Flight Lyon - Olbia

Local legend has it that Sardinia is the first island on which God set foot when he came to Earth... With its Genoese tower perched on a small island, its clear waters and its sand bleached by the sun, Pelosa Beach, located in the north-west of the island on the edges of the village of Stintino, could easily be a gift from the heavens. Best visited out of peak season, however!

Nestled between land and sea, the small medieval village of Castelsardo, in the north-west of the island, has been named as one of the "most beautiful villages in Italy". Charmingly picturesque and fully pedestrianised, its winding streets snake their way through a network of multicoloured façades taking visitors to Doria Castle, from where the view of the Gulf of Asinara is simply breathtaking.

Located on the north tip of the island, Capo d'Orso is one of the most remarkable granite formations on the island. Its natural double arch looks like the feet of a very large stone bear. Set right in the centre of a protected site, this marine lair has provided a panoramic view of the Sardinian Coast since ancient times.

Silhouetted against the southern tip of Sardinia, the oldest lighthouse on the island has been transformed into a luxury guesthouse. Six suites are nestled in this slender building constructed in 1856. Towering over the turquoise seas below and flanked by two white sandy beaches, the red lighthouse on Capo Spartivento is the perfect place to be alone with your thoughts...

Take and break from sunbathing and head for the province of Nuoro, at the foot of the national park of the Gulf of Orosei. Before hiking through the canyon valley and on the slopes of its mountains, plunge into the heart of the remarkable Bue Marino cave, which is some 15 kilometres long and accessible via the sea.