When to visit the Costa Smeralda, month by month

The season here does not begin with the heat: it begins with a calendar. The regattas, the beach club openings, the bus starting in mid June, the golf tee times. Choosing the month shapes your stay just as much as choosing the home, and the 2026 season figures already tell you a great deal.

The climate in a few figures

Average highs and rainfall

The climate is Mediterranean, with mild, damp winters and hot, dry summers. Average highs reach 29 degrees in July and 30 in August, stopping at 14 in January; the 558 millimetres of annual rainfall are concentrated between autumn and winter. The data refer to Olbia.

Wind and shelter: which beaches to choose when the mistral blows

The mistral does not ask for permission, and the coast responds with geography. The beach at Liscia di Vacca is sheltered from north and east winds and remains enjoyable even on windy days; the bay at Romazzino enjoys the same shelter, and at Cala di Volpe La Celvia is protected from the mistral and northerly winds. Near the Capo Ferro lighthouse, on the other hand, Cala del Faro and Cala della Ghiaia remain very exposed and take their revenge at sunset.

May, the opening

The Porto Cervo Wine and Food Festival

In Porto Cervo, the Porto Cervo Wine and Food Festival reaches its fifteenth edition from 7 to 10 May 2026. It is the season’s first event, when the village comes to life without being full.

The Yacht Club’s first regattas

The calendar of Yacht Club Costa Smeralda opens with the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta from 26 to 30 May and continues with the Sardinia Cup from 31 May to 7 June. From here on, through September, in the bay there is almost always something getting ready to set sail.

The first beach clubs to open

Nikki Beach Costa Smeralda opens on 29 May 2026 in the sheltered bay of Cala Petra Ruja, Phi Beach announces a season from late May to early September on the cliffs of Forte Cappellini. Dining begins earlier: Italo Bassi Confusion Restaurant runs its 2026 season from 23 April to 29 September.

June, the coast lights up

The June sailing calendar

The Rolex TP52 World Championship takes place from 15 to 20 June, the Invitational Smeralda 888 from 26 to 28 June. The coast is already working at full pace, but the real peak arrives later.

Lu Pustali and council car parks

The Lu Pustali service runs from 15 June to 15 September 2026. The Smeralda and Rosa routes connect Arzachena, Cannigione, Santa Teresina, Abbiadori, Porto Cervo, Liscia di Vacca, Poltu Quatu and Baja Sardinia, with a night service every Saturday from the first of August. In municipal parking areas, charges apply from June to October 2026, starting on 3 June. On Marinella beach, at Porto Rotondo, Blu Beach Porto Rotondo is open daily from 10 to midnight from June to September.

Golf peak seasons

Botanic Golf Sacuba sets its high season from 16 June to 15 September, Golf Club PuntAldia from 26 July to 31 August: anyone playing before or after finds the same courses outside the declared high season windows. Pevero Golf Club remains open every day from 7:30 to 20:00.

July and August, the full months

What airport figures show

Olbia airport exceeds 600,000 monthly passengers in July and August, compared to 35,000 in the winter months. It is the most honest measure of the two full months: everything is open, everything is booked.

Nights at the clubs

The Coppa Europa Smeralda 888 runs from 3 to 5 July. Sottovento Club opened its 2026 season on 27 June, and Justme has confirmed mid-August events with Sven Vath, Roger Sanchez and Kybba. The full picture of the evenings is in the article Costa Smeralda beach clubs and the nights that follow.

How to organise a week without queues

Start early: boats for the archipelago leave the port in the morning and return in the late afternoon. Book tee times and tables before leaving, leave the car parked where the bus reaches, and keep Saturday night for the night line. In August, the difference between a fine day and a wasted day is almost always an hour’s head start.

September, the season of big hulls

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and Rolex Swan Cup

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup runs from 6 to 12 September, the Rolex Swan Cup from 13 to 19 September. The sea off Porto Cervo fills with hulls rarely seen elsewhere, and Marina di Porto Cervo opens its hundred berths dedicated to megayachts up to 120 metres.

End of season closings

Nikki Beach closes on 13 September, Lu Pustali on 15 September, Botanic Golf Sacuba leaves its high season on 15 September. ConFusion remains in service until 29 September, council car parks remain paid until October, and the archipelago motorboat sails until October.

Out of season, what stays open

Archaeological sites

In the Arzachena countryside, during the 2026 season the Nuragic complex of La Prisgiona and the giants’ tomb of Coddu Ecchju can be visited every day from 9 to 19 (La Prisgiona and Coddu Ecchju giants tomb).

Porto Pollo sailing centre

Sporting Club Sardinia Porto Pollo stays open from Easter to early November, every day from 9:30 to 18:30: April and October remain within its season, with the same steady wind in the bay.

The golf course all year round

Pevero Golf Club announces opening every day from 7:30 to 20:00 and the Grande Pevero area is part of the Pevero Health Trail, accessible all year round: in Pevero Golf the course and the trail work even when the coast slows down.

How to choose your month

Three stay profiles

With children we choose June or September, outside the two peak months: the rest is in the article Costa Smeralda with children, and the right home is often VG01, enjoyable even out of season, or VR01, with direct access to the beach. For those following the regattas and village life, the window is late May and September, with VLV02 or VCV03 a few minutes from Porto Cervo. For those seeking quiet, the hinterland of VST01 holds up well in the months when the coast empties.

Speak to an advisor

Tell us the month you have in mind, or let us suggest it based on who is travelling with you. We check availability, cross-reference the events calendar and prepare a selection of homes consistent with those dates. For transport links, the starting point is How to reach the Costa Smeralda, by plane, helicopter and sea.