While Olbia itself might not have much going for it, there are several good beaches in both directions along the coast. I’ve plotted them all on my Google map. I was only in Olbia for three days on my second visit in 2015, but one of them was on a Sunday when I wasn’t working, so I managed to get a bit of beach time.
Another place you could consider going is the nearby island of La Tavolara, which is one of Sardinia’s most famous beauty spots.
However one local couple I met felt that the trip via ferry was more hassle than it was worth at this time of year (pre-season June) and that it was nicer to be on a beach that had a good view of the island. This webpage has more information if your interested.
The ferry to the island leaves from the small village of Porto San Paolo. To get there from Olbia you need to take the southbound #5 bus but it only runs a few times a day before the peak season starts, around July 15th.
Funnily enough I worked at the school in Porto San Paolo in 2013 and on the way back to town the teacher stopped off at Spiaggia Porto Istana, a nearby beach, so I could get a nice view of La Tavolara. The teacher said this was the beach where she personally spent the summer.
Due to the lack of buses I decided to head instead in the opposite direction on the #4 bus towards Spiaggia Pittalongu, a twenty-minute drive to the north.
I got on the bus at Via San Simplicio, but if you want a seat, it would be advisable to get on a stop or two earlier because by the time I got on, it was already full with tourists, local kids and beach hawkers with their huge bags of tat.
I meant to ask the driver for Lo Squalo (a recommended beach bar) but I ended up going to the end of the line to Spiaggia Bados. Any of the preceding four stops would have been fine for Pittalongu as it’s a very long beach. I think Lo Squalo is the fourth stop on Pittalongu.
I could easily have walked back but Spiaggia Bados seemed like a nice, relatively quiet spot and it had a nice view of La Tavolara on the horizon.
I hunkered down in front of Bar Bados (geddit?), one of the two bars on the beach. Sun loungers (lettini) here are €6 for the day, and an umbrella another €6, which is quite expensive given I paid €6 for both in Alghero the previous weekend.
The food at Bar Bados is fine but nothing special, as is usually the case at the beach. I had Spaghetti con Arselle, which was a bit too salty and not al dente (C+).
Arselle by the way, are known as Coquinas in Spanish and English, and are a member of the Donax bivalve family. By contrast Vongole, which are more commonly eaten in Italy, are in the Veneridae family of Venus clams.
I also had grilled squid which thankfully is hard to get wrong (B).
And that was my day off. The next day it was time to say goodbye to Sardinia and head back to the mainland.
When you fly, make sure you look out of the window to catch a glimpse of the beautiful azure blue waters along the coast. I really must come back some time with the yacht.