Cala Goloritzé is a small white-pebble cove on Sardinia's Gulf of Orosei that you can only reach on foot, with a booked ticket. Access costs €7 and the beach is capped at 250 people at a time, according to the Heart of Sardinia booking platform, and boats are not allowed to land. Checked November 2026.

What you get for the effort is one of the clearest stretches of water in the Mediterranean, under a limestone spire. The cove has been a protected national monument since 1995, according to Sardegna Turismo, the regional tourism board.

Booking and tickets

Every visitor needs a ticket from Heart of Sardinia, on the website or the app. The rules as published there in November 2026:

  • Price: €7 per person. Children up to 5 and residents of the Comune di Baunei go free, but their places still have to be booked because they count towards the cap. Tickets are non-refundable.
  • Cap: 250 people on the beach at the same time.
  • Booking window: each day opens three days ahead, at midnight.
  • Hours: one slot a day, 7.30am to 4pm, and the platform recommends reaching the trail entrance by 10am.
  • Parking: the car park at Su Porteddu is included in the ticket, Baunei's tourism site says.

Bookings were still open for early November 2026 dates, so the season runs well beyond summer. Heart of Sardinia had not published 2027 prices or dates by November 2026, so treat the figures above as the 2026 rules and check the platform before planning next year's walk. Checked November 2026.

The Aguglia and the cove

What sets this cove apart from the other Gulf of Orosei beaches is the Aguglia, a limestone spire that rises over the beach. Climbers come for its routes, and the cliffs around the cove are streaked white and grey.

The beach is a short strip of white pebbles and smooth stones, backed by wild olive and scrub. The water is the draw, shifting from pale blue near the shore to deep blue just beyond the rocks, and the snorkelling over the rock formations is excellent.

How to get to Cala Goloritzé: the hike from Su Porteddu

Drive up from Baunei to the Altopiano del Golgo, the plateau above the town. The trail starts at the Su Porteddu car park, next to the Su Porteddu restaurant. Sardegna Turismo gives it as 3.5 km with 470 metres of descent, about an hour down and an hour and a half back up; Heart of Sardinia's figures are more cautious, at about 3.6 km and 500 metres, an hour and a half down and two hours up. Plan on the slower times in summer heat.

The path climbs for a few minutes from the car park, to about 490 metres, then turns into a steep, rocky descent, and in places you need your hands free. Wear closed shoes with grip, ideally walking shoes, not flip-flops. Heart of Sardinia warns that the trail is very exposed to the sun and asks for at least two litres of water per person plus food; the holm oaks on the steepest stretch give the only real shade on the way back up. Dogs can use the trail but are not allowed on the beach.

Boats can look, not land

Boat trips run in summer from Cala Gonone, Santa Maria Navarrese and Arbatax and pass Goloritzé on the way along the Gulf of Orosei. They cannot put passengers ashore: Heart of Sardinia states that landing on the beach is not possible, and Sardegna Turismo says boats may not moor within 300 metres of the shore, a line marked by buoys. Swimming in from a boat does not get you onto the beach either. If you want time on the pebbles, you walk.

When to visit Cala Goloritzé

June to September is the warm-water season, with July and August the busiest months, when Italian holidaymakers fill the Orosei coast. June and September are quieter and the climb back up is less punishing without the midday heat. May and late September are also quieter on the trail. Whatever the month, the cap means the practical rule is simple: book the moment your date opens and be on the trail early.

Rules on the beach

Taking sand, pebbles or shells from any Sardinian beach is illegal under regional law 16/2017, with fines of €500 to €3,000, and Italy's customs agency enforces it at the island's ports and airports. Leave the pebbles where they are and carry out everything you bring.

Baunei and Santa Maria Navarrese are the nearest towns to stay in. Baunei sits up in the hills, closer to the Golgo plateau; Santa Maria Navarrese is on the coast with a small marina and more restaurants.

Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back, especially if you are hiking alone.

Who should go

Go if you will walk an hour or more each way for exceptional water and a setting few European beaches match; Stiniva on Vis is one of the rare ones that comes close. Skip it if you want a lounger and a bar, or if a steep climb back up in the afternoon heat sounds like a punishment. For more beaches that take effort to reach, see our guide to secret beaches.