Feel the cool roughness of ancient stone as you trail your fingers along a Nuragic tower, wild thyme and warm dust rising in the afternoon heat. Watch the sea glow silver outside Cagliari’s harbor while church bells echo off bastions and domes, and lanterns begin to flicker on in the streets below. Stand at the threshold of a Giants’ Tomb, looking along its narrow stone corridor as evening light softens over granite hills, then raise a glass of Cannonau as the first stars appear above an island that has lived with its towers and giants for over 3000 years.
On this expert‑led journey, you follow Sardinia’s history in the same south‑to‑north arc you trace on the ground, so that landscapes and timelines always make sense together. You begin in Cagliari, the island’s lively southern capital, where Phoenician traders, Roman officials, and medieval rulers left their mark on the harbor, the Castello hill, and the museums that gather their stories. A sunset cruise in the bay lets you see the city as sailors once did, with bastions and domes rising from the water, history layered along the curve of the coast.
From Cagliari, the route leads west across open plains scattered with prehistoric stones reachingthe Nuragic world at its most impressive. At Su Nuraxi, the island’s only UNESCO‑listed Nuraghe, you step into beehive chambers and concentric walls that reveal how Bronze Age Sardinians organised their communities and guarded their land. Nearby sites such as Pranu Muttedu push the story further back into prehistory, when sky, ritual, and granite were first bound together.
On the Sinis Peninsula, the focus shifts to sea routes and empires. At Tharros and other coastal ruins, you walk old Phoenician and Roman streets where columns, baths, and city walls meet wide, bright horizons of sea and sand. Inland, agriturismo lunches and quiet village pauses connect these harbors to the countryside that fed them, with local breads, cheeses, and wines carrying forward older pastoral traditions. Moving north into central Sardinia, sacred wells and monumental towers emerge in hushed rural landscapes, showing how Nuragic builders shaped space around water, light, and defence. Medieval and Catalan traces in Alghero—its sea walls, narrow streets, and sun‑warmed stone—add a later chapter to this deepening sense of place
The journey culminates in the northeast, around Olbia and Arzachena, where some of the island’s most evocative monuments are located. At Giants’ Tombs like Coddu Vecchiu and Li Lolghi and at the Nuraghe La Prisgiona, the themes of towers, water, and ritual converge in one concentrated landscape. Evenings in coastal towns and countryside settings let you absorb what you’ve seen—strolling through harbors and piazzas, watching the light fade over hills and sea—until Sardinia’s towers, giants, and pastoral worlds linger as one living landscape in your memory.
Expect a uniquely comprehensive Sardinia itinerary that follows Sardinia’s real story: You’ll experience all of Sardinia’s key archaeological phases—Neolithic, Bronze Age (Nuragic), Phoenician-Punic, Roman, and medieval—each sequenced in geographic and temporal context.
Visit both the classic “must-see” sites (Su Nuraxi, Tharros, Nora, Mont’e Prama) and the “wow factor” destinations overlooked by other tours: the Tombs of Li Lolghi and Coddu Vecchiu, Sa Coveccada Dolmen, Pranu Muttedu, and the sacred wells of Santa Cristina, Su Tempiesu, and Sa Testa.
Expert Guidance: Every site visit is led by local archaeological specialists, who share engaging stories and fascinating insights in accessible language. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to ask questions and set your own pace.
A Balanced Itinerary: Enjoy thoughtfully planned free afternoons and a full free day in Sardinia’s prettiest and most engaging towns, giving you both the time and atmosphere to absorb local life, cuisine, and scenery.
Small-Group Camaraderie: With no more than 12 guests, the atmosphere is friendly and personal. Meals and travel are designed for easy conversation and shared “wow” moments, whether you’re standing beneath a megalithic arch or tasting Cannonaù wine after a day’s discoveries.
Comfort & Care: Enjoy stress-free travel between the island’s most beautiful towns, with all logistics managed for you. Accommodations are selected for comfort and location, giving you immediate access to evening walks, shops, and local life.
