Via Giuseppe Manno, which is a lovely shopping street lined with cafés. This will take you to Piazza Costituzione, another roundabout, and right on its edge is the entrance gate to the Bastione, Porta Cristina, which is also architecturally worth seeing. Climb the steps here and you’ll reach Terrazza Umberto I, a large open space – a sort of terrace with a view.

The interior spaces of the Bastion are used for exhibitions and cultural events.

Torre dell’Elefante

The 31-metre-high 14th-century tower is also in the Castillo district. It served as a prison until the 20th century. Today, the tower is open to the public and you can climb to the top to enjoy the view. Just bear in mind that it doesn’t open until the afternoon (I think it was from 3.00 pm, but this may change during the year); admission cost 3 euros.

Santa Maria di Castello Cathedral

The interior is adorned with richly carved altars, stained-glass windows and works of art. The Chapel of the Holy Martyrs houses the relics of some 179 Christian martyrs. Among the several rare statues housed here is the Madonna dei Naviganti, the patron saint of sailors.

San Benedetto Market

It’s a bit further from the centre, but if you want to shop for and sample fresh local produce, I’d definitely recommend it. It’s a lovely market with a huge selection of cheeses, hams, baked goods, fruit, vegetables, pasta and oils. It’s also one of the largest markets in the whole of Italy.

Things to do in Cagliari

Cagliari is lovely; you could easily spend a few days just strolling around the city and relaxing in the brilliant local restaurants. You can easily explore the whole city on foot, but there are a few places you might want to see that are best reached by bus. These include, in particular, Poetto Beach, Parco di Monte Urpinu and Parco Naturale Molentargius Saline.

If you don’t have much time in Cagliari and want to at least see these places, you can take the Cagliari city tour – a green bus that sets off on an approximately one-hour circular route from 9.30 am every hour and a half until 6.30 pm from Piazza Yenne (at the roundabout right in the city centre). The ride costs 12 euros.

Flamingos in Cagliari

I knew there were flamingos in Cagliari, but I wasn’t really keen to go and see them – I didn’t think there was much chance I’d actually spot them. In the end, I plucked up the courage, and I’m glad I did. The flamingos are in the salt pans at the Parco Naturale Molentargius Saline. You can see them either from the path running alongside Via Lungo Saline (which is near Poetto Beach and runs parallel to it) or by going directly to the visitor centre on Via La Palma. You can get here by several buses (3, 3P, 5ZE) from the bus station and from the centre of Cagliari. The Poetto (G. Rossi) stop is about two minutes’ walk from the visitor centre. They also offer guided tours, boat trips and photography workshops. It’s best to visit the park in the morning or evening, when it’s not so hot and the birds are more active. I went at about 10 am and it was fine. The photos weren’t great, but it was a real treat to see it with my own eyes.

Poetto Beach

The most popular – and, in fact, the main – beach in Cagliari. It’s about half an hour from the city centre on buses 3, 3P and 5ZE. It’s on the same route as the flamingos, just a few stops further on. The Poetto (Lido Esercito) stop is roughly in the middle of the beach. It takes about half an hour to get here by bus from the city centre.

A boat trip and snorkelling

Cagliari is a coastal city, so you can set off on boat trips directly from there. Most trips go to the Devil’s Saddle (Sella del Diavolo), and sunset cruises are also popular.

Monte Urpinu Park

The park is a little further from the city centre, but it offers beautiful views of both the whole city and the coast, as well as, on the other side, the Molentargius Saline Nature Park with its flamingos.

What to try in Cagliari

Ordering a simple spaghetti carbonara or a pizza in Cagliari might almost be a sin, as Sardinia has plenty of specialities of its own. But then again, I did try that pizza during my week-long stay. A local speciality is culurgiones, dumplings stuffed with potatoes, pecorino cheese and mint. Or malloredus, small pasta shapes, traditionally served with tomato sauce and pecorino cheese. The slow-roasted suckling pig, porceddu, is rich but delicious. And finally, there’s the local bread, pane carasau, which you’ll usually be served in a restaurant with olive oil and salt before your meal.

For sweet treats, there are saedas – (quite large) fried pastries filled with cheese and drizzled with honey. Or pardulas, little tartlets filled with ricotta.

Where to eat in Cagliari

In Cagliari, just as in the rest of Sardinia and throughout Italy, it’s not that hard to find good Italian food. I’d say you just need to follow your nose here, but of course I’ve come across a few brilliant places that are exactly to my taste, and I’m not going to keep them to myself.

