Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (IATA code OLB) is located two-and-a-half miles south-southeast of Olbia`s historic center. It is a base of operations for Air Italy, the second-largest airline in Italy after Alitalia. Air Italy flies directly year-round between Olbia and Bologna, Milan and Rome. easyJet, Vueling, Transavia and S7 Airlines also operate year-round flights, with about two dozen airlines operating seasonal flights between Olbia and many European destinations. With 2.8 million passengers served in 2017 alone, it is currently the 18th busiest airport in Italy, and second on Sardinia to Cagliari.

There is a taxi rank outside the arrivals hall at the airport. A typical fare from the airport to the center of Olbia costs between €15-€20, with a 25% increase between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and all day on weekends and holidays.

Driving directions to Olbia: Take Via degli Aviatori one mile to Via Loiri/SP24. After roughly 1.1 miles, enter the roundabout and head north on the Strada Statale 127 (SS127) motorway. After a half-mile, enter another roundabout and exit right onto Via Roma. After 1,200 feet, there will be a fork; keep left and turn onto Via Goffredo Mameli. You will enter the historic center of Olbia in a quarter-mile afterward.

Olbia train station is located between the Piazza San Simplicio and Corso Umberto I in the historic center of town. There is a taxi rank at the station and taxis idling nearby on Corso Umberto I. To call a taxi for yourself, dial +39 0789 22718 and +39 0789 69150. There is a surcharge of €3 for taxis called and not hailed from the street.

Bus service in Olbia is run by ASPO (Azienda Servizi Pubblici Olbia, www.aspo.it, website in Italian). There are 12 routes comprising the bus system in Olbia. Lines of note include Line 1, which drops near the Hotel Royal Olbia, Parco Fausto Noce, Olbia train station, Basilica di San Simplicio, and Centro Commerciale Auchan Olbia. Line 2 connects the area adjacent to the Hotel Royal Olbia, Parco Fausto Noce, and Olbia train station with Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport, and vice versa. Line 2 also runs to Rudalza, just south of Porto Rotondo. Line 9 stops at Parco Fausto Noce and Olbia train station, before it travels south of Corso Umberto I and makes a loop at Olbia`s waterfront. There is also a `Spiagge Express` connecting Olbia and Lido di Pittulongu; the ticket is €5 round-trip and can be bought at the Infopoint Tourist Office at Piazza Terranova Pausania. The Spiagge Express is labeled as Line 40.

Line 1 runs every 40-50 minutes beginning at 8:10 a.m. and ending at 9:10 p.m. Line 2 leaves from the airport every 30 minutes from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and one last time at 8 p.m. Line 9 leaves the Port of Olbia for the first run of the day at 5:55 a.m. and runs approximately once every 25-30 minutes until 12:15 p.m., then again starting at 5:45 p.m. until 10:15 p.m. Line 1 runs seven days a week, and so does Line 9, except the last bus of the day runs at 7:45 p.m. for Line 9 on Sundays. Line 2 runs every day of the week except for Sundays. Line 40 picks up from Brin Pier beginning at 9:30 a.m., on the hour and half-hour until 3:30 p.m.; the last bus leaves Pittulongu Beach at 4 p.m. ASPO tickets are €1 per journey; a pre-paid ticket of 12 journeys costs €10. ASPO cards can be bought at 60 locations throughout Olbia, mainly at tobacconists, bars and cafes. For a full list of locations, visit www.aspo.it/orari-tariffe-rivendite.

ASPO also offers tickets to a tourist train, referred to by locals as the Trenino. The Trenino boasts a route which passes by 56 distinct points of interest in Olbia on a 30-minute route. Tickets are €5 each and can be bought from the Infopoint Tourist Office at Piazza Terranova Pausania; you can board the Trenino at the same place. It runs every day at the following times: 9:30 a.m.; 10:25 a.m.; 11:20 a.m.; 12:15 p.m.; 1 p.m.; 5 p.m.; 5:40 p.m.; 6 p.m.; 7 p.m.; and 7:40 p.m.

