Best Things to Do in Alghero: What We Did and What We Loved

The Best Things to Do in Alghero: Why We Loved This Town

If you are planning a trip to Sardinia and wondering whether Alghero deserves a spot on your itinerary, the short answer is yes.

We visited Alghero as part of a west Sardinia road trip, and it quickly became one of our favourite stops on the island.

What we remember most from arriving is the view from the city walls across the water toward the cliffs of Capo Caccia and the green stretch of the Porto Conte Natural Park.

The old town itself is compact and easy to walk through, with narrow alleys, plenty of local independent shops, and a real Italian atmosphere.

What makes Alghero a little different from other Sardinian towns is its Catalan identity, something you notice on the menus, in the architecture, and occasionally in conversation between locals.

In this blog post, we’ll share our top picks for things to do in Alghero.

• 1. Old Town and the Bastioni
• 2. Neptune’s Grotto
• 3. Capo Caccia
• 4. Go Sailing
• 5. Beaches Near Alghero
• 6. Catalan Food
• 7. Nuraghe Palmavera & Sella e Mosca Winery
• 8. Day Trips from Alghero

Our Top 3 Hotel Picks in Alghero:

• Luxury: Villa Las Tronas Hotel & SPA
• Mid-Range: Mesbeglia Luxury Rooms
• Budget: RelaisApartments PORTO

Before You Go: A Few Things Worth Knowing

When to visit

The best time to visit Alghero is May, June, or September. We were there in summer, and while the weather was great, the crowds and heat are real factors.

The town’s population can almost quadruple during peak season, which means busier beaches, higher prices, and restaurants that fill up fast. September is probably the sweet spot if you want warm water without the peak season chaos.

How to get there

Alghero has its own airport, Fertilia (AHO), with direct connections from several European cities, mostly served by budget carriers like Ryanair. That is the most convenient option if you are flying in just for Alghero.

We flew into Olbia (OLB) because it suited our wider road trip around west Sardinia.

The drive from Olbia to Alghero took us around 2 hours, though navigation apps tend to be optimistic about that.

Sardinian drivers move fast and do not always worry too much about speed limits. We stuck to the rules, which earned us a few horns from the cars behind us. Factor in a little extra time and enjoy the drive.

Do you need a car

Yes. For the old town, the restaurants, and the city walls, you do not need one. Everything inside Alghero is walkable.

But for Neptune’s Grotto, Capo Caccia, the beaches further out, and any day trips, a car makes a real difference.

A local beach bus (Cattogno beach bus) runs from May to September and covers the main beaches, but it runs on its own schedule.

The Price for the bus is around €5 ($6) per single trip, €8 ($9) for a full day, €24 ($28) for 4 days, and €40 ($46) for 7 days.

We had a rental car for the entire trip, picked up straight at the airport, and would not have done it any other way.

How long to spend

2 to 3 days is the right amount if you want to see Alghero properly without rushing. That gives you time for the old town, an afternoon at the coast, a morning at Neptune’s Grotto, and at least one day trip.

A full week works well if you are using Alghero as a base for exploring the wider northwest coast.

Where to stay

We were based in Hotel Rosa Dei Venti in Lu Bagnu, close to Castelsardo, for our road trip, and visited Alghero as part of the route.

If you are focusing on Alghero itself, staying in or close to the old town is the right call.

We compare the historic center, Pivarada, La Pietraia, and the other main options in our complete Alghero neighborhood guide.

A few well-regarded options in different price ranges worth looking at are Mesbeglia Luxury Rooms for a mid-range pick close to the historic centre, and Villa Las Tronas, a converted villa on the waterfront for those who want something more special.

1. Old Town and the Bastioni

The old town of Alghero is small enough to cover in a morning, but easy enough to enjoy that you will probably end up doing it twice. We were there on our first day, and it set the tone for the whole visit.

We got to the city walls (Bastioni) early, around 9 or 10 in the morning, and had them almost entirely to ourselves. That surprised us. In most Mediterranean towns, anything worth seeing is crowded by 9 am.

