Last updated 7.10.2026
On the map, Sardinia looks like an island you could drive round in an afternoon. You can’t. It is more than 270 kilometres from north to south, the roads hug the coast or wind through the mountains, and a one-hour drive on the sat nav easily turns into two once a flock of sheep is standing in the next bend. Pick the wrong base and you spend half the holiday behind the wheel. That is why deciding where to stay in Sardinia starts with choosing a part of the island, not a hotel. Below are fourteen areas, each with what to expect, who it suits and specific places to stay that we checked on Booking.com, followed by the types of accommodation, prices by season and the tourist tax.
Where to stay in Sardinia at a glance
- Airport first, area second. Sardinia has three international airports: Cagliari in the south, Olbia in the north-east and Alghero in the north-west. Stay in the part of the island you fly into.
- August is a different world. A typical night for two in San Teodoro or Villasimius costs roughly 2.5 times more in August than in May. In Cagliari and Nuoro the price barely moves.
- The interior and the west are the cheapest (Nuoro, Oristano, Bosa). The Costa Smeralda is the most expensive: a typical August night in Porto Cervo comes to €580 to €875 (about £490 to £745).
- An agriturismo is a real farm. It may have at most 16 rooms and 30 beds, and at least 35% of what goes on your plate has to come from its own farm.
- The tourist tax varies from town to town. In Cagliari it is €1 to €5 per person per night depending on the stars, in Alghero €2 to €4 from 2026, and San Teodoro only charges it from May to October. Children under 12 don’t pay.
- Without a car, stick to the towns. Cagliari, Alghero and the area around Olbia work by bus. The interior and most of the wild beaches don’t.
- For holiday lets, look for the CIN code. Since 1 January 2025 every legal short-term rental in Italy must have one and show it in the listing.
Where to stay in Sardinia: how to choose the area
Which airport are you flying into? Crossing the island from one end to the other takes half a day. If you found a cheap flight to Cagliari, stay in the south. With a ticket to Olbia, base yourself in the north-east or on the east coast. Alghero is the gateway to the west and north-west. Which airlines fly where is covered in our Sardinia holiday planner.
Will you have a car? ARST buses run between the towns and to the main beaches around Cagliari, Olbia and Alghero, but on Sundays and public holidays services in many areas almost stop. Without a car, stay in a town or in a resort with a bus link, not on a farm in the hills.
What do you want from the holiday? Here is a quick guide. The details for each area follow below.
| Type of holiday | Where to stay | Nearest airport |
|---|---|---|
| Family with young kids, shallow sea | Villasimius, Costa Rei, San Teodoro, Chia | Cagliari, Olbia |
| No car, town plus beach | Cagliari, Alghero | Cagliari, Alghero |
| Boat trips and hiking | Cala Gonone, Orosei, Santa Maria Navarrese | Olbia |
| Luxury and yachts | Porto Cervo, Porto Rotondo, Baja Sardinia | Olbia |
| Peace and quiet, fewer tourists, lower prices | Oristano and Sinis, Bosa, Sant’Antioco | Cagliari, Alghero |
| Islands and snorkelling | La Maddalena, Palau, Carloforte | Olbia, Cagliari |
| Mountains, food, the “real” Sardinia | Oliena, Nuoro, Barbagia | Olbia, Cagliari |
14 best areas to stay in Sardinia
We go anticlockwise: from Cagliari up the west coast to the north, across Gallura, down the east coast and finally into the interior. Ratings and prices change all the time, so treat them as pointers, not guarantees.
1. Cagliari and Poetto beach: the city where you don’t need a car
The best choice for your first and last night, and for a trip without a car. The train from Elmas airport gets you to the main station in about seven minutes. The old Castello quarter on the hill has the best views, the salt lagoons with flamingos lie just outside the city, and Poetto, the city beach, runs for several kilometres.
Cagliari is one of the cheapest places on the island, and prices hardly change between May and August. We would stay in the centre, not by Poetto: a city bus takes you to the beach, while the evenings in the lanes below Castello are the reason to come here at all.
