The most popular beaches

 

Punta Nera

This beach of fine sand is ideal for families with children because of its shallow calm waters. It faces the town of Calasetta on the island of Sant’Antioco, it is divided into two parts by a stone jetty that protects one part from the Mistral waves.
On the beach, a kiosk offers food, drinks and shade (during the summer season). It can be reached by car, with the car park at the entrance to the road.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Bar and cafe, sun lounger and umbrella hire (only in summer). Parking facilities. Accessible by public transport.
Accessibility: All. Accessible to people with reduced mobility.

 

Guidi

Guidi is a beach of fine white sand, with shallow clear turquoise waters, divided in half by a small peninsula of rocks. The seabed slopes slowly and, after a sandy stretch, alternates with patches of Posidonia grass. Located about 5km from the centre of Carloforte, it can be reached by proceeding along the SP 7 bis in a southerly direction.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Beach bar, sun lounger and umbrella hire (only in summer). Parking facilities on main road about 100 meters from the beach. Accessible by public transport.
Accessibility: Not accessible to people with reduced mobility..

La Bóbba

Enchanting bay with a beach of soft white sand, framed by Mediterranean maquis, it has turquoise waters with a shallow seabed, suitable for children. La Bóbba is sheltered from the north winds and is therefore ideal in the event of a Mistral wind.
Nearby one can walk to Le Colonne, trachyte rock stacks (unfortunately in part mutilated by a recent violent sea storm).

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Private car park, bar and cafe, deckchair and beach umbrella hire, canoe hire (only in summer). Lifeguard in July and August. Can be reached by public transport.
Accessibility: All. Accessible to people with reduced mobility.

 

La Caletta

Set in the wide bay Cala Spalmatore, with its reddish rocks and green vegetation, La Caletta is one of the largest and most spectacular beaches on San Pietro Island. Characterised by fine, white sand, it is bordered by a low cliff, with rocks and reefs reaching from the beach into the water. The seabed is shallow and sandy, with crystal-clear water of an extraordinary light green and blue colour, making it particularly suitable for children, except when the Mistral wind blows and sea conditions make it unsafe. It is also an ideal destination for divers and surfers.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Bar and cafe, sun loungers and umbrella hire (only in summer), lifeguard service in July and August. Parking facilities. Accessible by public transport.
Accessibility: All. Accessible to people with reduced mobility.

The quietest

 

Il Giunco

Il Giunco is the longest beach on the island. It is located less than 2 km from the town centre, past Corso Battellieri. It owes its name to the large number of rush plants that line the thin beach, which has the advantage of a very shallow seabed that continues offshore for around a hundred metres, with warm, sheltered waters in which children can play peacefully.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Parking. Accessible by public transport. A part of the beach is dog friendly (the only one on the whole island).
Accessibility: All. Accessible to people with reduced mobility.

 

Girin

Girin beach is reminiscent of the fine white sand beaches of tropical atolls. Sheltered from the strong Mistral wind, it is characterised by crystal-clear waters of an intense turquoise colour, a shallow sandy seabed all framed by Mediterranean scrub and pine trees that perfume the air. Girin is frequented mainly by families with children who find this small bay an idyllic place to spend the day.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Parking. Accessible by public transport.
Accessibility: Suitable for families with children. Not accessible to people with reduced mobility due to a stone staircase leading down to the beach.

 

Cantagallina

Cantagalline is a small beach, hidden by trees, at the foot of a hill, and unknown to most people. In fact, it is generally frequented only by the locals who live nearby.
It is located north of the town, about 5 km from the centre, taking the main road towards La Punta, turning towards Taccarossa.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Parking close by.
Accessibility: Not accessible to people with reduced mobility.

The wildest

 

Lucchese

Also known as Lucàize beach, it is located between the beaches of Bobba and Geniò. Characterised by rocks and a small beach, it has transparent, shimmering turquoise waters out of which emerges the islet of Geniò.
Not crowded even in high season, it is ideal for those seeking privacy and relaxation. Access is via a steeply sloping dirt track.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Car park. Accessible by public transport.
Accessibility: Unsuitable for children and the elderly. Not accessible to people with reduced mobility.

 

La Conca

In the centre of the southern side of the island, at the apex of the eastern edge of the Golfo della Mezzaluna, lies La Conca, one of the most striking geological spectacles of San Pietro with its steep grey stepped rock cliffs. A daring destination for divers, who find the measure of their courage in the spectacular natural steps (both above and below water), it is crossed by a narrow tongue of water vibrating with emerald. For the more expert swimmers and snorkelers there is to its south the gulf of Mezzaluna and Grotte del Bue Marino (the Sea Ox Caves) a maze of caves carved into the sheer sea cliffs.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Car park around 100 meters away.
Accessibility: Unsuitable for young children and the elderly. Not accessible to people with reduced mobility.

