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How to get to Sardinia
As the island begins to attract tourists from outside Italy, budget airlines have become increasingly interested in getting involved, and cheap flights to Sardinia are now readily available. Lucky you!
Travel Information
Language: Italian | Currency: Euro (€) | Local time: CET | Avg. Flight time: 2.30 hrs
Flying to Sardinia
Flights to Sardinia are cheapest either side of the peak season in May, June and September. Despite this, prices often remain competitive throughout the holiday season. There are fewer flights during the off-peak winter months, but there are still flights to all major airports in Sardinia at least once a week during this time.
Though it is very much possible to find good last-minute bargains on flights to Sardinia, you are usually better off booking in advance, especially if you plan to travel during the summer months. Look out for special offers from budget airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet for the cheapest Sardinia flights. Prices often drop significantly during their periodic airfare sales.
Flying from the UK
These days, there are direct flights from London, Birmingham (BHX), Bristol (BRS) and Manchester (MAN). However, while direct flights depart from London to the three Sardinian airports of Olbia (OLB), Cagliari (CAG) and Alghero (AHO), Manchester only has flights to Alghero.
Those busy budget airlines Ryanair and easyJet are responsible for running the majority of these flights to Sardinia. There are, however, flights to Olbia from London Gatwick (LGW) with Italian airline Meridiana, while British Airways also runs a route from Gatwick to Cagliari.
Choosing which airport to fly to
Direct flights to Sardinia service more than one airport, which is good as the island is big and the airports of Alghero, Cagliari and Olbia are gateways to different parts of the island.
Alghero is a perfect introduction to the northwest region. Often compared with Barcelona due to its Catalan-influenced vibe, this part of Sardinia has bags of charm, a smattering of smaller fishing villages and a long stretch of dreamy coastline.
Olbia is the best entry point for the Costa Smeralda and Sardinia’s most stunning beaches. Cagliari is the island’s capital city and a good jumping-off point for anybody travelling to the wilder, windier beaches of Costa Verde or the south coast beaches, which are the new kid on the block for tourism in Sardinia.
Alternatives to flying
For anybody who dislikes flying, there is another slower but arguably more scenic option for getting to Sardinia: the ferry. Regular ferries ply the Med between Civitavecchia (Rome’s closest ferry port) and Olbia. The Sardinian city is also connected to Genoa and Livorno by regular ferries.
Porto Torres to the north has international ferries between Marseille, the French island of Corsica and Barcelona in Spain, among other routes. Cagliari to the south links to Napoli on the mainland and Palermo in Sicily.
While ferry schedules vary from season to season and boats can be delayed by bad weather, these often-cheap Sardinia ferry services are fairly regular, running at least daily during the spring, summer and autumn months.