Our picks: Hotel Aristeo is a simple, clean three-star hotel near the port, rated 9.2 from more than 1,800 reviews. Bianca Dimora is a B&B in the centre with breakfast and a terrace. If you want to be closest to the sea, take Hotel Nautilus, right on the Poetto promenade, about a quarter of an hour’s drive from the centre. General search: accommodation in Cagliari.
2. Villasimius and Costa Rei: white sand and shallow water for families
The south-eastern tip is where to stay in Sardinia with young kids: wide beaches a kilometre long with fine pale sand, water that stays shallow for tens of metres from the shore and less wind than in the north. Villasimius is a former fishing village that stays lively in the evening, with the beaches of Simius, Porto Giunco and Punta Molentis and the Capo Carbonara marine reserve. Costa Rei, further north, is a purpose-built resort of apartments and villas where most services run only from May to October.
Beachfront accommodation in Villasimius is the most expensive in the south. Cheaper apartments and guesthouses are in the centre or the surrounding villages. A direct bus (line 101) runs here from Cagliari. Costa Rei is about an hour away by car, two by bus.
Our picks: Green Village Resort has apartments with a veranda, a big pool and a playground between Simius beach and the centre. Its private beach is 900 metres away and the resort is open from mid-May to early October. LAVITA Camp Capitana is glamping closer to Cagliari: tents with real beds, a shared kitchen and Capitana beach a hundred metres from the gate. For full service there is the four-star Hotel Simius Playa with a seasonal pool, 90 metres from Simius beach. General search: accommodation in Villasimius and accommodation in Costa Rei.
3. Chia, Pula and the Costa del Sud: dunes, lagoons and resorts
South-west of Cagliari the coast turns greener, and the closer you get to Chia and Teulada, the wilder it becomes. This is where the best beaches of the south are (the dunes at Chia, Su Giudeu bay and Tuerredda), and near Pula the ruins of the ancient town of Nora. Chia and Pula have most of the apartments and smaller hotels, the Costa del Sud more coves and fewer people.
The area is a notch more expensive than Cagliari and much of it is closed off into resorts, from family hotels to the huge Forte Village. It is about an hour from Cagliari by car, and getting around without one is hard. Our favourite moment here is early morning on the Chia dunes, before anyone has put up a parasol.
Our picks: Hotel Aquadulci is about 500 metres from Su Giudeu beach, with a palm garden, a pool and a restaurant. Hotel Rurale Orti di Nora is a three-star hotel on a twenty-hectare farm with animals, a pool and a spa, 1.5 km from the beach near Pula. For children who want to see donkeys and peacocks, you won’t find a better address in the south. For a special stay there is Baia di Chia Resort, a five-star Hilton resort with a pool and a private beach right in Chia. Watch the rating, though: 7.8 on Booking.com, lower than the price would suggest (in mid-October 2026, from roughly €360 per night for two). General search: accommodation in Chia and accommodation in Pula.
4. The south-west: Sant’Antioco, Carloforte and the Costa Verde
A wild corner with few tourists and prices that are still low. Sant’Antioco is an island joined to Sardinia by a bridge, around one hour twenty minutes by car from Cagliari. Carloforte, on the neighbouring island of San Pietro, is reached by ferry. It was once a Genoese colony and has a waterfront of brightly painted houses. Further north on the Costa Verde lies Piscinas beach with its enormous dunes, about 75 km from Cagliari. Look for accommodation around the village of Arbus.
Our picks: Nichotel in the old centre of Carloforte is rated 9.3, and in September 2026 Booking.com showed it from about €53 per night for two, a very unusual combination for Sardinia. Some rooms have a terrace with a sea view. On Sant’Antioco, a good cheaper base is Hotel Del Corso on the main street in the centre, with breakfast in the café downstairs and a rating of 8.6. You stay right among the bars, the only catch is that the hotel lists no parking of its own. A completely different world is Hotel Le Dune Piscinas: historic buildings right on Piscinas beach below the dunes, with a pool, a spa and a rating of 9.2. The price matches the location, in mid-October 2026 from roughly €445 per night for two. General search: accommodation on Sant’Antioco, accommodation in Carloforte and accommodation in Arbus near Piscinas.
