Enough time for an excursion from Cagliari?

[Louiethecat]

Hello. In October we will be stopping at Cagliari (Sardinia) on our cruise. We will be in port from about 11:00am - 7:00pm. We are considering renting a car or hiring a driver to do a scenic drive, so we cansee some of the coastline and a few beaches. We would also like to explore the highlights of Cagliari. How compelling is Cagliari? Would 3 hours be sufficient? Or should we remain in Cagliari and skip the scenic drive? If we were to do a scenic drive, any suggestions regarding heading east to Villasimius vs. heading west to Chia? Thanks!

[edinburgher]

6 hours ago, Louiethecat said:

Or should we remain in Cagliari and skip the scenic drive?

Cagliari has many beaches within town, so you could see them easily without the need for a tour.The ones we saw ran for a long way alongside the coastal road and we got there by public bus.  I do not know how scenic the area out of town is, as we had a lovely day without leaving town, exploring the old town in the morning and the beach area (where the flamingoes are to be found) in the afternoon..

 

You could read previous threads and posts for ideas to help you decide as there is information on some of them which would be helpful.  Sometimes you need to ignore the subject line as threads often digress. I quickly looked for them and they can be found on this link:

 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=cagliari&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by edinburgher

[Louiethecat]

Thanks

[edinburgher]

6 hours ago, Louiethecat said:

Thanks

If reading previous posts via the above link tempted you to stay in town, do take either a taxi or a public bus up to the top area of town, as the walk up is steep, long and not to be underestimated. It is really quite an attractive town to visit with many photo ops along the way, and if you like flamingoes, this is the place for you.

 

All our info was easily found online, including bus routes, bus stops , sights info etc.Google is your friend.

[Cardiff girl]

On 8/15/2023 at 8:44 AM, edinburgher said:

If reading previous posts via the above link tempted you to stay in town, do take either a taxi or a public bus up to the top area of town, as the walk up is steep, long and not to be underestimated. It is really quite an attractive town to visit with many photo ops along the way, and if you like flamingoes, this is the place for you.

 

All our info was easily found online, including bus routes, bus stops , sights info etc.Google is your friend.

Thanks, Edinburgher. Any particular highlights in Cagliari? Did you go to San Benedetto market? Were the local buses easy to work out, and is there an obvious 'top of the hill' stop to aim for? Also, did you see flamingoes? The reviews of Molentargius nature park seem a bit mixed. Thanks. 

[edinburgher]

16 hours ago, Cardiff girl said:

Did you go to San Benedetto market? Were the local buses easy to work out, and is there an obvious 'top of the hill' stop to aim for? Also, did you see flamingoes? The reviews of Molentargius nature park seem a bit mixed. Thanks. 

No we didn't go to any market in part as we didn't know our exact timing for the things we really wanted to do, also as the market you mention was, to our understanding, selling fish, meat, fruit, cheese and veg and as we didn't want any of those it didn't seem worth losing time on..

 

Yes, it should be obvious when you reach the top of the very long and steep road. You would be aiming for the Citadel area.  You can find cagliari tourist sights/sites online on a city map.

Google will be your best friend as we found all the bus routes for Cagliari online and noted the numbers we wanted, also the current fare., and also the stops so you only need spend some time doing online homework. But local passengers at the lower stop will confirm if you are boarding the correct bus, or those on the bus will tell you when you are there, as will the driver if you ask.  (Just ask Citadel or Cittadella per favore?) And no, we don't have any more knowledge of Italian other than menu items 😀

 

We saw many many flamingos. After walking back down to the central area, we walked a few yards to the end of that road, then took a left and you will see the bus stops for the beach/park area ahead of you.

 

It is a long straight road and without going into the park itself, we simply got off the bus at a stop just after we had spotted (from the bus) many  in an area alongside the road opposite the beach.  If you sit on the left side heading there you may see them too.  (The road divides the beach area from the flamingos and the park)  i don't think we were actually in the park itself as there wasn't an obvious entry point where we were and we didn't need to walk around a park area looking for them.. Returning to the port we only had to cross the road to a bus stop for the opposite direction from the one we arrived from.  We also had time for a short walk along a section of the beach (which runs for a few miles).

 

Edited January 23 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

PS I should have perhaps explained better "sit on the left side".  That would be, the left side when you are seated and facing forward.

 

Where we saw the flamingos after getting off the bus, was a wetland or lagoon or pond. No idea what is was called.  We simply got off the bus after spotting them in large numbers.

[Cardiff girl]

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

No we didn't go to any market in part as we didn't know our exact timing for the things we really wanted to do, also as the market you mention was, to our understanding, selling fish, meat, fruit, cheese and veg and as we didn't want any of those it didn't seem worth losing time on..

 

Yes, it should be obvious when you reach the top of the very long and steep road. You would be aiming for the Citadel area.  You can find cagliari tourist sights/sites online on a city map.

Google will be your best friend as we found all the bus routes for Cagliari online and noted the numbers we wanted, also the current fare., and also the stops so you only need spend some time doing online homework. But local passengers at the lower stop will confirm if you are boarding the correct bus, or those on the bus will tell you when you are there, as will the driver if you ask.  (Just ask Citadel or Cittadella per favore?) And no, we don't have any more knowledge of Italian other than menu items 😀

 

We saw many many flamingos. After walking back down to the central area, we walked a few yards to the end of that road, then took a left and you will see the bus stops for the beach/park area ahead of you.

 

It is a long straight road and without going into the park itself, we simply got off the bus at a stop just after we had spotted (from the bus) many  in an area alongside the road opposite the beach.  If you sit on the left side heading there you may see them too.  (The road divides the beach area from the flamingos and the park)  i don't think we were actually in the park itself as there wasn't an obvious entry point where we were and we didn't need to walk around a park area looking for them.. Returning to the port we only had to cross the road to a bus stop for the opposite direction from the one we arrived from.  We also had time for a short walk along a section of the beach (which runs for a few miles).

 

Thanks very much - really useful. I read about local wine sold at the market, though if they mainly sell produce then it's less of a priority. The 'nature park' area sounds quite undeveloped, so it sounds like you got the best of it.