Olbia — Gateway to the Northeast

Olbia is Sardinia's gateway to the northeast — with the international Costa Smeralda Airport (OLB) and the island's main ferry port, it is the arrival point for most visitors to the Gallura region. The city itself is often just used as a transit station, but that's a mistake: Olbia has a charming historic center with the Romanesque Basilica of San Simplicio (11th century, the oldest church in Sardinia), a lively pedestrian zone (Corso Umberto), and a new harbor district with restaurants and bars.

In the vicinity of Olbia, there are some sights not to be missed: The Giant's Tomb Coddu Ecchju (10 km southwest) is one of the most impressive megalithic tombs in Sardinia — a 4-meter-high stele marks the entrance to a 10-meter-long corridor tomb from the Bronze Age. The Nuraghe Riu Mulinu is picturesquely located in the macchia and gives a first taste of Sardinia's mysterious Bronze Age culture.

North of Olbia, the Gallura region offers a fascinating landscape of cork oak forests (Sardinia produces 80% of Italy's cork), bizarre granite formations, and the excellent Vermentino di Gallura DOCG — Sardinia's only DOCG wine. A visit to a winery (e.g., Cantina Gallura in Tempio Pausania) is a culinary highlight. Tempio Pausania itself, the "capital" of Gallura at 560 meters altitude, surprises with a cool, green mountain climate and a well-preserved old town made of granite.