Absolutely no prior archaeological or historical knowledge or expertise is needed—just make sure you pack your curiosity and a desire to explore!
Our Sardinian journey begins in vibrant Cagliari, the island’s southern capital, where pastel façades, domes, and bastions rise above a glittering harbor. After settling into our elegant hotel in the historic centre, we gather for informal introductions with your tour leader and fellow travelers.
As the light softens, we board a private boat for a gentle sunset cruise in Cagliari’s bay. With a glass of local wine and Sardinian snacks in hand, you watch the city slip by from the water—much as ancient and medieval sailors once did—its fortifications and churches glowing gold against the evening sky.
Back on shore, we enjoy our first Sardinian dinner together in a carefully chosen local restaurant, tasting regional dishes and wines that will become familiar companions over the coming days. Overnight in Cagliari.
Meals: D
Overnight: Cagliari
After breakfast, we set out on a guided walking tour of Cagliari’s Castello district, the hilltop quarter where medieval walls, baroque churches, and quiet stone lanes look out over the harbor. As you explore its bastions, viewpoints, and narrow streets, your guide traces how Phoenician, Roman, Pisan, Aragonese, and Savoy rulers layered their architecture and power onto this rocky promontory.
We then visit the National Archaeological Museum, home to some of Sardinia’s most important finds, including Nuragic bronzes and artefacts from Phoenician, Punic, and Roman sites you’ll encounter later in the tour. Here you begin to meet the island’s “towers and giants” in the safety of the galleries before seeing their landscapes in person.
Late morning, we pause in the lower town for a relaxed light lunch featuring local specialties—perhaps pane carasau, pecorino, seasonal vegetables, and a glass of Vermentino—so you can taste the flavors of southern Sardinia. The afternoon offers time at leisure to wander Cagliari’s elegant arcades and cafés, stroll along the marina, or simply sit with a coffee and watch everyday life unfold.
Dinner is at your leisure this evening, with plenty of recommendations from your guide for favorite trattorie and wine bars.
Meals: B, L
Overnight: Cagliari
After breakfast, we leave Cagliari and follow a ribbon of road along the southern shore, where blue water, pale sand, and low hills open and close around each curve. Our destination is Nora, an ancient city set on a promontory between sky and sea, where waves still break just beyond Roman mosaics and worn temple steps. With our archaeologist‑guide, we wander its streets and baths as stories of Phoenician sailors, Punic merchants, and Roman citizens unfold against the sound of surf.
We then continue to nearby Pula, a cheerful coastal town where balconies lean over narrow lanes, and the main piazza opens like a stage. Over lunch in a welcoming local restaurant, you taste the flavors of southern Sardinia—perhaps fresh fish, citrus, and local wines—before enjoying some time to stroll past cafés and boutiques or simply sit with a gelato and watch village life.
In the late afternoon, we return to Cagliari to visit the Roman Amphitheatre and the Necropolis of Bonaria, carved into the city’s hillside, with views that remind you how closely stone, city, and sea have always been entwined here.
The evening is free to follow your own mood: a walk along the waterfront, an aperitivo as the harbor lights come on, or dinner in one of Cagliari’s atmospheric trattorie suggested by your guide.
Overnight: Cagliari
After breakfast, we bid farewell to Cagliari and drive inland as the sea falls away behind us and the landscape opens into rolling fields, low hills, and distant flocks. Our destination is Su Nuraxi di Barumini, Sardinia’s most important Nuraghe and UNESCO World Heritage site, where a complex of towers, walls, and stone huts rises from a grassy ridge. With our archaeologist‑guide, we walk into the heart of this Bronze Age tower‑village, tracing narrow passages and beehive‑like chambers that reveal how Nuragic communities lived, gathered, and watched over their world.