 

Cala Fico

Just before Capo Sandalo on the extreme north-western offshoot of the island, there is Cala Fico, a spectacular fjord squeezed between the sheer cliffs weathered by the Mistral. The deep inlet offers bathers a quiet and solitary shelter, where no human trace breaks the primordial spell of the water’s transparency above the pale rock and the gentle lapping of the rocks on the stony shore.
To reach Cala Fico, take the road leading to Capo Sandalo. After a few kilometres you come to a car park, leave your vehicle and continue on foot for about ten minutes.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Car park beside the main road. Accessible by public transport.
Adatta a: Unsuitable for young children and the elderly. Not accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Cala lunga

Located between La Punta and Tacche Bianche, with tufa rocks, the inlet of Cala Lunga looks like a cliff that slopes down to the sea. From May to early July, the nets used to catch tuna can be seen offshore. The deep waters are particularly suitable for scuba diving enthusiasts.
It can be reached by taking coastal road 101, which leads from the port of Carloforte to the northern end of the island. At the beginning of an unpaved road there is a sign leading to the inlet.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Parking along the road.
Accessibility: Unsuitable for children, elderly people and people with reduced mobility.

 

La Punta

La Punta is the island’s extreme north-eastern headland. Its expanses of rock, weathered by the waves, glide gently over water that is clear and welcoming on calm days and stormy under the raging Mistral when the waves are transformed into a spectacle, thundering on the rocks and rising in majestic explosions of foam.

To reach La Punta from Carloforte, take Provincial Road 101 northwards, until you reach your destination.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Parking along the road.
Accessibility: Unsuitable for young children, elderly people. Not accessible to people with reduced mobility.

 

Il Tröggiu at Nasca

A small emerald gem set among the lunar trachyte rocks, Tröggiu is a small tranquil natural pool fed by a very narrow passage of water to the sea. Just seeing it is a privilege, swimming in it is undoubtedly an extraordinary and alienating experience but first the challenge of walking down a somewhat demanding path must be met.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Parking along the road.
Accessibility: Unsuitable for children and the elderly. Not accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Panoramic viewpoints

 

Le Colonne

A few metres from the steep cliffs, buffeted by winds of the Libeccio, stand Le Colonne, a pair of stacks – petrified sailors, according to legend – guarding the southernmost tip of the island. Recently mutilated by a violent sea storm, they are capable of formidable displays of spray or smooth emerald water, depending on the whim of the winds.
From Carloforte, Le Colonne can be reached by taking Provincial Road 103 in a southerly direction. At the Bobba beach car park, continue on foot for a few hundred metres.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Parking nearby at Bóbba beach.
Accessibility: All. Accessible to people with reduced mobility.

 

Mezzaluna

To the south of the island, a half moon of pink cliffs surrounds a stretch of sea capable of extraordinary transparency when the Mistral wind blows. Its waters stretch out to the south and south east with views of the southern part of the island of Sant’Antioco, the Sulcis coast and in the distance the small island of Toro.

From Carloforte, the gulf of the Mezzaluna can be reached by taking the Strada Provinciale 103 in a southerly direction.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Parking along the road.
Accessibility: All. Accessible to people with reduced mobility.

 

Punta delle oche

Halfway down the northern side of the island is the Punta delle Oche, a majestic precipice of jagged rock cliffs perforated by ravines and sea caves. The largest, the Grotta delle oche (Geese Cave), opens up at the bottom of a small inlet: pervaded by emerald and cobalt water, it offers an incomparable spectacle of light and colour. The stretch of sea around Punta delle Oche is also a favourite destination for diving and snorkeling. Looking north the views are of the western Sulcis coast taking in Masua and the island of white rock Pan di Zucchero.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Parking along the road.
Accessibility: Unsuitable for children and the elderly. Not accessible to people with reduced mobility.

 

Capo Sandalo

On the extreme western tip of the island, Capo Sandalo juts out into the Sardinian Sea in a marvellous fantasy of jagged golden cliff faces and Mediterranean flora and fauna. Its majestic views (especially at sunset) all guarded by the nineteenth-century lighthouse of the same name.
Capo Sandolo and its surrounding area are part of a protected avifaunal oasis (LIPU), known for the rare species of birds that nest there.

From Carloforte, to reach Capo Sandolo, you need to drive along Provincial road 104 until you reach the end of the road.

Where: see GoogleMaps
Services: Car park.
Adatta a: Accessible to people with reduced mobility.