The North East coast of Sardinia is famous worldwide for the beauty of its extensive rugged coastline made up of white sandy beaches and small coves boasting sparkling sea in shimmering hues of turquoise and emerald. Perhaps the most renowned stretch of coast is the glitzy Costa Smeralda, developed as a playground for the wealthy by the Aga Khan in 1962. In addition to its attractive golf course, its luxury hotels, its yacht marinas and smart boutiques, it is an area of undeniable natural beauty characterised by the ever-present fragrant macchia and the imposing wind-sculpted granite rocks.

In both the north and south of this region are some wonderful stretches of headland where you can admire spectacular views from the dramatic cliffs. At the north tip is the wind-whipped Capo Testa headland and town of Santa Teresa di Gallura where you can catch a boat for Corsica. Not far south of this is the unusual bear-shaped rock at the end of the Capo d’Orso promontory near Palau, where you can take a boat trip to the delightful Maddalena archipelago. Continuing south you reach the headland of Golfo Aranci and further south still the Capo Coda Cavallo promontory, which is blessed with superb long sandy beaches backed by shady pine forests and thick macchia.

This is an area that is abundant in offshore islets: as well as the beautiful Isles of La Maddalena, there are several others that can be visited by boat for swimming, sunbathing, snorkelling and diving. Opposite the Costa Smeralda are the islands of Soffi, Mortorio and Li Milani whilst just in front of Cape Figaro is the islet of Figarolo and in between the Golfo Aranci and Capo Coda Cavallo promontories are the majestic island of Tavolara and its neighbouring islands of Molara and Molarotto as well as the tiny flat Piana islet and the Isola dei Cavalli.

The interior is known as the Gallura and has its own dialect, food specialities, handicrafts and geographical character. It is resplendent with cork-oak forests – you will often see souvenirs on the island made of cork and you may witness the trunks of trees that have been stripped bare. To see a different side of the island it is fun to visit the little villages up the twisty winding roads into the mountainous countryside such as Calangianus, Luogosanto and the larger Tempio Pausania. There are some wonderful prehistoric sites to visit such as the Nuraghi, the Giants’ Tombs and the Li Muri Necropolis near the village of Arzachena. There are also a few Romanesque churches, particularly the impressive Santissima Trinita` di Saccargia located all alone in the middle of a valley.

The main town of Olbia has its own Romanesque church – San Simplicio – and there are some old Roman ruins. Olbia has a busy port and small airport and is a modern city with some excellent restaurants and two large hypermarkets on the outskirts. The area south of Olbia has some truly outstanding beaches which benefit from incredible views of the island of Tavolara and there are some recently built but low-key resorts like Porto San Paolo and San Teodoro. Less developed and less expensive than the Costa Smeralda but just as beautiful, this is an excellent area to choose to spend a holiday and thanks to the jagged contours of the coastline there are a multitude of wonderful sandy beaches and smaller coves – easily enough to visit a different one every day of your holiday.

Murta Maria is a recent development located on the road going south of Olbia just at the start of the Capo Ceraso headland. It has a handful of restaurants and bars and is near to lovely sandy beaches like Marina Maria, Cala Sa Figu, Li Cuncheddi and Porto Istana. Porto Istana beach at the end of Capo Ceraso is made up of 4 stretches of very fine white sands separated by clusters of granite rock. Backed by Mediterranean vegetation, the beach is popular for its very clear turquoise sea and its views of the dramatic mountainous bulk of Tavolara.

Porto San Paolo is a superb small resort with loads of restaurants, cafés, gelaterias and cocktail bars to choose from and other useful facilities like supermarkets, shops and a bank. It offers low-key nightlife, a diving school, and a little tourist port where you can rent boats to visit not only the islands of Tavolara and Molara but also to get to some of the wonderful beaches in the area. A small ferry boat also does regular excursions to Tavolara from the port. Adjacent to the port is a little sandy beach and also in the vicinity is the main Porto San Paolo beach. Just to the south are the wonderful small beaches of the Costa Dorata and the magnificent beach of Porto Taverna with transparent turquoise waters. Porto Taverna beach enjoys an incredible view of Tavolara rising sharply out of the sea. There are several facilities such as snack bars and there are 2 good restaurants, one right on the sands in the middle of the beach. In the main season there are also water sports facilities and you can hire a dinghy to go out to the beaches on the offshore islands. Within a short drive there are plenty of other beaches to suit all tastes and most are ideal for families, especially those with young children because of the clear shallow waters and soft sands.