Here it was quiet, and that made it genuinely enjoyable rather than something to get through. Later in the day, it picked up, but it never felt overwhelming in the way that some old towns in Croatia or Greece can.

From the walls, you get a clear view across the water toward the cliffs of Capo Caccia and the Porto Conte Natural Park.

We were already planning to go there the next day, and seeing it in the distance from the walls made us look forward to it even more.

The streets behind the walls are worth taking slowly. There are plenty of small independent shops selling local food, wine, and ceramics.

One street that really stayed with us is Carrer dels Hebreus, a narrow lane decorated with flowers that has a look unlike anything else in the old town. It is a short street, but worth taking a quick picture.

Also worth stopping at: the Cattedrale di Santa Maria, Alghero’s main cathedral with its distinctive bell tower, and the Piazza Civica, the main square at the entrance to the old town, where locals tend to gather in the evening.

2. Neptune’s Grotto

Neptune’s Grotto (Grotta di Nettuno) is one of the most visited attractions in Sardinia, and for good reason. The cave sits at the base of the Capo Caccia cliffs, about 24km (15 miles) from Alghero, and getting there is half the experience.

Boat or stairs: which should you choose? Here’s How to Decide

You have two options. The boat departs from Alghero harbour, takes around 40 minutes each way, and costs approximately €18 ($20) for the crossing. The cave ticket is separate and purchased at the harbour before boarding.

Boats run from April to October and are weather-dependent. If you go by boat, your cave entry slot is tied to the boat schedule, so no separate pre-booking is needed.

We took the stairs, and we would do it again without hesitation. The staircase is called the Escala del Cabirol (Roe Deer Staircase), and it has 654 steps carved into the cliff face. It sounds like a lot, but the descent is completely manageable.

It is honestly one of the most scenic staircases we have ever walked. The views of the coastline and the water below get better with every turn, and we did not want it to end.

That said, the stairs are fully exposed to the sun, and in summer heat, that changes things quickly. Bring water, wear a hat, and go early in the day if you can.

One practical note: entry is by timed slot, and a reservation is recommended if you go by stairs. According to the official Neptune’s Grotto site, you need to arrive at the top 40 minutes before your slot to allow time for the descent. Book in advance at Alghero Experience.

Inside the cave

We will be honest: we originally came for the staircase and thought the cave would be a bonus. It turned out to be much more impressive than we expected.

The extent of it is surprising. There are enormous stalactites and stalagmites, still underground pools that reflect the light, and chambers that go deeper than you can see.

The guided tour lasts around 45 minutes, and the temperature inside stays at a constant 18°C (64°F) year-round, which feels like a relief after the stairs in summer heat.

Especially inside the cave, there are naturally a lot of other people, so it’s very crowded. But it’s still impressive. We didn’t understand much of the audio guide, though, because of the cave’s acoustics.

Here’s a tip based on our experience: be one of the last people to leave the cave on your way back out.

The group heads back up the stairs in a relatively orderly and determined manner. We were among the last to head back, and when we turned around, the entire path was suddenly empty, as you can see in our photos.

So if you want to take a great photo with a few people in it, we highly recommend being one of the last ones there.

After the cave: Belvedere Foradada and the hike

After Neptune’s Grotto, it is worth driving a short distance to the Belvedere Foradada viewpoint.

There is a car park right at the viewpoint, and from there you get sweeping views of Isola Foradada, including the natural arch of the Gruta dels Coloms visible from the right angle. Great for photos.

From the same car park, there is a trail up toward the Grotta delle Brocche Rotte. We started the climb and got roughly halfway up before turning back because of the heat.

A few things worth knowing before you attempt it: there is no marked trail, the path is steep, and there are no fences or barriers at the edges of the cliff.

It is not impossible, but it is not casual either. Wear proper shoes, do not go alone, and stay well back from the edges. The views from halfway up were already better than anything from the car park below, so even a partial climb is worth it.

