Free camping in Sardinia - plus beach life and mussel picking

Writer: Helena Bergström

Lately we've been doing a lot of free camping in Sardinia, and recently we found a place where we also got some sun and swimming. Here we tell you about the rules for fricamping in Sardinia in general, but also about our experiences with beach life, mussel picking and meeting Italians.

What are the rules for free camping in Sardinia?

Let's start with the rules: What are the rules for free camping in Sardinia? In fact, it is forbidden to "camp" outside campsites and caravan parks. Men However, sleeping in your vehicle in a car park is allowed, whether it is a car or a motorhome. In order for it not to count as camping (and thus become illegal), it is important not to unfold the awning and not to remove the camping furniture.

Are you absolutely sure that it is legal then? No, not at all. If you are at a natural area or a beach, it can be considered camping and therefore illegal, even if you avoid camping behaviour.

As usual, it is difficult to know exactly what the rules are in each specific place, but we can say that free camping is quite common in Sardinia and that there are many tips on places in the "Park4Night" app. We have free camped quite a bit, but we have been discreet and consistently avoided "camping behaviour".

Sa Punta de s'Aliga - a place remembered from the past

On the west coast of Sardinia there is a beach called Sa Punta de s'Aliga. We don't really know how we found it ten years ago, but as we remember, we just saw the beach sign and took a chance... We remember that the way down was both long and narrow, and that the dense branches scratched our campervan.

We also remember finding a little paradise once we arrived, where we were almost completely alone for several days. Now we wanted to try to find the place again!

Driving down to Sa Punta de s'Aliga

We didn't know if the road had become wider or narrower, and for some stretches we walked in front of the motorhome to see if we would dare to continue. And we did! But, it took time and it was a challenge.

The road is full of rocks and deep potholes. The branches sometimes grow densely over the road and the branches are surprisingly hard. The go driving down with a motorhome, but it is not recommended if you have a larger motorhome, if you are afraid of getting scratches or if you feel unsure about driving in rough terrain.

Beachfront car park

Down by the beach there is a car park, and the only prohibition sign is a sign after the car park, telling you not to proceed by motor vehicle after that sign.

So, are you allowed to fricamp (sleep in your car at night) here? We thought so, because it's a car park and there was no prohibition sign. As I write this post (and have done a bit more reading), I feel more hesitant, especially given the beach aspect. However, the police car that swung down on the day paid us no mind.

We stayed here for several nights, and some nights we were joined by other "sleepers". During the days we were here, two adventure motorhomes came, a tin and a regular motorhome model smaller, the latter of which only made a day visit.

A young Italian couple, travelling with an off-road adventure motorhome, invited us for a beer and some snacks in the evening. Very nice to socialise with Italians who spoke English well! They were also a bit unsure if you could really stay here overnight, but they shrugged their shoulders, pulled out the awning and took out the outdoor furniture.

One night the car park was full of cars all night long - we think the owners were night fishing! Another night we were all alone. It was truly magical to wake up to the sounds of nature and the wind from the water.

A beach with many different activities ...

Given that it is high season in Sardinia, this is an extremely quiet beach. At its peak, there were about 20 cars in the car park.

Some come to sunbathe and others to kite-surf. Still others fish or pick mussels.

Sun and swimming at the beach

The beach does have its flaws. In the background you can see factory chimneys and countless wind turbines. Along the shore, and in the greenery, there is so much rubbish that you almost want to start crying. Perhaps that's what happens when rubbish floats in from the sea and no one cleans it up... If there were only rubbish bins, we'd happily spend half a day helping to clean up the beach!

At the same time, it feels like paradise. The water flows on both the inside and outside of a long beach tongue. The sand is soft and fine-grained. The other people you see can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

To be really alone, we waded out to a strip of beach that was separated from the rest of the beach.

When we got out there, we felt like we had our own island, all to ourselves. On the nicest bit of beach we found a huge fish skeleton and after that we called the beach "Fish Beach". In the morning we could ask each other: "Shall we go to Fish Beach today?"

One day we even took sun loungers and parasols (and drones!) out to Fish Beach, so we could take some fun photos.

The beach is shallow and it's great to lie on the water's edge while the waves wash over your body.

Mussel picking

The inside of the sand tongue is shallow and almost a bit muddy on the bottom. Apparently it's a great place for mussels. Every day people equip themselves with buckets and wade out into the water. We didn't want to be worse of course! We took a plastic bucket with us and started searching the bottom.

We think they are spiny cockles. They lie on top of the sand and are easy to pick, once you find them.

For us, it was mostly fun to try it out, and we weren't out for very long. Afterwards it occurred to us that you might need some kind of licence? And yes, when we read on, it seems that you really should get a licence if you plan to pick mussels, and as a tourist you can apparently buy a three-month licence. We have to admit that we missed it, but there won't be any more mussel picking for us either ...

What did we do with the mussels? Well, we cooked them with some white wine and seasoned them with some dried parsley. It was a nice and different lunch!

More to see and do in Sardinia

In summary: If you are planning to go free camping in Sardinia, you need a parking space and "no camping behaviour", usually not directly on the beach. Check out what others have written in the Park4Night app!

It's not just free camping in Sardinia that's great - there are plenty of other things to do on this island too! In particular, we can recommend Boat hire in Cala Gonone, to go on boat trip around La Maddalena and to visit the cosy town of Bosa.

We are continuously updating our list of Campsites and caravan parks in Sardinia. In addition, you will also find all our tips for Sardinia here.