Currently sitting at home, and guess what? It’s raining, surprise, surprise. So in order to bring a little sunshine to my life at the moment, I figured I would share our trip to Italy at the beginning of 2020, before, well before we got to where we are now in the world.
Our return to Italy couldn’t have been more perfect than visiting the Island of Sardinia. It had been over 9 years since either of us visited this wonderful country, not to mention reminiscing in all the memories of our lives in Italy, like seeing each other for the first time in over 4 years, and starting our relationship, and getting engaged…. Yes, we had a rather romantic courtship indeed. But I digress. It was a great weekend in Cagliari, with sufficient cappuccino intake to last for us a few months until we return, and a great place to put on your travel itinerary if you only have a couple days. We visited Cagliari during the Winter months of January, but coming from the U.K. this was a warm welcome from the rain and cold. We’ve spent numerous winters in Italy combined, but their Sardinia winter in January was so sunny and warm, not overly hot, that it’s a perfect weekend getaway to cure some of those winter blues if needed.
Cagliari is a wonderful city, along the southern coast of Sardinia with a very relaxed vibe and if you go in the winter, you’ll find yourself amongst more Italians than tourist. But if you do decide to visit during this time, I would suggest brushing up on your Italian, as we did find that many locals spoke minimum English, and preferred to speak Italian or Spanish if possible. If you’re flying into Cagliari, it’s a simple transfer from the airport to the city, which is another bonus for a short weekend getaway as it reduced the amount of time you’re actually traveling. I do love that about a lot of places we’ve visited over the past few months, when the airport is conveniently located less than a 20 minute commute to get to our final destination, and Cagliari is definitely one of those places.
Now – onto what you can do in Cagliari Sardinia over a weekend – lots! But most of all, it’s a much more relaxed atmosphere, so don’t expect a jam packed weekend full of tourist exploration, that’s definitely not what you’ll get in Cagliari, but we were 100% okay with that.
Top 7 things to do in Cagliari
Find Elephant Tower
The Torre dell’Elefante or Elephant Tower is hidden within the hills of Cagliari and in residential streets that can be a bit tricky and steep to locate. The Tower is a very impressive 14th century tower that you can go up in for views of the city and ocean. However we chose not to go up, and I’m glad we didn’t because the views along other promenades in Cagliari are just as impressive like the Terrace Promenade at the top of Bastione Saint Remy.
Spend some time at Bastione Saint Remy
After walking up the steep hills to find Torre dell’Elefante – we found the Terrace Promenade that leads into Bastione Saint Remy. The views are breathtaking and the Terrace Promenade with views of the archway are breathtaking. We spend some time here people watching, admiring the views, and basking in some much needed Italian Sunshine. From the Terrace, you can walk down along the steps of Bastione Saint Remy that leads you into another plaza and some really great cafe, restaurants, and shopping areas.
Shop Italian Fashion & More
Honestly, I don’t know if this is always the case, but while we were there in January, every store had 50-70% off sales, and boy was I in Shopping Heaven! It was amazing! So if you’re a bargain shopper, than these two areas are definitely worth the look. And if you’re not walking along these two pedestrian areas is equally worth it for the architecture. The two main shopping fares can be found at the bottom of Bastione Saint Remy. One is Piazza Martiti D’Italia where there’s a few more common shops like Zara, and the other is Via Giuseppe Caribaldi that had less known shops.
Eat and Drink at Piazza Jenne
This comes alive at night – especially on a Saturday night! We grabbed a nice bite to eat at lunch here during our time, and happened to walk past in the evening and it was transformed. All the restaurants were open with plenty of outdoor seating, people were eating and drinking, it was a great atmosphere if you’re interested in a bit of a later evening meal or drink. Follow the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II to the left of the piazza for lots of options.
Run (or walk) The Marina
Like to exercise during your vacation? We occasionally do enjoy a muring run, especially if the weather is nice. So we planned on doing so during our weekend in Cagliari. Luckily the Marina has a wonderful running/walking path along the water front. It wraps around and you can start it from the Central Train Station in either direction. We took it heading towards Poetto Beach and caught wonderful sunrise views and shared the path with many other early birds (no pun intended). Whatever time of the day, this pathway offers great views of the Tyrrhenian Sea, boats and cruise ships coming into harbor, and various places to sit and enjoy a bit of relaxation.
