Porto Cervo, the village that created the Costa Smeralda

Some places are born, and some places are imagined. Porto Cervo belongs to the second kind, with a few hundred residents in the municipality of Arzachena, a village designed from 1962 around a natural inlet and set slightly above the harbour. This guide portrays it as you will experience it, from the squares to the marina and the nights.

A village born in 1962

Consorzio Costa Smeralda and the architects who shaped its design

The Consorzio Costa Smeralda was founded on 14 March 1962 through the initiative of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, together with Paolo Riccardi and André Ardoin. The old harbour dates from the same year, and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda from 1967. The form of the village, Poltu Celvu in Gallurese, carries the signature of Jacques Couelle, Savin Couelle, Luigi Vietti and Michele Busiri Vici, through organic contours, marine and pastel colours, render blended with crushed granite and natural pigments, untreated timber and deliberately irregular angles.

From piazzetta delle Chiacchiere to Sottopiazza

From piazzetta delle Chiacchiere to Sottopiazza unfolds a network of little lanes, balconies, shops and boutiques explored only on foot, with the sea reappearing at every turn. It is the setting for an unhurried aperitivo, where the evening begins late.

Stella Maris church above the marina

Above the harbour rises Stella Maris church, designed by Michele Busiri Vici in 1966. It preserves a sixteenth century Mater Dolorosa attributed to El Greco, a Neapolitan organ by De Martino and the bronze entrance doors by Luciano Minguzzi. The short walk up is worthwhile, if only for the silence.

The harbour and sailing

Marina di Porto Cervo in figures

The Marina di Porto Cervo is the emblematic marina of the coast, with seven hundred berths in a sheltered bay, one hundred moorings dedicated to megayachts up to 120 metres, and a maximum draught of 8 metres. It is managed by IGY Marinas, with radio listening on VHF channel 09. Along the quay are fast refuelling, a shipyard, customs and security.

Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the regatta calendar

The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda was founded on 12 May 1967 by the Aga Khan with André Ardoin, Giuseppe Kerry Mentasti and Luigi Vietti, and has its base in via della Marina. It shapes the season calendar: in 2026 the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta from 26 to 30 May, the Sardinia Cup from 31 May to 7 June, the Rolex TP52 World Championship from 15 to 20 June, the Invitational Smeralda 888 from 26 to 28 June, the Coppa Europa Smeralda 888 from 3 to 5 July, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup from 6 to 12 September and the Rolex Swan Cup from 13 to 19 September. Those travelling with young people will find the YCCS Sailing School, active since 1978 and open from May to October, the most direct way to get out on the water.

The beaches around the village

Cala Granu, the closest

Cala Granu is a few minutes by car from the marina, with fine white sand and shallow water, the kind of sea where children linger until evening. The village of the same name was created by Luigi Vietti.

Grande Pevero and Piccolo Pevero

Towards the south you are already in Pevero Golf, two kilometres below the piazzetta. The Grande Pevero forms a crescent of ultra fine white sand with very shallow water, backed by the largest dune system in the Arzachena area and the La Padula marsh, a haven for migratory species. Piccolo Pevero sits in the central stretch of the gulf, looking towards the Li Nibani islands, and offers both free beach areas and serviced lidos.

Cala del Faro and Cala della Ghiaia below the Capo Ferro lighthouse

Near the Capo Ferro lighthouse lie Cala della Ghiaia, the larger cove, and Cala del Faro, the smaller one: they offer rewarding snorkelling among the rocks and remain very exposed to the mistral. On windy days they are chosen for the sunset.

Romazzino and Spiaggia del Principe, a few kilometres south

A few kilometres south you reach Romazzino. The beach at Romazzino sits at the end of a bay around three hundred metres deep, sheltered from the mistral and suited to children. A little further along, Poltu di li Cogghji, Principe beach is a curve of brilliant white sand divided by a headland of pink granite rocks, completely free beach and reached on foot along an unpaved footpath.

Dining and after dinner

Italo Bassi ConFusion on Promenade du Port

Italo Bassi Confusion Restaurant looks out over Promenade du Port and holds one Michelin star in the 2026 Italy guide. The chef cooks in an open kitchen, presenting two tasting menus, one dedicated to signature dishes and one to new creations, alongside an oyster, caviar and raw seafood menu. The 2026 season runs from 23 April to 29 September, and on the floor below the Bubble Bar e Bistrot serves aperitifs and informal dishes.

Sottovento, Twiga and Justme

Sottovento Club was founded in 1979 by the Verona family, now in its third generation: on the SP59 it brings together a music restaurant and club, and the 2026 season opened on 27 June. On the rocks of Golfo Pevero, in the spaces that once hosted Billionaire, Twiga Porto Cervo has been operating since July 2025, with the Vesta restaurant, the Casa Fiori Chiari bistrot and a club for up to 600 guests open from 00:30 to 05:00. In via della Conchiglia, Justme Porto Cervo begins at the Marro restaurant and carries on at the decks.

How to arrive and how to get around

Olbia airport and Eccelsa Aviation

The main airport is Olbia Costa Smeralda, IATA code OLB, managed by Geasar. Private aviation uses the Eccelsa Aviation terminal, open twenty four hours a day. From Golfo del Pevero, distances are noted as 30 kilometres from the airport, 12 from Arzachena and 2 from the centre of Porto Cervo.

By helicopter into the village

Elicompany connects the coast from the Porto Cervo heliport, reaching Olbia in ten minutes, Bonifacio in ten, and Rome Fiumicino in around seventy five, with certification to land on yacht decks. Helitaly flies from the Ponte Galeria helipad towards Olbia and Porto Cervo, lands on yachts, villas and resorts, and offers scenic coastal flights.

Lu Pustali in the summer months

From 15 June to 15 September 2026, the Smeralda and Rosa routes of the Lu Pustali service link Arzachena, Cannigione, Abbiadori, Porto Cervo, Liscia di Vacca, Poltu Quatu and Baja Sardinia, with a night service from the first of August, every Saturday.

Our homes in Porto Cervo

A short walk from the piazzetta

VPC01 is reached along a private driveway and brings together two qualities that rarely coincide, with the square and the harbour a short walk away alongside the quiet of the garden and terraces. Six bedrooms, twelve guests, and a lower level carved into Sardinian granite opening onto the pools. VPC02 overlooks the village from above with six bedrooms all with en suite bathroom, a pool, a gym and a rooftop jacuzzi. APC02 is a three bedroom apartment in the heart of the village, with a terrace looking out across the sea.

On the heights of Pevero

VG05 brings together contemporary architecture, art and design, with multiple levels connected by a lift, two pools, panoramic terraces towards the golf course and the sea, and seven bedrooms for fourteen guests. villa ponente porto cervo commands the same hillside with six en suite bedrooms, a living room of glass and light, a terrace with hot tub and a cinema room.

Speaking with an adviser

The fastest way to understand which address suits you is not a search filter, but a conversation. Share your dates, guest numbers and preferred pace, and we will prepare a private consultation selection from the homes of Porto Cervo, with home, moorings, tables and transfers arranged in advance. If you are still selecting which stretch of coast suits you best, continue with the guide to Cala di Volpe, the bay and Golfo Pevero.