5. Oristano and the Sinis peninsula: “rice” beaches and quiet even in August
The less touristy part of the west coast. Oristano is an ordinary town where people live all year round, Cabras sits by a lagoon with flamingos, and the Sinis peninsula has the beaches of Is Arutas, Is Arenas and Putzu Idu, where the sand is made of tiny grains of quartz that look like rice. At the tip of the peninsula stand the ruins of ancient Tharros. Most of the accommodation is in S’Archittu, Cabras and Oristano, while surfers head for Putzu Idu.
The west is exposed to the mistral, so the sea tends to be rougher and a little colder than on the east coast. In our price comparison Oristano came out the cheapest together with Nuoro. We would stay here for the empty beaches, accepting that an evening in Cabras means a quiet street rather than a promenade.
Our picks: Hotel Villa Canu is a historic country house by the Cabras lagoon, and most rooms open straight onto the garden. Gioia Guesthouse is a smaller guesthouse in Cabras with a garden, 13 km from Tharros. If you would rather stay in town and have somewhere to go in the evening, book Hotel Il Duomo, in a 17th-century noble house opposite Oristano cathedral. It is rated 8.9 and in mid-October 2026 cost from roughly €92 per night for two. The nearest beaches are about ten minutes away by car, Sinis a little further. General search: accommodation in Cabras, accommodation in Oristano and accommodation in Putzu Idu.
6. Bosa: painted houses by the river and the cheapest pretty town
Bosa is one of the most photogenic places in Sardinia. Pastel houses climb from the River Temo up to Malaspina Castle, an old stone bridge crosses the river, and the vineyards around the town make the sweet Malvasia di Bosa. The beach at Bosa Marina is about two and a half kilometres from the centre.
It works as a stop between Alghero and Oristano and as a main base if you want to save money: in August it is roughly half the price of Alghero. The cliff-top road from Alghero to Bosa is one of the most beautiful drives on the island.
Our picks: Palazzo Pischedda is a boutique hotel 50 metres from the Ponte Vecchio, with a terrace restaurant, free parking and rooms looking onto the river or the castle. It is cheaper to sleep by the sea in Bosa Marina, about 3 km from the centre: Hotel Miramare is 80 metres from the beach, has free parking and accepts dogs (rated 7.8, in mid-October 2026 from roughly €68 per night for two). A little further along is Hotel Al Gabbiano with its own beach, a restaurant serving Sardinian food and the option of half board, looking out over the harbour and the Aragonese tower. General search: accommodation in Bosa.
7. Alghero: “little Barcelona” with the airport next door
The island’s third largest town has its own airport and, after centuries of Catalan rule, a Catalan face. The old town inside the walls stays lively late into the night, the sandy beaches of Lido, San Giovanni and Maria Pia are right by the town, and just beyond it lie Porto Conte park, the Capo Caccia headland and Neptune’s Grotto. With so much competition (more than 2,600 listings on Booking.com) you can find decent accommodation at a fair price here in May.
A direct bus runs from the airport to the centre and takes 20 to 30 minutes. The historic centre is a ZTL zone and parking in high season is a headache, so if you book in the centre, ask the hotel about parking. We cover the town and its surroundings in detail in our guide to Alghero.
Our picks: Hotel Oasis is a few steps from the beach, with an outdoor pool and a tennis court. The centre is ten minutes away by bus from the stop outside the hotel, the airport 7 km. Agriturismo Porticciolo in Porto Conte park has separate cottages with a veranda, a playground and farm animals. Porticciolo beach is 400 metres away and Alghero 16 km, so don’t come here without a car. For a special stay: Villa Las Tronas Hotel & SPA is a former royal residence on the Lungomare Valencia seafront, ten minutes’ walk from the centre, with a pool above the bay, a spa with an indoor saltwater pool and a rating of 9.1. It isn’t cheap: in mid-October 2026 from roughly €480 per night for two. General search: accommodation in Alghero and accommodation in Fertilia.
