Backed by a motley set of holiday homes and beach bars, Putzu Idu's beach sits in the north of the peninsula. It's a picturesque strip of sand that's something of a water-sports hotspot with excellent surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing. To the north, the Capo Mannu promontory is scalloped with a tantalising array of more secluded beaches and battered by some of the Mediterranean's biggest waves.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
10.64 MILES
The choppy blue waters of the Golfo di Oristano provide a magnificent backdrop to the ruins of ancient Tharros. Founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th…
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17.27 MILES
Just off the SS131 north of Oristano, the sanctuary at Santa Cristina is an important nuraghic complex. The nuraghic village's extraordinary Bronze Age…
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12.93 MILES
Oristano’s elegant outdoor salon sits at the southern end of pedestrianised Corso Umberto I. An impressive, rectangular space, it comes to life on summer…
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14.57 MILES
This landmark Romanesque church is one of Sardinia's architectural jewels. Dating to the early 12th century, it sports a severe sandstone exterior…
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9.39 MILES
Cabras' cultural highlight is the Museo Civico, and the real superstars here are the so-called Giants of Monte Prama, a series of towering nuraghic…
19.39 MILES
Commanding huge views, this hilltop castle was built in the 12th and 13th centuries by the Tuscan Malaspina family. Little remains of the original…
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19.24 MILES
Housed in an elegant 19th-century townhouse, Bosa's main museum showcases local arts and artisanal crafts. Each of the three floors has a different theme…
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Chiesa di Nostra Signora di Regnos Altos
19.37 MILES
Enclosed within the walls of the Castello Malaspina, this humble but hallowed 14th-century chapel is decorated with an extraordinary 14th-century fresco…
Nearby Western Sardinia attractions
5.17 MILES
About 3km south of S'Archittu, just outside the town of Torre del Pozzo, tracks lead off the SS292 to Is Arenas beach, which at 6km is one of the longest…
5.19 MILES
One of the peninsula's most famous beaches, Is Aruttas is a pristine arc of white sand fronted by translucent aquamarine waters. For years its quartz sand…
5.96 MILES
This bare, rocky island 10km off the coast owes its strange name (Stomach-ache Island) to the seasickness that sailors often suffered while navigating its…
6.4 MILES
On the northern fringe of the beachside community of S'Archittu, the Spiaggia dell’Arco features a dramatic stone arch that rises 6m above the emerald…
7.67 MILES
In the centre of the village, the 17th-century Chiesa di San Salvatore stands over a stone ipogeo (underground vault) dating to the nuraghic period. This…
8.81 MILES
A few kilometres out of Tharros, and signposted off the main road, the Oasi di Seu is a veritable Eden of Mediterranean flora. Once you’ve navigated the…
9.39 MILES
Cabras' cultural highlight is the Museo Civico, and the real superstars here are the so-called Giants of Monte Prama, a series of towering nuraghic…
8. Chiesa di San Giovanni di Sinis
10.09 MILES
Built from softly worn sandstone, Chiesa di San Giovanni di Sinis is one of the two oldest churches in Sardinia (Cagliari’s Basilica di San Saturnino is…