If you want the Costa Smeralda itself, stay in Porto Cervo or Liscia di Vacca. If you want to get around the islands and over to Corsica, Palau or Santa Teresa Gallura; for a seaside village with its own small harbour, Cannigione; if you’re flying in and want the sea close by, Porto Rotondo, Porto Istana or San Teodoro. If you only need to catch a ferry, Olbia itself is enough. We manage homes in all these places: below you’ll find what to expect from each, how far it is from Olbia airport, what changes without a car, and how to book.
Costa Smeralda or Gallura: what’s the difference
The Costa Smeralda, the Emerald Coast, is a specific stretch of coast in the municipality of Arzachena: it was born in 1962 around Porto Cervo, which is still its centre (Arzachena Turismo, in Italian). Around it is Gallura, the north-eastern corner of Sardinia, whose gateway is Olbia: Olbia Costa Smeralda airport and the Isola Bianca ferry port.
One thing matters more than anything else when you choose where to stay: in Gallura the towns are far apart and the beaches are nearly always outside them. You need a car. At the airport the car hire companies are in a building about 50 metres from arrivals (Olbia airport, car hire). The distances below are by road from the airport, rounded; in August, on the coast roads, journeys take longer.
Without a car
It can be done, if you choose the town for it. From the airport, city buses 2 and 10 run to the centre of Olbia about every 20 minutes, and coaches go to Arzachena, Palau and Santa Teresa Gallura; another line runs from Olbia along the coast through Porto Rotondo and Porto Cervo to Cannigione. Lines and timetables are on the airport’s bus page: check them before you rely on them. Without a car, the practical choices are Olbia; Palau, where the ferries for La Maddalena leave from the harbour; and Santa Teresa, with a beach you can walk to from the centre. For the other beaches you’ll need a taxi, or a hire car for the day.
Town by town
Porto Cervo and Liscia di Vacca
Porto Cervo is the village the Costa Smeralda grew up around: the marina, the piazzetta, the coves all around. Liscia di Vacca is just to the west, on the same coast. Nearby is Capo Ferro, with its lighthouse, and further south the beach of Liscia Ruja. From the airport it’s about 40 kilometres.
It’s the right place if the holiday is the Costa Smeralda itself. Our homes: at Capo Ferro, near the beach, and in the Alba Ruia village at Liscia di Vacca. Dates and prices are on the booking portal, for Porto Cervo and for Liscia di Vacca.
Porto Rotondo
It’s often counted as part of the Costa Smeralda, but it belongs to Olbia, between the gulfs of Cugnana and Marinella, with a large marina. Of the seaside resorts in the north it’s the closest to the airport, about 20 kilometres away: handy if you arrive in the evening or are staying only a few days. Our home is at Rudalza, with a sea view and a portico (booking portal, Porto Rotondo).
Cannigione
On the west side of the Gulf of Arzachena, in the same municipality as Porto Cervo. It’s a seaside village with its own small harbour, and from here the Costa Smeralda and Palau are within easy reach by car. From the airport it’s about 30 kilometres. We have two homes next to each other, both with a terrace and a sea view (booking portal, Cannigione).
Palau and Costa Serena
Palau is the port for the La Maddalena archipelago, a national park: ferries leave often and the crossing takes 15 to 20 minutes (Maddalena Lines). A few kilometres away is Bear Rock, the Roccia dell’Orso, a granite boulder shaped by the wind that gives Capo d’Orso its name. From the airport it’s about 45 kilometres.
In Palau we have several homes with a terrace and a sea view, and one with a garden and parking on via del Faro; another is at Costa Serena, just outside the town. On the portal: Palau and Costa Serena.
Santa Teresa Gallura
The northernmost point, facing Corsica. Ferries leave the port for Bonifacio: the crossing takes about 50 minutes, so you can go and come back the same day (Moby, the route). In the town there’s the Rena Bianca beach, a walk from the centre. From the airport it’s about 60 kilometres: it’s the furthest, and worth it if you’re staying a week. Our home is near the marina, with a pool and a terrace (booking portal, Santa Teresa).
