Sassari travel guide
Giant candles in August, a Baroque cathedral and fainè on the old streets
Sassari is north-west Sardinia's main city, a lived-in place of palazzi, piazzas and street food 35 minutes from Alghero by train. Come in May for the Cavalcata Sarda or mid-August for the Candelieri, and spend a day in the city before heading for the beaches at Platamona or Stintino. Costs are above average, and Schengen rules apply.
Sardinia's second city sits on a limestone plateau in the island's north-west, half an hour inland from the sea and close to Alghero airport. Sassari gets far fewer visitors than the coast around it, which is part of its appeal: the cafes and festivals are run for residents, and the old town still has the narrow lanes of a medieval free commune.
Pisans, Genoese, Aragonese and Spanish rulers each left something behind. The cathedral of San Nicola has a Spanish Baroque front laid over a Gothic body, and the 17th-century Fontana di Rosello, the city's emblem, stands in a hollow below the walls. Then, in the 19th century, Sassari built itself a grand new centre around Piazza d'Italia and the Teatro Civico.
Come in mid-August if you can. On 14 August the guilds carry giant wooden candles through the streets in the Discesa dei Candelieri, a vow that dates to a plague and is now on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
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Top things to do in Sassari
A Spanish Baroque cathedral, a Renaissance fountain, Sardinian archaeology and two of the island's great festivals.
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Best time to visit Sassari
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Beach weather on the north coast and comfortable heat in town, with the Cavalcata Sarda costume parade in May.
Hot, but the Discesa dei Candelieri on 14 August is the city's biggest day.
Cool and quiet; the season for hot fainè and long lunches.
For the Candelieri on 14 August, find a spot along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II early in the afternoon; the procession moves slowly and the crowds are dense.
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Getting there
Alghero airport, Porto Torres ferries
Alghero-Fertilia airport, about 33 km away, is the closest; buses and taxis connect it with Sassari, and many visitors hire a car there. Olbia airport, on the north-east coast about 105 km away, is the alternative when fares are better, with regional buses across the island.
- Alghero-Fertilia (AHO)
- About 33 km, bus, taxi or hire car
- Olbia (OLB)
- About 105 km, regional bus or car
- Porto Torres
- Ferry port a short drive north, train or bus to Sassari
- ARST railway
- Narrow-gauge trains to Alghero in about 35 minutes
- Ferries from the mainland dock at Porto Torres, a short drive north, with trains and buses on to Sassari.
- Trenitalia regional trains link Sassari with Olbia and with Cagliari in the south, while ARST's narrow-gauge line runs to Alghero in about 35 minutes and north to Sorso.
- Regional coaches use a simple bus hub with a ticket booth.
- A car is worth having for the beaches, but leave it outside the old town's limited traffic zone.
Where to stay
Piazza d'Italia, the Corso lanes or the station
Most visitors sleep between Piazza d'Italia and the old town so everything can be done on foot; the station area is plainer but handy for the Alghero train. Book months ahead for the Cavalcata in May or the Candelieri in August, when rooms in all three areas go fast.
- Centro storico
- Medieval lanes off Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, close to the Duomo; atmospheric but some streets feel deserted at night
- Piazza d'Italia and Via Roma
- Grand 19th-century streets, cafes and the museum; the most comfortable base
- Near the station
- Convenient for the Alghero train, a plainer area on the lower edge of town
Getting around
Walk, ATP buses, a short tram
The old town and the 19th-century centre are best covered on foot; the walk from Piazza d'Italia down Corso Vittorio Emanuele II to the Duomo and the Rosello fountain takes about 15 minutes. ATP Sassari runs the city buses; buy tickets before boarding, and ask at the kiosk about passes that also cover the tram.
- ATP buses
- City network, buy tickets before boarding
- Metrosassari tram
- Short line, limited use for visitors
- ZTL
- Most cars barred from the centre
- The Metrosassari tram line is short and loops through the outskirts before reaching the centre, so it is rarely useful for visitors.
- The centre is a limited traffic zone where most cars cannot enter at most hours; motorbikes are allowed.
- The city has steep sections; the lower old town around Rosello is a real climb back up to Piazza d'Italia.
Know before you go
What makes Sassari worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Fontana di Rosello, its crossed arches topped by Saint Gavino, sitting in a green hollow below the old walls.
- The Cattedrale di San Nicola, whose richly carved Baroque front, added under Spanish rule, hides a Catalan Gothic interior.
- Fainè from a city bakery, the thin chickpea pancake Genoese sailors brought here, eaten hot from the oven.
Good to know
- Afternoon closing is real: many shops and the tourist office close for a long midday break.
