Craving a cheeky spritz, a little pistachio gelato and lazy swims in the Med under a blazing sun?
Nothing screams European summer quite like Italy, but let’s face it, places like Amalfi, Cinque Terre, and Sicily have gotten a bit overdone.
Whether it’s the crazy prices in Positano or the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds in Riomaggiore, Italy’s top tourist hotspots are the last place you want to be if an idyllic, unhurried sunny getaway is what you’re after.
Lucky for you—if you’re living Stateside, anyway—Delta is soon launching a new nonstop route from JFK to Sardinia, the most beautiful island in Italy, and one most Americans have yet to discover, with service starting May 20, 2026.
This Is What They Call The Caribbean Of Europe
White-sand beaches straddling crystal-clear seas, quaint inland towns where not much has changed in the past few hundred years, and that sense of exclusivity you just can’t find in mainland Italy until you’re splurging on it.
Welcome to Sardinia, the Caribbean of Europe.
Second in size only to Sicily, it is a fast-rising Mediterranean powerhouse that’s been in Northern Europeans’ graces for quite a few decades now, even though on the other side of the pond, it’s yet to fully crack the market.
This might be about to change soon, and we have Delta to thank for that.
Starting in a little over a month, the U.S. carrier will fly New York (JFK) → Olbia–Costa Smeralda (OLB), connecting North America to North Sardinia for the first time. Now, you may be wondering why they’re flying to the north of the island, specifically, and not Cagliari, the southern capital.
Although Cagliari is the cultural hub and largest city on the island, Olbia is the gateway to the Emerald Coast.
Sardinia’s pretty big, roughly the size of the U.S. states of Vermont and Rhode Island combined, so if you’ve been wondering where you can find those postcardy Caribbean-like beaches, they’re a short half-hour drive from the airport.
And Delta scores once again!
So no, you won’t be getting Cagliari, but you have instead 34 miles of unruffled white sands and turquoise seas to explore, with beaches like Spiaggia il Principe, Cappricioli, and Liscia Ruja featured among the most beautiful in the Old Continent.
But we’ll get into that in a bit. Let’s talk about those flights.
Everything You Need To Know About Delta’s Sardinia Flights
Here’s the full, clean rundown of Delta’s new direct JFK to Sardinia flights:
- Start date: May 20, 2026—book your tickets before they sell out for the season!
- Frequency: 4x weekly all summer (Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat)
- Aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER
- Available cabins: Delta One, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort, Delta Main
The likely schedule is as follows:
- JFK → OLB: departs 6:25 PM, arrives 9:00 AM next day
- OLB → JFK: departs 11:00 AM, arrives 2:35 PM same day
Oh, and if you’re indeed jetting off to Italy this summer, make sure you prepare in advance for potential delays at passport control:
Italy (as well as the wider European Union) is currently rolling out its new Entry/Exit System, which involves the fingerprinting and digital registration of tourists, Americans included.
Later in the year, the EU is also expected to launch a mandatory Travel Authorization system. Make sure you check all of the latest Entry Requirements for Italy near the date of departure, so to avoid any unpleasant surprises at the airport.
What To See In North Sardinia This Season?
You already know North Sardinia has gorgeous, sandy, wide beaches, and that paradisiacal coastline you can’t find over in Europe, where it’s mostly pebbled small coves everywhere, but where exactly to go if you’re coming for that sun-drenched week in the peak of summer?
Well, we have a few options laid out for you already:
Top 10 Destinations In The North Of Sardinia (PLUS a quiz to find your perfect match!)
Olbia
Olbia itself is a great base for Costa Smeralda. It’s the largest city in Northeastern Sardinia, and it’s quite convenient for flying in and out. On top of that, it boasts a vast array of dining and entertainment options, and it isn’t exactly the prettiest, but the Historic Center is certainly not to be skipped.
In the center of town, the San Simplicio Basilica is an important church with a striking Romanesque exterior, and if you love seafood, hit up Da Bartolo. If they’re still serving it, get their tagliatelle with cuttlefish ink and bottarga tuna. Thank us later.
Porto Cervo
The VIP spot on the coast. Not somewhere you go for the culture, per se. Porto Cervo was built only in the early 1960s, precisely to cater to a growing European upper-middle-class that wasn’t exactly welcome in the more elite circles of St Tropez or Portofino.
This is for the girlies who love the exclusive beach bars, a little post-swim vintage shopping spree, and the glitzy feel. Did we mention the luxury yachts? Yep, rest assured the billionaire Russians are still docking here, sanctions or no sanctions.