San Teodoro and Porto Istana
South of Olbia, facing the island of Tavolara, in the Tavolara–Punta Coda Cavallo marine protected area (the area’s website). Porto Istana is less than 20 kilometres from the airport, San Teodoro about 30.
One thing to know before you go: in San Teodoro, from 1 June to 30 September, you have to book to go to the beaches of Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu. You book on the council’s beach website, from 6pm two days before, and on busy days the places go quickly. That website is the only one authorised to sell the bookings, and it warns against fake sites.
In San Teodoro we have a home in the town; at Porto Istana, a villa with a pool and parking. On the portal: San Teodoro and Porto Istana.
Olbia, waiting for the ferry
If your ship leaves early in the morning or arrives at night, the simplest thing is to stay in Olbia. The Isola Bianca port is a couple of kilometres from the centre, and the airport about seven.
According to the port authority, a shuttle bus takes passengers between the maritime station and the ships, and city buses stop in the station’s square: the 9 goes to the railway station, on corso Umberto; for the airport there are lines 2 and 10, changing in via Redipuglia. Coaches for Palau and Santa Teresa also leave from the port.
In Olbia we manage two homes (booking portal, Olbia). When you book, tell us the time of your ship, and we’ll tell you how your arrival will work.
When to go, and the wind
The high season runs from June to September, and for August it pays to book early. June and September have emptier roads and less crowded beaches.
The wind that decides the days is the mistral, the maestrale, from the north-west. When it blows, the exposed beaches become uncomfortable and the sheltered ones fill up: one more reason to have a car, and a home from which you can reach different stretches of coast. Your arrival instructions tell you which beaches to choose on windy days.
Beyond Gallura we also look after homes at Viddalba, in the north of the island, and at Orosei, on the east coast.
How to book a home we manage
The available homes, with dates and prices, are on the booking portal: the links for each town are above. The same homes are also on Airbnb and Booking.com, on the same terms. We can’t promise you a free home in August until you see it on the portal: if the dates you want don’t appear, call us on +39 011 1962 0297 or message us on WhatsApp at +39 351 361 3447.
Before you arrive you get the instructions: the address, where to leave the car and which beach to choose. On arrival your identity has to be checked against your document, as Italian law requires — it can also be done remotely, through a video link at the entrance — and we look after your arrival ourselves. Why it works this way is in our guide to why hosts in Italy ask for your passport.
How a stay works is on our page for guests and on the Olbia and Gallura page.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best place to stay on the Costa Smeralda?
In Porto Cervo or Liscia di Vacca if you want to be inside the Costa Smeralda itself; in Cannigione if you’d rather have a seaside village with its own small harbour, in the same municipality. Porto Rotondo is the northern seaside resort closest to Olbia airport. In Gallura you need a car anyway: the towns are far apart and the beaches are outside them.
Where should I stay in Olbia while waiting for a ferry?
In the town: the Isola Bianca port is a couple of kilometres from the centre, and city buses leave the maritime station square for the railway station and, with one change, for the airport. When you book a home in Olbia, tell us your ship’s time, so we can organise your arrival.
Do you need to book the beaches in San Teodoro?
Two of them, yes: Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu, from 1 June to 30 September. You book on the council’s beach website, from 6pm two days before, and on peak days the places go quickly.
How far is Porto Cervo from Olbia airport?
About 40 kilometres by road. Porto Rotondo is about 20, Cannigione about 30, Palau about 45 and Santa Teresa Gallura about 60. In August, on the coast roads, allow more time.
Where do the ferries to La Maddalena and Corsica leave from?
For La Maddalena, from Palau: the crossing takes 15 to 20 minutes, with frequent departures. For Corsica, from Santa Teresa Gallura to Bonifacio, in about 50 minutes. Times and tickets are on the ferry companies’ websites.
How do I book a Maison Métropole home in Sardinia?
On our booking portal, where you see the available homes in each town with dates and prices, or on Airbnb and Booking.com on the same terms. If the dates you want don’t appear, call us on +39 011 1962 0297: we’ll tell you what we have.
Written by the editorial team of Maison Métropole.
