Day 9 · Saturday

Day 9 · Sat 7 NovFly home

An early start on fast roads to Cagliari airport. Fill the tank, drop the car, and fly home via Bologna.

Alarm05:30
Leave06:15first light ≈ 06:30
Driving≈ 65 km≈ 1 h 15
Car back07:30–07:45Multipiano
Flight09:20FR19 → BLQ
Home19:40Eindhoven

Before you set off

  • Alarm at 05:30. Bags packed and in the car the night before.
  • Check your rental company’s early-return procedure. At CAG only Avis, Budget and Maggiore open at 07:30, and Avis/Budget have a 24 h key box. Sixt advertises 24 h return (keys to its check-in cabin). Hertz, Europcar, Goldcar, Sicily by Car and Locauto open at 08:00, and most have no key box, so get the company’s written OK for a 07:30 drop now.
  • Ryanair boarding passes on your phones; hand luggage only.
  • Photograph the car (all sides, the dashboard and the fuel gauge) at the return bay, and keep the fuel receipt.

Step by step

  1. 06:15Drive

    Villasimius → Eni, Elmas

    63 km · 1 h 15
    SP19SS125varSS554SS130
    1. It’s dark until about 06:30 (sunrise 06:56). Leave on the SP19 (about 11 km over the hills) to the SS125var.
    2. West on the SS125var for 22.5 km, then the SS554 ring road round Cagliari for about 24 km, through the junctions at Quartucciu and Monserrato.
    3. At the end, follow Aeroporto / Elmas.
    Eni, SS130 at the Elmas exit

    About 1.5 km from the terminal. Its opening hours aren’t listed, but self-service pumps usually take cards 24 h. If it’s closed: the Eni and Q8 Easy on the Cagliari side (39.24131, 9.09707), both 24/7 self-service.

    Cost: Fill to full

    Navigate here ↗Pin39.25825, 9.07260

  2. 07:30Drive

    Fuel station → Rental return

    2 km · 5 min
    SS130
    1. Follow Car Rental Return / Autonoleggi to the multi-storey car park (Multipiano) next to the terminal. The company bays and cabins are inside. Reviewers say the ramp is confusing, so go slowly and read the signs.
    CAG car rental return (Multipiano)

    Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Goldcar and others have bays here; most rental desks are in the Palazzina Autonoleggi next to it (Sixt is at 39.25385, 9.06095). From the car park it’s a 2–3 minute walk to the terminal.

    Cost: Included in the rental

    Navigate here ↗Pin39.25609, 9.06023

  3. 07:451Airport

    Terminal and security

    Hand luggage only, so straight to security. Breakfast airside. Boarding usually closes 30 min before departure, around 08:50.

  4. 09:202Fly

    FR19 Cagliari → Bologna, then FR788 to Eindhoven

    Arrive Bologna 10:40. Seven hours in Bologna: the Marconi Express shuttle to Bologna Centrale takes about 8 min, so there’s time for lunch and the towers. FR788 leaves Bologna at 17:50 and lands in Eindhoven at 19:40.

If things change

If you’re late leaving

Leaving at 06:45 still gets you to the terminal by about 08:15. Skip refuelling only if your rental is “full-to-full” with an acceptable refuelling charge, which is usually expensive.

Bad weather or roadworks

The inland route (SP19, SS125var, SS554) is the most reliable. Don’t use the SP17 coast road in the dark or in rain.