Alghero: Boat trip with snorkelling in Porto Conte and Capo Caccia
Alghero: Mini yacht trips, boat cruise, snorkelling and snacks
8. Stintino, Castelsardo and Valledoria: La Pelosa and the cheaper north
That poster of Sardinia with impossibly turquoise water and a white tower in the background is most likely La Pelosa beach near Stintino. Stintino sits on a narrow spit of land with limited capacity, and in our August comparison it came out third most expensive after Porto Cervo and Villasimius. At La Pelosa you pay to get in during the season and visitor numbers are capped; we explain the rules in our article on what to watch out for in Sardinia. Boats to Asinara island leave from Stintino and Porto Torres.
The surroundings are cheaper. After Bosa, Porto Torres is one of the cheapest resorts on the island. Castelsardo is a medieval town on a rock, although its local beaches are fairly average. To the east stretches the long sandy beach of Valledoria and Badesi, with guesthouses, apartments and resorts at roughly half the prices of Stintino. Sassari is a good cheap night before a flight out of Alghero.
Our picks: Residence Hotel La Pelosetta stands right by La Pelosa, with apartments with a kitchenette and a sea view from every room. One catch: according to Booking.com it only has ceiling fans, no air conditioning, which is no small thing in August. Hotel Rosa dei Venti is a three-star hotel in Lu Bagnu, 3 km from the centre of Castelsardo, with air-conditioned rooms and a sandy beach across the road. In Castelsardo itself there is Hotel Meli on the Lungomare Anglona seafront, with a sea-view terrace, a fish restaurant and free parking. It is rated 8.6 from more than 1,400 reviews and in mid-October 2026 cost from roughly €72 per night for two. General search: accommodation in Stintino, accommodation in Castelsardo and accommodation in Valledoria.
9. Santa Teresa Gallura, Palau and La Maddalena: islands within sight
The northernmost tip of the island. Santa Teresa Gallura has the Rena Bianca town beach (part of it is paid) and a ferry to Bonifacio in Corsica that takes about 50 minutes. From Palau, boats cross to the La Maddalena archipelago, where you can stay right in the town, take boats out to the surrounding islands and drive across the bridge to Caprera.
Prices are a little lower than on the nearby Costa Smeralda. The boat trip to the pink beach on Budelli is described in our article on Sardinia’s pink beach. We would stay on La Maddalena: in the evening, once the day-trip boats have left, the town belongs to the locals again.
Our picks: Hotel Excelsior is in the centre of La Maddalena town, two minutes’ walk from the ferries to Palau. Hotel Miralonga is on the south coast of the island, 2 km from the centre, with an outdoor pool and rooms with balconies. In Santa Teresa there is Hotel La Contessa in the historic centre, five minutes’ walk from Rena Bianca beach, with views of the sea and the Strait of Bonifacio. General search: accommodation in Santa Teresa Gallura, accommodation in Palau and accommodation on La Maddalena.
From Santa Teresa Gallura: Full-day boat trip to La Maddalena
10. Costa Smeralda, Cannigione and Arzachena: luxury, or a smarter cheaper base
Emerald water between smooth granite rocks, the beaches of Capriccioli and Principe, yachts in the marina and prices among the highest in all of Italy. The cheapest August offer in Porto Cervo in our comparison came to about €354 per night for two, and parking and sunloungers are expensive here too.
There is a way round it. Cannigione, on the shore of the Arzachena gulf, and the hills around Arzachena have ordinary supermarkets and restaurants, with the Costa Smeralda beaches within easy driving distance. From Olbia airport to Porto Cervo is about half an hour by car.
Our picks: Residence Bougainvillae has apartments with a kitchen, a pool and free parking 200 metres from the marina in Porto Cervo, with beaches 300 to 900 metres away. It is a fair price by Porto Cervo standards, which is why it fills up early. Moma Hotel Cannigione sits on the hill above the gulf, with a pool and free parking. Bagaglino I Giardini di Porto Cervo is about 2 km from Porto Cervo marina and offers apartments with a kitchenette and terrace, a restaurant and two sunloungers on the beach included in the price. It is rated 8.8 on Booking.com from more than 1,300 reviews. And if this really is the holiday of a lifetime, there is Hotel Cala di Volpe in the bay of the same name, with a private beach, two pools and a spa (rated 9.2). It is in a completely different price league from the rest of this list, so check the rate for your exact dates. General search: accommodation in Cannigione, accommodation in Arzachena and accommodation in Porto Cervo.
