The Best Way to Enjoy Carnival in Sardinia – A Tailor-Made Trip
If there is one thing Sardinia doesn’t lack, it’s festivals. Food fairs, horse races, bonfires in honour of the local saint – you name it, we have it. For Carnival, it goes without saying we party. And we party big. Every town has its own version of Carnival, specific rituals and features that naturally stem from the local traditions, culture, history, and even crafts and products.
Carnival celebrations always attract thousands of curious visitors from other parts of Sardinia, other Italian regions, and from other countries, too. Some festivals clearly stem from pagan rituals and traditions, some will be irreverent parodies, some visibly borrowed from the farming and agriculture scene, historically the most important livelihood in Sardinia and still a crucial aspect of the local society.
Mysterious entities, grotesque masquerades, and playful behaviours are all part of the celebrations of one of the wildest occurrences of the year, historically the only time when citizens could dare (and were allowed) to go against the socially accepted rules.
Today, Carnival in Sardinia is celebrated by people of all ages and walks of life together with traditional ceremonies, parties, music, and local seasonal foods and pastries.
If you are thinking about attending some of the typical rituals, celebrations, and wild parties Sardinian people organise for Carnival, there are so many places and options that sometimes it can feel overwhelming.
This is why I decided to create this tour in Sardinia for Carnival 2027: you will be based in central Sardinia so that you can easily enjoy an enticing mix of parties and cultural sightseeing on the days without Carnival celebrations.
Main features of my tour of Sardinia for Carnival 2027
Different Carnival celebrations. The tour is designed to give you an overview of Sardinian Carnival and this is why I have included different types of festivals.
Cultural sightseeing. You will take advantage of the opportunity to visit important and fascinating historical sites. Carnival celebrations, in fact, don’t take place every day so you can take a nice break by exploring the history and culture of Sardinia.
You will have an apartment for yourself. Instead of a hotel or a B&B, I chose an apartment for this tour, entirely at the guests’ disposal. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, you have more freedom to leave in the morning and come back in the evening whenever it suits you, you can make your own favourite breakfast, or, after a whole day out, you can decide to stay in for dinner and relax your evening away instead of having to find a restaurant. Of course, should you prefer to eat out, where your apartment is, there are several options.
It’s fully tailor-made. What does this mean? That if you would like to add or remove an experience, change the type of accommodation, switch a landmark for another one, see a different Carnival festival, or even make your trip shorter or longer, you just need to let me know: I’ll make the tweaks you want and will submit to you the new itinerary and quote for approval.
From the airport, make your way to your base in central Sardinia and familiarise yourself with the area. Ghilarza, where your accommodation is, is a lovely traditional town where you can either start your cultural sightseeing or simply take a walk to get acquainted with your surroundings.
After lunch, make your way to Samugheo for a first Carnival appointment. Here, the celebrations kick off Shrove Thursday with the ritual of the dressing (vestizione), an intense experience you will share with the locals.
DAY 2 – Tharros ancient city and fine wine tasting in Cabras
Today there are no Carnival celebrations so after breakfast, drive to the Sinis Peninsula and visit the scenic archaeological site of Tharros, an ancient Punic city inhabited also during Roman times. Take a light hike along the rugged coastline and enjoy a seafood-based lunch in one of the local restaurants.
In the afternoon, explore the Civic Museum of Cabras where the Giants of Mont’e Prama are kept and visit the Contini wine cave, one of Sardinia’s oldest, for a scrumptious wine tasting.
DAY 3 – Traditions in Santu Lussurgiu and more Carnival in Bosa
The third day will be a mix of local traditions and Carnival celebrations. In the beautiful hill town of Santu Lussurgiu, you will join a cheese-making workshop and you will see other local crafts such as their famous handmade knives.
After lunch, head to the coastal town of Bosa for a colourful and tongue-in-cheek Carnival Saturday with plenty of dancing in the streets and a tour of the local wine caves to sample local specialties.
DAY 4 – Culture in Nuoro and wild Carnival party in Ottana
On Sunday Carnival, the celebrations start in the afternoon, so you can spend the morning in Nuoro, known as Sardinia’s Athens for its lively intellectual atmosphere. Here, don’t miss the house of Literature Nobel Prize Winner Grazia Deledda and the ethnographic museum. After lunch, head to Ottana to join one of Sardinia’s most famous Carnival celebrations entirely aimed at re-enacting pivotal moments of the farming world with ox-shaped masks and their owners busy in situations like the harvest and the animals’ cycle of life.
DAY 5 – Nuraghe Losa and Santa Cristina Sacred Well
Today there are no Carnival celebrations so after breakfast, drive to nearby Abbasanta to explore the mysterious nuragic civilisation at the Nuraghe Losa, one of Sardinia’s best-kept nuraghi. In the afternoon, head to the fascinating ruins of Santa Cristina Sacred Well in Paulilatino. Dating back to Nuragic times, this is a one-of-a-kind prehistoric sanctuary built around the important cult of water.
DAY 6 – Oristano’s Carnival “Sartiglia”
On Fat Tuesday, you will be attending one of the most famous Carnival celebrations in Sardinia: Sa Sartiglia in Oristano. Celebrations start in the early afternoon and carry on until late evening, so you can take it easy in the morning with some light sightseeing around Ghilarza or Oristano city. Right after lunch, get ready for the excitement around the race of the star and the spectacular equestrian vaulting in the evening.
DAY 7 – Roman baths in the ancient Forum Traiani and the unusual Carnival of Ovodda
Ash Wednesday is when Lent starts so all the Carnival celebrations are halted. Except in Ovodda, where Carnival is different than anywhere else. However, it’s in the afternoon, so in the morning, you have time to visit Fordongianus, a quaint town home to the ruins of important Roman thermal baths and a beautiful traditional house from Aragonese times.
After lunch, drive to Ovodda for the last Carnival celebrations and witness the grotesque parade where the satirical figure of Don Conte is taken around the village on a cart pulled by a donkey and finally executed and thrown off a cliff.
DAY 8 – Departure from Cagliari or Olbia airport
On the last day, you can drive to the airport in Cagliari or Olbia and drop off your rental car or carry on with your sightseeing around Sardinia.
