Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Sardinia: nuraghi, Barbagia villages and the coast
8 days from Cagliari to Alghero: Nora and Su Nuraxi di Barumini, two nights in Orgosolo with a shepherds' lunch, the Gulf of Orosei by boat, Bosa and Capo Caccia.
8 days · Cagliari to Alghero · up to 12 guests
Su Nuraxi di Barumini, a Bronze Age nuraghe listed by UNESCO Photo: gian luca bucci, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nuraghe_di_Barumini_-_panoramio.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Cagliari to Alghero
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 3.5 h on day 3No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
Walking of 3 to 6 km most days on cobbles, stone steps and uneven archaeological ground, often in full sun; Cagliari's Castello and Bosa's old quarter are steep. Su Nuraxi has narrow passages and steep steps inside the towers. Neptune's Grotto is reached down about 650 steps cut into the cliff and back up, or by boat instead. The boat day includes swim stops and short walks on walkways in a sea cave. Drives are 1 to 2 hours on most days; days 3 and 6 total about 3 hours, split into two legs.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 840 (estimated price)
- Season
- May to June and September to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Su Nuraxi di Barumini at the 9 am opening, the Bronze Age tower-fortress and village listed by UNESCO, with a site guide
- Cagliari's Castello and the Nuragic bronzes of the archaeological museum, then Nora's Phoenician and Roman ruins on a headland in the late light
- Two nights in Barbagia: the painted walls of Orgosolo and a long lunch with shepherds in the Supramonte woods
- The Gulf of Orosei by boat: the Bue Marino sea cave, Cala Luna and swims in clear water under limestone cliffs
- Bosa's coloured houses on the Temo river, with a Malvasia tasting at lunch, then the coast road to Alghero
- Neptune's Grotto at Capo Caccia on an early tour, down about 650 steps in the cliff or by boat
- Alghero's Catalan old town on the sea walls at sunset, with a farewell dinner
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 840 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 3.5 h, on day 3.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Cagliari
Cagliari Elmas Airport (CAG) to your hotel in central Cagliari
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Cagliari
- Drive about 15 min
Evening
Fly into Cagliari Elmas Airport (CAG), about 8 km north west of the city on the edge of the Santa Gilla lagoon, in time for the early-evening briefing: plan to land by about 4 pm (the latest arrival time is confirmed with your final itinerary). A driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the short drive into the centre. Our hotel is central, within walking distance of the Marina quarter and the public lifts that climb to the old walled Castello. If you land early, walk the arcades of Via Roma along the harbour, or sit with a coffee in Piazza Yenne. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week: the pace, the boat day and what the shepherds' lunch involves. Then we walk up to the Bastione di Saint Remy, a broad terrace on the old walls, for the evening view over the rooftops and the gulf, and go on to a welcome dinner of Sardinian dishes at a local restaurant.
Included
- Pick-up at Cagliari Elmas Airport (CAG)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Evening walk to the Bastione di Saint Remy
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Castello, the Nuragic bronzes and Nora
Cagliari's Castello, then south to Nora and Pula and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Cagliari
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
We start in the cool of the morning in the Castello, the walled hilltop quarter that Pisa fortified in the early 14th century. A local guide walks us past the Torre dell'Elefante, named for the small stone elephant on its wall, the cathedral of Santa Maria and the Palazzo Viceregio, seat of the Spanish and then Savoy viceroys.
Afternoon
The walk ends at the National Archaeological Museum, home to hundreds of Nuragic bronze figurines of chiefs, warriors, archers, mothers and animals, our first look at the people who built the towers we see tomorrow, and to finds from Nora, which we walk this afternoon. We drive about 45 minutes south to Pula for a long seafood lunch, then, once the midday heat has passed, walk Nora: a town founded by the Phoenicians, later Punic and Roman, on a low headland between two bays. Its theatre, baths and floor mosaics run almost to the water, and the late light is kind to the stone.
Evening
Back in Cagliari by early evening; the evening is free.
