Discovery Tour
You Can Book Our Tours Or Customise Them. We Can Help You Create A Bespoke Itinerary, To Suit Your Tastes Preferences and budget.

If you wish to book a discovery tour holiday in Sardinia, please get in touch with us at NxtStop Sardinia 

 

 

 Day 1 
Travel to Sardinia – Arrive in Cagliari

  • Upon arrival at Cagliari airport (after collecting a rental car) drive to Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia where you will spend the first day of the tour.   Read More   
Depending on the arrival time, you can enjoy a tour of Cagliari. If you arrive in the evening, you can have dinner in one of the restaurants near the hotel, then stroll along Via Roma, one of the main streets of Cagliari overlooking the port, You can find architecturally interesting buildings, many cafes, and shops or simply enjoy a drink from the Bastione of Saint Rémy.
 
  • Accommodation in Cagliari.

 

 
 

 Day 2 
Cheese & Wine Making and Tasting Tour

  • The tour will start after breakfast with a visit to one of the best cheese factories in the area of Parteolla, where you will follow the cheese-making process.
  • After this, we will move to Serdiana, to visit Argiolas winery, one of the most important wineries on the island. During the visit, you will taste their four top wines together with local cheese, cured meat, and carasau bread (typical Sardinia bread).
  • Accommodation in Cagliari.

 Holidays in Sardinia Cheese & Wine Making and Tasting Tour

 
 

 Day 3 
Cagliari – the Archaeological Area of Monte Sirai – the Village of Tratalias – the Great Mine of Serbariu – Iglesias

  • Enjoy breakfast and then check out, then travel towards the Southwest part of Sardinia. The first visit will be at the archaeological site of Monte Sirai, a Phoenician and Punic settlement that hasn't been reshaped since Roman times. Here you can visit the ruins of the village, the necropolis, and the Tophet area.
  • After the visit to Monte Sirai, you will then move to the village of Tratalias for a walk through the abandoned village and a visit to the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Monserrato.
  • After free time for lunch in the area, in the afternoon you will visit the Great Mine of Serbariu, in Carbonia. Here you can visit the lamphouse, the winch room, and the underground tunnels, where coal was extracted.
  • Arrival at Iglesias and check-in

Holidays in Sardinia Cagliari

 
 

 Day 4 
Sulcis Iglesiente Mining Day

  • After breakfast, you will be able to discover the fascinating testimonies of Sardinia's mining history with a hike at the Monteponi mine. Read More  

Over centuries, this area became one of Italy's main mining sites, with modern buildings and advanced facilities (for the times), until it fell into irreversible crisis and was closed down.

The excursion allows you to get to know the history of the Monteponi Mine, by following a ring route, that is easy to follow, suitable for both children and untrained people. Starting from the Villamarina level, you will climb the hill, passing through old buildings and construction sites, to reach the top with a view of the great Cungiaus excavation.

 

  • In the afternoon, you will visit the Santa Barbara cave, which is located in the San Giovanni mine site. Read More  
From the outside, the San Giovanni mine looks no different from the other mines of the area. But inside it hides the Santa Barbara cave that the miners discovered by chance in 1952. In this cave, there are rock formations dating back 500 million years. This fascinating site can be reached through an intricate system of underground tunnels made accessible by a small train which, after crossing the tunnel leads to a lift that ascends along a shaft. From here, to reach the cave, all you have to do is to climb a spiral staircase to find yourself in an enchanted world created by water over millions of years.

 

  • Suggestion for the evening: in Iglesias walk up to the Church of Buoncammino to admire the panoramic view.
  • Accommodation in Iglesias.

Sulcis Iglesiente Mining Holidays in Sardinia

 
 

 Day 5 
Iglesias – the Island of Sant'Antioco – Iglesias

  • After breakfast, you will travel to the charming island of Sant'Antioco. Read More  
The name of the island and town derives from the patron saint of Sardinia, an African martyr exiled to the island. Sant'Antioco is connected to the mainland by an isthmus and surrounded by crystal-clear water. The island hosted the settlement of one of the most important Phoenician cities on the island, and it's for this reason an extremely important place from an archaeological point of view.

 

  • The visit starts at the fascinating Museum of Byssus (a silk fibre that comes from the sea), where the “master of ancient weaving”, Chiara Vigo, will guide you through the magic of this ancient process.
  • After that, we visit the unique catacombs site on the island and visit the Hypogeal village, part of the Punic necropolis that has been used as houses by the inhabitants of Sant'Antioco.
  • Accommodation in Iglesias.

 

 Iglesias Holidays in Sardinia

 
 

 Day 6 
Iglesias – Nuraghe Seruci – Cala Domestica Beach - Nebida Panoramic Road - Iglesias

  • After breakfast, you will head towards Gonnesa where you will visit the Nuraghe Seruci one of the largest and most particular Nuragic complexes in Sardinia. Read More  

A Bit of History

The Nuragic village of Seruci was discovered in 1897. The village consists of over one hundred huts around a monumental Nuragic palace, and two tombs of giants (funerary monuments present in Europe, only in Sardinia).

Nuraghe is the main type of ancient megalithic edifice found in Sardinia, developed during the Nuragic Age between 1900 and 730 BCE. Today it has come to be the symbol of Sardinia and its distinctive culture, the Nuragic civilization.