La Maddalena
For something a little more local and offbeat, you might want to take the ferry from Palau Port to the La Maddalena archipelago. A collective of islands lying just off the Sardinian coast, they’re known for their laid-back vibes, fishing-village heritage, and virtually crowd-free beaches.
Budelli has a stunning pink-sand beach, Spargi has deserted half-moon bays bathed by teal seas, La Maddalena is the largest island, home to a colorful port town, and Caprera, the neighboring island, is known as Garibaldi’s chosen home later in life. You can even visit the rural bungalow where he lived.
Tempio Pausania
A little inland from the coast, Tempio Pausania is that lesser-known medieval treasure most Costa Smeralda-bound beach bums overlook. Every building here is made from local granite, and yes, the pavements are rainbow-colored.
Old World aesthetics with an Instagrammable tweak, but the primary appeal is truly the authentic Sardinian atmosphere: nonnos sipping on their coffee by the main square, family-owned trattorie serving homemade pasta at every turn, and church bells in the distance.
Castelsardo
The crown jewel of Sardinia’s North Coast, Castelsardo is that colorful cluster of fishermen houses gathered at the foot of an imposing fortress. The whole thing is just insanely photogenic, especially along the lungomare viewpoint, but honestly?
You should make an effort to come here for Ristorante Il Cormorano alone. Absolute TOP eatery in North Sardinia for freshly-caught seafood, not just your average pasta-pizza filler, and excellent service. We’ll be back.
Stintino (Spiaggia La Pelosa)
Stintino is a quiet, unassuming little headland town where not much seems to be going on, apart from a handful of bars and osterias serving the overnight crowd, and the occasional Sardinian day-tripper from Sassari.
But then again, it’s right on the doorstep of Sardinia’s most iconic beach. The one, the only Spiaggia La Pelosa, where powder-white sand seems to melt into translucent water, and the old watchtower in the background only adds to the postcard-perfect scene.
Porto Torres
Perhaps North Sardinia’s top hidden gem, Porto Torres is a main cultural stop on your drive to Stintino. This is where you get well-preserved Roman ruins, ancient streets, and one of the oldest and largest Romanesque churches in Sardinia. That would be Basilica of San Gavino.
If you have time for an archaeological visit, definitely make sure you check out the Antiquarium Turritano, where you can marvel at beautiful 2,000-year-old mosaics and baths. It wasn’t exactly wiped out by a volcano, like Pompeii was, but it still gives that quiet, frozen-in-time Ancient Roman vibe.
Sassari
The unofficial ‘capital’ of North Sardinia, and the second-largest urban agglomeration on the island after Cagliari, Sassari is routinely skipped by beachgoers, despite definitely being worth a brief pass-through. The large piazze, the faded palazzi, the classic trattorie and pastry shops…
Ahhh… European summer dream, and the best part about it is it has none of the coast’s seasonal crowds. If you’re craving a taste of Sardinia’s urban character, without the long drive down to Cagliari, definitely swing by and soak in Corso Vittorio Emanuele II’s subtle elegance.
Bosa
This is the town everyone’s raving about lately. Bosa is roughly within an hour’s drive south of Sassari, and it’s an inland settlement cut through by a scenic river, with boldly-colored, skinny townhouses stacked basically lining cobblestone alleys.
The restaurant scene is criminally underrated, with household names like Locanda di Corte adding their own modern spin to traditional Sardinian cuisine, and the monumental castle at the top of the hill is the cherry on top.
Alghero
One Of Travel Off Path’s Italy ‘Uncovered’ Destinations For 2026
Did you have any idea there’s a town in Sardinia, Italy, where they speak a dialect of Catalan? As in, the same language you’ve been trying to brush up on, much to the dismay of the poor, overworked waiter down at that overpriced bar on La Rambla?
A pretty port city licked by the azure sea, Alghero was colonized by Catalans in the Middle Ages, and between their unique Sardo-Catalan dialect and the distinctly Gothic architecture of the Old Town, it truly feels like Barcelona’s distant Sardinian cousin.
How Safe Is Italy Right Now?
Also, not sure about you guys, but we’ve been lowkey holding off on booking international trips lately, what with the dire geopolitical situation worldwide and wars erupting left, right, and center.
With all the beautiful beaches and timeless coastal gems, we might just have been convinced to take our hesitant asses to Sardinia, though.
And hey, Italy has been pretty chill at the minute, as you can see on the Traveler Safety Index:
Yep, we’re coming for those white sands and seafood risotto, amo’.
Find your perfect match using our quiz below!
Stacie Harris is a local resident and reporter of the Maple Grove area. Stacie reports on medicine and science for the Maple Grove Report.
