Olbia
Discover Olbia
A concise introduction to Olbia, its geography, history and culture.
Introduction
Olbia is a town of about 60,000 people at the head of a long shallow gulf on Sardinia's north-east coast, in the granite region of Gallura.
It is the island's main gateway. The airport is the busiest in Sardinia in summer, and the port takes ferries from Civitavecchia, Livorno, Genoa and Piombino.
The town itself is modern and workaday, with a compact centre around the Corso and the eleventh-century basilica of San Simplicio a little apart from it.
What people come for is outside. North lies the Costa Smeralda, the stretch of granite coves developed from 1962, and beyond it the Maddalena archipelago, a national park of seven islands. Directly offshore stands Tavolara, a limestone slab rising 565 metres straight out of the sea.