- The Candelieri and Cavalcata dates fill hotels; book well ahead for mid-May and mid-August.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Sassari, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Sassari are being researched.
Piazza d'Italia, the Rosello fountain and Monte d'Accoddi
Start in Piazza d'Italia, the huge 19th-century square ringed by palazzi, with the provincial palace on one side. A short walk away, the Museo Nazionale Sanna holds the island's best archaeology outside Cagliari, from nuraghe bronzes to Roman finds, and makes sense of everything you will see in the countryside.
Late morning, walk down Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the spine of the old town, and stop at the Palazzo di Città to see the ballroom and the little Teatro Civico. Then cut across to the Duomo of San Nicola and take your time with its carved facade.
After lunch (fainè, if it is in season) drop to the Fontana di Rosello. Sit on the steps in the shade before climbing back up. If you have a car, drive out to Monte d'Accoddi, a stepped prehistoric altar between Sassari and Porto Torres unlike anything else in the Mediterranean. Evening, head to Platamona on the coast for the sunset, then back to town for dinner.
Fainè, zimino and gelato on the Corso
The dish that marks Sassari out from the rest of Sardinia is fainè, a thin, crisp-edged chickpea flatbread baked in wide pans, a legacy of the city's Genoese alliance. It is sold by the slice in small bakeries and dedicated fainè shops, plain or with onions, sausage or anchovies, and mostly in the cooler months.
Sassari is also a meat town. Zimino is mixed offal grilled over embers, a dish the locals defend fiercely, and cordula is braided lamb intestine, grilled or stewed with peas. More gentle choices include seadas, fried pastry filled with sharp cheese and drizzled with honey, found across the island.
For something sweet and cold, Gelateria Ligure on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II has been a stop for generations. Drink Vermentino, the white grown across northern Sardinia, or a glass of Cannonau with grilled meat.
The Candelieri on UNESCO's list
Sassari's Discesa dei Candelieri was added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in 2013, together with similar shoulder-borne processions in Nola, Palmi and Viterbo. Each guild carries its wooden column through the historic centre to fulfil a vow made during the plague, swaying and spinning to the drums, and the whole city follows them downhill.
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How we research our Sassari travel guide
Links to Alghero airport and the Porto Torres ferries, plus ATP buses and the tram, are rechecked with the Comune di Sassari and Italia.it when services change.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of SassariItalia.itUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Sassari.
Getting there
Alghero-Fertilia (AHO), about 33 km away. Olbia (OLB) is about 105 km to the east.
Platamona is the closest coast, a short drive north towards Porto Torres. La Pelosa at Stintino and the beaches around Alghero are longer outings.
General
ARST narrow-gauge trains take about 35 minutes, and regional buses also run between the two.
A procession on 14 August in which the city's guilds carry giant wooden candles through the streets, fulfilling a vow made during a plague. It is listed by UNESCO.
A May parade in which groups from towns all over Sardinia march and ride through Sassari in traditional costume.
Yes, for a day or two. It shows Sardinian city life away from the resorts, with a strong museum and two major festivals.
Downhill it is easy, about 15 minutes through the old town. The climb back is the hard part, so save it for the cooler end of the day.
Yes, Trenitalia regional trains connect Sassari with Cagliari as well as with Olbia.
Sassari's national archaeological museum, with prehistoric, nuraghic and Roman collections from northern Sardinia.
The old town and the 19th-century centre are best covered on foot; the walk from Piazza d'Italia down Corso Vittorio Emanuele II to the Duomo and the Rosello fountain takes about 15 minutes. ATP Sassari runs the city buses; buy tickets before boarding, and ask at the kiosk about passes that also cover the tram.
Timing & weather
A thin chickpea-flour flatbread baked in wide pans, inherited from Genoese traders. Bakeries sell it by the slice mostly in the cooler months.
The best time to visit Sassari is May to Jun, Sep. Warm and dry with the coast within reach; May has the Cavalcata Sarda.
- Best overall: May - June, September (Beach weather on the north coast and comfortable heat in town, with the Cavalcata Sarda costume parade in May)
- August: Mid-August (Hot, but the Discesa dei Candelieri on 14 August is the city's biggest day)
- Winter: November - March (Cool and quiet; the season for hot fainè and long lunches)
Booking
Come in May for the Cavalcata Sarda or mid-August for the Candelieri, and spend a day in the city before heading for the beaches at Platamona or Stintino.
Visa & documents
Schengen rules apply in Italy. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Violent crime against visitors to Italy is rare. Pickpocketing is the main problem, especially on buses and metros in Rome (bus 64 is notorious), at Roman and Florentine sights, and at Termini and Naples Centrale stations. Wear your bag across your body and zip it, and use only licensed white taxis or official ride apps.