11. Olbia, San Teodoro and Budoni: Caribbean-style beaches close to the airport
These are the beaches that get Sardinia compared to the Caribbean: La Cinta and Cala Brandinchi near San Teodoro, with fine white sand, shallow water and a view of Tavolara island. San Teodoro is a lively resort with bars, evening markets and nightlife. Budoni, to the south, is quieter, while Porto San Paolo and Coda Cavallo to the north are mostly villa districts.
Olbia has the widest choice of accommodation and buses in every direction, though the beaches near the town are better for an afternoon swim than a whole day. From the airport to San Teodoro is about 30 minutes by car, and there is a direct bus too. Beachfront accommodation in San Teodoro is expensive: the cheapest August offer came to around €180 per night for two. It is cheaper to stay south of Olbia or inland in the hills above San Teodoro.
Our picks: Hotel Onda Marina stands in a garden 70 metres from La Cinta beach and fifteen minutes’ walk from the centre. For a family with kids, it is hard to find a better location. Li Teggi Turismo Rurale is a farmstead in the hills 7 km from San Teodoro with home-made bread and pastries for breakfast, and you can’t get here without a car. Residence Hotel Lu Nibareddu has apartments, bungalows and small villas with a kitchenette 1 km from Porto Taverna beach, two pools and a beach shuttle in summer. General search: accommodation in San Teodoro, accommodation in Budoni and accommodation in Olbia.
12. Cala Gonone and Orosei: a base for the Gulf of Orosei and the Supramonte
The east coast is a completely different Sardinia: high limestone cliffs and small coves that you can often reach only by boat or on a proper hike.
The main base is Cala Gonone, a tourist village between the mountains and the sea with a harbour, restaurants and more than 400 places to stay on Booking.com. Orosei, further north, is a historic town a short way from the sea with slightly lower prices, and La Caletta, further north still, offers peace and long sandy beaches. From Olbia it is an hour to an hour and a half by car, and public transport is poor. We cover the village in our guide to Cala Gonone, and the coves and boat trips in the article on the Gulf of Orosei.
Our picks: Club Esse Palmasera is a large four-star resort 500 metres from Palmasera beach with a seasonal pool. It is one of the most booked hotels in Sardinia, but a rating of 7.0 from more than 3,000 reviews suggests it is a practical choice rather than an experience. Hotel Caramare is a three-star hotel 200 metres from the central beach, and every room has a balcony. In Orosei there is Hotel Gli Ulivi, a smaller hotel with a garden 3 km from the beach. General search: accommodation in Cala Gonone, accommodation in Orosei and accommodation in La Caletta.
Cala Gonone: Boat trip to Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritzè
Cala Gonone: Gulf of Orosei boat cruise with swimming stops
13. Arbatax, Tortolì and Santa Maria Navarrese: the southern gateway to the gulf
The port of Arbatax, neighbouring Tortolì and the resort of Santa Maria Navarrese in the Ogliastra region are the southern starting point for boats along the Gulf of Orosei and to Cala Goloritzé, and they have a cove of their own, Porto Frailis. Apartments and smaller hotels dominate, and if you fly into Cagliari, this is closer than Cala Gonone. Above the coast rise the Gennargentu mountains, with peaks over 1,800 metres.
Our picks: Hotel La Bitta by Porto Frailis cove has a private beach, a pool, a spa and a rating of 9.4 on Booking.com. The price matches: in September 2026 from about €305 per night for two. Campeggio Villaggio Sos Flores is a campsite opposite the beach in Tortolì, 4 km from Arbatax port, with bungalows with a kitchenette, and it is often booked up well in advance. Between luxury and camping sits Hotel Agugliastra, a three-star hotel on the square in Santa Maria Navarrese, 100 metres from the beach, with breakfast and a rating of 8.9. Boats into the Gulf of Orosei leave from the small harbour here. General search: accommodation in Arbatax and accommodation in Santa Maria Navarrese.
14. The interior: Oliena, Nuoro and the Barbagia
Shepherd country of limestone canyons, roast suckling pig and Cannonau wine, with family-run guesthouses and agriturismi instead of resorts. Nuoro is the largest town in central Sardinia and has the widest choice of accommodation. Dorgali and Oliena are closer to the Supramonte mountains, the Gorropu gorge and the nuragic village of Tiscali.
