Sardinia is not exactly known for its rainy days. However, I hate to be the one breaking it to you, but in Sardinia, it also rains. Maybe not as often, maybe not much, but it does, and unfortunately, the showers are becoming increasingly unpredictable.
Last winter, for example, and still throughout the spring, it rained a lot, to the extent that even we, the locals, were surprised. It doesn’t really matter, though, whether it’s sunny or raining in Sardinia, since even with bad weather, you will find plenty of things to do and places to visit.
Obviously, you won’t be going hiking in nature, swimming in the sea, or taking a boat tour, but nevertheless, Sardinia can be exciting whichever the local climate offers us.
Here is what to do in Sardinia when it rains!
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Go to a museum
Sardinia is often seen as a nature lover’s paradise, so it might come as a surprise that there are also plenty of museums of all sorts and types. From the fantastic museums of the city of Nuoro, known as Sardinia’s Athens, to the large museums of Cagliari such as the National Archaeological Museum, to the smaller museums of Cabras, home to the Giants of Mont’e Prama, and the archaeological museum of Villanovaforru.
But also smaller galleries and historical houses such as the house museum of Italian politician and philosopher Antonio Gramsci in Ghilarza, or the house museum of Nobel Prize winner in literature Grazia Deledda in Nuoro, or the Museo del Pane (Bread Museum) in Orgosolo, or the fascinating Museo del Corallo (Coral Museum) in Alghero.
>> Visiting Alghero? Check out the best places to stay in the city!
Prefer the big city
It goes without saying that all the covered landmarks, galleries, and museums are easier to find in the big city rather than in small towns and the countryside.
In a big city, you have a wider choice of museums, galleries, churches, restaurants, but also coffee shops and stores to hang out and peruse when it’s raining in Sardinia, so from fall, roughly November, across all the winter season.
Go to church
This might sound like repeating the point above, but it’s not entirely so. Of course, in the big city you will find plenty of churches; Sardinia is in Italy, after all. But in Sardinia, you will also find many churches spread around the island, popping up out of nowhere, testimony to a previous settlement or simply to the huge devotion and spirituality that have always defined the people of Sardinia.
Some of the churches out of the city that come to mind include, for sure, the wonderful Basilica of Saccargia in the Sassari province, and the hundreds of small sanctuaries standing next to the towns and villages, like the one devoted to Saint Constantine in Sedilo, the theatre of a very heartfelt festival happening every 6th of July.
It’s easy to reach all of them by car, so once you visit them, you can quickly get back to your car and drive to the next destination.
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Join a cooking class
Sardinia boasts a wide and diverse gastronomy, tightly entangled with the traditions of the town or province each dish belongs to. Be it a first course, a side, or a dessert, there is so much to try, taste, and learn that attending a cooking class, a workshop, or even a visit with tasting is a great experience every day and more so when it rains.
There are very different types of foods and cooking classes to follow in Sardinia, from the Bread Workshop in Orgosolo to learning a whole home meal in Alghero, to the workshop for ravioli and seadas gluttonous pastries.
Check out my guide to visiting Sardinia in the shoulder season!
Spoil yourself at a fancy restaurant
When we travel, we often eat and run, not to miss the next landmark and to visit as many places as we can. However, when it rains in Sardinia, you can sort of take advantage of the “opportunity” and enjoy a slower, more relaxed meal. This, honestly, is also more suitable to the Sardinian way of life: slow-paced and relaxed.
If you are staying in a fancy hotel in Sardinia, chances are that your accommodation’s perks also include a nice restaurant, so you won’t even have to go out until the weather is better.
Do you need help in planning your days?
Check out my tailor-made Sardinia itinerary options and let me know what holiday you are looking for!
