Sardinia Splendour

Stages of your Tour

1. Leg-loosener Ride

   18 km, 250m elevation.

   After meeting at Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport, we trasnfer to our beautiful hotel in Palau,north-eastern Sardinia. After settling in we will take care of your bike fit followed by a leg-stretching ride to nearby Porto Pollo. Leaving town, look out for the Lestrigons, man-eating giants from Palau mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. Above Palau, a colossal granite hill mentioned by the Greek ancient author Ptolemy 100 years BC, has been eroded into what looks like a bear. Navigators have used it for thousands of years. We can use it too - to find dinner in Palau town centre.

   
   Palau – Porto Pollo (Loop)

2. maddalena island loop

   60 km, 650m elevation.

   The ferry takes us to La Maddalena, an archipelago of 62 islands, although we’ll visit only two, La Maddalena and Caprera, where Giuseppe Garibaldi, the swashbuckling revolutionary who fought for Italy’s independence in Italy and South America, spent his final 30 years. After the ferry ride back to the mainland, we scale a couple of hillocks on the way south to Cannigione and the marina at Porto Cervo. Over dinner in Palau, you might want to celebrate your ride with a Garibaldi cocktail: three parts orange juice, one-part Campari, with a orange wedge garnish.

   Maddalena Island – Porto Cervo

3. along the coast castelsardo

   65 km, 800m elevation.

   Prepare for a coastline straight out of an episode of Game of Thrones. After a short transfer to Rena Majore, we mount our bikes and set out through wild green bracken to the rolling coast road, which will take us along the island’s northern edge. The succession of rock pools and inlets carved from the granite by the turquoise sea fuels the imagination. Our destination is Castelsardo, a member of the ‘Italy’s most beautiful villages’ club. Its colourful, pastel-shaded houses overlook the Gulf of Asinara beneath a twelfth-century castle.
   
   Palau – Castelsardo

4. north sardinian hinterland

   60km, 1390m elevation.

   A day of climbing and descending through the north Sardinian hinterland. After a short transfer to tiny Santa Maria Coghinas, we hop on our bikes and climb through low trees and scrub. The wild terrain becomes a dreamscape of stone hills tortured into haunted, surreal shapes. We stop for a long look at a plateau known as Moon Valley, then press on to the stunning medieval village of Aggius, with its Museum of Banditry. Our destination? The capital of north-east Sardinia, Tempio Pausania, elegant with its red-grey granite buildings and terracotta roofs.

   
   Castelsardo - Tempio Pausania

5. Neptune’s cave steps

   40KM, 350M ELEVATION.

   Nicknamed ‘little Barcelona,’ Alghero, with 40,000 townsfolk, is, curiously, Catalan-speaking. After the drive to our hotel, we ride to Cape Caccia, where the white cliffs at the island’s westernmost point meet the Mediterranean sea. We then walk down 654 steps overhanging the sea to reach the entrance to Neptune’s Grotto, a cave with ornate stalactites and stalagmites, with a spectacular underground saltwater lake. Then it’s back on the bikes as we ride back to the hotel to relax in its panoramic swimming pools. Later in the day we visit the Tenuta Sella e Mosca winery to taste the famous Sardinian wine, Cannonau.

   Punta Negra - Capo Caccia (Loop)

6. alghero bosa marina

   51km, 910m elevation.

   Half-close your eyes and you could be in Istanbul or Dubrovnik. With its domed churches, terracotta roofs, and yellow walls, the old town in Alghero is a cultural mosaic of ancient archaeology, medieval ramparts and Catalan Gothic cathedrals built over Phoenician and Roman ruins. Today, we ride through the magical historic centre, then head out along the island’s fabulous west coast south to another of Sardinia’s most beautiful villages: the hillside gem of Bosa. We’ll take the minibus back to the hotel and have dinner in beautiful Alghero.

   
   
   Alghero - Bosa Marina

7. arrivederci

   It is time to leave the enchanted isle, with new friendships made, tastes acquired, and glimpses of a new way of life to add to your repertoire. The moments lived and lessons learned in magical Sardinia need assimilating. After all, life-enhancing experiences only enhance your life if you let them! So, on the journey home, let yourself drift off and recreate in your dreams Sardinia’s quiet roads, ancient landscapes and geometric vineyards. When the work is done, it will be time to contemplate your next Italy Bike Tours holiday.

The perfect cycling holiday requires pedalling on the perfect bike. So should you not wish to bring your own bike with you we have a number of beautiful bikes that you can hire at very reasonable prices. If you are not sure what is the perfect bike for you then fire us an email and we will be delighted give you some expert advice. You can find more information about our bikes below. And yes you can buy our bikes if you fall in love with them!