Included
- Guided walk in the Castello: the Torre dell'Elefante, the cathedral of Santa Maria and the Palazzo Viceregio
- National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari: Nuragic bronzes and finds from Nora
- Seafood lunch in Pula
- The Phoenician and Roman site of Nora, with a local guide
Optional experiences
- Walk at the Molentargius lagoons to see the flamingos, with a naturalist guide (extra, price shown at booking)
Easier option: Ride the public lifts up to the Castello instead of climbing the streets, and sit out the Nora walk at the beach café by the site entrance.
Free time: Evening free in Cagliari
Activity: About 4 to 5 km on foot, much of it on steep cobbled streets in the Castello and uneven ground at Nora. Bring a hat: Nora has little shade.
Su Nuraxi at opening, then into Barbagia
Cagliari to Barumini, then north by Nuoro and Mamoiada to Orgosolo
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Orgosolo
- Drive about 3.5 h
We leave Cagliari at 8 am and drive about an hour north through the Marmilla's rolling wheat country to Barumini, to be at Su Nuraxi when it opens at 9 am. Visits here are guided only, in small timed groups, and the first group of the day has the site at its quietest. The central tower, built in the second millennium BC and later wrapped in a bastion of four more towers, stands over the stone huts of the village that grew around it; inside you climb narrow passages and steps within the walls. Su Nuraxi was excavated in the 1950s and listed by UNESCO in 1997. Next door, Casa Zapata shows a nuraghe found beneath a Spanish noble's house.
Afternoon
After a country lunch near Barumini we drive north on the main road to Nuoro, then south east into Barbagia, the mountain heart of the island. In Mamoiada we stop at the museum of the Mamuthones, the sheepskin-clad, black-masked figures of its carnival, before reaching Orgosolo in the late afternoon.
Included
- Su Nuraxi di Barumini at opening, with a site guide
- Casa Zapata in Barumini
- Country lunch near Barumini
- Museo delle Maschere Mediterranee in Mamoiada
Easier option: Stay on the ground level at Su Nuraxi, where the village huts and the outer walls are seen without the narrow climbs inside the towers.
Free time: Evening free in Orgosolo
Activity: The longest driving day, about 3 hours 15 minutes in two legs: about 1 hour to Barumini in the morning and 2 to 2.5 hours after lunch, with the Mamoiada stop on the way. Inside Su Nuraxi the passages are narrow and the steps steep and uneven.
Orgosolo's murals and a shepherds' lunch
Orgosolo, then into the Supramonte woods and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Orgosolo
- Drive about 1 h
Orgosolo is a village of shepherds and stone houses on a hillside, known across Italy for the murals painted on its walls since 1969, many of them begun in the 1970s by the art teacher Francesco Del Casino and his students.
Morning
After a slow breakfast a local guide walks us along Corso Repubblica and the lanes off it to read them: scenes of village life, land and labour struggles, and twentieth-century politics, some decades old and others recent.
Afternoon
Late morning we drive up into the Supramonte, a high limestone plateau of holm oak woods above the village, for lunch with a shepherd family. It is a long meal outdoors: meat roasted slowly on the fire, pecorino, pane carasau, the paper-thin flatbread shepherds carried with their flocks, local Cannonau wine and the talk that comes with it. We are back in Orgosolo by mid-afternoon, and the rest of the day is free: sleep, read, or walk the village again once the day visitors have left.
Included
- Guided walk through the murals of Orgosolo
- Shepherds' lunch in the Supramonte woods, with wine
Optional experiences
- Guided morning hike to the Nuragic village of Tiscali, hidden in a collapsed limestone sinkhole, in place of the murals walk (extra, price shown at booking)
Easier option: Skip the morning walk and join the group for the drive up to lunch; the lunch site is a short walk from where we park.
More active option: In place of the lunch, hike to Tiscali with a local guide, about 4 hours on rocky paths with about 300 m of climbing and a picnic on the way, and rejoin the group in Orgosolo by late afternoon.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Orgosolo
Activity: About 2 km of easy walking in the village; the lunch is outdoors on uneven ground, in the shade of the trees.
