Shallow, brilliant blue water, pale sand and an old watchtower on the little island offshore: La Pelosa in Sardinia’s far northwest is picture-postcard perfect. Since 2020, access has been managed through a daily visitor limit and admission tickets.
Advance booking is required from 15 May to 15 October. The beach welcomes up to 1,500 visitors a day, and tickets cost €3.50 per person. Good news for families: children under twelve do not need a reservation.
500 places per day can be booked well in advance. A further 1,000 are released at 9 am two days before your visit, taking into account allocations for local accommodation providers. Tickets are checked between 8 am and 6 pm.
A beach mat, such as a raffia mat, is mandatory beneath your towel. This helps keep the fine sand on the beach. You must also use the foot-rinsing stations before leaving to avoid accidentally taking sand away with you.

• Book your visit to La Pelosa – official booking website with prices and access rules

Stroll down from the small town centre to the white sand, then take a dip with views towards Corsica: Rena Bianca is Sardinia’s most beautiful town beach. This little bay, however, can only accommodate a limited number of visitors.
From June to September, you need a reservation to visit. The environmental fee is €3.50 per person per day. A beach mat beneath your towel is mandatory here too. You can still bring your towel – simply avoid laying it directly on the sand.
Some tickets can be booked online well in advance. The remaining allocation is released at 8 am, 72 hours before your visit. Your admission ticket does not include sun loungers or parasols.

• Book your visit to Rena Bianca – official beach reservations for Santa Teresa Gallura

The small coves of Le Piscine, also known as L’Ulticeddu, lie north of Cannigione, within the municipality of Arzachena. Their clear water looks just like a natural swimming pool. That explains the name: piscine means ‘swimming pools’ in Italian.
If you’re arriving by car, you need to reserve a space in the municipal car park from mid-July to the end of August. Booking opens 72 hours in advance: enter your vehicle registration number (you’ll find it on your rental car’s key tag!), pay for parking and show your QR code on arrival. This is a parking reservation rather than an individual beach admission ticket like the one required at La Pelosa.

• Visit Le Piscine – official parking reservations and access rules

Cala Brandinchi is particularly enchanting, with almost unreal shades of pale blue and water that stays shallow far out from the shore. It’s wonderful for families, which also makes it especially popular in peak summer. Neighbouring Lu Impostu offers pale sand, dunes and gently shelving water too.
Reservations are required for both beaches from June to September, including for visitors exempt from the admission fee. Cala Brandinchi allows up to 1,447 visitors a day, while Lu Impostu allows 3,352. These totals include the beach sections with sun loungers for hire.
The environmental fee is €2 per person. Guests staying at registered accommodation within the municipality can use an accommodation code to pay the reduced rate of €1. Children under twelve are exempt from the fee but must still be included in the reservation. Parking costs extra, even outside peak season. Booking opens at 6 pm two days before your visit. For a Saturday beach day, for example, you can only book from Thursday evening.

• Book your visit to Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu – San Teodoro’s official booking website

On Baunei’s spectacular coastline in Ogliastra, Cala Goloritzé nestles between steep limestone cliffs. You reach the beach on foot from the Golgo plateau. Coastal protection is taken seriously here: even boats are prohibited from landing on the beach.
A maximum of 250 visitors are allowed at any one time. Tickets cost €7. Children aged five and under and residents of Baunei enter free, but must still be included in the booking. Places become available at midnight three days before your visit, exclusively through the app.
The trail is approximately 3.6 kilometres each way, with around 500 metres of elevation change. Allow about an hour and a half for the descent and two hours for the climb back up. Hiking shoes, plenty of water and a good level of fitness are essential.

• Book your visit to Cala Goloritzé – tickets and hiking information

At Punta Molentis, pale sand and granite rocks meet a brilliant blue sea. The beach has a visitor limit, with admission granted at the entrance until capacity is reached. The early bird catches the worm! Also bear in mind that only one parasol per family or group is allowed.
At Porto Sa Ruxi, you can reserve a parking space online. Booking is optional, and the beach itself has no visitor limit. Even when all spaces available online are booked, there may still be spaces available on arrival.

• Punta Molentis and Porto Sa Ruxi – official information on beach access and parking

Pale sand, a sheltered bay and a little island offshore: Tuerredda, between Chia and Teulada, is one of southern Sardinia’s best-known beaches.
Reservations are required from early June to mid-October. There are 1,100 places available each day, and admission costs €3 per person. Children under twelve do not need to be registered. Booking opens at 8 am on the day before your visit. A beach mat beneath your towel is mandatory here too. Tip: to reserve a sun lounger in one of the serviced beach sections, book directly with the relevant operator.

• Book your visit to Tuerredda – official booking website with prices and access rules

North of Orosei, Oasi di Biderosa brings together coastal woodland, lagoons and five sandy coves (Oasi 1 to 5). The benefit of managed access is that vehicle numbers remain limited. Book admission for your vehicle and any additional services through the operator’s website. Good to know: the quota applies specifically to cars and motorcycles. The park regulations do not specify a limit for visitors arriving on foot or by bicycle. Dogs are welcome too, provided they remain on a lead and do not disturb other visitors.

• Book your visit to Oasi di Biderosa – reserve admission and beach services directly with the operator
• Visit Biderosa with your dog – official rules for the five beach coves

The tiny cove of Cala Coticcio lies on Caprera, within La Maddalena Archipelago National Park. Its turquoise water and pink granite rocks have earned it the nickname ‘Tahiti’. Access by land is strictly regulated: you can only visit with a hiking guide authorised by the national park and the required permit. These rules are strictly enforced!
First, book with a hiking guide from the official directory. Your guide then applies to the park for the permit. In addition to the agreed tour price, there is a €3 environmental fee. Children aged twelve and under are exempt.
Once your tour is confirmed, you pay the fee through the Italian payment system pagoPA. Sounds complicated? It is. But the hike and beach experience are truly unforgettable!

• Book your visit to Cala Coticcio – official information, hiking guides and park fee payments

Which accommodation suits your holiday budget? Just ask us – we know where to find your little slice of Sardinian paradise.

Jana
Sardinia4all