Practical Information for visiting Cagliari

Cagliari is the main way into Sardinia and is well connected for an island capital.

Cagliari-Elmas airport is fifteen minutes from the centre by train, with flights across Italy and a wide European network in summer, thinner in winter.

Ferries run from the port to Civitavecchia for Rome, to Naples, to Palermo and to Sicily and the mainland generally, mostly overnight.

Trains run north to Oristano and Sassari and north-east towards Olbia; the network is slow and sparse by mainland standards but it exists.

Coaches reach most of the island and are often the better option.

Driving is how most people see Sardinia: the SS131 runs the length of the island from here.

Coverage for mobile networks is good in the city and along the main roads, patchy in the interior mountains.

Cagliari is a safe city by any European standard, with low violent crime.

Ordinary urban care is enough. Petty theft occurs around the port, the station and crowded areas in summer; the Marina district late at night is livelier rather than dangerous.

Do not leave anything visible in a parked car, particularly a hire car, anywhere on the island.

The physical hazards are the hills and the heat. Castello involves steep climbs on worn limestone, which is slippery when wet.

At Poetto and on the coast, the maestrale can produce strong offshore winds and a real current; lifeguard cover is seasonal and limited to some stretches.

Summer wildfire is a serious hazard across Sardinia, and roads are closed without much notice when one is burning.

Emergency services are reachable on 112.

No vaccinations or special precautions are needed; standards are those of Italy generally.

Heat and sun are the main issues in summer. Cagliari is one of the hottest and sunniest cities in Italy and Castello has little shade.

The climbs are steeper than they look on a map; anyone with limited mobility should use the public lifts rather than the staircases.

Mosquitoes are a nuisance near the lagoons from late spring to autumn.

Raw sea urchins are a winter delicacy here and carry the usual risks of raw shellfish; they are also subject to harvesting bans in some years.

Pharmacies are plentiful and post the out-of-hours rota.

The Policlinico and the Brotzu hospital are the main facilities, and Cagliari has by far the best medical provision on the island.

EHIC and GHIC cards are accepted; travel insurance remains worthwhile.

The single emergency number across Italy is 112, reaching police, ambulance and fire, generally with English-speaking operators.

Other numbers still in use: 113 police, 118 medical, 115 fire.

The Brotzu hospital and the Policlinico are the main emergency departments, and are the referral hospitals for the whole of southern Sardinia.

Cagliari has consular representation for several countries, which the rest of the island does not; check your own before travelling further out. Embassies are in Rome.

Report thefts to the Carabinieri or Polizia di Stato for the report an insurer will require.

At sea, the Capitaneria di Porto handles rescue through 112. Note that on the island's interior roads mobile coverage fails in places, so tell someone your route before a long inland drive.