Can you explore Northern Sardinia in 13 days without spending half your holiday inside a car?

After doing exactly that with my wife and our eight-year-old son, my answer is yes — provided that you choose your overnight stops carefully.

We are from Valencia, Spain, and our plan was to create a Northern Sardinia road trip itinerary that would take us from Bosa on the west coast to Santa Teresa Gallura and the La Maddalena Archipelago in the north-east.

We wanted beaches, certainly, but not thirteen consecutive days of beaches. We also wanted medieval towns, Nuragic archaeology, Sardinian food, small villages and enough free time for our son to enjoy the holiday rather than feel that he had accidentally joined an organised cultural tour.

The result was one of our most satisfying family road trips.

Over 13 days we visited Porto Torres, Alghero, Capo Caccia, Bosa, Stintino, La Pelosa, Asinara, Sassari, Castelsardo, Torralba, Aggius, Tempio Pausania, Santa Teresa Gallura, Capo Testa, Palau and the La Maddalena Archipelago.

And yes, we still had time to swim.

Our 13-Day Northern Sardinia Itinerary at a Glance

If you are planning a similar North Sardinia itinerary by car, this was our route:

The route worked particularly well because we avoided repeatedly crossing the same part of the island.

That matters more than it might appear on Google Maps. Distances in Northern Sardinia are not enormous, but scenic coastal roads and inland routes are not roads you necessarily want to rush.

For us, changing accommodation several times was preferable to spending two or three hours in the car every day.

Getting to Sardinia from Spain: Barcelona to Porto Torres by Ferry

One of the best decisions we made was bringing our own car from Spain.

We drove from Valencia to Barcelona and took the Grimaldi Lines ferry from Barcelona to Porto Torres, on the north-western coast of Sardinia.

The Barcelona–Porto Torres route allows passengers to travel with their vehicles, which made it particularly attractive for our family road trip.

Travelling this way is obviously slower than flying, but having our own car changed the nature of the holiday completely.

No airport rental desk, no unfamiliar hire car, no luggage restrictions and, perhaps most importantly when travelling with an eight-year-old, an enormous boot containing everything from beach equipment to emergency snacks.

If you are coming from eastern Spain and planning a Sardinia road trip with your own car, it is an option worth considering.

Days 1–3: Alghero, Capo Caccia and Neptune’s Cave

Our first base was Alghero, approximately 40 minutes by car from Porto Torres.

We stayed at Hotel Calabona, a four-star hotel outside the busiest part of the historic centre.

Hotel Calabona – Our Review

For a family road trip, it was a very sensible choice.

The hotel was comfortable and quiet, and its location meant we could reach central Alghero easily while still getting out of town without fighting our way through the historic centre every morning.

Would I choose it for a romantic weekend where I wanted to walk downstairs directly into the old town? Perhaps not.

Would I choose it again for three nights during a Northern Sardinia family road trip? Yes.

What to See in Alghero

Alghero deserves at least one full day.

The historic centre is compact enough to explore with children, and walking along the old sea walls at sunset became one of our favourite memories of Sardinia.

Coming from Valencia, we also found Alghero fascinating because of its Catalan heritage. There are moments when names, language and architecture create a curious sensation of familiarity.

Then you look at the Sardinian landscape and immediately remember where you are.

We wandered without much of a plan through the old streets, stopped along the bastions and allowed our son to determine our walking speed according to the availability of gelato.

This proved to be an effective system.

Where We Ate in Alghero

We particularly enjoyed Trattoria Lo Romanì, where our attempt to eat predominantly Sardinian food began seriously.

Fregola, seafood, local cheese and Sardinian wine replaced the more generic Italian dishes we could easily eat at home.

Our son developed an immediate attachment to pane carasau, the thin, crisp Sardinian bread, and subsequently treated every restaurant that served it as deserving of an excellent review.

We also ate at Ristorante Enhorabona, a good seafood option for an evening when we wanted to stay close to the coast.

For souvenirs, La Bottega dei Gatti Matti was much more appealing to us than the generic shops selling identical magnets and T-shirts. We found small gifts with more personality, although our son’s definition of an “essential Sardinian souvenir” remained considerably broader than ours.

Day 3: Capo Caccia and Grotta di Nettuno

Our next major stop was Capo Caccia and Neptune’s Cave, or Grotta di Nettuno.

This is one of the most famous natural attractions near Alghero, and it deserves its reputation.

The cave contains an extraordinary landscape of stalactites, stalagmites and underground water.

If conditions allow and you approach from land, there is another memorable part of the experience: the Escala del Cabirol, the spectacular staircase cut into the cliffs.

