Around Sardinia in march

Decided to kick off the 2026 season by cycling around Sardinia. I flew into Olbia on March 16th. Fun fact: there's a Decathlon right next to the airport, so if you have any bike drama or just need supplies (like gas canisters), you're sorted.

Route, Direction, and the Wind

The one thing you absolutely have to factor in when planning a trip here is the wind. It can be brutal. When the Mistral hits, it blows from the NW (mostly North), and the West coast gets hammered. Then you’ve got the Scirocco coming from the South. During my trip, it was mostly Northerlies, and some days were rough- weather alerts were hitting 11/12 on the Beaufort scale. Even though it was 18-20°C (decent for March), when the weather broke, it actually pelted me with freezing rain.
I chose to ride clockwise anyway, even though it’s technically the harder call because of the risk of head-on Mistral winds on the West coast.
Honestly? It wasn’t that bad. I had to take one unplanned rest day because of the gusts, plus my scheduled stops in Cagliari and Alghero.

The Highlights

Guides and other riders usually hype up these sections:
– SS125 mountain pass (Orosei to Baunei): To be honest… it’s alright. Some parts are nice, but I expected more. A lot of it is inland with zero sea views.

• SP86 (Gonnesa to Bugerru): This was the winner for me. Top-tier Sardinia. Steep as hell in places, but 100% worth it.

  • Bosa to Alghero: I was riding up from the south. The higher elevation section at the start is just "meh," but it gets stunning as you approach Alghero. Honestly, you could just do an out-and-back from Alghero for 15-20km and see the best bits.

The rest of the route was mostly fine, just nothing to write home about. I liked the South the least – especially the sprawl getting in and out of Cagliari. The area around Sassari was also pretty forgettable.

I intentionally skipped the Costa Smeralda (between Olbia and Santa Teresa Gallura). Heard it's pretty, but it’s basically a touristy region

Practical Info

• Camping: In March, every campsite I passed was closed.

  • Accommodation: Prices were actually solid for Italy—€25 to €50 for a double room, often with a kitchenette.
  • Shops/Food: Standard Italian "cyclist's nightmare" hours. Everything shuts down around 1:00 PM or 2:00 PM and doesn't reopen until 7:00 PM or 8:00 PM.
  • Food: Pizzerias everywhere. I’ve never seen this many, even for Italy.
  • Road Surface: Pretty poor. Lots of old asphalt with crumbled edges, so you’re often forced to ride closer to the middle of the lane.
  • Traffic: Heavy in spots, non-existent in the remote areas. Probably a nightmare in high season.
  • On weekends, the coastal twisties are full of idiots on motorbikes. Apparently, it’s a plague in the summer.
  • Drivers: generally respectful and give you space (way better than Sicily).

PS. After this, I hopped over to Corsica. Look, Sardinia is great, but Corsica is on a whole different level of spectacular…