Where to stay in Sardinia
The airports sit far apart: Cagliari airport is about 257 km by road from Olbia. Choosing the base by airport and by coast saves hours in the car.
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How the areas differ
Cagliari, in the south, is the regional capital: the Castello district on its hill, the Marina, Stampace and Villanova districts below it and the Poetto as its city beach. Its airport is 7 km from the city, and the nuraghe of Su Nuraxi di Barumini is about 64 km from the airport.
Alghero, in the north-west, is a walled old town on the sea, 10 km from its own airport, and a base for La Pelosa at Stintino. Olbia, in the north-east, is a port town 4 km from its airport, with ferries from Civitavecchia, Livorno and Genoa. From that airport, Porto Cervo and the Costa Smeralda are about 40 km by road and the beach village of San Teodoro about 31 km.
On the east coast, Cala Gonone sits on the Gulf of Orosei in the comune of Dorgali, about 107 km by road from Olbia airport and about 196 km from Cagliari airport. It is a base for the coves of the gulf and for the walks inland, such as the Gorropu gorge.
Staying with a rental car
Most Sardinian towns have historic centres that are limited traffic zones (ZTL) watched by cameras, and entering one without a pass costs EUR 83 to 332, with the fine sent to the rental company as the owner of the car. In Cagliari the comune runs five: Castello, Marina, Stampace, Villanova and the Poetto, each with its own hours. Park outside the zones and walk in, and ask the host before arrival whether a pass is possible.
In Alghero, the ZTL regulation the comune publishes bans traffic and parking in the historic centre from midnight to 08:00, from 10:30 to 14:30 and from 16:30 to midnight, except for permit holders, with camera gates at Via Simon and Piazza Sulis. A guest of a hotel or flat inside may drive in to load or unload luggage once the host has sent the plate to the local police. In Olbia, under an ordinance of March 2025, zones A and B of the old centre are closed to traffic all day, and parking is banned throughout the ZTL at all hours, even for permit holders.
On the coast the limits change. Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu, near San Teodoro, need a booking from June to September at EUR 2 per person, and the booking does not include parking. In Cala Gonone the comune runs a free shuttle from 1 June to 30 September 2026, and its red line links the Iscrittiorè car park with the port.
Sardinia has no toll motorways, and the SS131 is a free dual carriageway from Cagliari to Sassari and Porto Torres, with a branch to Nuoro and Olbia. For the roads, the ferries and the Italian rules, GetCar's guide Driving in Sardinia: No Tolls, the Airports, Ferries, ZTL Zones and the Italian Rules goes further.
Tourist tax and registration rules for a guest
Sardinia has no island-wide tourist tax: each comune sets its own imposta di soggiorno under Legislative Decree 23/2011, and the host collects it. Cagliari, from 1 April 2026, charges EUR 1 to 5 in hotels by stars and EUR 2 in extra-hotel lodging such as B&Bs and holiday flats, EUR 3 from July to September, on the first five consecutive nights. Alghero charges EUR 2 in most lodging and EUR 4 in hotels of 4 stars and up, on the first seven nights. Both exempt children under 12, and Cagliari also exempts people over 70.
San Teodoro charges only from 1 May to 31 October 2026: EUR 1.50 in most flats and B&Bs and up to EUR 5 in five-star hotels and villas, on at most seven nights. Dorgali, the comune of Cala Gonone, charges from 1 April to 31 October, with a base rate of EUR 1.50. Olbia caps its tax at seven nights. Olbia and Arzachena, the comune of Porto Cervo, publish rate tables only up to 2023 on their own sites; the Finance Ministry's register lists newer acts, of 13 November 2025 for Olbia and 14 November 2024 for Arzachena, which could not be read, so their current amounts are unverified as of September 2026.
A Sardinian holiday let must show two codes in its online listings and at the entrance of the flat: the national CIN and the regional IUN. The host may accept only guests with an identity document or passport and registers each one with the police within 24 hours. A 2024 Interior Ministry circular, upheld by the Council of State in November 2025, requires the host to identify guests in person or by video at the door; a key box with a code sent after an ID upload does not meet it.
When to book what
Several rules follow the calendar. San Teodoro's tax applies from May to October and Dorgali's from April to October, and Cagliari's extra-hotel rate rises to EUR 3 from July to September. The beaches near San Teodoro need a reservation from June to September and La Pelosa from 15 May to 15 October, and Cala Gonone's free shuttle runs from June to September in 2026.
Book the base with the flight in mind: Cala Gonone is about 107 km from Olbia airport and about 196 km from Cagliari's, and Alghero about 137 km from Olbia's. For beach days near San Teodoro or at La Pelosa, the beach booking matters as much as the room. Once the airport is settled, compare the places to stay in that area and book.
Which area for which trip
A city with services all year, or a month: Cagliari.
A walled old town on the sea and the north-west, La Pelosa included: Alghero.
A practical base by the airport and the ferries: Olbia.
Resort hotels, villas and a marina: the Costa Smeralda around Porto Cervo.
Beach days with a car: San Teodoro.
Coves, walks and a slower pace, far from the airports: Cala Gonone.
Questions
Is it better to stay in Cagliari, Olbia or Alghero?
Cagliari for a city with services all year and the south. Olbia for an airport 4 km away and the ferries, with the Costa Smeralda and San Teodoro nearby. Alghero for a walled old town on the sea and the north-west.
Can a rental car enter the old town of Olbia?
Not without an authorisation. Since an ordinance of March 2025, zones A and B of the old centre are a ZTL all day, every day, and parking is banned throughout the ZTL at all hours, even for permit holders.
How much is the tourist tax in Cagliari?
From 1 April 2026, EUR 1 to 5 per person per night in hotels by stars, EUR 2 in extra-hotel lodging, EUR 3 from July to September, and EUR 1.50 in youth hostels. Only the first five consecutive nights are taxed, and children under 12 and people over 70 are exempt.
What is an IUN?
The identification code the Region of Sardinia gives each holiday let. The host must show it with the national CIN in online listings and at the entrance of the flat.
Is Cala Gonone far from the airports?
It is about 107 km by road from Olbia airport and about 196 km from Cagliari airport. Book the flight into Olbia for the shorter drive.