Stroll along Poetto Beach
Poetto Beach is about a 30 minute bus ride from central Cagliari, and it’s super easy to use public transportation to get here. Again, not sure if it was because it was winter, but the beach seemed a bit run down… eek… in some areas. It definitely wasn’t clean and palmy beach area, but nonetheless it was full with locals on a Sunday lunch time. The views of the Tyrrhenian Sea are breathtaking and the water was nice and warm. The promenade offers bars and cafes to grab a drink or a bite to eat along the way, and it includes and cycling/skating lane and a pedestrian lane. So if you want to bike this would be a good option. Perhaps it’s different in the summer time, but nonetheless we enjoyed our afternoon at the beach.
Visit the Anfiteatro Romano di Cagliari
Cagliari definitely has a colosseum. We took the walk there, about 20 minute walk from the center, and it wasn’t bad, a bit hilly, but we managed fine. Unfortunately it was under renovation for the next few months (Jan 2020 we were there). But even if you don’t enter the Colosseum you can walk up the perimeter and enjoy the views.
Eating and Drinking – Yes Please!
Here are a few places that we enjoyed during our time in Cagliari. Honestly the options are endless!! But if you prefer a bit of recommendations, here are some I can give to you.
Bistro – Cibarius Caguart – Some of the best outdoor seating in Cagliari. If you can, try and grab a late afternoon drink or bite to eat here, the sun settles into the hill and you’ll get some great tanning time.
Cafe – Cafe Svizzero – Really great staff and indoor seating. Selection of pastries and wine. Great for a cappuccino and try their pistachio croissant… OMG!
Cafe – Origins Cagliari – Lots of indoor seating, with great pastry selection. Also offers sit down meals. We stopped for a Tiramisu, that was super rich and delicious and a Cafe Correto, because that’s a must any time you’re in Italy!
Lunch – Ellusu Cagliari – This is off of Piazza Jenne. During lunch time they offer a small but delicious lunch menu, try the Gnocchi.
Lunch – Nerocarbone – This restaurant has outdoor seating and offers gorgeous views of Bastione di Saint Remy. Try the mussels with a basket of bread. Foodie goals!
Dinner – Corso Dodici – This is another restaurant in Piazza Jenne. It’s located along the side street with rows and rows of restaurants to try.
Gelato – Gelateria Peterpan – I mean gelato is great almost anywhere! But this place was divine. The options are endless, and they have great outdoor seating right across from the Marina.
Transportation in the city
Super Easy! The bus system is very easy to comprehend. Download the CTM Bus Finder App so that you can buy tickets through the App to use the bus throughout the city. Once on the bus just scan the QR Code through the App, and voila you’re done.
Getting to and from the airport is also super easy. The train station is located about a 5 minute walk outside from when you exit the airport. You can buy tickets before you actually walk out from the airport, the machines have an English option and again it’s super easy. No hassle, no confusion, just simple and straight forward, another plus of visiting Cagliari.
Where to Stay
There are plenty of hotels and Airbnb’s to choose from in the main Cagliari area. When searing for accommodations, I usually opt for Airbnb options, unless hotels are around the same price. The reason we go with a hotel over an Airbnb is if we have a late flight out. Usually hotels will let us keep our bags there after check-out for later collection – haven’t found one yet that doesn’t allow us to do this. This can be a hit or miss with Airbnb Hosts – so if we have a late flight out, which we did in this instance, then we’ll try and book for a hotel.
I would recommend staying near the Largo Carlo Felice or the Piazza Jenne. It has perfect access to different plazas, shopping centers, and it’s easy to navigate other locations to visit from here. From my experience I can recommend Hotel Ristorante Flora. It’s a 4 star hotel, check-in took less than 2 minutes, the room was spacious, and the location was perfect.
There you have it, when we are able to book a flight (in the near future hopefully) then you have a great option in visiting Cagliari, Italy.
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