Osservatorio 2025

The case for September

Anyone deciding between August and September in Sardinia is really deciding one thing: how much pressure to share the island with. The 2025 figures from the regional tourism observatory put that difference into numbers.

The same island, at two pressures

September 2025 recorded 809,634 arrivals against August's 1,028,783 — and 3,485,434 presences against August's 5,456,409, with an average stay of 4.30 days against 5.30. Read together: September follows August closely on arrivals, but carries far fewer nights on the same beaches, roads and harbours. The two months account for about 36% of the year's arrivals and about 41% of its presences. September is the quieter half of the season's core, not its tail.

Where the difference shows

On the water, less pressure means choice: the cove you wanted has room, and the anchorage does not need to be claimed by mid-morning. At the table, it means the hour you prefer instead of the hour left over. On the road, the coastal drive takes the time the map says it takes, not the time August decides.

It also changes lead-times. What needs to be fixed weeks ahead in August can be settled in days in September, and a day can change shape at breakfast without unravelling. The summer sequence still applies — the sea, the long lunch, the evening — but in September the sequence forgives.

The month is not uniform

One caution: the coast's calendar winds down progressively through the month. Early September still runs at full season; toward its close, seasonal addresses shorten first their hours, then their year. Checking what will still be open on your dates is part of choosing them. And one figure for context: 56% of 2025 presences were international — Germany the first European market, the United States the first outside Europe. September is not a discovery waiting to be made. It is the same season, with room in it.