Collected at the airport and driven an hour southwest to the dunes at Chia. Dinner is at the hotel, because the flight day is long enough.
Photography by Katie Kalmykova via Unsplash
Italy / Mediterranean
Sardinia, Coast and Interior
Chia beaches, the Barbagia mountains and four days on the Costa Smeralda
A real itinerary we have designed for a client. Leave your email and we will send the full brochure.
Duration
7 nights, 8 days
Pace
Two drive days, four slow ones
Best time
Late May to early July, or September when the water is warmest
From
$15,400 per person
The idea
Why this works
Most people fly into Olbia, drive twenty minutes and never leave the Costa Smeralda. That is a shame, because the interior is where Sardinia is still itself. We start in the south at Chia, spend two nights in the mountains at Oliena among vineyards and mask makers, and only then move north to the coast, which feels earned rather than assumed. Small hotels, a lot of swimming, and food that is closer to Spain than to Rome.
What sets it apart
- Nora, where a Phoenician city sits half in the sea
- Su Nuraxi di Barumini, the Bronze Age tower complex, before the tour buses
- Two nights in Barbagia, with a cantina lunch and the mask museum at Mamoiada
- A boat day through the Maddalena archipelago with a skipper who knows the empty coves
- A morning making pecorino with a shepherd, then eating it under a fig tree
The plan
Day by day
Open any day to see where you are, where you sleep and what the day holds. The map follows along, and every point on it opens the day that belongs to it.
A morning at Nora with an archaeologist, walking mosaic floors and a theatre that the sea is slowly taking back. Afternoon on Su Giudeu beach with a boat waiting if you want to move along the coast.
Breakfast
The drive inland stops at Su Nuraxi di Barumini, a Bronze Age stone tower complex older than the Colosseum, then at a honey producer in the Marmilla hills for lunch.
Breakfast, lunch
Cannonau vineyards in the morning with the winemaker, the mask museum at Mamoiada after lunch, where the carnival costumes are heavier and stranger than you expect, and a shepherd's dinner back at the hotel.
Breakfast, dinner
Two and a half hours north to Porto Cervo. The afternoon is yours, which usually means the pool and a swim off the rocks before an aperitivo in the marina.
Breakfast
A full day on a private boat through the islands off the northeast tip, anchoring for lunch in a cove that the ferries cannot reach and swimming until the light goes soft.
Breakfast, lunch
A morning at a working sheep farm inland for pecorino and ricotta made in front of you, then an afternoon we leave completely free.
Breakfast
Private transfer to Olbia, twenty five minutes away.
Breakfast
8 days|from $15,400Speak to an advisor
Where you would stay
The hotels we partner with
Your ZOMA perks
Held on every stay in this itinerary
Because we book through preferred partner programmes, the rate matches or beats what you would get direct, and the extras are guaranteed before you travel, not negotiated at check in.
- Room upgrade on arrival, whenever the hotel can offer it
- Daily breakfast for two
- Property credit for spa, dining or experiences
- Early check in and late check out where possible
- VIP welcome and a direct line to your advisor while you are away
The fine print
What the price covers
Included
- Seven nights with upgrades and resort credit held where the hotel allows
- Private car and English speaking driver for every transfer and drive day
- Archaeologist guiding at Nora and Barumini
- The Maddalena boat day with skipper, lunch and drinks aboard
- Winery, honey producer and sheep farm visits arranged privately
- Restaurant reservations along the coast, including August tables
Not included
- Flights to Cagliari and out of Olbia
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed in the day plan
- Beach club loungers and spa treatments
Customize this itinerary
Send us a message with your dates, travelers and any requests and we will customize this journey to ensure it's fully personalized for you.
