Sardinia's headline motorcycle road is the Strada Statale 125 Orientale Sarda, a 354.25 km (220 mile) state road that runs the length of the island's east side from the outskirts of Cagliari to Palau in the north. It has existed under that number since 1928 and is maintained by ANAS. Not all of it is spectacular — the northern third is ordinary main road — but the section that climbs from Baunei over the Supramonte to Dorgali is among the best mountain riding in the Mediterranean, and it is nothing like what most riders expect from an island better known for beaches.
Why Sardinia rides better than it looks on a map
Sardinia is mountainous in the middle and its interior is thinly populated, which produces exactly the conditions riders want: long stretches of well-surfaced road with almost no traffic on them. The SS125 is the oldest and most direct connection down the eastern side, and the parts of it that cross the Supramonte and the Gennargentu foothills climb, descend and switchback through limestone country with no towns for tens of kilometres at a stretch.
The traffic picture is worth understanding. In 2002 a new inland alignment — commonly called the nuova SS125 — was inaugurated between Cagliari and Tortolì, taking through traffic away from the old coastal route in the south. The practical effect for a rider is that the original road is quieter than it used to be, which is unusual and welcome. Further north, the stretch through the Supramonte never had much traffic to begin with.
Route at a glance
| Road | SS125 Orientale Sarda, maintained by ANAS since 1928 |
| Full length | 354.25 km (220 miles), Quartucciu near Cagliari to Palau |
| Best section | Baunei to Dorgali over the Supramonte, roughly 50 km (31 miles) |
| High point | Passo di Genna Silana, just over 1,000 m (about 3,300 ft) |
| Suggested time | 4–6 days for a full island loop including the west coast |
| Best months | April–June and September–October |
| Getting there | Ferry from mainland Italy, France or Corsica; bikes carried on all main routes |
Open the Baunei to Dorgali section in Google Maps — the best 50 km of the SS125, ready to send to your navigation.
Baunei to Dorgali, the section everyone comes for
This is the stretch that justifies shipping a bike to an island. From Baunei, perched above the coast, the SS125 turns inland and climbs into the Supramonte through a sequence of passes — Genna Arramene, Genna Coggina and Genna Silana — with Genna Silana the high point at just over 1,000 m. Sources differ by a few metres on the exact figure; nobody riding it cares.
What you get is roughly 50 km of near-continuous curves through limestone gorge country: rock walls, holm oak scrub, deep valleys dropping away on the seaward side, and almost no buildings. There is a bar at the Genna Silana pass, which appears without warning after a long stretch of nothing and is the standard stop. Below it, the Gola su Gorropu canyon cuts into the massif — it is a walk rather than a ride, but the viewpoints from the road give you the scale.
North of the pass the road drops through Urzulei towards Dorgali. Riders consistently rate this descent as the best part, with long sightlines, good surface, and the sea appearing and disappearing between ridges. Dorgali itself sits above Cala Gonone, and the short spur down to the coast there — a tunnel through the ridge and then a series of switchbacks to sea level — is worth doing even though it is a dead end.
The southern half, Muravera to Tortolì
South of Tortolì the SS125 threads the coast through Cardedu, Tertenia, Villaputzu and Muravera before turning inland towards Cagliari. This section is less dramatic than the Supramonte but pleasant riding — coastal scrub, river valleys, and small towns where nothing much happens. Since the new inland route opened in 2002, the old road here carries mainly local traffic.
The stretch between Muravera and Cagliari over the Sarrabus hills deserves specific mention. It is a genuinely twisty run through granite country and, being the road most riders take on their first day out of Cagliari, it sets expectations high early.
Making it a loop, not just a road
Riding only the SS125 and turning round is a wasted trip. Sardinia is roughly 270 km north to south and 145 km across, which makes a full island loop comfortable in four to six days. The obvious additions are the Gennargentu massif in the interior — the island's highest ground, reached on small provincial roads through cork oak forest — and the west coast, where the road along the Sinis peninsula and the cliffs at Bosa give you a completely different landscape.
