Skip to content
Corso Umberto in Olbia, a paved pedestrian street with cafe tables under white parasols and pastel houses with green shutters

Where to stay in Olbia

Photo: Dr. Thomas Liptak, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Olbia

Add your dates above to compare prices for your stay.

About Olbia

Olbia has the Olbia Costa Smeralda airport and the Isola Bianca ferry port, and its historic centre is closed to cars around the clock. Where a car can sleep decides which area works.

Italy. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Olbia Costa Smeralda (OLB), 4 km from Olbia and about 7 km by road to Corso Umberto; the car rental terminal is about 50 m from arrivals. Source
Ferry port
Isola Bianca, 10 ro-ro berths for passenger ships, about 2 km from the centre; the port system handles over three million presences a year. Source
Tourist tax
Due from non-residents on at most seven consecutive nights; after seven consecutive nights no later night that year is taxed. Children under 16 are exempt. The 2026 amounts are set by the Giunta and are not published. Source
Who collects it
The host, the landlord, the agent or the booking portal, with recourse on the guest; guests pay at the end of the stay and get a receipt. Aspo spa collects it for the comune. Source
Short-term rental rules
A Sardinian let shows the regional IUN and the national CIN in every listing and at the entrance of the unit; the host registers every guest with the police within 24 hours. Source
Limited traffic zone
Zones A and B of the historic centre are closed to traffic every day from 00:00 to 24:00, and parking is banned throughout the ZTL at all hours even for authorised vehicles; zone C1 closes from 17:00 to 24:00 and zone C2 all day. Source
Parking with a rental car
Aspo bays: zone 1 around Corso Umberto EUR 1.50 an hour, 08:00 to 20:00 on working days; zone 2 from viale Aldo Moro to via Tavolara EUR 1.00 an hour; Porto Rotondo EUR 3.00 an hour in summer; the airport zone EUR 1.00 an hour. Source
Monthly stays
Up to 30 days a flat is a short let. Beyond 30 days in the year the lease is registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate within 30 days, and an unregistered lease is void. Source
Monthly parking
Aspo sells a monthly subscription at EUR 20.00 for the Acquaviva area, which is open 24 hours. Source
Short stays for non-EU visitors
90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. Source
Currency
Euro (EUR) Source
Emergency number
112 Source

Areas of Olbia

Corso Umberto in Olbia, a paved pedestrian street with cafe tables under white parasols and pastel houses with green shutters
Photo: Dr. Thomas Liptak, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Centro storico and Corso Umberto

The pedestrian spine of the town, with cafe tables along Corso Umberto and the granite basilica of San Simplicio a few streets north. Everything is walkable and the ferry port is about 2 km away. It suits short stays, a first night off the boat and a month with shops open all year.

Olbia airport
about 7 km
Ferry port
about 2 km

Car and parking

Zones A and B are closed to all traffic every day from 00:00 to 24:00, and the ordinance bans parking throughout the ZTL at every hour, even for vehicles with an authorisation. Loading is limited to 20 minutes and the limit is 30 km/h. The nearest legal bays are Aspo zone 1 on Corso Umberto, via Garibaldi, via Catello Piro, via De Filippi and via Acquedotto Romano, 132 spaces at EUR 1.50 an hour from 08:00 to 20:00 on working days, Saturdays included. A camera fine runs EUR 83 to 332.

The Olbia waterfront seen across the inlet, with palms and street lamps along the promenade and the granite hills of Gallura behind the town
Photo: Dr. Thomas Liptak, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The port and the waterfront

The Isola Bianca passenger terminal and the promenade along the inlet, with ten ro-ro berths for passenger ships. The hills of Gallura stand behind the roofs. It suits an arrival or a departure by boat and travellers who want the centre on foot without taking the car into the old streets.

Olbia airport
about 7 km
The centre
about 2 km

Car and parking

This side sits outside the historic-centre zones A and B. Aspo zone 2 covers viale Aldo Moro, via G. D'Annunzio, via Acquedotto, via Roma, via Planargia, via Gallura and via Tavolara, 287 spaces at EUR 1.00 an hour from 09:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00 on working days, which in Italy include Saturday. Nothing is charged on Sundays and holidays in that zone.

The Pittulongu shore north east of Olbia seen from the water, houses scattered along the coast under bare granite hills
Photographed in 2016. Photo: Gianni Careddu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pittulongu and the north shore

The beach strip north-east of the town along the gulf, with houses scattered down the coast under bare granite hills. It suits a beach holiday with a car and travellers who want the airport close but the town at arm's length. It does not suit anyone who wants to walk to dinner in the centre.

Olbia airport
about 14 km
The centre
about 8 km

Car and parking

The historic-centre ZTL does not reach here, so a car can come and go freely. No municipal parking scheme or tariff was found for the Olbia beaches, so a property with its own space is worth asking about before booking.

The marina at Porto Rotondo full of yachts, with red roofed houses on the slope behind and a headland beyond
Photographed in 2016. Photo: Gianni Careddu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Porto Rotondo

A marina village and frazione of the comune of Olbia on the north side of the gulf, with yachts packed along the quays and houses on the slope behind. It suits a resort stay and families who want a harbour on the doorstep.

Olbia airport
about 21 km
The centre
about 16 km

Car and parking

Aspo charges zone 3 at Porto Rotondo at EUR 3.00 an hour in the summer season, from 08:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 24:00, the highest street tariff anywhere in the comune.

The white sand beach at Porto Istana with clear shallow water, a few people on the sand and low islands on the horizon
Photographed in 2016. Photo: Gianni Careddu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Murta Maria and Porto Istana

The south-eastern coast of the comune, where the white sand of Porto Istana looks across shallow water to low islands. It suits beach holidays and families with a car, and every errand there needs the car.

Olbia airport
about 13 km
The centre
about 12 km

Car and parking

The roads in run off the SS125, and a car is needed for everything. No municipal parking scheme or tariff was found for these beaches, so ask the property what it offers. The old-town ZTL is irrelevant here, but it matters on any evening trip into Olbia.

Guides

Questions

How much is the tourist tax in Olbia?

The comune charges it on at most seven consecutive nights, and once seven consecutive nights are reached no later night in the same year is taxed. The amount for 2026 is set by the Giunta and is not published; the newest table the comune shows is 2023, at EUR 2.50 for a rented house and EUR 2 to 5 for hotels by stars.

Can a car be parked in the centre of Olbia?

Not inside zones A and B. The 2025 ordinance closes them to traffic every day from 00:00 to 24:00 and bans parking throughout the ZTL at all hours, even for authorised vehicles. The nearest legal bays are the Aspo zone 1 spaces at EUR 1.50 an hour on working days.

How far is Olbia airport from the centre?

The airport operator puts it 4 km from Olbia, and the road run to Corso Umberto is about 7 km. The car rental terminal is about 50 m from arrivals.

Which area suits a beach holiday with a car?

Pittulongu on the north shore or Murta Maria and Porto Istana to the south-east. No municipal parking scheme was found for either, so ask the property whether it has its own space.

Does the host register guests in Olbia?

Yes. Italian law lets a host accept only guests with an identity document or passport, and the host registers each guest with the police within 24 hours. Sardinian lets also carry a regional IUN alongside the national CIN.