The best beaches near Cagliari are the ones people picture when they picture Sardinia: white sand, rounded granite, water that runs from clear to jade to deep blue within thirty metres of the shore. They are about an hour from the city in either direction, east towards Villasimius or south towards Chia, and they need a car.
Poetto, the city beach, is a separate thing and it has its own guide. This is about the day you drive.
The coves east
Head east and the coast breaks into a series of bays and headlands, with Villasimius about an hour from Cagliari at the end of it.
This is granite country. The rock is rounded and pinkish grey, the sand between the outcrops is very white and fine, and the water is startlingly clear because there is little silt. There is a marine protected area offshore, which is why the snorkelling here is better than it has any right to be so close to a capital city.
Costa Rei lies roughly fifteen minutes beyond Villasimius, which is the useful part: the two pair naturally into a single day, and if one is full you drive on to the other.
Solanas is closer to the city, has a large car park, and makes a good choice if you have left late or you have children and do not want the full drive.
The dunes south
South is a different landscape. Around Chia the sand piles into high dunes held together by low, wind-bent juniper, with a watchtower on the headland above and lagoons behind the beach where you will often see flamingos.
It feels wilder and more open than the east coast, with fewer rocks and longer sweeps of sand, and it takes the wind more. On a mistral day the east coast coves are the better bet.
Chia is roughly fifty minutes to an hour southwest, and it sits conveniently close to Nora, so a morning at the archaeological site and an afternoon on the sand is one of the best days available from Cagliari. That is covered in my guide to Nora.
Parking, which decides your day
I want to be blunt about this, because it matters more than any beach ranking.
In season the beach car parks on this coast are paid, unsurfaced and small, and they fill early. Porto Su Ruxi near Villasimius charges around 4 euros. Solanas has more space than most. Cala Pira is well known for parking fines, and they are enforced enthusiastically.
The practical rules:
- Arrive before about 10:00 in July and August. This solves nearly everything.
- Carry cash in small notes. Some of the attendants and huts do not take cards.
- Park properly. Do not improvise on a verge, because that is exactly where the tickets are issued.
- Leave nothing visible in the car.
If you arrive at midday in August and the car park is full, do not circle. Drive on to the next bay. There are more beaches than car parks on this coast and the second choice is usually almost as good.
The snorkelling, which is the underrated part
The water off this coast is clear because there is very little silt, and the granite means structure: boulders, gullies and overhangs rather than flat sand.
The marine protected area off Villasimius is the reason to bring a mask. Within a few metres of the surface you get seagrass meadows, which are the nursery for most of what you later eat in the restaurants, and shoals of small fish working the rock edges. It is not tropical, and anyone expecting coral will be disappointed. It is, however, unusually good visibility for the Mediterranean, and it is free.
Two practical notes. Reef shoes make the granite entries much easier, because the rock is smooth but the gaps between are not. And the protected zones have rules about where you can anchor and what you can take, which matter if you are on a boat: look, do not collect.
The tower on the headland
Along both coasts you will keep seeing squat stone watchtowers on the headlands, and they are worth understanding rather than just photographing.
They are Spanish, mostly sixteenth and seventeenth century, built as a warning system against raids from the sea. Each one was sited in view of the next, so a fire lit on one could pass a message along the whole coast within an hour or two. The one above the dunes at Chia is the most photogenic of them.
They also explain the shape of Sardinian settlement. Most of the old villages here sit inland rather than on the water, because for centuries the coast was the dangerous part. The beach resorts are a modern layer on a landscape that spent hundreds of years facing away from the sea.
Which one to choose
- First time, one beach day, with a car: Villasimius, and stop at Costa Rei if it is busy.
- Wild, open and dune-backed: Chia, ideally combined with Nora.
- Short on time or travelling with children: Solanas, closer and easier.
- No car at all: Poetto, which is genuinely good and reachable on a city bus.
What to bring
There are far fewer facilities than at Poetto. Some of these beaches have a kiosk and some have nothing at all, so bring water, shade and food. Reef shoes help at the rockier coves. And a windbreak is more useful than an umbrella when the mistral is up, because an umbrella will simply leave.
Getting there without a car
It is possible in summer and it is not much fun. Seasonal buses run to Villasimius and take considerably longer than the drive, with limited departures that dictate your whole day.
If you do not want to drive, keep the beaches to Poetto and spend your hire car budget on the archaeology instead. Details on both options are in my guide to getting to Cagliari and around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best beach near Cagliari?
For a day trip with a car, the beaches around Villasimius about an hour east, where white sand meets rounded granite and there is a marine protected area offshore. Costa Rei is fifteen minutes further on. Without a car, Poetto in the city is the answer.
How far is Villasimius from Cagliari?
About an hour by car without traffic, heading east along the coast. Costa Rei is roughly fifteen minutes beyond it, so the two are easy to combine into one day.
Do you have to pay for parking at Sardinian beaches?
At most of the popular ones in season, yes. Fees are typically a few euros, for example around 4 euros at Porto Su Ruxi near Villasimius, and the car parks are small and fill early. Park properly rather than on a verge, because fines at the busier beaches are enforced.
Can you get to the beaches near Cagliari without a car?
Poetto yes, easily, on the PF or PQ city bus. Villasimius and Chia are difficult: seasonal buses exist but they are slow and infrequent, and they turn a half day into a whole one. For those beaches, hire a car for the day.
Read also: Poetto Beach and the Devil’s Saddle | The Best Time to Visit Cagliari | The Complete Guide to Cagliari