There are 654 steps.

Our eight-year-old regarded the descent as an adventure.

He regarded the ascent as a serious failure of parental judgement.

Despite the climb, Grotta di Nettuno was one of the attractions we would definitely include again in a Northern Sardinia itinerary with kids.

We combined the visit with beach time rather than scheduling another major attraction in the afternoon.

That became an important rule during our trip: one demanding activity and one easy activity generally worked better with a child than trying to squeeze four “must-see” places into every day.

Best Beaches Near Alghero: Le Bombarde and Mugoni

During our Alghero stay we visited Le Bombarde and Mugoni Beach.

Le Bombarde is one of the better-known beaches in the area and has a lively summer atmosphere.

Mugoni felt more relaxed to us.

For families, we preferred Mugoni because it was easier to settle down and spend several hours doing almost nothing.

That may not sound like an achievement.

After several days travelling with a child, it absolutely is.

Day 4: Driving from Alghero to Bosa

If you are planning an Alghero to Bosa road trip, do not treat the journey simply as transportation.

The coastal road between the two towns was one of our favourite drives in Sardinia.

Cliffs, Mediterranean vegetation and uninterrupted sea views accompany much of the route, and we stopped several times simply because somebody in the car said, “Look at that.”

Bosa itself was one of the surprises of the holiday.

Colourful houses rise from the banks of the River Temo towards the medieval Castello di Serravalle, creating one of the most distinctive townscapes we saw in Northern Sardinia.

Where to Stay in Bosa

We chose Bosa Queen House, preferring a smaller B&B-style property for this part of the trip.

Its central location suited us perfectly.

Bosa is a town for walking, not commuting backwards and forwards from a distant resort.

We explored the colourful Sa Costa district, climbed towards the castle and later returned to the river for a much slower evening walk.

Eating Traditional Sardinian Food in Bosa

Dinner at Tendas – Trattoria Sarda fitted our plan perfectly.

By this stage we had established a family rule: whenever possible, we ordered something Sardinian rather than a dish we could easily find in Valencia.

This considerably improved our holiday.

It also considerably increased the amount we ate.

Days 5–6: Stintino, La Pelosa Beach and Asinara

From Bosa we drove north towards Stintino, which became our next base.

We stayed at Cala Rosa Club Hotel.

Cala Rosa Club Hotel – Our Review

This was more about convenience than romance.

For a family visiting Stintino, however, convenience has considerable value. The location worked well for reaching the surrounding beaches and organising our plans around La Pelosa and Asinara.

And La Pelosa required planning.

A lot of planning.

Visiting La Pelosa Beach: Is Booking Really Necessary?

Yes.

If you are researching how to book La Pelosa Beach, do this part of your holiday planning early.

For the 2026 season, access is controlled between 15 May and 15 October, with a maximum of 1,500 visitors per day. Part of the daily allocation can be reserved well in advance, while additional places are released shortly before the date of entry.

We had booked our access months before travelling.

At the time, sitting at home in Valencia, I found the idea of organising a beach visit months in advance slightly ridiculous.

Then came the mat.

Why Do You Need a Mat at La Pelosa?

La Pelosa has specific conservation rules designed to protect its famous sand.

Visitors cannot simply place beach towels directly onto the sand: a mat must be placed underneath.

The purpose is to reduce the amount of sand that sticks to towels and is unintentionally removed from the beach.

We had not brought the correct mats with us, so we bought them locally.

I confess that this was probably the most irritating moment of our Sardinian holiday.

We had made a reservation months earlier, organised our day around a beach entry, arrived carrying the usual family collection of bags, sunscreen and water, and now we had to buy three mats before sitting down.

Then we saw the beach properly.

And almost immediately stopped complaining.

Is La Pelosa Worth It?

Yes. Absolutely.

La Pelosa was the most visually spectacular beach of our trip.

The water is extremely shallow, transparent and almost impossibly turquoise. The iconic tower, pale sand and Asinara in the distance create the sort of landscape that usually looks better in heavily edited photographs.

Here, strangely, the photographs are telling the truth.

Was the reservation system annoying?

A little.

Was buying the mats annoying?

Yes.

Would I go through the entire process again?

Without hesitation.

For families searching for the best beaches in Northern Sardinia with children, La Pelosa is difficult to ignore precisely because the water remains shallow for such a long distance.

Just organise everything before you arrive.

Day 6: Asinara National Park

We dedicated our next day to Asinara National Park.

This provided a perfect contrast with La Pelosa.

