Sailboats at anchor in clear water among the granite islands of La Maddalena

Getting married in Sardinia

Pink granite coves, clear water and the islands of La Maddalena — the Mediterranean’s second-largest island, with a long, bright summer.

Photographers When to marry here

Sardinia lies alone in the sea, west of the Italian mainland: an island of granite, wild maquis and clear water. The Costa Smeralda and the islands of La Maddalena are in the north-east, Alghero in the north-west, Cagliari and the beaches of Chia and Villasimius in the south. Inland stand the nuraghi, Bronze Age stone towers found nowhere else; the finest, Su Nuraxi at Barumini, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Most weddings are by the sea — a villa or a hotel terrace above a granite cove, dinner outside on a warm night — or else in an old church in Alghero or Cagliari, or at a country house among vineyards and cork oaks.

Granite rocks and turquoise sea at Grande Pevero on the Costa Smeralda

Houses on the old sea walls of Alghero, with waves breaking below

A white beach between a lagoon and the sea at Villasimius, with mountains behind

Through the year

When to marry in Sardinia

May, June and September are the best months: warm, bright days, little rain and, from June, a sea good for swimming. July and August are hot and dry, and the coast is at its busiest around mid-August. October is still mild but wetter, and many hotels on the coast close for the winter.

January: Quieter
February: Quieter
March: Quieter
April: Quieter
May: Best
June: Best
July: Good with planning
August: Good with planning
September: Best
October: Good with planning
November: Quieter
December: Quieter

SpringThe island at its greenest, the maquis in flower and the beaches empty; the sea only warms up in June.
SummerHot, dry days and long evenings. A breeze almost always blows — welcome in the heat, less so for veils and candles.
AutumnThe sea still warm from summer, the grape harvest under way and the crowds gone home. The light turns golden.

In numbers

Hottest month, average high: August · 30.8°C; WMO (Wikipedia)
Days with 1 mm of rain or more, best months: May 4 · Jun 3 · Sep 5; WMO (Wikipedia)
UNESCO World Heritage: Su Nuraxi di Barumini (1997)

Weather station: Olbia Costa Smeralda, normals 1961–1990 · Checked 14 October 2026

Places

Where couples marry here

The kinds of places — ask your photographer which ones they know well.

Villas and terraces on the Costa Smeralda
Hotels and private villas above granite coves around Porto Cervo: the whole weekend in one place.
Coves and islands
Pink granite, white sand and clear water, and a boat among the islands of La Maddalena for the portraits.
Old towns
Alghero’s sea walls and Catalan lanes, Cagliari’s hilltop Castello, granite villages like San Pantaleo — a church ceremony, then a walk before dinner.
Country houses in the hills
Old stone farmhouses among vineyards, olive trees and cork oaks, a short drive from the sea.

Light

How the light falls

The light is clear and strong, and the granite of the north-east glows pink and gold at either end of the day. The east coast faces the sunrise; in the west, around Alghero, the sun sets into the sea. It is a windy island — the mistral blows from the north-west, hardest in winter — so photographers here keep a sheltered cove in mind.

Travel

Getting there

Fly into Olbia for the Costa Smeralda (Porto Cervo is under an hour away), Alghero for the north-west or Cagliari for the south; ferries come from the mainland too. Olbia to Cagliari is about three hours by car, so choose one area for the whole wedding — and book August travel early.

Photographers