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Italy: Sardinia

Undiscovered Sardinia Cycling

Trip code: C07SA

Average customer rating 4.7 / 5(19 verified reviews)

Self-Guided Cycling
7 nights hotel-to-hotel
Steady
CO₂ rating 1/5
Agent supplied app

Trip highlights

The unspoilt landscapes of Sardinia’s south-western coast

Unrivalled coastal vistas, glittering emerald seas, pure white sand beaches

Colourful fishing villages, abundant vineyards, verdant olive groves, panoramic watch towers

Island hop to the beautiful isles of St Pietro and St Antioco

Discover the fascinating archaeological sites of Nora and St Antioco

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Trip details

Sardinia’s south-west corner is brimming with immaculate beaches, untouched hidden coves and far reaching coastal views, and there’s no better way to discover this beautiful region than by bike. This 7 night holiday takes you to the stunning islands of St Pietro and St Antioco, with their bustling harbours selling the freshest of fish, and admire picture perfect white sand beaches lapped by those famous emerald waters. Cycle along Sardinia’s undulating country lanes and panoramic coastal roads, to the colourful town of Pula, a short distance from the Sardinian capital of Cagliari. Enroute you pass expanses of vineyards and olive groves and pedal along high rugged cliffs dotted with Spanish and Pisan watchtowers.

What's included

Included

  • 7 nights in 3-star equivalent and 3-star accommodation
  • All breakfasts and 1 evening meals
  • Bike fitting and briefing at the start of your holiday
  • Navigation app
  • Bike hire included
  • Luggage transfers between hotels
  • Transfer from Cagliari airport to St Antioco on day 1
  • Agent App

Not included

  • Flights
  • Local taxes/fees
  • Travel insurance

Your bike

Hand-picked for the route, hire included

Giant, Rove 2 Disc or equivalent. Your bike hire is included in the price of your holiday and comes equipped with the relevant essentials, plus rear pannier.

Travel options

Our travel specialists can arrange flights, rail and transfers to this holiday from wherever you are. Call us to plan your journey. +44 1606 720099

Itinerary

Route map, with each night's stop marked
The full route, night by night. Select the map to view it full screen.

Day 1 · —Arrive in St Antioco

Arrive in St Antioco

Transfer from Cagliari Airport to your accommodation on Sant’Antioco Island. Along the way, keep an eye out for the flamingos that inhabit the island’s picturesque salt marshes. Located off the southwest coast of Sardinia, this enchanting island is celebrated for its rich history and natural beauty.

You stay at Hotel Cala di Seta or Hotel Luci del Faro

Hotel Cala di Seta
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Hotel Cala di Seta

Calasetta

  • Air conditioning
  • Hairdryers
  • Minibar
  • Safe
  • Television
  • Wifi access

Cala Di Seta is a welcoming family-run hotel located in the heart of Calasetta on the beautiful island of Sant’Antioco.
Recharge your batteries and immerse yourself in local traditions and flavours in unspoiled nature.

All rooms are equipped with air-conditioning system and are tastefully decorated in the traditional Sardinian style and colours.
A choice of restaurants is available at a short walking distance.

Hotel Luci del Faro
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Hotel Luci del Faro

Calasetta

  • Air conditioning
  • ATM
  • Bank
  • Hairdryers
  • Mastercard
  • Minibar
  • Safe
  • Swimming pool
  • Television
  • Visa cards

Hotel Luci del Faro – named after St Antioco’s lighthouse which it overlooks – sits in landscaped gardens just a short walk from spectacular cliffs and the stunning beach of Spiaggia Grande in Calasetta. The hotel has a classic Sardinian decor of bright yellow and vibrant blue, whilst bedrooms are spacious and modern, in pastel tones, and with a patio area giving directly out onto the gardens.

The hotel boasts a swimming pool and tennis court, and also comes with a restaurant serving both Sardinian and Italian dishes with the best locally sourced produce.

