On foot

Olbia, the largest city in the region, 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.

The other cities and towns of the Costa Smeralda are easy to walk, except for perhaps Budoni, which is largely situated in a north-south pattern on the SS125 motorway. Even then, the center of Budoni can be traversed on foot and seen rather quickly. The most scenic walking paths can be found in Palau, with beautiful views of the Strait of Bonifacio; in Olbia, along the waterfront; in Golfo Aranci, along the Gulf of Olbia; and in Porto Cervo, along Romazzino Bay.

By bus

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.

Interurban bus service on the Costa Smeralda is run by ARST (Azienda Regionale Sarda Trasporti, www.arst.sardegna.it). Tickets can be bought at Bar della Caccia, near the ARST bus stop in Olbia on the corner of Corso Vittorio Veneto and Via Fiume d`Italia. They can also be bought from the ARST vending machine at nearby Olbia train station. Eleven buses run daily from Olbia to Palau; seven buses run daily from Olbia to Santa Teresa Gallura, 15 miles west of Palau; five buses run daily from Olbia to Porto Cervo; and three run daily from Olbia to San Teodoro and Budoni. The route to Golfo Aranci is Route 610, the route to San Teodoro and Budoni is Route 609, the route to Porto Cervo is Route 604, and the route to Palau and Santa Teresa Gallura is Route 601. One-way tickets vary between €3 and €7. For more information on routes, including timetables, visit www.arst.sardegna.it/orari_e_autolinee/Servizi_extraurbani.html (website in Italian).

By Trenino (Olbia)

ASPO 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.

By taxi

Taxis can be hailed from the street with no problems, although outside of Olbia and Porto Cervo it may be difficult to get a taxi without phoning ahead for one. In Olbia, you will notice taxis idling on Corso Umberto I, and there are taxi ranks at the Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport, Olbia train station, and Piazza Regina Margherita. In Porto Cervo, there are taxi ranks at the Marina and La Piazzetta, where Via Sa Conca, Via Porto Cervo, Via della Goletta and Via Porto Vecchio radiate out from a roundabout. In Palau, taxis congregate at the port and near the tourist center, just off the Piazza del Molo. Taxis are known to queue at Viale Stazione, adjacent to the train station in Golfo Aranci. There are no formal taxi ranks in San Teodoro and Budoni, but you will most likely find taxis idling in Budoni around Piazza San Giovanni, and in San Teodoro around the Piazza Mediterraneo and the Piazza di Gallura.

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. There is a surcharge of €3 for taxis called and not hailed from the street. Taxi fares in other cities on the Costa Smeralda are comparable to Olbia`s rates, except in Porto Cervo, where prices are on average 25% more expensive.

Here are some telephone numbers for taxi services in the Costa Smeralda:

- Olbia: +39 0789 22718 and +39 0789 69150.
- Porto Cervo: +39 338 862 8878.
- Palau: +39 0789 709 218.
- Golfo Aranci: +39 347 438 6982.
- San Teodoro: +39 338 307 6289.
- Budoni: +39 340 660 3965.

By bicycle

ASPO operates a bike share service, with 15 bikes at three different locations: the City Hall building on Corso Umberto I; the Piazza San Simplicio on Via Gabriele D`Annunzio; and the Costa Smeralda Airport. To access the bike share for a day, it costs €5, and you can ride a bike for up to 30 minutes for no extra charge; a second half-hour costs €0.50 and the second hour costs another €1. For more information, visit www.aspo.it/bike-sharing. You can buy access at the Infopoint Tourist Center at Piazza Terranova Pausania. If you`d like to rent a bike for a longer period of time, call Olbiabike (Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 13, +39 0789 553819).

Outside of Olbia, the bicycle rental shop with the best English-language support and widest selection of bicycles to rent is SardiniaCycling. The Quartu Sant`Elena-based company has a location which operates out of the Hotel Airone, off the SP59 road in Baia Sardinia, six miles from Porto Cervo. For more information on SardiniaCycling, visit www.sardiniacycling.com/en or call +39 0789 178 4528.

By car

Self-driving is recommended if you would like to see the cities of the Costa Smeralda and sites away from Olbia. The SS125 motorway connects Olbia with San Teodoro and Budoni to the south and Palau to the north. It is possible to take secondary roads from the SS125 to get to Golfo Aranci and Porto Cervo.

In Olbia, it is recommended to park on the edges of the historic center and just walk to points of interest inside the center of the city. Free parking lots are located at Via Nanni Alessandro 7 and Via Principe Umberto 71. There are more parking lots in and around the city but those lots require payment. In Palau, there is a large pay parking lot near the harbor at Via Capo d`Orso 40. In Porto Cervo, there are pay parking lots on Via Porto Vecchio near the Harrods department store, and next to the Marina. In Golfo Aranci, there is paid parking along the waterfront at Via Liberta 95. In San Teodoro, there are free parking lots at Via Sassari 33 and Via Sardegna 29. In Budoni, there are two beach parking lots, one on Via Emilio Lussu, and one on Via Lungomare.

If you reserve a car with TripMasters, you will be picking it up at the Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport, and not in Olbia proper. 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.