Sardinia has an exceptional number of beaches considered among the most beautiful on the planet: think of Cala Goloritzè and Cala Mariolu overlooking the spectacular Gulf of Orosei. These are dreamlike bays, sandy and sheltered from the wind, true corners of paradise with Caribbean-like shades.
Along its 1,849 km coastline, Sardinia also hides beaches with a completely different character, more wild and remote, similar to what you might find in Normandy or, in Morocco, around Dakhla. One place stands out above all: Piscinas Beach, nicknamed by locals the “Sardinian desert”.
Book your car with Ellepi, a rental agency with over 40 years of experience, then head to Costa Verde, where this beach stretches out in a landscape dominated by nature, between a powerful sea and strong winds.
Discovering Piscinas Beach
Costa Verde is one of Sardinia’s wildest and most unspoilt areas, comparable to Gennargentu and Supramonte. It runs for just over 50 km and is considered one of the oldest landmasses in Europe, together with Sulcis.
This is where Piscinas Beach lies, between the granite headland of Capo Pecora and the northern headland of Capo Frasca.
To reach the beach, it makes sense to hire a car at Olbia Airport with Ellepi, a long-established car rental agency that can support you throughout your trip on the island.
Costa Verde is known for its mix of reddish cliffs, dense Mediterranean scrub scented with strawberry trees, mastic trees and junipers, and beaches like Piscinas. It sits in the municipality of Arbus and feels like a different world compared to Sardinia’s classic, busy seaside resorts.
Across its 7 km stretch, you will find impressive dunes: soft expanses of golden sand that can reach 60–100 m in height, dotted here and there with Mediterranean plants, especially euphorbias, mastic trees and junipers.
Once you reach Piscinas, you will notice straight away that the dunes, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, do not simply line the coast: they push deep inland. With a bit of luck, you might spot wild rabbits and, above all, the Sardinian deer, which has made the Piscinas dunes one of its habitats.
Wind is almost constant here. You can see its effect on the sea and dunes, continually shaped by the mistral, and even on the shrubs, which grow low and twisted rather than upright. If you love water sports such as surfing, windsurfing or kitesurfing, this is one of the best spots in Sardinia.
If you prefer diving, the seabed in this stretch of water hides the wreck of a British vessel that sank around three centuries ago.
At Piscinas Beach you can relax almost in solitude, spending hours in total peace close to nature. Caretta caretta turtles also choose this beach to lay their eggs, and naturists have praised it as one of Europe’s best beaches for this lifestyle.
Keep in mind that the beach is not heavily equipped and there are not many facilities: a few small kiosks for hiring pedal boats or canoes, a campsite, a small restaurant and a bar.
How to get to Piscinas Beach
The roads leading to Piscinas live up to the reputation of this beach, described by Touring Club Italia as one of the world’s most beautiful. These routes cross remote parts of Sardinia, through harsh scenery and industrial archaeology sites now abandoned, which reflect the island’s economic past.
With the vehicle you hired from Ellepi, choosing from a fleet that includes SUVs, off-road vehicles, estate cars and saloons, you can reach Piscinas Beach starting from the town of Arbus.
Drive towards Fluminimaggiore, then join State Road 126, and turn off towards Piscinas–Ingurtosu.
You will then find yourself inside the Geomining Park, recognised by UNESCO, specifically in the Valle de Is Animas, scattered with mining remains: disused railway tracks, rusty carts, waste materials and the ruins of buildings once used by miners.
Enjoy the natural and historical heritage you will see along the way: this is not a staged film set, but real life that has faded away.
After passing Pozzo Gal, now a multimedia museum, and Laveria Brassey, where raw materials were processed in the 1900s, you will reach Piscinas Beach.
An alternative route, deeper in nature, goes via Portu Maga. This option takes you along a more panoramic road and even across the Rio Naracauli and Rio Piscinas, almost like a safari drive.
You can usually ford these streams easily in summer when they run dry. In wetter seasons they can swell, so choose this route only during the summer period.
What to see near Piscinas Beach
Beyond the beach itself, where you can disconnect in a natural sanctuary that feels lost in time, you can also drive around and explore the surrounding area.
In the town of Arbus, with stone houses decorated by flowers and winding lanes, you can visit the Museum of Minerals, home to a rich collection from around the world.
In the Arbus area you will also find the Naracauli mine, which you can visit with an expert guide through abandoned extraction facilities and Laveria Brassey. From there, the zinc ore (blende) was once loaded onto railway wagons and taken to the pier at Piscinas.
Do not miss the Church of San Sebastiano Martire (16th century) and, above all, the Museum of the Sardinian Knife. Arbus has a long tradition of knife-making, especially is arresoias arburesa, known for their distinctive curved blade.
In Fluminimaggiore, the Archaeological Museum is an essential stop if you want to learn more about the town’s symbolic monument, the Temple of Antas. Tradition says that Caracalla ordered the construction of this sanctuary in honour of Sardus Pater, a local Sardinian deity. Bronze figurines linked to this cult were found on site and are displayed in the Fluminimaggiore museum, along with other pre-Nuragic and Punic artefacts.
Finally, take an excursion inside Su Mannau Cave, a window into Sardinia 540 million years ago, with underground pools, stalactites, stalagmites and striking limestone formations.
