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Now let the sea day I'll be doing. Hello, my name is Claudia. I was born and raised in Sardinia and I still call it home. I am the mastermind behind the Streetly Sardinia Travel Blog and now the Streetly Sardinia Podcast where each week I bring you the best Sardinia has to offer and share my most useful tips that will help you plan a memorable trip to my wonderful island. In the last episode I talked to you about driving in Sardinia, whereas this week I will share my tips on traveling around Sardina by public transport. Let me stress that you will find a more detailed version of today's episode on my blog streetlysardinia.com so pop in to read the episode description as that's where you'll find the link to my blog. Also, let me remind you that if you ever need my help to plan your trip to Sardinia, you can book a one hour consultation with me. The link for that is also in the episode description. Now today's topic how to Use Public Transportation in Sardinia Using a public transport in Sardinia is a great choice here if you're looking to visit Sardinia on a budget or if you're traveling alone. But not only if you're quite comfortable moving around by public transportation and in no rush to going anywhere, you will find that Sardinia's public transportation system is decent and efficient. It takes significantly longer than driving, but you can relax and enjoy the scenery. Of course, I do not recommend traveling around Sardina by public transport if you're in a tight schedule or if you want to visit Sardinia beaches because there aren't many bus rides that go there. Use public transportation in Sardinia if you're okay having to face unforeseen circumstances if you want a slow, peaceful trip and simply if you don't feel like driving a car. But know that there are limitations. Now let's focus on today's topic public transport. Let me start by mentioning the urban buses and their timetables. Cities like Caliari, Sassari, the second largest city in Sardinia, Olbia and Alghero have an excellent network of city buses. They also run to the metropolitan areas. So for example, buses in Calgary also work to reach places like Cuarto, Santelena, which by the way is the third largest city in Sardinia, Selargius and the various neighboring towns. They are clean, easy to spot and easy to use. The bus stations are well marked, the bus stops are well marked. You will not have any problems finding them. Buses in the cities run quite often and timetables are found at the bus stop. On every bus stop, shops selling the tickets will usually also have a timetable and normally they are quite okay giving you information. You can buy tickets the tickets in the automatic machines that you'll find at the bus stop, but currently there's less and less of them because you can buy tickets via the app most of the time. For example, here in Caliari we use the app ctmbusfinder. The app unfortunately is in Italian only, but if you can figure out a few words, e.g. bieletti with B, that stands for tickets, that is obviously the spot where you will be able to buy tickets and you can download them. And that's also what you will use to validate your tickets on the bus. Each bus network in the various cities has its own website with the explanation of the fares, the rides. It's easier to go to a physical shop to buy tickets and to get an idea of the timetable because these websites often don't have an English version. The top the the top places to buy tickets other than the app would be tobacco, lotto shops, newspaper shops. What you will identify within cities as a cafe, sometimes a bar. A cafe shop will have design for Tabaki tobacco shop. And that's where you can find also bus tickets. You can also buy bus tickets on the bus at times, but remember that you can only pay cash and they are more expensive than buying them either online or at a kiosk. Intercity buses here in Sardinia are not nearly as efficient as urban buses. The main company, the only company that runs regional buses in Sardinia is called ARST and we spell it A R S T. The buses are dark blue, they have a big red stripe and the writing Rs. So really you cannot miss them. They share some stops with the urban buses, but it's easier to take this kind of regional buses at the big bus station that you will find in the city in Cagliari. It's located in Piazza Matteotti. Many workers inside the station will be able to point you to the right bus, the bus stop. You can find timetables on the website of ARST A rst. Let me remind you, I have to say it's not the most user friendly website. I find it hard to use and I speak Italian, so I will completely appreciate if you can't use it yourself. The easiest way is to just go ask for information at the bus station, which is also the best place to buy the tickets. Although they are sold online, both urban and intercity buses in Sardinia have a validating machine inside. It means once you get your ticket, you get on the bus and you need to Validate it on board. There are also validating machines inside the intercity bus station. So this is only for regional buses, not city buses, in case you prefer boarding the bus with an already validated ticket. If you are traveling with an electronic ticket, for example, you got a ticket on the app, you will have to click on the ticket, you will have to open the ticket and then