Day 2 · 20km/12.4miExplore St Pietro

Explore St Pietro

This morning, take a short ferry ride to San Pietro Island, home to the charming town of Carloforte. Wander through its pastel coloured streets and cobbled lanes and enjoy the abundance of seafood restaurants. Founded by Ligurian families, Carloforte boasts a distinct cultural identity that’s evident in both its local dialect and its cuisine.

Overnight in Calasetta on the island of St Antioco.

Elevation

Explore St Pietro elevation profile

Day 3 · 40km/24.9miSt Antioco loop ride

St Antioco loop ride

Follow quiet country roads along St Antioco’s rugged coastline with peregrine falcons soaring overhead. Arrive at the bustling fishing town of St Antioco. With a rich archeological heritage, there’s much to explore here including the Punic Necropolis and Phoenicean-Punic Tophet. Cycle back to your hotel via the sleepy hamlet of Cussorgia.

Elevation

St Antioco loop ride elevation profile

Day 4 · 54km/33.6miSt Antioco to Teulada

St Antioco to Teulada

Return to the mainland via the causeway across the Bay of Palmas, then pedal past salt pans and lagoons of pink flamingos to the gently rolling, vineyard clad hills of St Anna Arresi and Teulada. Enjoy the best of Sardinian hospitality at a traditional agriturismo, where your evening meal is included.

Elevation

St Antioco to Teulada elevation profile

You stay at Agriturismo Terraniedas

Agriturismo Terraniedas
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Agriturismo Terraniedas

Sant'Anna Arresi

Day 5 · 35km/21.7miTeulada to Chia

Teulada to Chia

Admire unrivalled coastal views as you cycle along the spectacular Costa del Sud, with its hidden sandy coves, panoramic watch towers, stunning white sand beaches and rugged cliffs that plunge into pure emerald blue waters. End the day in Chia with time to relax on the town’s immaculate, long sandy beach.

Elevation

Teulada to Chia elevation profile

You stay at Hotel Spartivento

Hotel Spartivento and garden
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Hotel Spartivento

Chia

  • Air conditioning
  • Hairdryers
  • Minibar
  • Safe
  • Swimming pool
  • Television
  • Wifi access

The panoramic view at Hotel Spartivento paints the perfect picture of the western Sardinian coastline.

The one-storey building is designed with nature in mind: made of natural and local materials like stone and wood it is home to typical Mediterranean plants that you can admire in the large garden surrounding the property.

This property offers 27 comfortable ensuite rooms located on the ground floor, all equipped with Air-Con, minibar and safe, each room gives out onto the garden and veranda where you can enjoy the gentle warm breeze from the coast.

Day 6 · 30km/18.6miChia to Pula

Chia to Pula

Head north past the gorgeous beach at Santa Margherita di Pula to the ancient Phoenicean site of Nora. Visit the remains of the Roman amphitheatre, temple and baths, one of Sardinia’s best archeological sites, before continuing to colourful Pula with its winding alleyways and lively piazze.

Elevation

Chia to Pula elevation profile

You stay at Hotel Marin

Hotel Marin
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Hotel Marin

Pula

  • Air conditioning
  • ATM
  • Bank
  • Hairdryers
  • Mastercard
  • Minibar
  • Safe
  • Television
  • Visa cards
  • Wifi access

Day 7 · —Free day in Pula

Free day in Pula

Relax on the beach, enjoy a leisurely fish lunch in one of Pula’s excellent restaurants or take a bus (40 mins) to the Sardinian capital of Cagliari to discover its many historical sites and museums.

Day 8 · —Leave Pula

Leave Pula

Extending your holiday

Hotel Marin
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Hotel Marin

Pula

  • Air conditioning
  • ATM
  • Bank
  • Hairdryers
  • Mastercard
  • Minibar
  • Safe
  • Television
  • Visa cards
  • Wifi access

What our travellers say

Extremely well researched & organised. Accommodation was varied & always clean, with helpful friendly staff, particularly Stefano at the Agriturismo & Martina at Hotel Marin. Length of cycling each day was perfect…not too much, so enough time to relax & swim in the clear warm silky sea or the swimming pools at two of the hotels too. Fresh fish was delicious. It was a tremendous week.

