The beautiful island of Sardinia is the second largest in the Mediterranean Sea and is a wonderful holiday spot for the whole family. The island is renowned for its amazingly beautiful beaches, with the whitest of sand and crystal clear blue waters. Away from the coast, Sardinia is full of oak forests, boulder-strewn canyons and lush interiors.
Amongst the millions of sheep that live on the island, you’ll also find wildlife oddities such as the blue-eyed albino donkeys on the Isola dell’Asinara and the wild horses of Giara di Gesturi. The island is scattered with Bronze Age towers and settlements and some fine Roman ruins. As with all of Italy, Sardinia is incredibly child friendly and full of activities for them to enjoy.
If you’re going to Sardinia you will undoubtedly want to check out some of the beautiful beaches on the island. To be honest, wherever you go you’re likely to find a stunning beach but a few to try out for families include Sa Colonia Beach in Chia, Tuerredda Beach, Simius Beach at Villasimius, Is Arutas on the Sinis Peninsula and La Pelosa Beach.
For a lovely way to see some of the island, take The Little Green Train – a tourist train with four routes around the island, climbing mountains, crossing bridges and allowing you to enjoy amazing panoramas.
If you’ve got horse mad youngsters be sure to visit the wild ponies of the Giara plateau. There are only around 700 ponies left in the wild. For extra brownie points, book horse riding with Equestre Maneggio Tanka and enjoy an afternoon exploring the beaches and countryside on horseback.
It’s a rare child that doesn’t enjoy a day at a waterpark and Sardinia has several to choose from. The biggest water park in Sardinia is Diverland with miles of swimming pools and water slides as well as a baby club and animation teams. Or why not try an adventure park, where families can navigate courses of varying difficulties with walkways, pirate nets, rope bridges and zip wires. Try Le Ragnatele or Adventure Park Baddimanna.
And if you need a few hours indoors out of the sun, visit Cala Gonone Aquarium, where you’ll see all sorts of Mediterranean marine life, from piranhas and tropical fish through to sharks and sea urchins. Kids will love the touch tank, where you can stroke rays, sea urchins and starfish.
Sardinia has three airports – Cagliari, Olbia and Alghero. You can fly there with a variety of airlines including EasyJet, Ryanair, British Airways and Thomson.
Family friendly campsites
Sant'Antioco, Tonnara
Camping Tonnara is a peaceful campsite on the small island of Sant'Antioco, which is joined to mainland Sardinia by a causeway. The site has direct access to a beautiful beach, with crystal clear waters ideal for swimming in. The site has excellent facilities, including a swimming pool, tennis and volleyball courts, bar and supermarket. There's also a restaurant serving delicious regional specialities.