Su Gologone and the Gulf of Orosei by boat
Orgosolo to Su Gologone, Dorgali and Cala Gonone, then by boat on the Gulf of Orosei
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Cala Gonone
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
We leave Barbagia after breakfast for the coast, stopping first at Su Gologone near Oliena, a karst spring where clear blue-green water rises from a crack in the limestone at the foot of the Supramonte.
Afternoon
From there it is a short drive through Dorgali and a tunnel in the mountain down to Cala Gonone, a small resort on the Gulf of Orosei, for lunch by the harbour. In the early afternoon, when the sun is high over the water, we board a small boat south along a coast of limestone cliffs with no road along it. We stop at the Grotta del Bue Marino, named for the monk seals that once lived in it, for a guided walk inside past its rock formations and pools, then at Cala Luna, a crescent of sand under the cliffs, to swim. Sea permitting, we continue south past further coves before turning back.
Evening
The evening is free on the seafront at Cala Gonone.
Included
- Su Gologone spring
- Lunch at the harbour in Cala Gonone
- Boat on the Gulf of Orosei, with a stop to swim at Cala Luna
- Guided visit to the Grotta del Bue Marino sea cave
Easier option: Stay on board during the swim stop, and skip the cave walk if the steps at the landing are not for you.
More active option: Snorkel at the swim stops: bring a mask or borrow one on board.
Free time: Evening free in Cala Gonone
Activity: The boat does not sail in strong wind. If the sea is rough this afternoon we go the next morning and leave later for Bosa; if we cannot sail at all, we walk part of the coast path from Cala Gonone instead and refund the boat.
Across the island to Bosa and Alghero
Cala Gonone to Bosa by Nuoro and Macomer, then the coast road to Alghero
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Alghero
- Drive about 3 h
We cross the island from east to west today, about two and a quarter hours inland past Nuoro and over the Marghine hills to Bosa, where the Temo river reaches the sea. The old quarter of Sa Costa climbs from the river in rows of houses painted ochre, pink and blue, to the Castello di Serravalle, built by the Malaspina family in the 12th century; inside its walls a small church keeps 14th-century frescoes. A local guide walks us up through the lanes, past doorways where women may be working filet, the fine Bosa lace.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in town with a tasting of Malvasia di Bosa, the amber wine made on the hills around it. In the afternoon we take the coast road north, about an hour of empty cliffs and coves with stops at the viewpoints, where griffon vultures sometimes ride the wind.
Evening
We reach Alghero in the late afternoon, and the evening is free.
Included
- Guided walk in Bosa's old quarter, Sa Costa
- Castello di Serravalle in Bosa
- Lunch in Bosa with a Malvasia di Bosa tasting
- The coast road from Bosa to Alghero, with viewpoint stops
Easier option: Stay by the river in Bosa while the group climbs to the castle, and meet again for lunch.
Free time: Evening free in Alghero
Activity: About 3 hours of driving in two legs: about 2 hours to Bosa in the morning and 1 hour on the coast road after lunch. The climb to the castle in Bosa is steep, on cobbles and steps.
Neptune's Grotto and Catalan Alghero
Alghero to Capo Caccia and the Nuraghe di Palmavera, then Alghero's old town
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Alghero
- Drive about 1.5 h
We drive about 35 minutes out to Capo Caccia, a headland of white cliffs west of Alghero, to be at Neptune's Grotto for one of the first tours of the day. The way down is the Escala del Cabirol, about 650 steps cut into the cliff face in the 1950s, with the sea below you the whole way. Inside, a site guide leads you along a lit path past a salt lake, columns and curtains of stalactites. On the way back we stop at the Nuraghe di Palmavera, a Nuragic tower and village with a meeting hut where the elders sat on a stone bench around the walls.
Afternoon
Lunch is your choice in Alghero, and the afternoon is free: the beach at Lido, the shops of Via Carlo Alberto, or a rest. At about 6 pm a local guide walks us through the old town, settled by Catalans after 1354; Catalan is still spoken here and written on the street signs.
Evening
We finish on the sea walls for sunset and go on to a farewell dinner.
Included
- Neptune's Grotto at Capo Caccia on an early tour, with a site guide
- Nuraghe di Palmavera
- Guided walk through Alghero's old town and along the sea walls at sunset
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Skip the steps and take the boat from Alghero harbour to the cave entrance (included, sea permitting), or stay at the clifftop viewpoints at Capo Caccia.
