A Sardinia packing list for the south of the island, sorted by month and by need: the wind, the sun, the rocks, the evenings, the walks, and what to leave room for on the way home.
Most Sardinia packing lists are written for an island with a single season. The south has at least three between June and October, two winds with strong opinions, beaches of sand and beaches of rock, and towns where the evening starts at nine. This is the list we would give a friend coming to stay with us above Pula: what to bring, month by month, what to leave at home, and what the island makes so well that you should arrive with half a suitcase empty.
The short Sardinia packing list
- Linen and cotton, more than you think: shirts, a dress or two, light trousers.
- Two swimsuits, so that one can dry.
- Reef shoes for the rocky coves, and a mask and snorkel.
- A wide hat, good sunglasses, a high-factor sunscreen and something for afterwards.
- One warm layer for the evening, even in August if the maestrale is up.
- Walking shoes with a proper sole for the macchia.
- A light scarf, for churches and for the Vespa.
- Your driving licence.
- Space. Bring space.
The rest depends on the month.
What to pack for Sardinia in June
June is early summer, generous and not yet fierce. At Cagliari's airport, the 1991 to 2020 averages give daytime highs of about 29°C and nights of about 17°C, with only two rainy days in the month. The sea is still warming up: around 21°C on average, which is lovely at four in the afternoon and bracing at eight in the morning.
Pack for warm days and cooler nights: a light jumper for the roof after dark, a long-sleeved shirt, and, if you feel the cold in the water, a rash vest for snorkelling.
July and August: packing for the heat
High summer in the south is hot and dry. Average highs are about 32°C in July and August, nights stay around 20°C, and it barely rains: less than one rainy day in July, on average, and one or two in August. The sea is at its warmest, about 24°C in July and 25°C in August.
This is the season for the lightest, loosest things you own, in natural fabrics, and for clothes that cover rather than reveal: a long linen shirt over a swimsuit does more for your shoulders than a third coat of cream. Bring a hat that will survive being sat on, a reusable water bottle and something against mosquitoes for evenings near the lagoons. And, oddly, a jumper: when the maestrale blows, an August night on a rooftop can be cooler than you planned.
September and October: the season of layers
September is still summer by the sea, because the water keeps its heat long after the land has started to cool: about 24°C in September and 22°C in October. On land, highs fall from about 28°C to 24°C, nights from about 18°C to 14°C, and the first autumn rain arrives, four or five days a month. (Why we love these weeks is in when to go to South Sardinia.)
Pack as for summer, then add a proper jumper, long trousers for the evening, closed shoes and, for October, a light waterproof. Keep the swimsuits: some mornings the sea will be warmer than the air.
Maestrale and scirocco: packing for the wind
Two winds matter most. The maestrale, the mistral, is the island's dominant wind: it comes from the north-west, cool and dry, clears the sky, and blows hardest between October and April. In summer it is a relief, although it whips up the sand on exposed beaches and can fan wildfires. The scirocco is its opposite, a hot wind from the south-east carrying air, and sometimes dust, from the Sahara. The south feels it most, as a heavy, muggy heat that makes everyone a little slower.
For the maestrale: a windproof layer, a scarf, a hair tie and sunglasses that wrap around. For the scirocco: the lightest clothes in the bag and a plan to spend the afternoon in the shade. Either way, choose the beach by the wind. When the maestrale is up, look for a cove sheltered by its headlands, such as Tuerredda. When the scirocco comes, Cala Cipolla, at Chia, is protected by its promontories. Our guide to the beaches near Pula goes through the rest.
Sand, rock and sea urchins: what to wear on the beach
The coast below Pula is both. Nora, Su Guventeddu and the beaches of Chia are soft sand; between them are rocky coves and reefs, where the snorkelling is best and the sea urchins live, clinging to the rocks in the shallows. Reef shoes, the rubber kind with a thick sole, are the most useful thing on this list: light, cheap, and the difference between a good afternoon and an evening with a needle and a pair of tweezers. Leave the urchins where they are.
The smaller coves have few facilities, so bring water, shade and a big basket to carry it all. The sun is serious from late spring to early autumn, and the sea throws it back at you: a high factor, reapplied after every swim, including the backs of your knees. We like a mineral formula, for us and for the water.
If Tuerredda is on your list, book. In summer 2026 the beach was limited to 1,100 people a day from 2 June to 15 October, reserved online from 08:00 the day before, for €3 a person, through the system run by the town of Teulada. Check the arrangements for 2027 before you go.
And when you leave, leave the beach behind. A regional law of 2017 forbids taking sand, pebbles or shells from Sardinian beaches, with fines of €500 to €3,000, and the Corpo Forestale does check. It is the one souvenir the island would rather keep.
Evenings in Pula and Cagliari
Evenings in the south start late. In Pula, ten minutes from the house, the bars and restaurants around Piazza del Popolo fill up after nine and stay full. Cagliari, about thirty-five minutes away, dresses up a little more: an aperitivo in Castello, dinner in the Marina (see a day in Cagliari and our favourite tables near Pula, Chia and Cagliari).