First and foremost, coffee. We’re in Italy, so on every corner you can get an espresso or a macchiato for around a euro, standing at the bar. For those of us who seek out speciality coffee, there’s Caffè dell’Arte Specialty Coffee. A small café serving breakfast, filter coffee, and treats such as tiramisu latte. Ditrizio Pasticceria has won my heart; here you’ll find typical Italian desserts as well as mini versions costing less than 2 euros. They have brilliant maritozzi, cannoli, profiteroles and tiramisu. And you can enjoy your coffee the Italian way – standing at the bar.

Up in Castello, there’s a brilliant pizzeria called Amalfi, which, as well as serving fantastic pizza, won me over with its pairing of pizza and gin and tonic. For every pizza on the menu, the most suitable gin and tonic is specifically recommended. What’s more, this restaurant has outdoor seating right on the ramparts, with views of the town and the sunset.

Just a few steps away is the American Bar Gemini, whose concept is exactly how I like my cocktail bars. They don’t have a menu; you simply say what you like, describe the flavours you’re after, and they’ll mix you a bespoke drink. I think this is the first cocktail bar of this sort where I’ve sat outside, with a lovely little lamp on the table. However, if you’re a gin fan, Amalfi had a better selection and better bottles; here, they reserve the more interesting bottles solely for martini cocktails.

Sa Domu Sarda is a traditional Sardinian restaurant specialising in non-seafood dishes; it’s recommended everywhere, so I went there – and you really do need to book in advance (even before the high season, in mid-June). It was well worth it; the food is brilliant, with indoor seating and tablecloths. It’s not exactly cheap, but it’s not overpriced either.

Right on the main street in the centre, it looks a bit touristy, but even here I found a restaurant I’ve grown to like. Gigino’s cucina e pizza napoletana is a Neapolitan restaurant; they do serve pizza here, but it’s more about regular meals – more Italian (and Neapolitan) than specifically Sardinian. I had what was probably the best tiramisu of my life here. They make it fresh to order (unlike the sort that’s usually already prepared in a glass), so the ladyfingers are still crisp and the flavour is perfect. I also enjoyed the food just round the corner at Simbua.

There’s another little gem up in Castello: a small local eatery called Il Gusto Dei Cannas. You choose your food at the counter; it’s cheap and quite good, but of course it’s no fine dining. There are only about four seats, so it’s really more of a takeaway sort of place.

Where to go on a day trip from Cagliari

If you’ve flown into Sardinia, are staying in Cagliari for the whole time and have plenty of time, then it’s worth heading north to Sassari or Alghero, but it’s a trip that will take (at least) a whole day, from early morning until late evening, as it’s a long journey. Where to go around Cagliari?

• Spiaggia di Chia – one of the most beautiful beaches in southern Sardinia, with golden sand and turquoise waters, about 50 km from Cagliari.
• Villasimius – a seaside town about 50 km from Cagliari (on the opposite side to Chia) with a marine park where you can go diving.
• Nora – an archaeological site featuring Roman ruins, including an amphitheatre, temples and thermal baths, about 30 km from Cagliari. It’s by the sea and there’s a lovely beach there too.
• Barumini and Su Nuraxi – about 60 km north of Cagliari, inland, lies the small town of Barumini. This is where Su Nuraxi is situated, a complex of Nuragic towers and structures listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Where is Cagliari?

Cagliari is on the southern tip of the Italian island of Sardinia.

How to get to Cagliari

Cagliari has one of the three airports in Sardinia ( alongside Alghero and Olbia). So if you’re flying, you’ll land just a few kilometres from the city centre, which you can reach in about 20 minutes by train. The train station is right next to the airport and is clearly signposted; it’s just a few hundred metres down a corridor, but as trains don’t run all that frequently, I’d recommend checking the timetable in advance so that you can hurry a bit if necessary and don’t miss it by a minute (or, conversely, so you don’t rush unnecessarily). You can easily buy a ticket from the machine at the train stop; a single ticket costs €1.30.

You can also fly into Alghero; the airport is actually in Fertilla, about 10 km from Alghero. From there, you can get to Cagliari by train via Sassari (which you can reach by taking bus 760 from the airport); the journey takes 3 hours, and there are about three services a day.

You can also get here by ferry from Naples, Civitavecchia (near Rome), Savona, Genoa or Palermo (in Sicily). Most of the routes are operated by Grimaldi Lines.

Getting around Cagliari

There are plenty of buses here; the easiest way to buy tickets is to download the CTM BusFinder app. You can buy your ticket in the app and then validate it using the QR code on the bus once you’ve boarded. A ticket costs 1.30 euros. You can get to Castillo by taking buses 7 and 8 from the railway station or from the city centre, Piazza Yenne, to the Porcell stop; from there, it’s just a short walk through the pretty streets. Buses stop on request, so you’ll need to ring the bell.