Cagliari Cruise Port is the gateway to Sardinia, Italy. Not only is Cagliari the largest city and the capital of Sardinia, it’s also built on one of the oldest prehistoric settlements in Cagliari. The Castello district, within walking distance of Cagliari Cruise Port was built during medieval times and parts of the city walls and towers can still be seen today.
In this guide, I’ll show you how you can plan your own “top things to see & do” on your day at port at Cagliari Cruise Port. No trip to Sardinia is complete without a trip out to the Sardinia coastline, so I’ll also share your transport options out to the marvellous Poetto Beach, with 8 km (5 miles) of wide sandy beach to enjoy. Cagliari also has the largest covered food market in Italy and you know what this means – lots of local specialties to try!
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Cagliari Cruise Port: Is a DIY Excursion Easy? 😎😎😎😎 Straightforward
Cagliari Cruise Port is within walking distance of Cagliari’s city centre and that’s one of the reasons why I rated a DIY excursion at Cagliari Cruise Port as 😎😎😎😎 Straightforward:
- Minutes from Piazza Giacoma Matteotti: Catch the free port bus to the port gates and you’ll be a few minutes’ walk from Piazza Giacoma Matteotti, the biggest piazza in Cagliari. You can continue your walk to attractions or catch a bus here.
- 20 minutes bus ride from Beach: Straightforward bus ride from Piazza Giacoma Mattoetti takes you to the heart of the famous Poetto Beach
- Walkable City Centre: You can see a lot of Cagliari just be walking from Cagliari Cruise Port but unfortunately there are some hills in the city. So watch out for signs for free lifts to help you tackle those hills. Locals definitely use them!
Cagliari Cruise Port Essentials: All You Need To Know
- Cagliari Cruise Port Address: Molo Rinascita, 09123 Cagliari CA, Italy – see this marked on my Cagliari Cruise Port Map below 🗺️📍👇
- Currency: Euros
- Language: Italian
- Official website: Discover Cagliari is the local tourism website. If you prefer to download a PDF map to your phone, the official city map is a good one! Sardinia’s Tourism Board’s website is also helpful.
- Recommended Transport App: I’d use Google Maps for general navigation when you walk around Cagliari Cruise Port. If you’d need to catch a bus, then it will also show correct live bus departure times. Just use “Directions” function to find the easiest bus route.
- eSIM for roaming in Italy: For a great data connection without huge roaming fees, use an eSim data pack from Airalo. I always recommend having a smartphone with a valid plan when you’re at port touring independently. Get US$3 off your first eSIM data pack from Airalo when you use ROXANN1666 when you sign up or apply it at checkout
Cagliari Cruise Port Map
- On Desktop | Laptop? Use buttons on bottom left to zoom in/out. Click on the upper right hand corner to see a bigger version.
- On Tablet | Mobile? Pinch your screen to zoom in/out and use two fingers to move map around. If you have Google Maps installed on your tablet/mobile, my map will open in your Google Maps app if you click on the upper right hand corner.
- If map is not loading correctly, click here to see it directly on Google Maps
Cagliari Cruise Port to City Centre: Your Transport Options
1. Walk to Cagliari City Centre
From the free port shuttle bus stop, which drops you off right at the port gates, the easiest way to get into Cagliari city centre is to walk 5 minutes to Piazza Giacoma Matteotti – see this marked on my Cagliari Cruise Port map above. Use Piazza Giacoma Matteotti as your landmark to return to Cagliari Cruise Port.
For many attractions I’ll share below, walking from the cruise port is the easiest way to get there.
2. Cagliari Bus Routes & Map
For Mercato di San Benedetto (Civic Market) and Poetto Beach, you do need to catch a bus to get there. Cagliari runs a good bus network and most of the routes will pass through Piazza Giacoma Matteotii or Via Roma, the main street running parallel to the waterfront. Piazza Giacoma Matteotii is a big bus stop and you’ll find ticket machines there – purchase your return bus ticket at the same time to save time or purchase a day ticket for €3.30. (Don’t forget that bus tickets need to validated when you board.)
- Cagliari Bus Route Map: Here’s a downloadable Cagliari Bus Route Map (PDF) – note that it’s not the easiest to read. I find it easier just to search for directions on Google Maps. The local transit authority has its own app, called CTM bus finder.
Note that Cagliari also has a light rail network, known as Metro Cagliari. It starts from Piazza Repubblica, heading towards the northeastern part of the city. The stops aren’t particularly useful for the top attractions I’ll highlight below. But if you do want to take the light rail, make sure you get the metro tickets, and not the bus tickets, as the metro is more expensive at €2 one-way.
Cagliari Cruise Port: Top Things to See & Do
1. Bastione di Saint Remy
The Bastione di Saint Remy is definitely the iconic landmark of Cagliari! Built in the late 19th century, it’s best known for its grand terrace – Umberto I Terrace – with breathtaking panoramic views of Cagliari, the harbour and the Mediterranean Sea.
The bastion itself doesn’t look like it was built for defence purposes at all! It’s in neoclassical style, with its elegant columns and arches. The Bastion was built on the site of ancient fortifications, built during the Punic and Roman periods. The Bastione di Saint Remy is free to enter.
While you can’t see much of these ancient parts at Bastione di Saint Remy, you can see parts of the medieval walls that still encircle the Castello district (Castello Walls) and several towers and gates, such as Torre dell’Elefante and the Porta Cristina. There’s also a network of underground passage and tunnels, once used for defence and communication, underneath the Castello district, some of which are open to the public.
How to Get There: Bastione di Saint Remy is about 15 minutes walk from Cagliari Cruise Port.
