Santa Teresa Gallura, Sardinia: a travel guide

Visit Santa Teresa Gallura

Santa Teresa Gallura is a town and resort on the north coast of Sardinia, facing across the Strait of Bonifacio towards Corsica - which you can see on a clear day.

Discover Santa Teresa Gallura

Italy This Way review: Santa Teresa Gallura is a pleasant town with a pleasant beach - although the town is not exceptional, so a destination to visit as you pass rather than to spend an extended period of time

In the town centre, you will find a main street with a choice of cafes and restaurants and a large church, although the church is of limited historic interest.

There is also a large open piazza, where you will find more restaurants. From here you can follow a street to a large belvedere area to the north, from where you have a lovely view across the sea towards Corsica.

From here you can also see the large watch tower that once helped protect the and town from invaders. There is a path that leads to, and around, the tower from where you have further views across the sea.

The tower of Longonsardo is open to the public - a small entrance charge is payable. Inside the tower you will see a selection of artefacts and information about the history of the tower, and then climb the stairs to a rooftop terrace with lovely views across the town and the Mediterranean Sea.

Beach Rena Bianca in Santa Teresa Gallura

After taking a stroll around the town centre of Santa Teresa Gallura you can descend to the beach, the Spiaggia Rena Bianca. This is about a 500 metres walk from the town centre, and there is only limited parking available next to the beach, but other car parks are available at only a short distance.

The beach is a lovely beach of white sand, with rock outcrops at each end. In common with many beaches in Italy, a large part of the beach is privately controlled, so you have to pay for a lounger and parasol, but each end of the beach is open to the public.

You should also be aware that there is a charge to access the beach, with visitor numbers limited, so you should reserve in advance at lovesantateresa.it/rena-bianca/. You must also have a mat to place under each towel: this is to prevent the sand from the beach getting slowly carried away from the site! These can be rented at the site.

Attractions nearby

A walk that starts at the lighthouse is about 750 metres long and leads along some very picturesque rock coastline, passed the three coves called Cala di l'Ea, Cala di Mezzu and Cala Grande. This walk is slighly challenging in places but worth the effort, although it is not suitable for those with limited mobility.

There is a great deal of exceptional coastline here in north Sardinia to explore. The most popular destinations are around La Maddalena and Palau to the east of the town, and the coast around Li Cossi Spiaggia to the south-east is also accessible and very lovely.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Sardinia guide.