You will be entering Sardinia via air at Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (IATA code OLB), 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. A taxi will run between €55 and €75 from Olbia Airport to Porto Cervo, €70 to €90 to Palau, and €60 to €80 to Budoni.

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.

Driving directions to other Costa Smeralda towns and villages: You can drive north to Palau on the SS125 motorway, which reaches a terminus at Liscia Culumba, one mile west of Palau. Keep right onto the SS133 motorway, which ends at Palau`s ferry terminal. To get to Porto Cervo, drive a little over 12 miles and exit on the right on the SP59 road, south of Arzachena. Stay on the SP59 for eight miles until you reach Porto Cervo. To reach Golfo Aranci, exit onto the SP16 road, which is a mile and a half north of the Cabu Abbas exit. The SP16 takes you directly to Golfo Aranci. To reach San Teodoro and Budoni, turn right on the SS125 and drive away from Olbia in a southerly direction.

Olbia and Golfo Aranci are home to train stations which function as stops on the Trenitalia network. 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. There are usually taxis in and around Viale Stazione, the road leading to Golfo Aranci`s train station. To reserve a taxi, you can call Taxi Golfo Aranci at +39 347 438 6982.

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 in Olbia, 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.

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).

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.

To call a taxi for yourself in Olbia, dial +39 0789 22718 and +39 0789 69150. In Porto Cervo, call +39 338 862 8878. In Palau, call +39 0789 709 218. In Golfo Aranci, call +39 347 438 6982. In San Teodoro, call +39 338 307 6289. In Budoni, call +39 340 660 3965.

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.

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.

The 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.

There are very few places you need to outright avoid on the Costa Smeralda. Many places you will visit, like Porto Cervo and San Teodoro, cater to luxury travelers and celebrities, and as a result there is a secure police presence in the area. Out of the areas we have researched, we recommend that you avoid areas outside Olbia`s historic center after dark, as they may not be as well-lit and well-patrolled as the city center is. You should have no problems anywhere else. With that said, you should 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. Don`t walk down alleyways at night.

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.

In Porto Cervo, head to La Piazzetta, where there are dozens of internationally-known lifestyle brands represented in an open-air atmosphere. If you head north on Via Porto Vecchio to the roundabout next to the Piazza delle Capitanerie di Porto, there is a smaller offshoot of Harrods department store. Palau isn`t particularly well-known for its shopping, but you can find some souvenir stores in and around the Piazza del Molo. San Teodoro is well-known for its `Coclearia` evening markets, opening up for business every evening between June and September on and around the following streets: Via Sardegna, Via dei Gerani, Largo dei Platani, Piazza Gallura, Largo Emilio Lussu, Via Don Gavino Pes, Via San Francesco and Via del Tirreno.

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 at many locations on the Costa Smeralda.

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, at most places in Porto Cervo, and at many tourist attractions in the other towns and villages, 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.

In Olbia, 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. Nightlife is a lot spicier in areas like Porto Cervo and San Teodoro, where it is common for drink prices and cover charges to be expensive, and where you aren`t someone unless you are on a VIP list. Two popular nightclubs in Porto Cervo, catering to the well-heeled set, are located two miles south of town just off the SP59: Billionaire and Sottovento. There are also bars and nightclubs west of Porto Cervo in the beachside community of Baia Sardinia. Ambra Night is a popular nightclub on the beach in San Teodoro; another well-recommended venue, Bal Harbour, is northeast of town.

There are a number of restaurants listed in the 2019 Michelin Guide for Sardinia on the Costa Smeralda. They are in very high demand and require reservations in advance. The restaurants on the Costa Smeralda in the 2019 Michelin Guide include:

- Le Officine del Gusto (Piazza Matteotti 1, Olbia, +39 0789 28701, www.leofficinedelgusto.it)
- L`Essenza Bistrot (Via delle Terme 10, Olbia, +39 0789 25594, www.essenzabistrot.it)
- La Gritta (Localita Porto Faro, Palau, +39 0789 708 045, www.ristorantelagritta.it)
- Madai (Promenade du Port - Via del Porto Vecchio 1, Porto Cervo, +39 0789 91056, www.ristorantemadai.it)
- ConFusion (Via Aga Khan 1 - Promenade du Port, Porto Cervo, +39 340 120 9574, www.confusionlounge.it)
- Lu Pisantinu (Localita Liscia Di Vacca, Porto Cervo, +39 0789 01344, www.ristorantelupisantinu.eu)
- La Mola (Localita Piccolo Pevero, Porto Cervo, +39 0789 92145, www.ristorantelamola.it)
- Terza Spiaggia (Via degli Asfodeli, Golfo Aranci, +39 0789 46485, www.terzaspiaggia.com)