More active option: Walk back up the steps and on along the clifftop at Capo Caccia for the view of the Isola Foradada.
Free time: Lunch and afternoon free in Alghero
Activity: About 650 steps down to the cave and the same back up, with railings but in full sun on the return. The boat option depends on the sea.
Alghero, and home
Alghero to Alghero Fertilia Airport (AHO)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 15 min
Morning
A free morning in Alghero. Walk the sea walls once more while the town is quiet, buy coral or Sardinian cheese and bottarga to take home, or swim at the town beach. If you want company, your guide walks to the morning fish market by the harbour or the Torre di San Giovanni with anyone who wants to come. After checking out we drive about 20 minutes north to Alghero Fertilia Airport (AHO), where your guide sees you to the terminal and checks your flight before saying goodbye. Many flights from Alghero connect through Rome or Milan, and some routes run only in summer, so check your connection when you book. Book a flight leaving after about noon. If you would rather fly from Cagliari or Olbia, or stay on in Alghero for a few more days, we can arrange the transfer or the extra nights for you.
Included
- Drop-off at Alghero Fertilia Airport (AHO)
Optional experiences
- Transfer to Olbia or Cagliari airport instead of Alghero (extra, price shown at booking)
Easier option: If your flight leaves before about noon, we arrange an earlier transfer from the hotel.
Free time: Morning free in Alghero
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about noon.
- Cagliari2 nights
- Orgosolo2 nights
- Cala Gonone1 night
- Alghero2 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May and June bring days of about 22 to 28 C, green hills and the maquis in flower; September and October stay warm and the sea is at its warmest. July and August are crowded on the coast and often pass 35 C inland, so we do not run then. The mistral wind can blow for a day or two in any month and stops the boats. Flamingos feed in the Molentargius lagoons by Cagliari for most of the year, and griffon vultures are sometimes seen over the coast road between Bosa and Alghero.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want Sardinia's interior and its Bronze Age nuraghi as well as the coast
- Food lovers: a shepherds' lunch, seafood in Pula and a Malvasia tasting in Bosa are part of the plan
- Anyone who prefers two-night stays and short drives to a new hotel every night
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a published single supplement
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: old towns are steep, Su Nuraxi has narrow climbs and Neptune's Grotto has about 650 steps
- A beach holiday: you swim on the boat day and on free afternoons, but there is no beach day
- Travellers who want Corsica, the Costa Smeralda or the Maddalena islands on this trip (ask about a private version)
- Serious hikers: Exodus-style walking weeks in the Supramonte suit you better, though the Tiscali hike is offered
- July and August travel
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Cagliari2 nights
- Orgosolo2 nights
- Cala Gonone1 night
- Alghero2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights: 2 in Cagliari, 2 in Orgosolo in Barbagia, 1 in Cala Gonone and 2 in Alghero
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms, within walking distance of each old town or seafront; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
- City tourist taxes
Transport
- Pick-up at Cagliari Elmas Airport (CAG) on day 1
- A private air-conditioned minivan and professional driver for the group from day 2 to day 8
- A small boat on the Gulf of Orosei on day 5
- The boat from Alghero to Neptune's Grotto for anyone who prefers it to the steps, sea permitting
- Drop-off at Alghero Fertilia Airport (AHO) on day 8
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from the day 1 briefing to the airport on day 8
- Licensed local guides in Cagliari's Castello, at Nora, in Orgosolo, in Bosa and in Alghero, and site guides at Su Nuraxi, the Bue Marino cave and Neptune's Grotto
Activities
- Cagliari: guided walk in the Castello and the National Archaeological Museum, with its Nuragic bronzes and finds from Nora
- Near Pula: the Phoenician and Roman site of Nora
- Barumini: Su Nuraxi at opening and Casa Zapata
- Mamoiada: the Museo delle Maschere Mediterranee
- Orgosolo: guided murals walk and a shepherds' lunch in the Supramonte
- Oliena: Su Gologone spring
- Cala Gonone: boat on the Gulf of Orosei, the Grotta del Bue Marino and a swim stop at Cala Luna
- Bosa: guided walk, the Castello di Serravalle and a Malvasia tasting
