Cagliari, Sardinia

[katz]

Any suggestions as what to do in this port?   Is the town close enough to walk to?

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Hi.  I think you found me on A Facebook thread.  I live in Silver Spring, by the way.  I loved Cagliari (Jan. 2019)  but as I said on FB, I do most stuff independently, and take few ship or or private excursions.  It's possible you'll see comments by me (Ruth) and I'll repeat myself.  But here goes: 

 

Town is close enough to walk.  May have to take a van to entrance of port, though, for security reasons.  But it's very close to a main road (Via Roma).  We arrived before 7 AM and only had from 7 - 1:30 in port.  So I got up early, left the port (a port security person saw me get off ship,  picked me up in his port van and drove me to exit, about a minute or less). Husband stayed on ship until later.  I have tons of notes I took pre-cruise to allow me to walk to the bus "station" near McDonalds close to the port.  I bought a ticket, rode up to where I could walk (about a block) into the  Castello district, oldest area of town. There's an arch there and then you mostly just walk down, and down.  I saw the Cathedral di Santa Maria Assunta e Santa Cecilia, Bastione, very old houses, and the imposing Bastione (fort).  I got a great shot of sunrise on the area.  I think I just walked back down to the  McDonalds near the port to meet my husband.  We walked a short distance to CarBustec car rental near the port and waterfront, as I wanted to see some things outside the immediate city.  Car we rented had a horrific suspension, so can't recommend doing the same.  And unless you're adventurous and leave lots of time, I probably wouldn't go up to the Castello region by yourself!  But I plan ad nauseum, look on Google Earth, get detailed maps, etc., so it works for me, even if I'm doing it alone. I'm an explorer.

 

We drove to a lighthouse 15 minutes from Cagliari and then went to see salt flats,/museum, large birds, etc. at Molentargius Pond not too far from the city. 

 

A much simpler wander would be just to see what's open in town near the waterfront, or possibly just take a walking tour through Castello.  Or I think if you keep walking along the waterfront, there are some things to see along there.  It's been a while, and I don't remember 

 

 I saved a couple maps, but don't know where I got them, so can't send a link.  I obviously got one (a tourist map) at the port or possibly on the ship. In general, I like openstreet maps, as they're very detailed, though without helpful pictures or titles of tourist attractions!  But if you're on Viking or Oceania, they sometimes have maps that the tourist office sends them. And Oceania often has a rep from a tourist board come on board the ship for an hour or two to answer questions and hand out maps.) 

 

My pictures from my (short but fun) day in Cagliari are here: https://pbase.com/roothy123/cagliari_sardinia&page=all              Enjoy!

[edinburgher]

 We walked the short distance from the port gates to the public bus stop and took the bus up to the highest point of the old town.  Getting off at the top, we then slowly meandered back down to sea level, sightseeing along the way.  Pleased we took the bus up as we saw many fellow pax puffing their way uphill.

 

Once back at sea level we enjoyed a snack before catching  another public bus out to the beach area to the Park of Molentargius to see the flangoes which gather there. Cagliari is quite  famous for its flamingoes and there are many flamingo themed souvenirs on offer.

 

We speak not a word of italian but managed it all easily having done our homework on  sights and bus routes before leaving home.  And again before leaving home, the local Tourist Office were very helpful and advised us of the bus numbers we needed to get to the park, and which bus stop to ert off at as there is more than one.

 

\the return bus dropped us very close to the port entrance.

 

We had a lovely day there.

 

There should also be helpful info on Tripadvisor Cagliari.

Edited February 20, 2022 by edinburgher

[katz]

Thank you!!   Great information from both of you.  Ruth---we live in Woodbridge, VA, just down 95 from you.  Loved your photos.   We are sailing on the Riviera in April.  It has been so long since we have travelled, I am feeling a little rusty trying to make travel plans.  With all the new rules and regulations, it is even more difficult.  Thank you also, for all the information you sent to me via FB.  

 

Thank you also, Edin, for the bus information.  That is really helpful.

 

I appreciate the information that both of you have shared.

[cruisemom42]

For anyone interested in ancient history, there are ruins very near Cagliari. They are Roman ruins built on top of an ancient Carthaginian/Phoenician trading post. The site has been well excavated with pleasant walking paths and it is situated right on the sea, so also very scenic. (In fact some of the ruins are under water, and I understand that in summer you can do a snorkeling tour to see them.)

 

It's pretty easy to get there by local bus/shuttle, or perhaps your cruise line will offer a tour. Here is some additional info about the site, which is called Nora -- including directions on getting there on your own:

 

https://strictlysardinia.com/ancient-city-of-nora-sardinia/

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 2/20/2022 at 10:22 AM, edinburgher said:

 We walked the short distance from the port gates to the public bus stop and took the bus up to the highest point of the old town.  Getting off at the top, we then slowly meandered back down to sea level, sightseeing along the way.  Pleased we took the bus up as we saw many fellow pax puffing their way uphill.

 

Once back at sea level we enjoyed a snack before catching  another public bus out to the beach area to the Park of Molentargius to see the flangoes which gather there. Cagliari is quite  famous for its flamingoes and there are many flamingo themed souvenirs on offer.

 

We speak not a word of italian but managed it all easily having done our homework on  sights and bus routes before leaving home.  And again before leaving home, the local Tourist Office were very helpful and advised us of the bus numbers we needed to get to the park, and which bus stop to ert off at as there is more than one.

 

\the return bus dropped us very close to the port entrance.

 

We had a lovely day there.

 

There should also be helpful info on Tripadvisor Cagliari.

That's a lot like what I did. It was a very enjoyable day, though short. I love doing research and then using public transportation.