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Travel Insurance Sardinia

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Sardinia Country Guide

  1. CountryFacts
  2. Health
  3. Media
  1. Intro
  2. Geography
  3. People
  4. Travel
  5. Embassies & Visas
  6. Finance
  7. Cities/Regions

Quick Facts

Region: Italy - Mediterranean

Full Name: Autonomous Region of Sardinia
Capital City: Cagliari
Language Spoken: Spoken: Sardinian and Italian

Sardinia Travel Insurance

Get travel insurance to Sardinia from Direct Travel Insurance. We offer low cost and high quality travel insurance to Sardinia and most of the world.

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Geographic data

40? 00’N 09? 00’E

Elevation Extremes

Highest: Punta La Marmora - part of the Gennargentu Ranges in the middle of the island 1,834m (6,017 ft.)

Lowest Point: N/A

Land boundaries

No land boundaries - island

Natural hazards

Floods - In November 2013 Sardinia suffered from severe floods, lasting around 3 days and killing at least 18 people.

Many parts of the Italian Region lie on borders of tectonic plates meaning that they suffer from slight tremors daily and occasional earthquakes.

Natural resources

Italy:

Mercury, Natural Gas, Coal, Zinc and Marble are just some of Italy’s natural resources.

Land use

Italy:

Arable Land: 22.57%

Permanent Crops: 8.37%

Other: 69.07% (2011)

Environmental current issues

Italy:

Air pollution, acid rain and insufficient industrial waste disposal.

Climate

Sardinia has typical Mediterranean weather: with it also being just North of Tunisia, it has hot and dry summers with summer temperatures averaging at around 28? c, and shorter, wet winters with some minor snowfall across the higher lands. The spring usually brings with it heavy showers, however these do not last too long as typically their summers begin around May.

Time difference

Sardinia is 1 hour ahead of The UK.

Population

As of January 1st 2015, Sardinia’s population was 1.663 million.

Age structure

Italy:

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 4,340,943/female 4,154,547)

15-24 years: 9.8% (male 3,046,202/female 3,028,190)

25-54 years: 43% (male 13,107,098/female 13,405,812)

55-64 years: 12.4% (male 3,703,329/female 3,942,261)

65 years and over: 21% (male 5,548,047/female 7,403,693) (2014 est.)

Median age

Italy:

Male: 43.3 years

Total: 44.5 years

Female: 45.6 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate

Italy:

0.3% (2014 est.)

Birth rate

Italy:

8.84 births//1,000 population (2014 est.)

Death rate

Italy:

10.1 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Net migration rate

Italy:

4.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Sex ratio

Italy:

At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female

Total Population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Sardinia:

Total: 81 years

Female: 85 years

Male: 78

Total fertility rate

Sardinia:

1.087 births per woman - Sardinia has the second-lowest birth rate in the Italian region.

Business Practices

A straightforward handshake is the recommended greeting when meeting someone new in the business world. However kissing on the cheek from left to right is the usual greeting for someone who you are slightly closer to.

The British FCDO recommend that companies looking to do business in the regions of Italy contact The Overseas Business Risk Service. This is so that they can obtain advice and information on how to deal with any economical and political uncertainties, and any other queries that they may have.

Crime

Italian regions have seen a rise in ATM skimming devices. Italian Law Enforcement Authorities are working closely with The U/S. Secret Service in Rome and have come up with some ways to protect people from this crime:

Only use well lit cashpoints

Use your other hand as a shield when entering your PIN.

Look at the cash point before using it looking for any suspicious looking devices or irregularities.

Watch your bank transactions thoroughly for any wrongful transactions.

Hotels

The capital, Cagliari has 351 hotels, with Alghero having 476 hotels, and San Teodoro having 215. Sardinia has 510 family hotels, 423 spa hotels, and 289 romantic hotels, so there is a wide variety to choose from. The Islands is also home to well-known hotel chains including 1 Best Western hotel, 1 Mercure hotel and 1 Holiday Inn hotel.

Communications

Wi-fi and internet access are available in most hotel and accommodation businesses. Although there are internet cafes in the main cities such as Cagliari and Alghero, they are not as common as they used to be, due to wi-fi now being so available.

The postal system in Italy is reasonably good, however due to the distance from Sardinia to Italy, it understandably takes a little longer.

Electricity

Sardinia use 2 pin plugs with 220-240 volts. It is advised that you take with you a regular European plug adaptor if you plan to use any pieces of technology or gadgets.

Plug Types

Types F and L

Food And Dining

Sardinian night life is all about socialising, relaxing and drinking wine. Sardinian cuisine is simple yet packed with lively flavours. They use a lot of seafood (Sardines get their name from Sardinia) and meat in their cooking, however they offer a good variety of vegetarian meals using ingredients including pasta and vegetables. When eating out, Sardinians like to make it a big family event.

Entry departure requirements

If you are traveling straight from a non EU country then you are required to declare any money over €10,000.

Visa immigration information

In 2015, there were 45,079 residents in Sardinia from external countries, assembling 2.71% of the country’s total population.

In 2014 the top foreign nationalities living in Sardinia included:

Romania - 13,446

Morocco 4,319

Senegal 3,799

China - 3,224

Ukraine - 2,133

Philippines - 1,935

Germany - 1,257

Poland - 1,057

Pakistan - 879

Bangladesh - 858

Albania - 683

Bosnia and Herzegovina - 662

France - 651

Taiwan - 102

Passports

Your passport should be valid for how long you intend to stay in Sardinia.