the camera will open up and you will have to find the QR code on board of the bus and. Point your camera towards that and that will validate your ticket. Trains in Sardinia connect the main parts of the island and stretch to some smaller towns. They run more or less often, depending on the ride importance. It's usually plenty of stuff seats, except for the rush hours, similar to the school ones. Basically because of university students and workers. Taking trains in Sardinia is an overall relaxing experience. You will find a timetable on the website of Trenitalia, which is the main Italian train company. There is another one, but it doesn't work here in Sardina, so there's no need to worry about that. Ticket selling machines are found inside the train station. They work in five different languages and they're the best way to find information on the train routes, train timetable and the prices. You just have to insert the city of departure and the one of arrival and the machine will give you the various options. Otherwise, you can simply find the train timetable and the price, and even buy tickets directly on the website or on the app of the, which is the same app you would use for traveling by train around the rest of the country. If you can't buy a ticket, you can buy one on board by paying an extra price. I don't recommend doing this because it's way more expensive. Don't forget that. Also for trains, you will still have to validate the ticket. Now, if you have a paper ticket, the one that you bought at the train station, you will find several machines where you need to put the ticket and this will scan it for you. If you bought your ticket online, it has a preset date and time and it's already valid. But you will need to show the QR code to get to the platform. And this is valid for most places where we have big stations, like for example in Cagliari, probably smaller places. That's not the case. Remember that you will need to scan your ticket. You will remember not to delete the email where you have the ticket confirmation because the train inspector will ask to see it to make sure that you have a valid ticket. Now, a few more things I want to say what about disabled travelers using public transport in Sardinia? I have to say public transport in Sardinia isn't the most disabled friendly. But urban buses do have platforms that allow passengers with reduced mobility or on a wheelchair to get on the bus. You will find that locals are always very patient and very helpful with people with reduced mobility and help them get on and off the bus. The drivers likewise are always usually very patient. The same will apply to trains. With regards to regional buses, the ARST buses, these are quite narrow. I cannot quite comment on passengers with reduced mobility getting on these buses, but they do have assigned seats. What about pets? You can take your pet on the bus or on the train. In Sardinia with larger dogs, the regional buses may be a bit more restrictive, but smaller dogs usually get on the bus. That's definitely the case for city buses. Also that's the case for cats. Obviously you have to keep them in a carrier. Finally, when it comes to bikes, tricky. You can definitely get to bring the train. Sorry, the bike on the train. That's not quite the case for for the buses, you will have to put the bus the the bike in the hold. Often that will depend on how many other people are traveling and availability there is. The best thing to do is to ask for information at the bus station before you buy your tickets. A few extra tips for using public transport in Sardinia. Sardinia is generally a very peaceful place, but still, when you're using public transport, you should watch out for your belongings. If you're traveling on a city bus, on an urban bus, make sure that your backpack, your bag, your pockets are zipped up because there can be pickpockets. Don't lose sight of your belongings on the train or on the original bus. Respect etiquette. It's very easy. Simply do not make a lot of noise. If you're listening to music, use headphones. Likewise, if you're making a phone calls, use headphones. And don't eat food that smells quite strong. Don't occupy three seats for yourself and your luggage, especially on a train, on a train or an a bus that it's rather crowded. Don't always rely on the timetable. Remember the timetable here in Sardinia changes a lot between winter and summer. Summer usually means more train and bus rides compared to the winter. Finally, if you can, and this is especially valid for trains, book your tickets in advance to secure a seat. Remember that the word for ticket in Italian is is bilieto, B I, G L, E double T, O station is stazione, S T A Z, I O N E and train is treno T R E N O this brings me to the end of my episode. Let me remind you that if you ever need more tips to help you plan your trip to Sardinia, you can book a one hour consultation with me. The link is in the episode description so make sure sure to read that. Of course, there's my blog, Sweetly Sardinia.com where you can find 100% free to read tips that will help you plan your trip. Next week I will tell you everything you need to know about the lovely Carlo Forte and the San Pietro island. Finally, if you like my podcast, share with your friends who are coming to Sardinia and give it a five star rating and a good review. And until next week, goodbye Sam.