Sardinia is known for its long summer, turquoise coloured warm waters, 200 days of sunshine and an average yearly temperature that will melt any Canadian’s heart. So, when is the best time to visit this magical island in the Mediterranean?
Average Monthly Climate in Sardinia, Italy
Let’s break the year up into groups of four to see what it really looks like in Sardinia.
January-March
These three months are the coldest, wettest and most windy of the year. Locals busy themselves collecting wood to keep them warm during the drabbest months of the year.
April – June
This is my favourite time of year in Sardinia, the birds are singing and the town is filled with smiling happy people and the temperatures are warm enough for jeans and a t-shirt. It’s also the time for my favourite Sardinian festival of the year – Cavalcata Sarda.
July – September
These three months are undoubtably the hottest and busiest of the year. The sun is shining all day, every day and the beaches are filled with global beach goers. It’s the perfect time to chill seaside with the perfect novel.
October – December
October and November are iffy months. We’ve been known to spend an afternoon on the beach in November while the following day is filled with thunder, hail and lightning storms.
When will you visit Sardinia?
My Sardinian Life 
Forgot to mention….we will be staying near Palau or Porto Cervo…..since the Costa Smerelda is mostly touristy, I’m concerned about “off season”.
Hi, my family lived in Sardegna (in Palau) in the mid 70’s when i was a kid. We’ve all been dying to go back. We are thinking about a week in June or in late Sept/early October. We don’t want to be in high season, but don’t want to be outside of it far enough that services/restaurants/tours are closing and the water is not warm enough for a beach vacation. Which would be better? June or Sept/Oct? Thanks,
Hello, thanks for stopping by and commenting. October can be a strange month, beautiful at its best and awful at its worst. I’d go with June, only because I love the fresh feeling of summer on the island. Palau is great, I spent 3 months there last summer. La Sciumara is a fabulous beach, and Palau is such a walkable town. Have a great time.
Hello Jennifer, My boyfriend and I are thinking in driving to Civitavechia next November 1st, and then go in the Ferry to Calgari, however we have heard hotels will be shut down, and the weather will be cloudy and raining. Is that correct? should we change our destination? Thank you so much
Hello, hotels will still be open, just with fewer guests. Unfortunately, I cannot predict the weather and don’t know if it will be cloudy and raining on November 1st. We were at the beach up until a week ago.
Hi thanks for the blog. We will have a week in Sardinia from 21 October 2017. Wondered does everything shut up shop. Is the weather still reasonably warm ?
Look forward to your reply.
Warmest Regards Alison and Graeme from New Zealand
Ciao Alison, that time of year can be hit or miss. I’d pack warm clothes too, and yes, a lot of things do close up shop for the season. In any larger city, you will find shops open.
Hi Jennifer, I am from Munich and we are planning to visit Sardinia in Aug. I heard there was a golden rule not to visit Sardinia in Aug because it will be super crowded but we only have Aug month available to visit Sardinia. Could you please advise us, since we would love to visit Sardinia.
Hello, you can visit any time you like, however, August is the busiest time of year. Beaches, restaurants and sites will be packed with people. Some rules are meant to be broken. π
Hi, Jennifer. I have an interest in Sardinia. We have a restaurant and chef in Sydney, Australia that are Sardinian, Giovanni Pilu and his restaurant, Pilu. I have been to his restaurant and attended a cooking course by him. Your blog looks like it will be interesting in my plans to one day to get there, thanks for sharing.
Hi Jennifer,
A group of us were planning to go to Sicily for the last two weeks of October 2017 to hike. We were told it can be rainy that time of year and we should consider Sardinia. According to the internet the weather looks similar for the two islands. What are your thoughts? Thanks for the help, Mary
Ciao Mary,
October is a hit and miss month weather wise. This year is was perfect and sunny and we mad it to the beach a few times. Did you want a beach holiday?
Hi Jennifer, me and my young family are thinking of visiting the north of the island in early April, it looks to be raining at the moment, but is it still okay to visit the beaches and still things to do for the little ones.. they are 9 and 5 years old.. thank you.