Visas

British Nationals do not require a Visa when travelling to Sardinia.

Types of visa and cost

N/A

Validity

Your passport should be valid for the duration of your trip to Sardinia.

Application to

N/A

Application requirements

N/A

Working days required

Na/

HIV entry requirements

There are currently no entry restrictions for people with HIV when entering Sardinia.

Departure tax

There is no departure tax when leaving Sardinia.

Embassies

The Italian Embassy UK:

Address: 14 Three Kings’ Year

London

W1K 4EH

Tel: 020 7312 2200

Opening Times: 9am-1pm Monday to Friday

Website: www.amblondra.esteri.it/ambasciata_londra/it/


The Italian Consulate UK:

Address: 83-86 Farringdon Street,

London,

EC4A 4B

Tel: 020 7936 5900

Opening Times: 9am-12pm Monday to Friday

Website: www.conslondra.esteri.it/Consolato_Londra


The Italian Embassy US:

Address: 3000 Whitehaven Street,

NW Washington,

DC 20008

British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Italy:

The British FCDO warn that although most trips to Italian regions are trouble free, demonstrations may take place with ‘little or no warning.’ It is advised by them to avert any marches, protests and political gatherings.

The terrorism threat towards Italy remains at a general level.

Website: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy

US Department of State

The US Department of State warn that terror threats are possible towards tourists.

Website: travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/italy.html

Currency

The currency used in Sardinia is The Euro..

Currency restrictions

If you are traveling straight from a non EU country then you are required to declare any money over €10,000.

Banking hours

Italian banks are usually open Monday to Friday from 8:30am - 1:30pm and 3:00pm to 4:00pm. Banks are not usually open on Saturdays.

Currency exchange

£1.00 = €1.30 (at present May 2016)

Credit cards

Although it is always a safe option to carry around some cash, the usual well known brands of credit cards such as Visa and Mastercard are accepted in Italy. However, American Express is still not as broadly accepted.

Italian regions have seen a rise in ATM skimming devices. Italian Law Enforcement Authorities are working closely with The U/S. Secret Service in Rome and have come up with some ways to protect people from this crime:

Only use well lit cashpoints

Use your other hand as a shield when entering your PIN.

Look at the cash point before using it looking for any suspicious looking devices or irregularities.

Watch your bank transactions thoroughly for any wrongful transactions.

Sardinia have a credit card charge of 2% on all transactions.

Travellers cheques

N/A

  1. Health Information
  2. Recent Disease Outbreak
  3. Hospital Database

Dental care

Dental care in Sardinia is mostly of a good standard.

Medication Availability

Pharmacies in Sardinia can be spotted with having a green cross outside of the shop. They can provide over-the-counter medication and informative advice. However it is strongly advised that you take a sufficient amount of any medication that you may be taking, enough to cover the duration of your trip, in order to rule out any unnecessary emergencies.

Blood supplies

N/A

Medical facilities

Although medical facilities are available, they are most likely to be more sparse the further you go out of the towns and cities.

As well as private travel insurance, each British National should have an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card). You can get your EHIC by phone (0845 606 2030), online or from the Post Office. Having an EHIC will allow you to access the basic health care provided in Sardinia, at a discounted rate. You should note that The EHIC will not cover you for any medical repatriation, non urgent treatment, or any ongoing treatments. As the EHIC does not cover every aspect of medical treatment, it is crucial that you take out sufficient medical insurance. 118 is the number to call for the Sardinian Emergency Ambulance Services should you need their assistance.

The number to dial for emergency fire assistance is 115

The number to dial for an ambulance is 118

The number to dial for the police is 113

General caution

The tap water in Sardinia is fine to drink, however many locals prefer to drink bottled mineral water. Although the tap water in Sardinia is safe to drink, it is advised to stick to drinking bottled water. This is because the change from British tap water to Italian tap water may affect some travellers stomachs for a few days.

Specific concerns

There are currently no specific health concerns for Sardinia.

Immunization

When travelling to Sardinia, you should be up-to-date with your routine jabs including MMR, Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria and your yearly flu jab. It is also advised to be vaccinated against Rabies, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, preferably 4-6 weeks before you are due to travel. It is always best to check with your GP to make sure you are up-to-date with your vaccinations, and to see whether or not they can recommend any other vaccinations to have that might be applicable to the country's present disease risk situation.

Disease risk summary

There are currently no major disease risks in Sardinia, however it is always best to check with your GP to make sure you are up-to-date with your vaccinations, and to see whether or not they can recommend any other vaccinations to have that might be applicable to the country's present disease risk situation.

Entry requirements

There are currently no medical entry requirements needed to enter Sardinia.

Recent disease outbreaks

Sardinia have recently had cases of West Nile Virus (2011). WNV is transmitted by mosquitoes which have caught it from feeding off of infected birds. It is spread to humans from the bite of the mosquito. You should take mosquito prevention methods when travelling to Sardinia, such as wearing mosquito repellent spray, using repellant wipes and wristbands, and covering up with light and baggy clothing.

 

Media

Newspapers

L’Unione Sarda is the oldest newspaper in Sardinia. It was established in 1889 and has an average daily distribution of 44,414.