Asinara is wild, historically fascinating and far removed from the conventional image of a Mediterranean beach resort.

Its unusual history and natural environment made it one of the most memorable excursions for our son.

If you are planning a family itinerary in Northern Sardinia, I strongly recommend including experiences like Asinara between beach days.

Children may love beaches, but after five consecutive days of sand even they appreciate something different.

Days 7–8: Sassari and Castelsardo

Leaving Stintino, we stopped in Sassari before continuing towards Castelsardo.

Sassari gave us a glimpse of a more urban Sardinia, away from the holiday resorts.

We didn’t attempt to explore everything. Instead, we walked through the centre, had a relaxed break and continued towards the coast.

Our hotel near Castelsardo was Bajaloglia Resort.

Bajaloglia Resort – Our Review

This was one of our favourite accommodation choices.

The great attraction is the setting and the view towards Castelsardo.

After a full day exploring, returning to a hotel with that panorama made us feel that sightseeing had not really finished.

It is the type of property I would particularly recommend to couples or families looking for a more atmospheric four-star stay rather than simply somewhere practical to sleep.

What to See in Castelsardo

Castelsardo is one of the best places to visit in Northern Sardinia if you want to break up a beach-focused itinerary.

The medieval town climbs dramatically above the sea, crowned by the Doria Castle.

We walked through its narrow streets and visited the castle area and the Museum of Mediterranean Weaving.

There are stairs.

Many stairs.

Fortunately, the promise of food remains an extraordinarily effective motivational technique for an eight-year-old.

We ate at La Trattoria da Maria Giuseppa, where we found exactly the sort of straightforward Sardinian cooking we had hoped for.

Elephant Rock Near Castelsardo

A few kilometres outside Castelsardo is Roccia dell’Elefante, or Elephant Rock.

This is an excellent short stop for families.

The natural rock formation genuinely resembles an elephant, but there is more to it than its appearance: prehistoric domus de janas tombs were carved into the rock.

Our son initially appreciated it because it looked like an enormous stone elephant.

We appreciated it because, without realising it, he was becoming interested in Sardinian archaeology.

Everybody won.

Day 9: Nuraghe Santu Antine, Aggius and Tempio Pausania

One of the mistakes we wanted to avoid was seeing Sardinia exclusively through its coastline.

So Day 9 was our inland day.

Our main archaeological destination was Nuraghe Santu Antine, near Torralba.

If you have never visited a Nuragic site, this is an excellent place to begin.

The massive stone architecture is impressive even without understanding its history, and exploring the internal corridors gave the visit an adventurous quality that worked particularly well with our son.

Afterwards we continued towards Aggius, surrounded by the granite landscape of Gallura.

We visited the Oliva Carta Cannas Ethnographic Museum, which provided another perspective on traditional Sardinian life, crafts and rural culture.

That evening we stayed around Tempio Pausania, choosing Calycanto, a smaller guesthouse rather than a conventional hotel.

For dinner we went to Al Vecchio Corso, where our exploration of Gallurese cooking continued.

By now we had discovered zuppa gallurese, local cured meats, pecorino and seadas.

Our son’s ranking was clear:

1. Seadas.
2. Everything else.

Day 10: Santa Teresa Gallura and Rena Bianca Beach

From Tempio Pausania we headed north to Santa Teresa Gallura, one of the most convenient bases for exploring the extreme north of Sardinia.

We stayed at Hotel Corallaro, close to Rena Bianca Beach.

Hotel Corallaro – Our Review

After many days of driving, the ability to leave our car parked and walk to the beach felt luxurious.

This is precisely why location should play such an important role when deciding where to stay in Northern Sardinia.

A spectacular hotel 40 minutes away is not always better than a very good hotel five minutes from where you actually want to be.

Rena Bianca is beautiful, easy to reach and particularly convenient for families.

We also explored Santa Teresa itself and walked around the area of Torre di Longonsardo, looking across the Strait of Bonifacio towards Corsica.

Day 11: Capo Testa, Cala Spinosa and Valle della Luna

If someone gave me only one day around Santa Teresa Gallura, I would spend much of it at Capo Testa.

The landscape is extraordinary.

Enormous granite formations shaped by wind and water create natural corridors, viewpoints and hidden coves.

We walked through the area towards Cala Grande, better known as Valle della Luna, where the combination of granite, Mediterranean vegetation and sea creates one of the wildest landscapes of our trip.

Nearby Cala Spinosa became another of our favourite Northern Sardinian beaches.

It requires a little more effort than simply walking onto Rena Bianca, but the surroundings make that effort worthwhile.

