Sardinia by motorcycle

Why Sardinia is the best motorcycle destination in the Mediterranean

Sardinia has everything a motorcycle week needs: coastal roads with sea views, passes in the interior where you hardly see a car for hours, and villages where lunch takes longer than the stage. The roads are good, the Italians ride considerately, and in May or September you have the island almost to yourself.

I have ridden the loop several times, most recently with a group from my motorcycle community. Here is the route that has proved itself – with the ferries, the stages and the hotels we stayed at.

Getting there: night ferry instead of flying

With your own motorcycle there is no way around the ferry, and that is a good thing. The night ferries from Livorno and Genoa leave in the evening and arrive in Olbia or Porto Torres in the morning; book a cabin, have the bike strapped down, sleep, and roll onto the island at sunrise. From Zurich it is around five and a half hours on the motorway to Genoa and about seven to Livorno – easily done in an afternoon with a coffee break at the Gotthard, since the ferry doesn’t leave until the evening anyway.

My motorway tip: before you leave, get the Telepass Europa toll box from the TCS. With it you ride through every Italian toll station in the yellow lane, without taking off gloves, pulling a ticket or looking for a credit card – on a motorcycle that is worth gold. The box works not only in Italy but also in France, Spain, Portugal and, since summer 2026, Croatia; tolls are billed monthly in Swiss francs. TCS members pay from CHF 12 for the season (activation plus the first month, then CHF 9 per month) or CHF 48 per year; non-members CHF 100 per year. Demand is high in summer – order early or pick it up at a TCS contact point.

The route: eight stages around the island

Day 1, Olbia – Costa Smeralda – Arzachena (80 km): arrive, coffee in Porto Cervo, then the coast road to Baia Sardinia. First night at Hotel Nibaru, Costa Smeralda without Porto Cervo prices.

Day 2, Arzachena – Castelsardo – Alghero (180 km): via Tempio Pausania and Monte Limbara to Castelsardo (Elephant Rock), then along the coast to Alghero. Overnight at the Green Sporting Club Hotel.

Day 3, Alghero – Bosa – Oristano (170 km): the SP105 Alghero–Bosa is one of the most beautiful coast roads in Europe – 45 kilometres of bends without a single village. On via the Sinis peninsula to Oristano.

Day 4, Oristano – Buggerru (150 km): through the south-west to the old mining coast; the road from Fluminimaggiore to Buggerru has tunnels, hairpins and sea views. Night at La Rosa dei Venti.

Day 5, Buggerru – Cagliari – Villasimius (200 km): via Iglesias and the SS195 along the south coast, lunch in Cagliari, then the panoramic road to Villasimius. Overnight at the Boutique Hotel Su Sergenti.

Day 6, Villasimius – Orientale Sarda – Dorgali (220 km): the SS125 Orientale Sarda is the highlight of the trip: 150 kilometres of pass after pass through the mountains to Dorgali. Two nights at Hotel Ispinigoli.

Day 7, Supramonte loop (150 km): without luggage via Orgosolo, Mamoiada and Nuoro – lunch at an agriturismo with suckling pig, in the afternoon the Ispinigoli cave.

Day 8, Dorgali – Olbia or Porto Torres: depending on the return ferry, along the coast to Olbia (120 km) or across the island to Porto Torres (200 km). Onto the ferry in the evening.

Gear and preparation

In May and September light touring gear with a membrane is enough; in the Supramonte it can be cool in the morning, on the coast over 30 degrees in the afternoon. Check the tyres beforehand – the route has many bends and few straights, and a worn rear tyre is hard to replace on the island. Fuel is no problem, but in the interior the petrol stations are far apart; don’t head into the mountains with less than half a tank.