Anytime is a beautiful time to visit Sardinia. Wishing you a splendid vacation. π
Hi Jennifer
Me and my wife are going to Sardinia mid-September 2016, for 5 days.
We are looking into airbnb and we saw lots of nice apartments but we would like to know where is the best location to stay that would make it easy for us to know as much as possible.
Also how can we go to Cala Corsara and Cala Coticcio.
And if you could give us any tips of other places to go that would be nice.
Thank you very much.
Hello Alex,
Thanks for stopping by. Which airport are you flying into? Are you staying in one area? North or south part of the island? I only have experience with the north and I’ve never been to Cala Coticcio, sorry.
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.
We will try to stay in the North and South of the Island.
We are arriving in Cagliari and will drive to the North as soon as we arrive.
Any tips of location to stay in the North of the Island would be nice. thank you
Try and stay in any agriturismo, they are family run farms with a full functioning kitchen of farm-to-table delights. Don’t miss Castlesardo, Isola Rossa and La Maddalena in the North. Have a brilliant time and let me know if I can help with anything else.
Hi! I want to visit Sardinia between 26.12-3.1., I’ve read many notes, that there are common storms etc. How do you see it? Thanks! π
Jennifer, if you had one fairly long day, arriving in the a.m. in Olbia, what would you do — in late October?
Hello dear fellowcitizens ,
Planning visiting Sardinia in January coming year .
Let me know , pls. , the best places/ cities to be visited.
Thank u for this favor .
Louis from Naples , Fla.
What part of the island will you be staying! Sardinia is rather large and I’m most familiar with the northern regions.
We have travelled to Sardinia in June and September – both months have been great. Most recently (June 2015) we stayed in Castelsardo and I don’t think it is a pretty as Bosa nor Alghero. Certainly the old area up the hill is lovely, but much of the place is run down and too much concrete covering what are likely to be very pretty stone walled single storey dwellings. The place could do with some TLC. That aside, this article has made me consider going a little earlier or later in the year.
Reblogged this on My Sardinian Life and commented:
Anytime is the best time to visit Sardinia. Check out my monthly comparison post and see which month works best for you. I love May and September in Sardinia. Still hot but less tourists.
Travelling to the north and North west fro. Late September to early October. Can’t wait. Your blog just got us even more excited!!,
Great! That’s my favourite time of year in sardinia. Still warm but more seclusion. Have a great time. If you have any questions … Just ask. Happy travels.
HI Jennifer
I want to travel with my 6 year old to Alghero in April. Worried that there wont be much on to entertain her as apparently iit’s off-season, the beaches are too cold to bathe and most hotels don’t have heated pools?!? I really want to go but want her to have a good time too.
Any suggestions?
Hello! My advice is to just go. Sardinia is beautiful in the spring time, much less tourists and you’ll have the beach to yourself. The water may still be a little cold to swim in but relaxing on the beach will be nice and warm. Wishing you a wonderful holiday!
Hi
My husband and I are looking at visiting Northwest Sardinia including Castelsardo in the first week of December. We would be grateful of tips and places to visit as we have read that many places shut down in December.
Thanks
Hello! You are correct that most things do shut down in December. Castlesardo however, should have some things going on. Sassari is the largest city and is only a 30 minute drive from Castlesardo. You will find all kinds of muesums there, cafes, shops, etc. Wishing you a fabulous holiday!
you can hike, explore the nuragica civilization, the canyons, mines, immerse yourself in the event “Autunno in Barbagia”, breathtaking cliffs, caves, boat trips, wildlife oasis, hippy community in Santa Teresa, 2 of the most 100 beautiful villages in Italy (Bosa and Castelsardo) etc etc
Hi, we are planning Sardinia (as a part of trip to Italy) in second half of November. I understand that it is not the best time t visit. However, how ad does this get in interms oif rains and wind. we are coming from India. also, we are not very keen on sun bath. we are looking for a pleasant weather.
you can do trekking, visit the abandoned mines, see cliffs, excursions to the caves, large canyon, four of the most beautiful villages in Italy (Bosa, Castelsardo,Atzara, Carloforte), event “in autumn barbagia”, boat tours, town of murals (Orgosolo), visit wildlife reserves, community Hippie in Santa Teresa (Valle della Luna), little Barcelona (Alghero), go a day in corsica, see beautiful beaches, eat in sardinian farmhouse, etc.