Miss Ellerton

Reliable and always providing interest and challenges.

Mr Brian

We had a fabulous cycling holiday for our first trip to Sardinia. Headwater provided a superb itinerary, great bikes and lovely independent hotels run by Sardinian families. The scenery was jaw dropping and we could not have packed in so many memorable sights and locations without the Sardinian Headwater teams’ thorough knowledge of the region. The ride was more moderate than “easy” in the high temperatures of June, but perfectly manageable with care and our luggage was always waiting for us in the room of our new hotel, a welcome sight after a hot day’s cycling. We’ll definitely be back to Sardinia and back to Headwater for another adventure on wheels. Charlotte and Clive Makin.

Mrs Makin

We absolutely loved this holiday. It was our first time in Sardinia and we were blown away by the magnificent blue sea and coastal line. The most magical moment for us was seeing the flamingos grazing in the salt pans. A sight to behold. The Sardinian people were lovely and welcoming and the food along with the Sardinian wines, delicious. This was a beautiful quiet part of Sardinia and cycling was definitely a great way to absorb as much of this beautiful island as possible. Given that we were mainly cycling on the coastal roads, we were amazed by the very considerate car drivers who always gave us loads of room and were incredibly respectful of cyclists. All in all this was a joyful holiday.

Dr Monte

The holiday provides a great tour of the beautiful coastline of Southern Sardinia and the islands. The cycling is relaxed with lots of opportunities to stop off at beautiful beaches

Mr Beresford

Overall we enjoyed the holiday but based on previous experience we felt the holiday should have been graded as a 2, and not 1+. The opportunities for visiting ancient sites on St Antioco and at Pula were well worth doing. We really enjoyed the frequent swimming breaks from the very many stunning beaches along the route, and the excellent food and wine! The support from the local agents, especially Naomi, was excellent

Mrs Nichols

We travelled to Sardinia just before the main tourist season started, so some places weren’t open – but this meant that we often had places all to ourselves. We loved the quirky houses in Nebida, and the staff at the ferry port, Portoscuso, were really helpful. The ride up to the abandoned tuna processing plant on Carloforte was slightly underwhelming, but the loop ride was pleasant – and we saw the flamingoes on the salt pans! The ride to Chia (day 5) was tough in places (maybe class this holiday as a 1++?) but the reward was always a lovely downhill freewheel. Some other roads were rather busy. The Roman ruins at Nora were well worth a visit, as was the Batteria Boggio with its lookout points and abandoned gun emplacements (with ammunition stores – fortunately completely empty) . All the hotels were most welcoming, insisting on speaking English to us, and usually transporting our luggage to and from our rooms. Food and wine were also superb – what more could you ask for?

CATCHPOLE

Excellent service from your team in UK. Top quality bikes. Lovely hotels in Sardinia. Have told everyone on my return what a good holiday I had.

SCOTT

Excellent journey along stunning landscapes. Day five coastal path road more challenging but stunning scenery. Bikes good, friendly people. Enjoyed and made the most of our free day in Pula. We thought it was a well planned and well thought out journey.

LEWIS

We have used Headwater many times and always found them excellent with a high standard of accommodation and good organisation. This is the first year that we have used an app for navigation which was fine but we would like it to be supported by good quality maps so that we can navigate the local areas.

Andrew Cummings
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Positive impact

Carbon score for this trip

14.0

Kg CO₂e

per person, per night

Relative to other Headwater trips

We measure emissions from the parts of the holiday we organise — including accommodation, in-trip transport, meals and activities — and express them as CO₂e per person, per night. Our label doesn’t include your travel to and from the start of the trip. As a Certified B Corp, Headwater is committed to reducing this figure and to positively impacting local communities, the local environment and our staff. Learn more

From£1,449per person