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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
San Teodoro
Three nights: two full beach days and a half-day for the lagoon or Tavolara boat trip. Skip if you only have one day — the coast needs time.
San Teodoro is the southern gateway to Sardinia's Emerald Coast, 25 km from Olbia. Its beaches — La Cinta and Cala Brandinchi — are among the best in Italy, and the lagoon hosts pink flamingos. The town itself is a low-key resort with a few bars and restaurants; the draw is the coast, not the town.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- May–June, September–October
- Avoid
- July–August (crowded, expensive, hot), November–March (many places closed)
- Stay
- 3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118 · General emergency 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a bar | €1.20–1.50 |
| Pasta dish (restaurant) | €12–18 |
| Grilled fish (secondo) | €18–30 |
| Beer (draft, 0.4 L) | €4–6 |
| Bottle of water (1.5 L) | €1–2 |
| Gelato (2 scoops) | €3–5 |
| Bus to Olbia (one way) | €3–5 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- OLB · Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport
- About 25 km (16 mi), 30 min by car or bus. Summer direct flights from many European cities.About 16 mi (25 km), 30 min by car or bus. Summer direct flights from many European cities.
Typical fares
- Olbia Airport → San Teodoro (bus)
- about €5, 30 min (check)
- Taxi Olbia Airport → San Teodoro
- €50–70 (check)
- Bus San Teodoro → La Cinta
- about €1.50 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is the best option for exploring beaches and the coast. In summer, a local bus (ARST) connects the town to La Cinta and Olbia. Taxis are available but scarce in low season.
See and do
Known for
- La Cinta beach
- Cala Brandinchi (Tahiti beach)
- San Teodoro lagoon and flamingos
- Tavolara Island boat trips
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tavolara Island | Boat from Porto San Paolo (10 min drive north) or from San Teodoro port in summer | About 1 h |
| Olbia | Car or ARST bus, about 30 min | About 40 min |
| Maddalena Archipelago | Car to Palau (about 1 h), then ferry to La Maddalena | About 2 h |
| Santa Teresa Gallura | Car, about 1 h 15 min | About 1.5 h |
Sleep
- Town centre
- Walking distance to restaurants and bars; a 10–15 min walk to La Cinta beach.
- La Cinta beachfront
- Resorts and villas right on the sand; quieter at night, but you need a car or scooter for dinner.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Goodbye | Ciaochow |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAHT-see-eh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOH-stah |
| Where is the beach? | Dov'è la spiaggia?doh-VEH lah spee-AH-jah |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh pehr fah-VOH-reh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- July–August: accommodation prices double; book months ahead.
- Beach parking fills by 10:00 in high season; arrive early.
- Jellyfish (cubomeduse) appear in August; check the beach flag system.
- No ATM in the town centre in low season; bring cash.
San Teodoro is safe. Watch for jellyfish in August, beach parking theft (don't leave valuables in the car) and the summer heat: carry water and sun protection.
One and two days
No timed day plan for San Teodoro yet. Suggested stay: 3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- La Cinta beach
- Cala Brandinchi (Tahiti beach)
- San Teodoro lagoon and flamingos
- Tavolara Island boat trips
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Comune di San Teodoro: www.comune.santeodoro.ss.it/
- Wikivoyage: San Teodoro (Sardinia), revision 4260970 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4260970
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
San Teodoro
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
The US has a consulate in Naples; most other countries have embassies in Rome or consulates in Milan. Check.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/san-teodoro-sardinia). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.