Late morning, we continue to a family‑run agriturismo in the nearby countryside for a long, relaxed lunch. Here you taste dishes rooted in Sardinia’s pastoral traditions—crisp pane carasau, local pecorino, seasonal vegetables, perhaps slow‑cooked meats—paired with regional wines, while looking out over fields and farm buildings that speak to an unhurried, “old Italy” way of life.
In the afternoon, we travel on to Pranu Muttedu, a quiet, evocative landscape of prehistoric stone circles, menhirs, and tombs scattered among cork‑oaks and low scrub. As you wander between the stones, you can feel how long people have been shaping this interior landscape to mark their beliefs and their dead. By early evening, we reach Oristano, a welcoming town on the western plain, and settle into our hotel before sharing dinner in a local restaurant.
Meals: B, L, D
Overnight: Oristano
After breakfast, we drive across the western plain to the Sinis Peninsula, where low dunes, lagoons, and headlands frame one of Sardinia’s most evocative ancient sites. At Tharros, poised on a narrow spit of land between sky and sea, our archaeologist‑guide leads you along streets, temples, baths, and fortifications that once served Phoenician sailors, Punic merchants, and Roman citizens, with waves breaking just beyond the ruins.
We continue to the small sanctuary village of San Salvatore and its atmospheric hypogeum, where early Christian worship took place in underground chambers carved into much older rock. Later, there is time for a gentle walk along the coast or a stroll in Oristano’s historic centre, soaking up the relaxed rhythm of this inland‑by‑the‑sea town.
The evening is free to dine at your leisure in Oristano, with suggestions from your guide for favourite trattorie and wine bars.
Meals: B, L
Overnight: Oristano
After breakfast, we leave Oristano and turn north into the island’s interior, following country roads through rolling pastureland, cork‑oak woods, and small stone villages where life still moves at an unhurried pace.
Along the way, we pause in a local bar for a short coffee break—time to sip an espresso where villagers gather, and to feel the rhythm of everyday Sardinia.
Our first major stop is the sacred well of Santa Cristina, a beautifully preserved Nuragic water temple whose precise, stair‑lined chamber opens to a slice of sky; here your archaeologist‑guide explains how water, light, and stars shaped ritual in the Nuragic world.
We continue through the working countryside to Santu Antine, one of Sardinia’s most imposing Nuraghe, its central tower and surrounding bastions rising from the plain like a stone fortress. Walking through its stairways, corridors, and inner courts, you gain a vivid sense of how these “towers” watched over land and routes, and how daily life might have unfolded within their walls.
A relaxed country lunch along the way introduces more of central Sardinia’s flavours, with simple dishes built from local produce and wines. In the late afternoon, we complete our journey to Alghero on the northwest coast, where medieval walls, Catalan‑Gothic churches, and a palm‑lined seafront give the town a distinct character within Sardinia.
Meals: B, L, D
Overnight: Alghero
After breakfast, our local guide leads a walking tour of Alghero’s old town, where medieval walls and Catalan‑Gothic churches look out over a brilliant bay. As you follow narrow cobbled streets between coral‑jewellery shops, small piazzas, and sea‑battered bastions, you’ll hear how Catalan sailors, Aragonese rulers, and local Sardinians have shaped this distinctive corner of the island.
The rest of the day is yours to enjoy Alghero at your own pace. You might stroll or sit along the walls and watch the changing light on the water, wander the lanes in search of boutiques and cafés, or head to a nearby beach and a seafood lunch.
We can help arrange optional experiences such as a coastal boat excursion to sea caves and cliffs, or a hands‑on Sardinian cooking class—ways to savor Alghero’s mix of sea air, local flavors, and relaxed “old Italy” atmosphere.
Meals: B
Overnight: Alghero
After breakfast, we leave Alghero and follow the northern coastline towards Porto Torres, one of Sardinia’s key Roman and medieval ports. Here we visit the Basilica of San Gavino and nearby Roman remains, tracing how this harbor linked the island to wider Mediterranean trade routes and empires.