Taxis can be hailed from the street with no problems. You will notice taxis idling on Corso Umberto I, and taxi ranks at the Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport, Olbia train station, and Piazza Regina Margherita. Flagfall in Olbia starts at €3.50, with €2.60 charged for the first three miles and then €2 for each 0.6 miles after that. Prices rise by 25% on weekends, holidays, and every night between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. If you hire a taxi to wait at various points of interest, waiting time is billed at €60 per hour. To call a taxi for yourself, dial +39 0789 22718 and +39 0789 69150. There is a surcharge of €3 for taxis called and not hailed from the street.

Self-driving is recommended if you would like to see the cities of the Costa Smeralda and sites away from Olbia. If you reserve a car with TripMasters, you will be picking it up at the Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport, and not in Olbia proper. The rental car companies are located outside the arrivals hall. Hertz, Budget, Europcar, Goldcar, Sixt, Avis, and Enterprise, among other companies, are represented at Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport. Note that as of October 2018, Olbia is testing the addition of a ZTL (zona traffico limitato), so be sure to ask at the car rental counter if the ZTL is in effect and where it is, so you do not incur fines by driving into the ZTL on accident.

Olbia is an easily-walkable city. It is fairly flat and the historic center is quite compact. It is roughly 0.8 miles from the waterfront west to the western boundary of Parco Fausto Noce, and approximately a quarter mile from Canale Zozo to Corso Vittorio Veneto/Corso Umberto I. Olbia train station is located in the middle of the historic center, making it easy to walk most anywhere of note in Olbia from there. Walking the waterfront area on the Gulf of Olbia is approximately a mile and a quarter in length and is an easy stroll. Some streets in Olbia are narrow but this is really the only hindrance you will have when it comes to walking in Olbia. Sights outside the city and in neighboring cities along the coast cannot be reached on foot as the distances are too far.

Olbia is a very popular city with tourists, so the historic center sees lots of foot traffic day and night. Nearly all of the historic center is well-lit, and the only areas we recommend you avoid are areas on the periphery at nighttime. We also don`t recommend walking back alleys at night. Keep some basic safety facts in mind: Stick to well-lit and well-populated routes, keep your wits about you, and always look like you know where you are going, even when you may not. Be sure to keep your valuables on your person at all times, and never keep all of your money in one place; split up your cash into various pockets in your clothes.

Corso Umberto I and Via Regina Elena are the main commercial streets in Olbia, and you will find shops ranging from high-end boutiques to mom-and-pop stores selling local handicrafts. Also consider shopping the gift shops at the Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport and the largest shopping center in the area, the Centro Commerciale Auchan Olbia, located to the east of the airport and south of the city center.

Sardinia, like the rest of Italy, uses the euro (€) as currency and U.S. dollars are not accepted for payment. Please be sure to have the correct currency on hand or be prepared to exchange your dollars for euros upon arrival. Currency exchange desks and ATMs can be found at the airport and many locations throughout the city.

Nearly all Sardinians speak Italian, and a majority also speak Sardinian. As far as English is concerned, you will notice that it is spoken at nearly every hotel in Olbia, and at many tourist attractions, but otherwise it will be difficult for you to find people who speak fluent English. Even though many people may not be able to converse with you on a level you may desire, they will go out of their way to help you if you learn a few basic phrases in Italian. We recommend yes/no (sì/no), greetings such as buongiorno (good morning/good day) or buona sera (good evening), and numbers from 1-10. To say `Do you speak English?`, say `Lei parla inglese?`

The legal drinking age in Sardinia, as it is in the rest of Italy, is 18. Keep your passport with you as it doubles as proof of age and identification.

If you are renting a car, do not drive after consuming alcohol. A blood alcohol content level of 0.05 is considered the legal limit. Random breathalyzer tests are common.

Corso Umberto I is home to a cluster of cafes, bars and nightclubs, stretching from the waterfront to Via Regina Elena. There are also a few bars on Via Regina Elena, especially around the intersection with Via Giuseppe Garibaldi. Many cafes close at midnight and 1 a.m., with bars closing later, usually around 3 a.m.