Our son attempted to climb every granite rock available.

My wife repeatedly told him to get down.

I discovered that taking landscape photographs was an excellent way of appearing temporarily unavailable for this discussion.

Day 12: La Maddalena Archipelago with a Child

Our final major excursion was the La Maddalena Archipelago, reached from the Palau area.

If you are wondering whether La Maddalena is worth visiting with kids, our experience was an emphatic yes.

After twelve days of travelling, a day centred around boats, swimming and islands was exactly what we needed.

We spent time around the archipelago and visited Cala Corsara on Spargi, one of the most beautiful beaches of the entire trip.

We also explored La Maddalena and the area around Caprera, associated with Giuseppe Garibaldi.

The archipelago combines history and landscape unusually well: granite, extraordinarily clear water, Mediterranean vegetation and traces of military and political history all coexist within a relatively compact area.

We ate at U Campu Du Pastori – Osteria, where returning to rustic Sardinian flavours after several seafood meals was particularly welcome.

Our Six Favourite Beaches in Northern Sardinia

We visited many stretches of coast, but these were the six beaches that defined the trip for us:

La Pelosa, Stintino – The most spectacular water, but also the beach requiring the most organisation.

Mugoni Beach, Alghero – One of our favourites for an uncomplicated family beach day.

Le Bombarde, Alghero – Beautiful and livelier than Mugoni.

Rena Bianca, Santa Teresa Gallura – Excellent combination of beauty and convenience.

Cala Spinosa, Capo Testa – Wilder, more dramatic and surrounded by granite.

Cala Corsara, Spargi – The perfect reward during a La Maddalena Archipelago excursion.

If we had to choose only one for sheer visual impact, we would choose La Pelosa.

If we had to choose one for an easy family day, probably Mugoni or Rena Bianca.

If we wanted the most dramatic surroundings, Cala Spinosa.

Day 13: Returning to Porto Torres

Our final day was deliberately uncomplicated.

This is one piece of advice I would give anyone doing a Sardinia road trip with children: do not plan your final day as though missing the ferry would simply be an amusing anecdote.

We headed back towards Porto Torres with plenty of spare time.

Our final traditional meal was at Tenuta Li Lioni, near Porto Torres.

It was a fitting conclusion because our last meal remained unmistakably Sardinian rather than becoming a hurried pizza near the port.

Then we drove onto the Grimaldi Lines ferry and began our journey back to Barcelona and eventually Valencia.

Is 13 Days Enough for Northern Sardinia?

For us, 13 days was an excellent amount of time for a Northern Sardinia road trip.

It was long enough to explore both the north-west and Gallura without turning every day into a race.

Could we have stayed longer?

Easily.

But with almost two weeks, a car and several strategically chosen bases, we managed to combine:

• famous beaches;
• Alghero and Bosa;
• Stintino and Asinara;
• Castelsardo;
• Nuragic archaeology;
• Gallura’s inland villages;
• Santa Teresa Gallura and Capo Testa;
• the La Maddalena Archipelago;
• Sardinian restaurants and local food.

Most importantly, we rarely felt that we were simply collecting destinations.

How Many Hotels Should You Book for a Northern Sardinia Road Trip?

We found that changing accommodation every two or three nights worked better than choosing a single base.

For this particular itinerary, I would divide the trip between approximately five areas:

Alghero → Bosa → Stintino → Castelsardo/Tempio → Santa Teresa Gallura/Palau.

Packing more frequently is the disadvantage.

Driving considerably less is the advantage.

With an eight-year-old, we considered that a good trade.

Is Northern Sardinia Good for Families with Children?

Yes — particularly if you balance beaches with other activities.

Northern Sardinia has several characteristics that worked extremely well for us as a family:

Many beaches have clear, shallow water.

Towns such as Alghero and Castelsardo provide short, interesting sightseeing sessions rather than enormous museum itineraries.

Boat excursions add variety.

Nuragic sites can feel like exploration rather than conventional history lessons.

And Sardinian food is generally easy to adapt to younger tastes even when parents want to concentrate on regional cuisine.

The important factor is pace.

Our best days generally contained one major objective and enough unstructured time around it.

What Food Should You Try in Northern Sardinia?

Eating local food became one of the pleasures of our road trip.

Among the Sardinian specialities we particularly enjoyed were:

• pane carasau;
• fregola;
• malloreddus;
• pecorino sardo;
• zuppa gallurese;
• local cured meats;
• fresh fish and seafood;
• seadas;
• Vermentino di Gallura.

We deliberately avoided defaulting to pizza and generic pasta every evening.

