Welcome to Sardinia!

Olbia airport sits just minutes from this historic town. Once you've settled into your hotel, our guide will help you fine-tune your bike fit. You'll then have plenty of time to wander the streets of the old town, enjoy an aperitivo as the sun sets behind Isola Bianca, and savor a traditional dinner at one of the area's celebrated restaurants.

From the old town Olbia, riding along the hills of northern Sardinia, and passing through the famous landscapes of the Aggius valley, you come to the medieval town of Castelsardo.

This is a very well preserved historical city, thanks to the fact that it’s perched atop a promontory high above the sea that has protected it from attacks and destruction over the centuries.

Today, Castelsardo is a well-known tourist destination with all the services imaginable available for you. There’s a marina and beautiful beaches and small inlets perfect for a pleasant summer holiday.

But rituals and traditions such as the famous Festa di Lunissanti mark the everyday life of the town, characterized by the industrious work of basket-weavers, fishermen, and farmers. You’ll love it! 

The stage begins along the long beach of Marina di Sorso and Platamona, the sea stretching out beside you as you pedal toward Porto Torres.

The ride then continues into town along a seafront cycle path, the harbour coming into view as you arrive. Leaving Porto Torres, the road passes right alongside the ruins of Turris Libisonis, a reminder that this stretch of coast was already a thriving Roman port two thousand years ago.

From here, the route turns inland into a gentle rhythm of ups and downs, winding through cultivated fields and vineyards that roll toward the horizon. Little by little, the sea reappears, and with it one of Sardinia's most extraordinary natural stages: Capo Caccia, its sheer limestone cliffs plunging into a sea of impossible blue.

The final kilometers take you through the historic center of Alghero, its Catalan-flavored streets and honey-colored walls marking the end of the day's ride. In Alghero, an aperitivo awaits with a front-row seat to the sun setting behind Capo Caccia, the perfect prelude to a dinner built around the town's celebrated Catalan-Sardinian cuisine.

The road from Alghero to Bosa is no ordinary coastal road. For over 42 kilometers it clings to the coastline in a continuous, demanding saliscendi, climbing and descending through more than 800 meters of elevation gain — a road that rewards every bit of effort it asks for.

What sets it apart is its sheer wildness: this is one of the last stretches of Sardinian coast left almost entirely untouched by human presence, with no villages, no buildings, nothing but rock, sea and sky for kilometer after kilometer.

Along the way, a stop at the Capo Marargiu belvedere adds yet another layer of natural drama, overlooking the sanctuary of one of Europe's last colonies of griffon vultures.

It is, without question, one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the world — but also one of the most uncompromising. The effort is rewarded in Bosa, Sardinia's only river town, where the historic center — a maze of narrow lanes beneath the Malaspina castle — is best explored on foot before the day's ride continues.

Leaving Bosa toward Cuglieri, look back one last time: the postcard view of the colorful houses and the castle rising above the river is one of the most photographed scenes in all of Sardinia. From here, the stage begins its long climb averaging 5.9%, rewarded by sweeping views back over the colorful houses and the Castello Malaspina.

We turn away from the coast and climb into the mountains of the Montiferru region, passing through a string of tiny villages — Modolo, Tinnura, Tresnuraghes, Sagama and Scano di Montiferro — each barely a few hundred souls, where rural traditions and a slower pace of life remain untouched by time. The last major village before the summit is Cuglieri, home to the Basilica di Santa Maria della Neve, which you will see long before you reach the town. From Cuglieri, a long climb in the shadow of an oak forest leads you towards Santu Lussurgiu, a medieval village that is the perfect example of the culture, hospitality, gastronomic traditions and quality of life inland Sardinia has to offer — and where you'll stay overnight.

From the medieval village of Santu Lussurgiu, tucked in the hills of the Montiferru, the road descends toward Lake Omodeo, the starting point for our climb into the Gennargentu range.

Tackled from its western side, the ascent is long but gentle and progressive, never punishing, as it winds through a string of small inland villages perfect for a coffee stop or a quick sandwich along the way.