 
  • After the visit, you will travel towards Cala Domestica driving through one of the most suggesting roads in Sardinia. During the drive, you must stop to take pictures of the five sea stacks. The most famous is Pan di Zucchero (Sugarloaf) which is one of the island's most spectacular natural monuments and a symbol of the coast.
  • Once at Cala Domestica you can stroll on the beach and visit 'la Caletta' (a little bay which can be reached through a tunnel that was dug into the rock by miners ). Or you can hike on the top of the promontory where there is an 18th-century Savoy tower that was built as a watchtower for pirates and also used during World War II. Read More 
Cala Domestica is a bay set between limestone cliffs covered with Mediterranean scrub it is characterised by fine sand mixed with gravel and scattered rocks. Behind the beach, there are sand dunes and the ruins of warehouses belonging to nearby mines. The sea has a shallow depth and a beautiful blue colour that can be appreciated especially on calm days.
 
  • In the evening, on the way back to Iglesias and to enjoy the spectacular sunset over the sea, it is recommended to take a walk along the Belvedere of Nebida. You will be able to take beautiful souvenir photos of the Laveria Lamarmora (built in 1897 for the enrichment of the minerals extracted from the nearby mine) at your feet, the famous sea stack Pan Di Zucchero (sugarloaf) towards the north and the bay of Gonnesa towards the south.
  • Accommodation in Iglesias.

 

 Holidays in Sardinia Iglesias

 
 

 

 Day 7 
Check Out and Departure

For more options and activities that you can experience, please visit Holiday Ideas. You may also be interested in:

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Holiday Summary   

Self-drive - Discovery Tour

Please read carefully the full terms and conditions of this website

Price (prices can be customised according to budget, number of days and experiences agreed at the time of booking):

Starting from: £895 per person / €995 per person Individual participation fee in double room (minimum 2 pax).

Itinerary:

1st Day Arrival day – Cagliari airport to Cagliari city (by car: a total of 8.2km – 15 min. without traffic – via E25)

Please note: It is best to hire a car before arriving in Cagliari especially in the summer months. NxtStop Sardinia can help you renting a car contact us.

2nd Day Cagliari – Parteolla area (Dolianova) – Serdana - Cagliari (by car: total of 52.4 km - 1hr without traffic – via SS387 del Gerrei)

3rd Day Cagliari – Archaeological Area of Monte Sirai – Tratalias – Mine of Serbariu - Iglesias (by car total of 128 km – 2hrs without traffic – via SS130 and SP2)

4th Day Iglesias – Monteponi mine – Mine site of San Giovanni and Santa Barbara cave – Iglesias (by car total of 16.2 km –  35 min without traffic – via SS 130 Iglesiente)

5th Day Iglesias – Sant'Antioco visit – Iglesias (by car total of 82 km – 1hr 50min without traffic – via SP2 and SS126)

6th Day Iglesias –– Nuraghe Seruci – Cala Domestica - Nebida Panoramic Road – Iglesias (by car total of 73.6 km – 1hr 33 min without traffic – via SS126)

7th Day Departure day – Iglesias to Cagliari airport (by car total of 51 km – 40 min without traffic – via SS130)

The price includes:

2 nights accommodation in Cagliari in a 3* Hotel

4 nights accommodation in B&B in Iglesias or Gonnesa

Board Basis: Bed & breakfast

itineraries and route notes

Telephone assistance

Guide for scheduled excursions (non-exclusive excursions):

Walking tour of Cagliari

Cheese & Wine Making and Tasting Tour

Tour: Archaeological Area of Monte Sirai – the Village of Tratalias – the Great Mine of Serbariu

Monteponi mine hike

Tour: the Island of Sant'Antioco

Entrance fees:

Archaeological Area of Monte Sirai

Great Mine of Serbariu

Santa Barbara cave

Museum of Byssus

Hypogeal village of Sant'Antioco

Nuraghe Seruci

Not included in the price:

Flight ticket

Car rental (contact Nxtstop Sardinia for a cheap car rental)

Meals not stated in the itinerary

Personal travel insurance

Entrance fees to museums and other attractions not stated in the itinerary

Personal expenses (tips, souvenirs, restaurants/bar bills, etc...)

Parking fees

Tourist taxes, where applicable, are to be settled directly on-site upon arrival at the hotel

Conditions:

deposit on confirmation: 30% of the total cost

balance: within 30 days of departure day

method of payment: bank transfer

Cancellations:

For cancellation from 28 to 21 days before the departure date, you will lose your deposit.

For cancellations from 20 to 15 days before the departure date, the penalty is 70% of the total price.

For cancellations from 14 to 10 days before the departure date, the penalty is 80% of the total price.

For cancellations from 9 days before the departure date or made on the same day as the departure date or in case of a no-show, the penalty is 100% of the total price.

Special requests:

Special requests should be made in writing at the time of booking. Your request will be forwarded to the suppliers however we cannot promise that it will be fulfilled.

Useful info:

Currency: Euro

Flight time: Approx. 2 hrs 30 mins

Languages: Italian

Time zone: GMT+1

Country: Italy

Visa Information:

UK Citizens do not require a visa to enter Italy however must have a valid passport. For the most up-to-date passport and visa information visit https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements

We are unable to accept responsibility if you are unable to travel because you have not complied with any passport/entry/immigration requirements.