Neither asks for formality. Linen trousers or a dress, a shirt with a collar, sandals you can walk in: Cagliari is built on a hill, and Castello is at the top of it. Leave the heels at home; the cobbles will thank you.
For churches, cover up. We keep a light scarf in the bag and wear something that reaches the knee: covered shoulders are the courteous rule in Italian churches, and the cathedral of Santa Maria in Castello is very much worth going into. Ruins too, in a way: the archaeological site of Nora does not admit visitors in swimwear, so take something to wear over the bathing suit when you visit Nora.
Walking in the macchia
The hills around the house are covered in macchia, the scrub of lentisk, myrtle, cistus, rosemary and wild olive. It smells wonderful and it scratches. Trainers with a grippy sole at least, light long trousers, a hat and more water than seems reasonable. In summer, start early and be back by eleven.
A short walk we like: from the car park at Capo Spartivento, down through the scrub to Cala Cipolla, with a swim at the end as the reward. And in the dry months, never light anything outdoors. With the maestrale behind it, a spark in the macchia does not stay small.
Getting around
You will want a car for the beaches further south. For shorter trips, into Pula or down to the sea, Il Polpo Nero has Vespa scooters, complimentary for guests who book directly with us (one of the reasons to book direct). Bring your driving licence, a light jacket for the ride home after dark, and closed shoes rather than flip-flops. Flights and the drive from the airport are in how to get to Sardinia.
What not to pack
Towels, of any kind. Il Polpo Nero provides house and beach linen, so the bedding, the bath towels and the beach towels are waiting when you arrive. Leave out the third smart outfit and anything the island does better than the shops at home (see below). If in doubt, ask us before you travel. And if you would rather not cook every night, a private chef can be arranged on request, like our other experiences with local partners.
What to buy in Sardinia and bring home
This is why you brought space.
To eat and drink
Bottarga. The salted, pressed and dried roe of the grey mullet, grated over pasta or sliced onto bread with good oil. Its reputation belongs to Cabras, on the west coast, and its lagoon. Buy a whole piece rather than a jar of powder, and ask where the fish came from: a good deal of the bottarga sold on the island was not caught here. Spanu Bottarga, in Cabras, also sells online, if you forget.
Pecorino. Pecorino Sardo, a protected designation of origin since 1996, is made from the milk of the island's Sarda sheep, young and mild or aged and sharp. Taste before you choose at Cagliari's Mercato di San Benedetto, which has traded from a temporary hall in Piazza Nazzari since March 2025 while its old building is rebuilt (go in the morning: it closes at 14:00 on weekdays), and ask for it sottovuoto, vacuum-packed.
Mirto. The myrtle liqueur of Sardinia and Corsica, poured after dinner. It travels in the hold, rolled in a jumper, along with a bottle of Vermentino or Cannonau if there is room.
To keep
A knife. Sardinia has two great knife towns. In Pattada, in the north, the resolza is a folding knife with a handmade blade and, usually, a handle of ram or mouflon horn. Giagu, a family workshop founded there in 1985, makes its knives to commission and lets visitors into the workshop every day. Closer to us, in Arbus, in the south-west, Paolo Pusceddu founded the Museo del Coltello Sardo in 1996, in an eighteenth-century building; entry is free, and L'Arburesa, the brand he founded, makes the traditional knives of Arbus. Either way, it goes in the hold.
Textiles. Samugheo, in the centre of the island, is a weaving town. Mariantonia Urru, founded there in 1981 and now run by her sons, weaves rugs, fabrics and cushions with the traditional pibiones and litzos techniques, and prepares its own yarn. Tessile Medusa, run by Marcella and Daniela Sanna since 2004, makes rugs, curtains and fine tablecloths. A Samugheo rug is a souvenir for thirty years.
Baskets. In Castelsardo, in the north, basket-weaving in dwarf palm is a tradition with its own museum, the Museo dell'Intreccio Mediterraneo, in the castle of the Doria. Nearer Cagliari, Sinnai has been known for its baskets of rush and hay since the nineteenth century.
Ceramics and cork. Assemini, about twelve kilometres from Cagliari, has made ceramics since Carthaginian times. And Calangianus, in Gallura, is known as the capital of cork: the lightest thing you can carry home.
Quick answers
What should I pack for Sardinia in summer? Light linen and cotton, two swimsuits, reef shoes, a hat, a high-factor sunscreen and one warm layer for windy evenings.
Do I need reef shoes in Sardinia? For the sandy beaches, no. For the rocky coves and snorkelling, yes: that is where the sea urchins live.
Is it cold in Sardinia in the evening? In July and August, rarely: nights average about 20°C. In June, September and October, and on any evening the maestrale blows, you will want a jumper.
Can I take sand or shells home? No. Taking sand, pebbles or shells from Sardinian beaches is forbidden, with fines of €500 to €3,000.
Lola
The house
Il Polpo Nero, Perd'e Sali, near Pula, South Sardinia. Ten guests, a pool, a rooftop facing the sunrise, and Vespa scooters, complimentary for direct bookings.