3. Capo Caccia

Getting to Capo Caccia is half the experience. The route takes you along the SP55 road through the Porto Conte Natural Park, and the drive alone is worth doing even if you have no destination at the end of it.

The road runs along the edge of the Porto Conte bay, and on the way, you pass a series of small coves with water that sits somewhere between turquoise and deep blue, depending on the light. We kept slowing down to look.

The whole area around Capo Caccia, the bay, the cliffs, and the natural park, is really one connected landscape rather than a series of separate stops. We did the drive, Neptune’s Grotto, and Belvedere Foradada all in the same morning, and it worked perfectly as a half-day trip from Alghero.

We were actually a little sad to find out that the lighthouse area at the tip of the headland is a military zone and closed to visitors; it looked like a great spot from a distance.

4. Go Sailing

We will be upfront: our sailing trip got canceled due to bad weather. So this is not a firsthand account, but sailing comes up so consistently as one of the best things to do in Alghero that leaving it out would not be doing you a favour.

What we can say is that we have done plenty of boat trips in other destinations, from Croatia to Greece, and a good sailing day on clear Mediterranean water is hard to beat.

The setup is typically a half-day or full-day trip on a small boat, accessing quiet coves along the coast that you cannot reach by car. Most trips include a swim stop and either lunch or an aperitivo on board. The coastline around Alghero, especially toward Capo Caccia and the Porto Conte bay, is best appreciated from the water, and the small-boat operators tend to go where the bigger tour boats cannot.

When looking for a trip, pay attention to group size. Anything above 12 people starts to feel more like a bus tour than a sailing trip. Look for operators with a flexible itinerary and snorkelling included.

5. The Beaches Near Alghero: Which One Is Right for You

There are several beaches within easy reach of Alghero, and they are quite different from each other. Here is how they break down.

Spiaggia di Maria Pia

Maria Pia is a long sandy beach backed by pine trees, a short drive north of the old town. It is one of the more organised beaches around Alghero, with beach bars and facilities nearby.

We spent an afternoon here and loved it, though maybe not for the reasons you would expect.

What made it was watching the locals. Sardinians take the beach seriously.

We showed up with a towel and a backpack. The families around us arrived with tents, folding tables, chairs, coolers, and enough food for a wedding.

Everyone seemed to know everyone else, the kids ran between groups, and the whole scene had a relaxed social energy that you do not get on the more touristy beaches.

Spiaggia di Porto Ferro

Porto Ferro was probably our favourite beach around Alghero. It is wilder and less organised than Maria Pia, surrounded by dunes, pine forest, and low cliffs.

The sand has a distinctive golden-orange colour that looks different from the white beaches you see elsewhere on the island.

The waves here are proper waves, which made it perfect for us to swim and dive in. The atmosphere was more relaxed and less set up, more people like us with just a towel and a backpack, rather than a full beach camp.

It never felt crowded, and the combination of the water, the dunes, and the colour of the sand made it feel like a wilder, more authentic side of Sardinia.

It is also worth knowing that Porto Ferro is one of the few dog-friendly beaches in the area.

Other beaches worth knowing about

We did not visit all of the beaches around Alghero, but a few others come up consistently and are worth a mention:

Spiaggia delle Bombarde is part of the Porto Conte bay, a short drive from town. The water is clear and good for snorkelling. More of a scenery beach than a swimming beach.

Spiaggia di Lazzaretto sits just north of Bombarde and has more of a cove feel. Slightly calmer and less visited than the main beaches.

Spiaggia di San Giovanni is right at the edge of the old town, walkable from the city centre. Convenient if you want a quick swim without getting in the car.

6. Try the Catalan Influence on the Menu

Before we get into specifics, it is worth understanding why the food in Alghero looks a little different from the rest of Italy. The town was colonised by the Crown of Aragon in the 14th century, and that Catalan influence never fully left. You see it in the architecture, you hear traces of it in the local dialect, and you taste it on the menu.

What to order

The signature dish is Aragosta alla Catalana, Catalan-style lobster. It is expensive, but it is the one thing everyone points to as the definitive Alghero meal.