The interior is the cheapest part of the island: in our comparison Nuoro came out the cheapest of all, cheaper in August than Villasimius in May. Without a car, though, it is practically out of reach. From Agriturismo Guthiddai near Oliena it is about half an hour by car to Cala Gonone, so you can sleep in the mountains and swim in the sea. Of all the combinations, this is our favourite. Routes through the gorge are covered in our article on Gola su Gorropu.
Our picks: Agriturismo Guthiddai is a farm at the foot of the mountains ten minutes from Oliena, with rooms with a terrace and breakfast of home-baked bread and organic jams. Su Gologone Experience Hotel is a white villa in the Supramonte landscape with a pool, a spa and a renowned Sardinian restaurant, luxury by the standards of the interior. Cheaper, and with a town to stroll around in the evening, is Sul Corso Affittacamere in the centre of Nuoro, 20 metres from the MAN museum, with air-conditioned rooms, a terrace overlooking the town and a rating of 9.1 from more than 500 reviews (in mid-October 2026 from roughly €56 per night for two). General search: accommodation in Oliena, accommodation in Nuoro and accommodation in Dorgali.
Sardinia accommodation: which type to choose
Hotels and resorts (villaggio)
The big resorts are mainly in Villasimius, around Pula, on the Costa Smeralda and in Cala Gonone. An Italian “villaggio turistico” is a complex with pools, entertainment, restaurants and often its own stretch of beach, where a family can last a week without a car.
Agriturismo: sleep on a farm and eat what grows behind the house
In our view this is the best way to experience Sardinia. An agriturismo is not a label for a country hotel but a working farm that is allowed to take guests and cook for them. Under Sardinian regional law no. 11/2015 it may have no more than 16 rooms and 30 beds, and its meals must use at least 35% produce from its own farm (full text of the law on the Sardinian regional council website).
In practice that means a small, quiet place, home-made cheese, wine and meat, and dinners that locals drive out for too. You will find agriturismi all over the island, but they are usually outside the villages and you can’t reach them without a car.
B&Bs and affittacamere
Bed and breakfasts and rented rooms (affittacamere) are the cheapest way to stay in a town. Cagliari, Alghero, Bosa and Olbia have hundreds of them, often in converted historic houses, and breakfast is usually sweet. A well-rated private room in one of the larger towns can be found in high season from around €48 per night, in the beach resorts from around €64.
Apartments, residences and villas
The most practical choice for families and longer stays, because a kitchenette takes a lot of pressure off the budget. An Italian “residence” is something between a hotel and an apartment: self-catering apartments, but with a reception, cleaning and often a pool. Villas with a pool are mostly let by the week, typically between Olbia and San Teodoro. Through one agency we looked at, apartments and villas around San Teodoro, Porto San Paolo and Budoni started from €1,300 a week for an apartment and from €1,800 for a villa.
When renting from a private owner, look for the CIN code issued by the Italian Ministry of Tourism in the listing. It has been compulsory since 1 January 2025, and if it is missing, treat that as a warning sign. On Sardinian listings you will also see the regional IUN code.
Camping and glamping in Sardinia
Sardinia has around a hundred campsites, and most of them are on a beach or right next to one. A modern Sardinian campsite is more of a holiday village with mobile homes, bungalows and furnished tents, so you can stay there without a tent of your own. The highest concentration of well-rated sites is in Gallura around Palau and Arzachena, around Orosei and Tortolì, and near Alghero. Wild camping is not worth the risk; the rules are in our article on what to watch out for in Sardinia.
A few sites we checked: Centro Vacanze Isuledda, on a peninsula in the Arzachena gulf, has rooms and mobile homes, a spa with a sea view and a pizzeria, although air conditioning costs extra in some units. Camping Village Capo d’Orso is five minutes’ walk from the beach in Saline bay, 5 km from Palau, with a minimarket and boat trips around the archipelago. Camping Porto Sosàlinos is a quiet site with no entertainment programme, 200 metres from Marzellinu beach near Orosei, with bungalows with a kitchen. In Cala Gonone there is Camping Car Palmasera with air-conditioned units with a kitchenette, 700 metres from Palmasera beach. For more, see our list of the best beach campsites in Italy.