We then continue to Monte d’Accoddi, an extraordinary prehistoric monument often likened to a small stepped pyramid or “Sardinian ziggurat”, standing alone amid fields and low horizons. Your archaeologist‑guide explains what is known—and still debated—about its function and about the communities that raised such a unique structure on this plain. What we do know is that it is one of the oldest buildings in the world.
In the afternoon, we drive east into Gallura, a region of granite outcrops, vineyards, and scattered farmsteads, pausing at a local wine estate to taste native varietals such as Vermentino and Cannonau and to hear how this land shapes Sardinia’s wines today. By late afternoon, we reach Olbia, a lively gateway town on the northeast coast, where we settle into our hotel and share dinner in a local restaurant, looking ahead to tomorrow’s encounters with the island’s most famous Giants’ Tombs.
Meals: B, L, D
Overnight: Olbia
After breakfast, we set out into the low granite hills around Arzachena, a landscape of vineyards, scrub, and great pale boulders that feels made for ancient stones. Our first visits are to the Giants’ Tombs of Coddu Vecchiu and Li Lolghi, among the finest and best‑preserved of the hundreds of “Tombe dei Giganti” scattered across Sardinia.
These great communal graves, with their long stone corridors and curving forecourts, were built by the Nuragic people for collective burials and ancestor rites, and today are recognised as some of the clearest windows into their beliefs about death, community, and the cosmos. Standing at the edge of the exedra and looking along the gallery, you can sense why, together with the Nuraghe, they are counted among the most powerful symbols of Sardinian identity.
We pause in Arzachena for lunch featuring Gallura cuisine—perhaps hearty soups thick with local grains and vegetables, pecorino, and simple sweets—paired with regional wines.
In the afternoon, we continue to the Nuraghe La Prisgiona, where a central tower and surrounding village huts sit amid fields and terraces, allowing you to connect the symbolic world of the tombs to the everyday life of the people who built them.
Nearby, at the sacred well of Sa Testa or a similar coastal water sanctuary, stone steps, cool air, and a framed slice of sky bring together the themes of water, light, and ritual that have threaded through your days in the Nuragic heartland.
By late afternoon, we return to Olbia for a farewell dinner of Sardinian dishes and wines.
Meals: B, L, D
Overnight: Olbia
After our last breakfast together, our lovely driver takes us to Olbia airport.
If you’d like to stay on in Sardinia, or hop over to Corsica, we’ll be happy to help you make reservations to extend your stay until we see you next time, when we hope you’ll come on tour with us again.
Meals: B
Dottore Sedda is a specialist in the prehistory of Sardinia with an M.A. (Dottore Magistrale) in Classics and Archeology as well as a Postgraduate specialization in Archaeology, both from the University of Cagliari.
Laura has excavated at prehistoric sites across the island, including the Neolithic village of Su Coddu in Selargius (CA), and three different nuraghes: Nuraghe Su Mulinu, Villanovafranca; Nuraghe Sa Reggia, Burgos; and Nuraghe Asusa, Isili.
She continues to practice archaeology, conduct archaeological surveys for the government, and has been an accredited tour guide since 2010.
An extremely engaging tour guide who’s extremely knowledgeable and can answer all questions of the history of the region. This is a tour you want to go on if you love history
From start to finish, Laura was a wonderful ‘host’ giving us insights into the culture & history of the areas we drove through and visited. Never did we feel rushed or given time limits at each stop, and we really appreciated her knowledge & enthusiasm. An exceptional tour guide who exceeded our expectations – highly recommended for an insightful and personalized experience!
Laura was a wonderful guide, showing us some of the highlights of the capital of Sardinia. She shared her knowledge of the city’s history and archaeology.
Our tours are physically active! Clambering around archaeological sites, castles, acropoli, and fortresses is an essential part of the Take Me To Europe tour experience, and stairs are everywhere in Europe! On our Sardinia tour, you will need to be able to
