TOUR OF SARDINIA BY CAR: ROADS AND DISTANCES
The car is definitely the best way to travel in Sardinia. Using the car you can explore the beauty and destinations out of town without having to rely on public transport which does not arrive at certain locations. There are no highways but only super-roads that connect Cagliari – Sassari – Nuoro – Oristano – Olbia
FROM CAGLIARI AIRPORT TO OLBIA AIRPORT BY CAR
FROM CAGLIARI AIRPORT TO ALGHERO BY CAR
HIGHWAYS OF SARDINIA
In Sardinia there are no motorways, the Cagliari-Oristano-Sassari and Cagliari-Oristano-Olbia connections are fast enough and guaranteed by the highway 131
The main one is the SS 131 (Carlo Felice) that “cuts” in two connecting Sardinia from north to south from Cagliari to Sassari and Porto Torres
From Cagliari take the Midwestern part with numerous exits from which to reach other arteries that connect the entire island, through Oristano, up to Sassari.
GETTING FROM CAGLIARI AIRPORT TO OLBIA AIRPORT BY CAR
Jounery time is about 2h 40 min – Km 267
Get on highway SS131 north toward Oristano. Passing Oristano take the exit toward Nuoro/Olbia
GETTING FROM CAGLIARI AIRPORT TO ALGHERO AIRPORT BY CAR
Journey time is about 2h 30 min – Km 235
Follow the SS 131 north to Sassari. Exit from SS 291 direction to Alghero – Aeroporto Fertilia
GETTING FROM ALGHERO AIRPORT TO OLBIA AIRPORT BY CAR
Journey time is about 1h 40 min – Km 127
Take SS 291 to Sassari. Continue on SS 597 toward Olbia take exit to Aeroporto Costa Smeralda
FROM OLBIA AIRPORT TO ALGHERO
ROAD CONDITIONS
Driving in Sardinia is reasonably easy and stress free. Not much traffic, which is only concerned in the main cities of Cagliari, Sassari and Olbia and also Alghero in high summer. By driving in the inlands roads you’re likely to face flocks of sheep or cows
- Main roads are generally in reasonable condition. To better explore the island you’ll need to use the smaller provincial roads (strade provinciali), marked as P or SP on maps. Some of them are just one-lane in both directions but these are the only way to get the more beautiful places and small villages.
- It’s generally easier to travel north–south (or vice versa) than east–west.
- Many spectacular hidden beaches and rural area are only accessible by dirt tracks.
- Parking can be quite hard in the biggest towns and at the popular beaches
- It’s always cheaper to hire a car before you arrive in Sardinia. The major car-hire companies are located at the airports.See here
- About the fuel, there are plenty of filling stations. Smaller stations tend to close between about 1pm and 3.30pm and on Sundays.
- Many stations have self-service (fai da te) pumps that you can use 24 hours a day. To use a self-service petrol station, you need before to insert a bank note or credit card (not always available as option) into the payment machine and press the number of the pump you want.
- Speed limits on main highways are 110km/h, on secondary highways 90km/h, and in built-up areas 50km/h.
Other main highways beside the SS131 are
SS131 Diramazione Centrale Nuorese (Nuoro Central Branch) – from the heart of Sardinia of Abbasanta junction reaches Nuoro and ends to Olbia
127 SS Settentrionale Sarda (Northern branch) – starts from Olbia and passes through Telti, Calangianus, Tempio, until get to the SS131 to Sassari
SS 125 Orientale Sarda (Eastern branch) – starts from Cagliari get into many towns of the east coast: Muravera, Tortoli, Dorgali, Orosei, Budoni, San Teodoro, to Olbia
128 SS Centrale Sarda (Central branch) – from Monastir, get into Senorbì, Isili, Atzara and Fonni up to get onto the Highway SS129
129 SS Trasversale Sarda (transversal branch) – starts from Orosei enters in Barbagia reaching Galtellì, Nuoro, Orotelli, Bolotana up to Macomer
SS291 Della Nurra – from Sassari up to Fertilia going to Santa Maria La Palma
Please note: these directions are for planning purposes only. You may find that construction projects, traffic, weather, or other events may cause conditions to differ from the map results, and you should plan your route accordingly. You must obey all signs or notices regarding your route.