Sardinia benefits from a particularly mild climate: in winter the temperature never drops too low, while the heat and closeness of the summer is offset by a pleasant sea breeze. Thanks to these favourable conditions, the natural beauty of the island and to the availability of many cycle routes and mountain bike itineraries, the cycle-tourist can enjoy a delightful holiday practising his sport at practically any time of year.
Indeed, Sardinia is particularly well endowed with cycle paths, many of them sign-posted and with map references, making it the ideal destination for a cycling holiday, both for amateur enthusiasts and demanding experts. You can consult, for example, a touring map of south-west Sardinia, which gives a total of 32 trekking e mountain bike itineraries. It offers a selection of cycle trips to suit all tastes, with routes from Iglesiente to the Linas Massif, and from Gonnesa, Iglesias and Villamassargia as far as Domusnovas, Gonnosfanadiga and Fluminimaggiore, travelling back from the east towards the north.
For those who would like to explore Sardinia by mountain bike, the island offers a variety of unspoilt paths and rough dirt tracks passing through the beautiful natural parks: like those in the Park of Gennargentu, in Ogliastra, near the famous San Teodoro and Cala Gonone. Other mountain bike routes will take you, for example, to the caves of Sa Oche and Su Bentu, and to the gorge of Gorroppu.
If you would like to be outside in natural surroundings but without your bike, you might enjoy a boat-trip with the family to explore the Island of La Maddalena. You need to go to the maritime station inside the commercial port and catch one of the ferries which do 15-minute mini-cruises.
The Gallura area, in particular, is characterized by a landscape of granite rocks and low-lying hills. The eastern coast is indented by a series of small fjords, with rocks and small islands making up the Maddelena Archipelago, a sort of natural bridge connecting the island to Corsica.
Gallura is also the area which contains the Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast), a famous beach resort district attracting VIPs and international jet-setters, but also characterized by a landscape of outstanding natural beauty.
If you prefer to spend your family cycling holiday exploring the inland regions, you could visit Capo d’Orso, east of the port of Palau, a granite hill eroded over time into the shape of a bear. Alternatively, leaving Palau in the direction of Santa Teresa di Gallura, you could follow the cycle trails as far as the ancient tomb of the Li Mizzani Giants, located in the hills nearby, or else visit the tomb of the Sajacciu Giants, one of the largest of its kind in Sardinia.
