Sardinia

Exploring an unknown motorbike paradise in nine days

Sardinia, a sunny island with beautiful beaches, rocks, cliffs and caves, high mountains and flat valleys. A lovely holiday spot, where you can eat and drink well. In particular, the fresh sardines from the grill taste excellent. Because the island has hardly any highways, but many roads, which still require real driving skills, Sardinia is a paradise for motorcyclists.

All three hotels, where you stay during this tour, are good, the rooms are extremely comfortable and the food, Italian of course, is delicious. Moreover, they have swimming pools.

The climate on the island is tropical, with a Mediterranean climate, which is very pleasant on a motorbike. The first few days you explore the north-west of the island. The roads are gorgeous, the tarmac good and it's great riding here. The landscape changes constantly and nature is very varied. You drive routes with many curves and stunning views. Via the west coast, you ride along winding coastal roads with breathtaking views southwards. No doubt you will also encounter mouflon on your path. This endangered little sheep (the only remaining wild species in Europe) with its distinctive curved horns often stands, with the rest of the flock, in the middle of the road.

The outward journey (first day) and return journey (last day) you will drive on your own initiative.

The first day is on your own initiative. It is important that you will be in Livorno no around 5pm (17:00h) and no later than 6.30pm (18:30h) CEST. This way you can take place at a restaurant to have dinner before you have to check in for the ferry. Take note that Livorno can be very busy! In Livorno, you will board the ferry no later than 9 pm in the evening, which then leaves the port for Sardinia around 10:30 pm. It is therefore a good idea to eat at your convenience in Livorno beforehand. The crossing takes about seven hours. In the morning you will be woken up by the intercom, after which you can start exploring Sardinia.

You will arrive in Olbia in the morning. In Olbia, you will have plenty of opportunities to have a good breakfast before starting today's route. The first 100km you drive along the coast is busy and touristy. You'll come across several local cheese shops, where you can buy the ''real'' Sardeen cheese. After 100km, you drive away from the coast and head inland on beautiful steering roads. That afternoon you come to the famous viewpoint ''the Elephant Rock''. The route after this remains very twisty and lovely to drive. You pass the larger town of Sassari, which is worth a visit for enthusiasts. The last part of the route is quite flat but has plenty of views. You will arrive at the hotel where you will stay for two nights.

Today there is a short and long route where you can choose from on the programme that will send you mostly through the inlands of the island. After 50km, a beautiful steering road starts that takes you to stunning views up to 1,000m high. Later, you will come to a waterfall called; ''Cascata Sos Molinos''. This waterfall starts 443 metres above sea level. Especially if you drive the short route, you have enough time to do the hike to the waterfall. There used to be an old donkey trail, but today it is partly paved. That afternoon, you pass an ancient tomb. After this beautiful route you will be back at the hotel.

In the morning, the luggage goes back on the motorcycle and after a good breakfast you set course for the next hotel. Today, you keep encountering the coast and occasionally winding inland. Leaving Alghero, you almost immediately come to a beautiful road with even more beautiful views of land, mountains and sea. After a while you turn inland and see the vast fields of the inlands again. After Oristano, you enter a small part of Sardinia which is marked out with the ruler. All demarcated pieces of land on which something is grown by the locals. Afterwards, you drive along the sea for a while before finally turning inland to the hotel in Iglesias, where you will spend one night. 

You will drive to the south of Sardinia today via a very cool route through the inlands. You'll head to the third and final hotel of this trip! The hotel is practically on the beach, where you can take a nice dip! The first part is a bit though, because the road is very winding! Next, the continuing winding road passes two beautiful lakes: Lago di Bau Pressiu and Lago di Medau Zirimillis. After these lakes, you will see a high rock on the right with the ruins of the "Castello di Acquafredda" on top. Via a small dirt road you can walk the remaining part uphill and have a fantastic view of the surroundings. In the afternoon the route brings you over easy roads. The last part of the route is parallel to the coastline via winding roads. 

Short and long variants are also available for this day route. Today's long route is about a seven-hour drive. If you go for the long route, we recommend leaving early in the morning to enjoy the day route to the maximum. In the first part of the route, you drive directly north parallel to the coastline. Between kilometre 20 and 70, you will go over as many as six mountain passes. These do not exceed 1,000m, but are great and fun to ride. You drive on well-paved roads with stunning views. It doesn't stop with beautiful curves until Lago di Posada, from there you ride on more twisky roads. The last part of the route unfolds again in a curve fest until you reach the hotel. There you can relax by the pool, in the sea or with a nice drink and a good book. 

Short and long routes are also available for today's route. Make sure you have a full tank before departure and fill up in good time during the route. The number of petrol stations on the route is limited today. Do you go for the long route? If so, don't depart too late in the morning to enjoy the many curves and views. The route crosses itself several times today. This morning you will pass the abandoned village of Gairo Vecchia, a village which flooded in 1950 and 1952. After the flooding, the inhabitants built the villdige again, but this time higher up the hill. This abandoned village has now become a tourist attraction. In the afternoon, you will encounter an archaeological dig after the village of Escalaplano. For those who find this interesting it is worth a stop. At the end of the route, you pass the large town of Dolianova. This is a nice place to grab a terrace. 

Today is already the last day in Sardinia. Today you have the option of driving inland or along the east coast to the ferry in Olbia. The route along the east coast gives you beautiful views of the sea and has a shorter driving distance, allowing you to drive at your leisure to the ferry. The driving time of both routes is about the same, so the number of kilometres to drive is not. The inland route is mainly there for the cornering enthusiast.

It is advisable to have a bite to eat before boarding the ferry. The ferry sails out at 10:30 pm (22:30h)  and check-in is no later than 9 pm (21:00h).

We recommend booking this trip in the early or late season, in July and August it can be very hot on the island.