Getting around Sardinia by car 
Our advice: Having a car at your disposal gives you the freedom to explore Sardinia and the flexibility to go wherever you please. There is so much to see and do in this fascinating island, so many places to discover and sights to experience.
Go wherever the mood takes you, through the rolling hills of Sardinia, past ancient archeological sites, vineyards and little towns or along magnificent coastal roads to nice resorts and fishing villages: the choice is yours.
If you travel to Porto Torres or Olbia by car you will get the chance to admire some of the stunning panoramic views of the island. Many of the secondary and minor roads wind their way over hills and are normally very narrow with many curves, but as you are on vacation take your time and enjoy Sardinia natural sites while driving to your holiday resort. The SS131 or Carlo Felice is Sardinia's Main road. It is a dual carriage way that connects Cagliari to Porto Torres and to the four corners of the island.

Sardinia has no high-ways, therefore should you need to travel from South to North or vice versa you can drive along the island main road dual carriageway called Carlo Felice SS 131. It was named Carlo Felice after the King of Savoy who built this dual carriage road in 1824 on top of the original Roman one, that crossed the whole Sardinia from Karalis, ancient name for Cagliari, to Turrys Lybissonis, at present Porto Torres.
The SS131 starts in Cagliari where out of the city it crosses the fertile plain of Campidano where crops are cultivated together with local products such as artichokes in winter and vineyards in summer, or rice around Oristano. After the central plain of Oristano the scenery changes completely offering views of the central volcanic plateau and the wild forests of Monti Ferru dead volcano. The vegetation becomes thicker with wild olive trees, oaks and shrubs.
Near the province of Sassari we find again more cultivations and fertile lands with green meadows. Much more fascinating are the secondary coastal roads such as The Bosa-Alghero or the Domus de Maria-Teulada in the sunny Costa del Sud.
Driving along this dazzling coastline will be a real exciting experience with amazing landscape and panoramic sea view. If you want to enjoy Sardinia by car you can choose the SS195 or the SS 125, but take your time, relax and enjoy the driving. Such roads are serpentine like and very winding, but this scenic drives offer sensational views of the mountains and coastline with many high viewing points on the way, providing excellent panoramas.

Arriving by ferry to Sardinia 
Our advice: If you enjoy traveling by sea and do not like flying you can reach Sardinia by ferry. There are different ferry lines available to suit every need. We recommend to book in advance directly with the ferry lines via Internet. Sardinia can be easily reached from the main Italian ports by ferry.

Have a look at our internet booking system on this page.

Several crossings are available from and to the following ports:
Civitavecchia	<  >	Cagliari		Livorno	<  >	Olbia
Civitavecchia	<  >	Arbatax		Livorno	<  >	Golfo Aranci
Civitavecchia	<  >	Olbia		Piombino	<  >	Golfo Aranci
Genoa	<  >	Olbia		La Spezia	<  >	Golfo Aranci
Genoa	<  >	Porto Torres

There are two types of Ferries:
Ferries that do long night crossings and fast ferries. The crossing can be rather long and passengers can stay overnight in ferry cabins.
The longest journey is from Naples to Cagliari and it takes approximately 16 hours. From Civitavecchia to Olbia the crossing is up to 7 hours. If you travel overnight it is advisable to book a cabin in advance. It is also possible to cross with cars, vans or campervans.
There are different ferry lines that serve Sardinia main ports. All Ferries are equipped with cabins, restaurants, lounge, bar area, and often even cinema and other extra facilities.

Tirrenia is the main Italian Ferry Company, which connects to all Sardinian ports. Most Tirrenia ferries have been recently renovated and offer now more comfort to passengers.

The Grandi Navi Veloci "Grimaldi" is a very modern and competitive ferry line that travels all year from Genoa to Porto Torres or Olbia. The Grimaldi fleet have only elegant cruise ships.Moby line is another ferry line which connects Sardinian northern ports such as Olbia, Porto Torres and Golfo Aranci with Livorno, Genoa and Civitavecchia. Its fleet includes very beautiful ferries like Moby Wonder and Moby Freedom.

Linea dei Golfi ferry services are available only during the high season from Piombino to Golfo Aranci and from Livorno to Olbia. From 2001 Cagliari port is also served by Sardinia and Corsica ferries from Civitavecchia twice a week.

For the island inner connections, therefore to reach the archipelago islands, from Palau to La Maddalena or from Calasetta and Portovesme to San Pietro island the service is by Saremar that is part of the Tirrenia Fleet or by Tris.
If you would like to visit the twin sister island of Corsica while you are in Sardinia you can comfortably travel on a short crossing from Santa Teresa di Gallura to Bonifacio with Saremar. The ferry for Corsica is available twice a day.

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Getting around Sardinia with local Bus transports 
Our advice: Before starting off your journey check carefully the area you need to reach as some parts of the island can be badly connected or served by different bus companies.

Bus Companies:

¤ ARST (Azienda Regionale Sarda Trasporti): The ARST is the Regional Sardinian Bus company network. ARST stations can be found in the main cities and buses connect the various different Sardinian provinces. They offer Tourist Bus tickets valid from the 1st of June to the 30th of September. See here for more info.

¤Ferrovie Meridionali Sarde: This bus network serves mainly the Southwestern part of Sardinia, covering areas around Cagliari and the Sulcis Iglesiente region. Tickets are available in Bar/tobacconists near bus stops, also because this Company does not have public offices in the main cities. Buses are comfortable and air-conditioned.

¤ Pani: If you need to reach Cagliari from Porto Torres, Sassari or vice versa you can travel on the comfortable buses of Pani bus line. Pani provides either direct or with regional buses. The regional one stop on several minor towns and other destinations. The direct arrives to Sassari from Cagliari without any other stop en route. Tickets are available in the Pani offices and can be purchased right before departure.

¤ Turmo travel: This is a very efficient company, based in Olbia. Born as a tourist Bus Company now also provides bus connections from Cagliari to Olbia and vice versa. The departure time from piazza Crispi in Olbia normally is at 4.45 a.m. and arrives in Piazza Matteotti in Cagliari at 9.01 a.m. From Cagliari the departure normally is at 5.30 a.m. from Piazza Matteotti or at 2.30 p.m. arriving at Olbia in Piazza Crispi approximately 5 hours later. Coaches are very modern, comfortable and air-conditioned.

¤ Logudoro tours: This is also a private bus company from Sassari, which provides bus service from Alghero Fertilia airport to different destinations such as Macomer, Oristano and Cagliari. This bus line is especially good for passengers traveling with RyanAir flights to Alghero, but other passengers can use this service. Timetables here.

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