2. Castello Walls
If you’re interested in seeing more of the medieval walls, the best way to see what’s left is to walk around the perimeter of the Castello district, bordered by Via Santa Croce (with the Torre dell’Elefante as the landmark) on the west, Torre di San Pancrazio on the north, around Piazza Costituzione on the south side and Viale Regina Elena in the east (with the Giardino Sotto le Mura as the landmark). (Note: the walk is uphill as you head north!)
Inside these Castello Walls are three worthwhile things to see – the Torre dell’Elefante, the Cagliari Cathedral and the Giardino Sotto le Mura, if you’re interested in gardens (or simply need a nice place to take a break!)
3. Torre dell’Elefante
The Torre dell’Elefante (Elephant Tower) was completed in 1307. The fact that the tower rises to a height of almost 120 feet (~35 metres) was a remarkable feat of medieval engineering. The tower derives its name from the small stone sculpture of an elephant embedded near its base, so do look out for it to see whether you can find it.
Torre dell’Elefante was originally part of the city’s defensive system with the tower guarded as one of the main entrances to the Castello District. Today, you can climb to the top of the tower for great views of Cagliari, the harbour and surrounding areas.
- Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 1pm, then 3pm to 7pm.
- Tickets: €3 entry
After seeing the Elephant Tower, you can walk north for a minute or two towards Bastione di Santa Croce. Despite the Castello Walls not being present today, you can use this to visualise how the Towers and the Bastions connected back in the 13th century when it was first built.
4. Cagliari Cathedral
Originally consecrated in 1258, the Cagliari Cathedral (aka Cattedrale di Santa Maria di Castello), became a blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles. The western facade is of Romanesque style, characterised by its horizontal bands of white and black marble and intricate carvings.
Inside is an airy Gothic interior, with pointed arches, ribbed vaults and stained glass windows. But the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament is in lavish Baroque style, added in the 17th century, with ornate stucco work, gilded accents and colourful frescoes.
- Opening Hours: Daily 9am to 7pm. The Cathedral is free to enter.
- How to Get There: About 5 minutes walk from Torre dell’Elefante
5. Mercato di San Benedetto
The Mercato di San Benedetto is the largest indoor market in Italy and would be interesting to the foodies amongst us, even though it’s slightly out of the way to get to! There’s a vast array of fresh produce, seafood, meats, cheese, baked goods and local specialties. Here’s a few Sardinian specialties to look out for:
- Pecorino Sardo: Made exclusively from the milk of Sardinian sheep, Pecorino Sardo is milder and more buttery in its younger form compared to Pecorino Romano. When aged, it is more complex and piquant than Pecorino Romano. Sometimes you’ll also find smoked versions of Pecorino Sardo.
- Bottarga (Cured Fish Roe): Often referred to as “Sardinian caviar”, bottarga is normally made from the cured and salted roe of the grey mullet or tuna.
- Pane Carasau: Known as “carta da musica” (sheet music bread) due to its thin, crispy texture, pane carasau is a traditional Sardinian flatbread that’s been a staple of Sardinian cuisine for centuries. It’s a versatile bread with a long shelf life, so was typically carried & eaten by shepherds. Today, it’s still eaten by Sardinians. Pane Frattau is a layered dish with tomato sauce, cheese and poached eggs. You can also eat it with topped with cured meats and cheeses.
- Mirto Liqueur: Traditionally Sardinian, there’s two varieties: Mirto Rosso (Red Mirto), made from the ripe berries of the myrtle plant with a sweet fruity flavour with hints of spice and Mirto Bianco (White Mirto) from the young leaves of the myrtle plant with a more herbal citrusy flavour.
- How to Get There: Easiest way to get to Mercato di San Benedetto from Cagliari Cruise Port is by Bus #M (for Mike, not a typo) on Via Roma. See the bus stop marked on my Cagliari Cruise Port map above 🗺️📍. Bus #M stops right outside the market – stop also marked on the map.
- Bus Tickets: Purchase onboard with cash from driver for €1.80 one-way.
- Alternatively, buy tickets from a tobacco shop, or in the bus ticket machines at Piazza Matteotti for €1.30 a ride, on your walk towards the Bus #M stop on Via Roma. If you plan on taking a few bus rides, it’s easier to buy a day ticket for €3.30.
- Bus Tickets: Purchase onboard with cash from driver for €1.80 one-way.
- Opening Hours: 7am to 2pm Monday to Friday, 7am to 3pm Saturday, Closed Sundays
Cagliari Cruise Port to Poetto Beach 🏖️
Poetto Beach stretches for an impressive 8 km (5 miles) along the Gulf of Cagliari. With its soft, white sands and crystal-clear turquoise waters, Poetto Beach is perfect for your Sardinian beach day! There is a nice beachfront promenade to walk through and it’s lined with bars, cafes and restaurants.
- How To Get There: Summer routes #PQ and #PF both run from Piazza Matteotti to Poetto. €1.30 one-way from ticket machines at Piazza Matteotti or €1.80 if paid cash to the driver. Outside of summer months, use Google Maps for live departure times, as other routes also head to Poetto Beach.
- Where to Get Off: Both routes run the length of Poetto Beach. So I would decide before hand how much of the beach you might like to explore. If you’d like to walk quite a bit on the promenade or on the beach itself, just stay on the bus a little longer. If you just want to find a spot and relax, then you can get off as soon as you see the beach.
Featured Image by pinnaignazio from Pixabay
I hope that you’ll find this guide helpful for your port day at Cagliari. Cagliari was a very popular cruise port a few years ago but it seems no longer. Many cruise lines have stopped including Sardinia in their Mediterranean cruise itineraries going forward, except MSC, Costa and the occasional NCL & Virgin Voyages ship. If you’ll be visiting Cagliari, you’ll be visiting a hidden gem in the Med. Have a most wonderful time and drop me a line if you have any questions!
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