August in Sardinia: what closes, what changes, and how to plan around it
The first August catches everyone. You call the plumber and nobody answers. The dentist's recorded message says September. The pharmacy is open but the one you use isn't. Meanwhile the town has four times its normal population, parking has vanished and the beach road is a car park.
None of this is dysfunction. August here is a different season with different rules, and once you plan around it, it stops being a problem and becomes what it is for everyone else: the holiday.
What closes
- Trades. Plumbers, electricians, mechanics, builders — many take two to three weeks around Ferragosto. Those who stay are booked or charge accordingly.
- Professional offices. Commercialisti, some lawyers, notaries — reduced hours or closed. Anything with a deadline needs to be done in July.
- Small shops and non-tourist businesses. Hardware, tailors, opticians outside the centre.
- Some medical practices. Your GP may be away with a substitute (sostituto) covering — ask in July who that is and where they sit.
- Public offices run summer hours; appointments thin out.
What doesn't
- Pharmacies — the duty rota covers the whole month; the on-duty pharmacy is open every night. See pharmacy on duty.
- Emergency care — the hospital and 112 work normally.
- Supermarkets — most open, some with holiday hours; the 15th itself is quiet.
- Everything tourist-facing — restaurants, beach services, boat trips, and every event on the calendar. August is the busiest cultural month of the year.
What gets more expensive or impossible
Short-term rentals triple. Restaurants near the sea want booking. Parking in Alghero's centre is a competitive sport from 18:00. Car hire, if not booked months ahead, is either unavailable or absurd. And any tradesperson who does come out in August knows exactly what their time is worth.
The July checklist — do these before the shutters come down
- Anything with a deadline (tax, permits, school, insurance renewals) — done or delegated in July.
- Medical: prescriptions renewed, specialist appointments booked for September rather than attempted in August, and the name of your GP's substitute written down.
- House: air conditioning serviced, water system checked, gas bottles filled, pool or cistern sorted. A breakdown on 10 August is a two-week breakdown.
- For second-home owners: agree with your caretaker or neighbour who is around, and confirm the water delivery schedule if you're off the mains.
- Bins: collection calendars often change for the summer — check the current one.
- Book the restaurant table you'll want on the 15th. Yes, now.
And the good part
August is when this place is at its best if you stop fighting it: festivals in every village, the sagre with food you can't get the rest of the year, open-air cinema, sea temperature at its peak, and evenings that don't end. The events calendar is fullest it will ever be — which is exactly why the Friday edition doubles in size for the month.
The trick is simple: treat July as your admin month and August as your holiday, like everyone who has lived here longer than a year.
Practices vary by business and year. Confirm closures directly with each service in July. Last reviewed: September 2026.