The run between Bosa and Alghero on the north-west coast is the west side's answer to the SS125: a cliff road above the sea with almost nothing on it. Between the two coasts, the interior villages of Barbagia are worth the detour for the roads alone.
A workable shape for a first visit is to land at Olbia, ride south down the SS125 to Baunei over two days with a night in Dorgali, cut west across the Gennargentu to Oristano, and come back north up the coast through Bosa and Alghero. That covers both the island's best mountain road and its best coast road without a single dull transfer stage, and it leaves the far south around Cagliari for a return trip. Riders with more time add the Sarrabus hills and the Costa Verde on the south-west coast, which is emptier again.
Practical details
Season. April through June and September into October are the riding months. July and August bring peak beach tourism, ferry prices to match, and interior temperatures that make midday riding in full gear unpleasant. Winter is mild at sea level but the Supramonte can get genuinely cold and occasionally sees snow at pass height.
Getting there. Ferries run to Olbia, Porto Torres, Cagliari and Arbatax from mainland Italy, and from France and Corsica in season. Motorcycles are carried on all main routes and are usually loaded first and lashed down by crew — bring your own soft ties if you are particular about where straps land on your fairing. Book ahead in summer.
Fuel. This is the one that catches people out. The interior has long gaps between stations, rural pumps close for lunch and on Sunday afternoons, and unattended automatic pumps do not always accept foreign cards. Treat 150 km as your planning range in the Supramonte and fill up in Dorgali, Tortolì or Baunei whenever you have the chance.
Road hazards. Free-ranging livestock is a real and constant hazard on the interior roads — goats, sheep and pigs stand in the road on blind corners, particularly at dawn and dusk. Rock fall and gravel appear on mountain sections after rain. Surfaces on the main SS125 are good; the smaller provincial roads vary from excellent to broken within a few kilometres.
Restrictions. Italian ZTL limited traffic zones apply in the historic centres of larger towns such as Cagliari and Alghero, enforced by camera, with rules that vary by comune. Italian motorway tolls do not apply here — Sardinia has no tolled motorways.
Gear notes for Sardinia
Sardinia punishes a setup that depends on connectivity. Mobile coverage in the Supramonte and across the Gennargentu is patchy to absent, and a navigation app that streams map tiles will stop being a navigation app somewhere around Urzulei. Downloading offline maps for the whole island before the ferry is the single most useful preparation you can make — the navigation setup guide covers doing that properly, and if you have been getting by with a phone in a clamp, the case against phone mounts on a motorcycle is particularly relevant on roads this rough. A dedicated riding system unit keeps the screen readable in direct sun and the phone out of the vibration path.
Charging is the second issue. Long days, few stops, and accommodation in villages where the nearest socket is across the courtyard make a bi-directional fast charger more than a convenience. The third is pressure: hot coastal asphalt, cold mountain mornings and a loaded bike swing tire pressures more than most riders expect across a single day, and a TPMS sensor shows the change live — our tire pressure guide explains what to do with the numbers. Riders running a JADO S6 get navigation, pressures and dual cameras on one screen, which matters on an island where the nearest help after a livestock incident may be forty minutes away.
FAQ
How long does it take to ride the SS125?
The full 354 km can be done in a long day, but the Baunei to Dorgali section deserves half a day on its own. Most riders build it into a four to six day island loop rather than treating it as a single run.
What is the best part of the SS125?
The roughly 50 km between Baunei and Dorgali, crossing the Supramonte via the Genna Silana pass at just over 1,000 m. It is continuous curves through limestone gorge country with very little traffic.
When is the best time to ride Sardinia?
April to June and September to October. Warm but not extreme, roads quiet, and ferry prices well below the July–August peak.
Can you take a motorcycle on the ferry to Sardinia?
Yes. All the main ferry routes from mainland Italy, France and Corsica carry motorcycles, usually loading them first and securing them with crew-supplied straps. Book ahead for summer crossings.
Are the roads in Sardinia in good condition?
The SS125 and other state roads are generally well surfaced. Smaller provincial roads vary considerably, and livestock, gravel and rock fall are the recurring hazards on interior mountain sections.