How much does accommodation in Sardinia cost?
Prices depend more on the distance from the beach and the month than on the number of stars. August, when the whole of Italy goes on holiday, is in a different league from May or September in the resorts.
On 27 September 2026 we searched Booking.com in twelve towns for accommodation for two adults for a week, 17 to 24 May and 9 to 16 August 2027, and from the first 20 to 25 results sorted by popularity worked out the typical price per night (the range between the lower quartile and the median). It is a guide, not a price list.
| Town | Typical night for two, May 2027 | Typical night for two, August 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Nuoro (interior) | €60–85 | €80–95 |
| Oristano | €75–95 | €95–180 |
| Bosa | €80–120 | €135–165 |
| Cagliari | €100–125 | €130–145 |
| Santa Teresa Gallura | €95–110 | €195–240 |
| Alghero | €95–105 | €185–365 |
| Cala Gonone | €110–130 | €210–225 |
| Orosei | €95–135 | €205–260 |
| San Teodoro | €95–130 | €220–310 |
| Villasimius | €95–100 | €250–350 |
| Stintino | €115–145 | €260–355 |
| Porto Cervo | €150–240 | €580–875 |
The towns (Cagliari, Nuoro) cost almost the same all year, while the beach resorts get two to three times more expensive in August. In May a typical night across most of the island stays around €100 (about £85). The cheapest August night came to roughly €58 in Nuoro, €69 in Oristano, €83 in Bosa and €95 in Cagliari.
According to the budget travel site cestujlevne.com, a hostel bed starts at around €30, a lower-category hotel at around €80, and resorts and better hotels by the beach cost €120 to €250 per night in summer (2025 figures).
The closer to the sea and to August, the earlier you should book. How to book, cancellation terms and Booking.com versus Airbnb are covered in our Sardinia booking guide.
Sardinia tourist tax and other extra charges
The tourist tax (imposta di soggiorno) is charged per person per night, and each town sets its own rate, season and exemptions. It is often paid on arrival, and with private rentals usually in cash. Three examples for 2026:
| Town | Rate per person per night | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Cagliari | hotels €1 (1*) to €5 (5*), other accommodation €2, €3 from July to September, hostels €1.50 | maximum 5 consecutive nights, children under 12 and people over 70 exempt |
| Alghero | hotels up to 3* €2, 4* and above €4, other accommodation €2, campsite €2 (€1 with your own caravan) | new rates from 1 January 2026, maximum 7 consecutive nights, children under 12 exempt |
| San Teodoro | hotels €1.50 (2*) to €5 (5*), B&B €1.50, agriturismo and affittacamere €2, campsite pitch €0.80 | charged only from 1 May to 31 October 2026, children under 12 exempt |
Sources: Cagliari Turismo, Alghero town council and San Teodoro Turismo. Elsewhere, according to the travel blog smilingway.cz, the tax is mostly around €1 to €2 per person per night.
So a family of four with children over 12 staying a week in a four-star hotel in Alghero pays €112 (about £95). With private rentals, check the listing for other items, such as an Airbnb in Porto Rotondo charging a tax of €1.80 per person over 16 per night in cash and a €30 surcharge for arriving after 9 pm.
What to check when choosing where to stay in Sardinia
General advice on filters and booking conditions is in our booking guide. Here are the Sardinia-specific points.
- Air conditioning. From June to September it is often around 35 °C, and a sun-baked stone house is hard to sleep in without air conditioning. Most places have it, but not all, and some campsites charge extra. Where the mistral blows is explained in our article on Sardinia weather.
- Pool and season. In May and October the pool may not be filled yet, or already drained, and the hotel’s beach services and part of a resort may be closed. If it matters to you, message the host before booking.
- Distance to the beach in real life. On the east coast and in Gallura many places sit on a hill above the sea, and “2 km from the beach” can mean hairpin bends and hunting for a space in a paid car park.
- Half board. Worth it in remote resorts and agriturismi, where there is nowhere to go in the evening anyway. At an agriturismo we would always book dinner.
