Costa Smeralda – One of Many Beautiful Regions of Sardinia

We started our Sardinia vacation by flying (from Frankfurt) into Olbia on the northeast coast of Sardinia. This was a great place to begin (and end) our Sardinian adventures. Olbia is ideally situated near the famous Costa Smeralda and the La Maddalena Archipelago, as well as other costal towns, archeological sites and beaches. (See here for an overview of regions we visited in Sardinia, we toured the island in a counter-clockwise route).

Olbia

While not a major tourist destination itself, Olbia has a lovely old town and is situated on a beautiful harbor. We spent our first night here, enjoying dinner in one of the many restaurants on the main pedestrian street and browsing the vendor booths lining the harbor promenade – a very festive atmosphere.

Views of Olbia and harbor, with Tavolara Island (right), the mountainous island with more beautiful beaches in the far distance.

The next morning we drove north toward Porto Cervo, the heart of Costa Smeralda, stopping at beaches along the way. Our first day started out cool, windy and slightly rainy, but by the afternoon it was warm and sunny. The weather didn’t stop us from enjoying the sights along the coast and wasn’t a factor for the rest of our trip.

Costa Smeralda

Costa Smeralda got its name and started becoming fashionable in the early 1960’s, due to development efforts led by Prince Karim Aga Khan. It’s maintained that status ever since. Our stay here was brief, given the many areas of Sardinia we wanted to visit. Below are a few images of the beautiful coastline of this region.

This sign, along the coastal road from Olbia to Porto Cervo lets you know you’re entering the fabled Costa Smeralda.
Capriccioli Beach
Spiaggia Principe, considered Sardinia’s most famous beach (although it’s only one of hundreds as beautiful), on Costa Esmarelda.
Porto Cervo, the center of Costa Smeralda, was pretty quiet in early October. We enjoyed walking around the harbor and the town, with many expensive shops.
The calm, clear waters of La Celvia Beach, south of Porto Cervo.
La Celvia beach (left and above), was just a short distance from our hotel in the Costa Smeralda resort area of Cala di Volpe (above right), and near a golf course as well as Capriccioli and Spiaggia Principe beaches. What more could you ask for!
Although not directly part of Costa Smerelda, Spiaggia Cala Brandinchi, near San Teodoro, not far south of Olbia, is another great beach and park, with some lawn area just behind the beach for games or picnics. We were flying out of Sardinia shortly after our visit here and so we didn’t get to enjoy this beach for long!
Real pink flamingoes near San Teodoro!

As with any region of Sardinia, it would be easy to spend your whole vacation right in (or around) Costa Esmeralda. If you want to live here, be ready to open your checkbook. It’s one of the most expensive regions in Europe and given its allure, it’s easy to see why.