As we gain altitude, the mountains begin to reveal themselves, and we enter a countryside where nature — not the clock — sets the pace of life. The road continues to weave upward through the pristine green forests of Barbagia, Sardinia's wildest and most authentic heartland.

Arriving in Fonni, one of the island's few true centers of mountain tourism, there's nothing left to do but earn your dinner: a hearty local meal, a glass of the region's robust red wine, and a well-deserved night's rest at the hotel.

Leaving Fonni, we ride southwards through some of the most rewarding cycling terrain of the entire tour: gentle climbs, an almost complete absence of traffic, and nature at its most untamed set the tone for the morning.

Soon we climb over Correboi Pass (1,250m), the highest point of the tour and the symbolic threshold between the Barbagia and Ogliastra regions. The descent from the pass unfolds along a quiet, little-used road, no longer part of the main traffic routes, offering a spectacular view over the southern side of the Gennargentu, the island's most important mountain range, before taking us briefly out of the Barbagia region.

As we approach the wild mountains of Ogliastra, we bend decidedly toward the coastline, and after a lovely up-and-down section, we take another super-long and winding descent with a spectacular view of the southeastern coastline. It is impossible to go quickly here — every hairpin calls for a photo!

The small town of Talana offers a good opportunity for a coffee stop before we turn left toward the SS125, the ancient and iconic road that was once the only connection between the south and the northeast of the island. Faster roads now handle that job, leaving the SS125 as a cyclist's paradise — you'll soon discover why. At the end of another long descent along the SS125, we reach our destination: the seaside resort of Cala Gonone. Time for a swim! Overnight stay in a four-star hotel.

There's a spectacular way to get out of the Cala Gonone cove — though, as in life, the best things seldom come easy.

We need to climb a steep old road carved into the white limestone. After this tough start, your legs will get some time to recover as we cross the SS125 again on our way to Galtellì. A stop here feels like stepping back in time: Galtellì has been awarded the Touring Club Italiano's Orange Flag for excellence, and the streets of its old town, along with its traditions and atmosphere, helped inspire Nobel Prize–winning author Grazia Deledda in writing her novel Canne al Vento.

Soon after Galtellì, we tackle the main climb of the day, before passing through two typical Sardinian villages, Lula and Orani. Shortly after Orani, we reach the day's destination: Bitti, a proud stronghold of Barbagia's most authentic traditions, from its polyphonic tenores singing to a deep-rooted pastoral culture still very much alive today.

After a day this rich in effort and emotion, there's nothing better than a plate of fresh homemade pasta at the hotel's excellent restaurant, paired with a glass of local wine, before a well-earned night's rest.

Hopefully your smartphone's memory card still has some space, because this day offers plenty of fantastic photo opportunities.

You ride north to close the loop, and right from the start the landscape is stunning: you follow the vast, exceptionally white limestone ridge of Monte Albo, whose very name — from the Latin albus, "white" — speaks to the dazzling color of its rock.

Many of the peaks of this limestone bastion rise over a thousand meters, while all around, Mediterranean maquis and evergreens spread across the hills. As the road tips into its long descent, the island of Tavolara suddenly appears on the horizon south of Olbia, rising sheer from the sea in one of the most breathtaking views of the entire tour.

The descent then leads you into the Torpè Lake valley, today a protected park oasis of nearly eight thousand hectares of untouched forests, trails, springs, rivers and dunes, spanning the territories of Bitti, Lodè, Posada and Torpè. From Posada to Olbia, self-guided riders can choose their own finale: follow the coastline for an easier, scenic run, or opt for the more demanding route, which pushes further inland before dropping into Olbia from the hills behind the city.

Either way, a few more rolling roads lead you toward the final descent into Olbia, at the end of a challenging and unforgettable journey.

The lively old town welcomes you once again, inviting you to celebrate the end of the tour with a seafront aperitivo and a traditional dinner from the Gallura tradition.

Transfer to Olbia airport (when included in the package). End of services — and, we like to believe, the beginning of new friendships.

Nine remarkable and varied days, over 790 km, and a journey through the many faces of Sardinia: from medieval villages to the timeless charm of the inland, weaving together the island's interior with some of the most spectacular coastal roads in the Mediterranean.