Nothing against pizza — we simply wanted dinner to tell us where we were.

It did.

Our Northern Sardinia Road Trip Route: Was It Efficient?

Our final route was:

Porto Torres → Alghero → Bosa → Stintino → Sassari → Castelsardo → Torralba → Aggius → Tempio Pausania → Santa Teresa Gallura → Capo Testa → Palau/La Maddalena → Porto Torres.

For a 13-day road trip, we found it remarkably efficient.

The key was accepting that changing hotels was part of the journey rather than an inconvenience.

Trying to visit Bosa, Alghero, Stintino, Castelsardo, Santa Teresa and La Maddalena from one base would have meant spending far too much of our holiday driving backwards and forwards.

What We Would Change Next Time

Very little.

We might add another day around La Maddalena and Caprera.

We would probably spend another night in Bosa.

And knowing what we know now, I would buy the La Pelosa beach mats before arriving.

That would save approximately fifteen minutes of irritation.

Apart from that, the itinerary worked.

Final Thoughts: Is Northern Sardinia Worth Visiting?

Before travelling, I thought I understood what Sardinia would be like.

Beautiful beaches. Clear water. Resorts. Excellent food.

All true.

What I underestimated was everything between those things.

I remember the evening light on Alghero’s walls almost as clearly as La Pelosa.

I remember driving the coastal road to Bosa.

The strange granite landscape around Capo Testa.

The corridors inside Santu Antine.

Castelsardo appearing above the sea.

The silence of Asinara.

And our son standing on the ferry home explaining, with complete seriousness, that we should move to Sardinia because “the bread is better and the sea is more transparent.”

For once, it was difficult to argue with his logic.

Northern Sardinia gave us exactly what we wanted from a family road trip: famous places that genuinely deserved their reputation, smaller discoveries we had not expected, excellent regional food and enough variety that thirteen days never felt repetitive.

Would we return?

Definitely.

But next time, I think we would need three weeks.

Northern Sardinia Road Trip FAQ

How many days do you need for Northern Sardinia?

Seven days is enough to see selected highlights, but 10 to 14 days is much better for a Northern Sardinia road trip combining Alghero, Stintino, Castelsardo, Santa Teresa Gallura and La Maddalena. We spent 13 days and found the pace comfortable.

What is the best way to travel around Northern Sardinia?

For an itinerary covering both the north-west and north-east, travelling by car is the most flexible option. It makes beaches, archaeological sites, inland villages and smaller coastal destinations considerably easier to combine.

Can you take a ferry from Barcelona to Sardinia with a car?

Yes. Grimaldi Lines operates the Barcelona–Porto Torres connection, and vehicles can be taken on board. Porto Torres is a particularly convenient arrival point for exploring north-western Sardinia.

Do you have to book La Pelosa Beach?

Yes, during the regulated summer season access to La Pelosa Beach requires advance booking. For the 2026 season, regulated access runs from 15 May to 15 October and the beach has a daily visitor limit.

Why do you need a mat at La Pelosa Beach?

Visitors must place a mat underneath their beach towel rather than placing the towel directly onto the sand. The measure helps prevent La Pelosa’s sand from being unintentionally removed when it sticks to towels.

Is La Pelosa Beach worth visiting despite the restrictions?

In our opinion, yes. The booking procedure and beach regulations require extra organisation, but La Pelosa was the most visually impressive beach of our Northern Sardinia road trip.

What are the best beaches in Northern Sardinia for families?

Our favourites were La Pelosa, Mugoni, Le Bombarde, Rena Bianca, Cala Spinosa and Cala Corsara. Mugoni and Rena Bianca were particularly convenient family choices, while La Pelosa offered the most spectacular shallow turquoise water.

Where should you stay on a Northern Sardinia road trip?

Rather than choosing one hotel for the entire holiday, we recommend using several bases. Alghero, Stintino, Castelsardo and Santa Teresa Gallura are particularly useful locations for an itinerary covering both sides of Northern Sardinia.

Is La Maddalena suitable for children?

Yes. A La Maddalena Archipelago boat trip with children is an excellent way to alternate sightseeing and driving days with swimming and time on the water. Our eight-year-old considered it one of the highlights of the holiday.

Is Northern Sardinia better for beaches or sightseeing?

Both. La Pelosa, Rena Bianca, Cala Spinosa and the Maddalena Archipelago provide outstanding beaches, while Alghero, Bosa, Castelsardo, Nuragic sites, Asinara and the villages of Gallura make it possible to build a varied itinerary rather than a beach-only holiday.