Sardinia in september / october is like paradise, perfect time to visit.
Hi Jennifer, ‘locals collecting wood in the winter’ made me laugh. 80% own their own trees and the others buy it for their fire places. What they do collect are twigs which they use on their barbeques to start off a fire, don’t you remember? Apart from that all months are good to travel round Sardinia except the summer unless you love sweating it out. If you wanto to visit Sardinia, in the sense of really going round it , Spring and Autumn are the best. If you just want to laze on the beach and read, the summer is great but you don’t get to ‘see’ much of Sardinia. You can however limit yourselves to sun, sea, fresh air and good food! Not bad anyway by my accounts!
Tina
Hi Tina,
In my area it’s very common to go on quad (ATV) to chop and collect large pieces of wood for burning.
I agree that spring and autumn are the best months to visit Sardinia. Much less tourists and it’s still hot, but not super, super hot!
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Hey Jennifer I have nominated you for Blog of the Year π Come over to check out all the details.
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I would visit any time of the year…just so long as I could be there once at least
You’re welcome anytime, Jo! π
I think May is a great month to travel, and it’s good to know that’s also a good time to visit Sardinia!
Hope to see you here. π
I would have to agree with you that April to June is the best time to visit. I prefer moderate temperatures, so this would be ideal π
When are you leaving?
This is all very good to know, cause God knows, I want to visit! Sorry to be so behind on my blog reading! Hope you’ll forgive me, my friend!
Hugs,
Kathy
You are forgiven … tis the season after all! π
We loved our trip to Sardinia in April this year. I can’t wait to go back for more.
Hey Debra, I’m planning to go in April this year around Easter. Was it warm enough for sunbathing on the beach? Thanks so much.
We have been to the beach in April many times, though the water is cold, sunbathing is perfect. Have fun!
Will definitely mark it on my calendar!
Hi Jennifer
We went there in June and it was perfect!!! I would love to be there in another season so we can experience a bit more of Sardinian life! The article was fantastic you just write so very well and give us good information that is so useful when visiting another country! I will really miss all of your stories of such an interesting place that many people are not aware of! Have a beautiful Blessed Christmas and very Happy new Year!
The Sard/American,
Rosemarie
Ciao Rosemarie,
I want to thank you for always leaving bright positive comments on my posts – I am grateful .. thank you.
And don’t worry – I will still write about Sardinia while away working and I’m not leaving Sardinia forever – just for a few months.
This makes me want to visit Sardinia even more! I’m just sad you won’t be there. I would have loved to have met you in person!
I’m not leaving forever. Are you planning on coming here? Would be great to meet in person – let me know! π
Just mind that coming in winter time means that it is soooooo cold! Even if temperatures are not that low, the humidity is damn high! I’m definetely freezing now!
Oh – same here! It’s frrrr-eeezing. I’ve two sweaters and a scarf on!
Another great post, Jennifer!
I’ll say it again, you lead a brilliant life!
Seems odd to see snow in the Mediterranean. Great climate though!
The day we can reach it by car π
That’s easy to do … there are plenty of fantastic ferry services from the mainland! π
You know once a travel agent in Canada told my sister to take the train from Rome to Sardinia! My sister was like WTF?!?! π
I must have a serious talk with The Viking then π
I Have been in Saedinia this year 2013 in the middle of september. Not so hot how we were expecting. We stayed in Badessi nice view but the wind was blowing like hell and even if the meteo was showing 26C you were feeling like 19C. Out of 5 days in Sarinia 2 were hot enough to sunbath on the beach the 3 others well we visit the island is extremely beautiful and wild…… So i recommend even if is more expensive and a bit crowdy go july or latest mid august. Enjoy Italy π