- Capo Caccia: Neptune's Grotto
- Near Alghero: the Nuraghe di Palmavera
- Alghero: guided old-town walk and the sea walls at sunset
Meals
- 7 breakfasts
- 5 lunches: seafood in Pula, a country lunch near Barumini, the shepherds' lunch in the Supramonte, the harbour at Cala Gonone and Bosa with a Malvasia tasting
- 2 dinners: a welcome dinner in Cagliari and a farewell dinner in Alghero
Not included
- International flights to Cagliari and from Alghero
- Travel insurance
- The ETIAS fee, if it applies to your dates
- Lunch on days 1, 7 and 8, and dinners other than the welcome and farewell dinners
- Drinks, except at the Malvasia tasting and the shepherds' lunch
- Optional activities, such as the Tiscali hike and the Molentargius walk
- Tips for your guide and driver
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 840 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Seven nights in central hotels, 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 2 dinners, a private minivan and driver, airport transfers at Cagliari and Alghero, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, local and site guides, and every visit in the day plan, including the Gulf of Orosei boat and the Bue Marino cave, Neptune's Grotto, Su Nuraxi, Nora, the shepherds' lunch, all entries and city taxes.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests in one minivan, so everyone fits on one small boat on the Gulf of Orosei, sits round one table at the shepherds' lunch and moves through the narrow passages of Su Nuraxi without waiting for a coach group.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the welcome briefing in Cagliari to the airport in Alghero. Licensed local guides join us in Cagliari, at Nora, in Orgosolo, in Bosa and in Alghero, and site guides lead the visits at Su Nuraxi, the Bue Marino cave and Neptune's Grotto, where visits are guided only.
How fit do I need to be?
You should be comfortable walking 3 to 6 km a day on cobbles, steps and uneven ground in the sun. Su Nuraxi has narrow climbs inside the towers, and Neptune's Grotto is about 650 steps down and back up, but you can take the boat to the cave instead. The Tiscali hike is optional.
I am travelling solo. Do I pay a single supplement?
Only if you want your own room. The single supplement is CAD 840, published up front, about 17 percent of the price, with no surprise at checkout. If you would rather share, ask us and we will try to match you with a roommate of the same gender for the whole trip, with no rotating.
When is the best time to go to Sardinia?
May to June and September to October. Days are about 22 to 28 C, the boats are running and the coves are quiet enough to enjoy; September has the warmest sea. We do not run in July and August, when the coast is crowded and the interior often passes 35 C.
What happens if the sea is too rough for the boat?
The boat on the Gulf of Orosei does not sail in strong wind. If day 5 is rough, we go the next morning and leave later for Bosa. If we cannot sail at all, we walk part of the coast path from Cala Gonone and refund the boat. Neptune's Grotto can always be reached by the cliff steps.
What is the shepherds' lunch in Orgosolo?
A long lunch outdoors with a shepherd family in the holm oak woods of the Supramonte above Orgosolo: meat roasted slowly over the fire, pecorino, pane carasau and local Cannonau wine, with time to ask about their life with the flocks. It takes most of the afternoon and is included in the price.
How does booking work?
Choose a date and send a request to book. No payment is taken at that point. We confirm availability, your room and the final price within 24 hours, then send the booking terms and the payment schedule for you to accept before anything is charged.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, transfers and local guides.
Do Canadians need a visa for Italy?
No. Canadians can visit the Schengen area, including Italy, for up to 90 days without a visa, with a passport valid at least three months after you leave. The EU takes fingerprints and a photo at the border. ETIAS, the planned travel authorisation, is not yet in force and has no confirmed start date; we confirm requirements when you book.
Why are Corsica and the Costa Smeralda not on this trip?
Corsica means a ferry day from the far north, and the Costa Smeralda and the Maddalena islands would add another base and long drives. We spend that time in the interior instead, with the nuraghi and Barbagia, and on the Gulf of Orosei. A private version can add any of them; ask us for a quote.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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