💡 Split the week between two bases. One base means either a lot of driving or seeing only one corner. Sea plus mountains works well, for example four nights in San Teodoro and three at an agriturismo near Oliena, or Alghero followed by Bosa or Sinis. Moving costs you half a day, but saves several long drives there and back.
What we would do differently
We wouldn’t stay next to the most famous beach. At La Pelosa, La Cinta or on the Costa Smeralda you pay three times as much, mainly for the privilege of waking up in the middle of the crowds. Ten minutes’ drive away you usually get half the price and peace and quiet, and you can drive to the famous beach early in the morning, before anyone else is there.
We would spend at least two nights at an agriturismo in the mountains. A dinner where you don’t know what is coming next, cheese from the sheep you passed on the way, and Cannonau without a label. You won’t get that at a seaside resort.
We would leave some days unplanned. Cala Goloritzé, Neptune’s Grotto, La Maddalena and Bosa in one week is too much. Better three places at a relaxed pace than eight from the car.
Where to stay in Sardinia: FAQ
Where is the best place to stay in Sardinia?
It depends on your airport and the kind of holiday you want. With young children, Villasimius, Costa Rei or San Teodoro. Without a car, Cagliari or Alghero. For boat trips and hiking, Cala Gonone and Orosei. For luxury, the Costa Smeralda, and for peace and lower prices, Oristano, the Sinis peninsula and Bosa.
Where to stay in south Sardinia?
Cagliari for a city break without a car, with Poetto beach on the doorstep. Villasimius and Costa Rei for shallow sandy beaches with children, Chia and Pula for dunes and resorts. The south-west, with Sant’Antioco and Carloforte, is quieter and cheaper.
Where to stay in north Sardinia?
In the north-east near Olbia: San Teodoro and Budoni, the luxurious Costa Smeralda and the cheaper Cannigione and Arzachena, and on the northernmost tip Santa Teresa Gallura, Palau and La Maddalena. In the north-west: Alghero, pricey Stintino near La Pelosa, and the cheaper Castelsardo and Valledoria.
Which is better, north or south Sardinia?
Neither is better overall, the choice comes down to the airport and your plans. The north-east around Olbia has the Caribbean-style beaches, the Costa Smeralda and the La Maddalena islands, but also the highest August prices. The south around Cagliari is easier without a car (train from the airport, buses to the beaches) and Cagliari costs almost the same all year. For lower prices look west, for boat trips and hiking go east.
How much does accommodation in Sardinia cost?
A typical night for two in May costs around €100 (about £85) across most of the island. In August prices in the resorts double or triple, and in Porto Cervo a typical night comes to €580 to €875. The interior and the west are the cheapest: in Nuoro a typical August night costs €80 to €95.
How much is the tourist tax in Sardinia?
Each town sets its own. In Cagliari it is €1 to €5 per person per night depending on the stars (maximum 5 nights), in Alghero €2 to €4 from 2026 (maximum 7 nights), and in San Teodoro €0.80 to €5, only from May to October. Children under 12 don’t pay in any of the three towns.
Where to stay in Sardinia without a car?
Only in the towns and a few resorts. Cagliari has a train from the airport and buses to Poetto, Villasimius and Costa Rei, and Alghero and San Teodoro have a direct bus from the airport. The interior, the agriturismi and most of the wild beaches are practically out of reach without a car.
When should I book accommodation in Sardinia?
For July and August as early as possible, and for places right on the sea five to seven months ahead. The best places in Costa Rei are often sold out a year in advance. In May, June, September and October the choice is much wider and prices are lower.
Where to go next
- Sardinia holiday: flights and ferries, car hire, itineraries for 7, 10 and 14 days, and budget.
- Sardinia booking: what to book and in which order.
- Alghero: the Catalan town, its beaches and Capo Caccia.
- Cala Gonone: the base for boat trips into the Gulf of Orosei.
- Sardinia weather: air and sea temperatures month by month.
- Sardinia: what to watch out for: beaches with booking systems, fines for taking sand, ZTL zones and parking.
- Camping in Italy: with a tent or a motorhome, rules and prices.
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