Paella algherese is the local version of paella, made with Sardinian seafood rather than the Spanish original. Worth trying for the difference.

Fregola is a toasted semolina pasta unique to Sardinia, typically served in a seafood broth, and one of the more interesting things you will eat on the island.

Bottarga, cured mullet roe grated over pasta, appears on menus everywhere and is a Sardinian staple worth trying if you have not had it before.

For wine, Vermentino di Sardegna is the local white, crisp and slightly bitter, and it pairs well with everything on the menu.

Where we ate

We spent an afternoon at Cafè Latino, a street food bar in the old town with a great atmosphere and a good spot to sit and watch the world go by.

We only had cold drinks, which on a hot Sardinian afternoon was exactly what we needed. The service was not the fastest, but the setting made up for it.

Where we want to eat next time

There are a few places we did not get to but have on our list for the next visit.

Prosciutteria Sant Miquel for cured meats and local produce.

Ristorante Da Musciora Danilo Delrio for a more traditional Sardinian sit-down meal.

And Ristorante Angedras Sea View Bistro for the combination of good food and a view over the water.

7. Nuraghe Palmavera & Sella e Mosca Winery

We did not have time for these on our visit, but both came up enough in our research that they deserve a mention.

Nuraghe Palmavera

About 10km (6 miles) from Alghero, Nuraghe Palmavera is one of the best-preserved Bronze Age nuraghe complexes on the island, dating back around 3,500 years.

A nuraghe is a type of ancient stone tower unique to Sardinia, and this site has one of the most complete surrounding villages still intact.

If you have a half-day spare and any interest in Sardinia’s prehistoric past, this is worth adding. A local guide is recommended to give the site proper context.

Sella e Mosca Winery

On the outskirts of Alghero, Sella e Mosca is one of Sardinia’s oldest and most respected wine estates, producing some of the island’s best-known bottles.

The winery offers tours and tastings, and the grape to look out for is Torbato, a white variety grown almost nowhere else in the world.

If wine is your thing, this is a genuine half-day worth adding to your itinerary. Book in advance.

8. Day Trips from Alghero

Alghero is a great base for exploring nearby towns.

Castelsardo

If you do one day trip from Alghero, make it Castelsardo. It is about 100km (62 miles) northeast along the coast, roughly an hour and a half by car, and it was honestly the prettiest town we found in the whole of Sardinia. Possibly in all of Italy.

The town sits on a rocky promontory above the sea, with a medieval castle at the top and a tangle of narrow streets running down from it.

It officially belongs to I Borghi più belli d’Italia, the official list of Italy’s most beautiful villages, and from our own visit, we can say it earns that title.

Walking through the Castello district feels like stepping back in time. There are local artisans still weaving baskets from palm leaves, a tradition that has been kept alive here for centuries.

The Castello dei Doria at the top offers panoramic views of the coastline, and the Cathedral of Sant’Antonio Abate is right nearby and worth a look too.

We used Castelsardo as our base for our week in Sardinia and didn’t regret it. If you’d like to include it in your Sardinia road trip, feel free to check out our Western Sardinia itinerary.

Bosa

We did not visit Bosa ourselves, but it comes up consistently as one of the best day trips from Alghero and deserves a mention.

It is a pastel-coloured medieval town on the Temo river, about 45km (28 miles) south. The real draw is the SP49 coast road between Alghero and Bosa, a clifftop drive with almost no development along it that is consistently rated as one of the most scenic roads in Sardinia.

Worth it for the drive as much as the destination.

Final Thoughts on Alghero

We had a really great time in Alghero, and we would absolutely go back. The old town, the coastline around Capo Caccia, the beaches, it all came together better than we expected. We went there as part of a longer road trip, and honestly, it became one of our favourite stops on the whole island.

The one thing we did not manage was the sailing trip, and that is the first thing we are booking on the next visit.

If you are planning a trip to Sardinia, give Alghero at least 2 to 3 days. You will not regret it.

And if you have any questions about Alghero or the wider west Sardinia coast, drop them in the comments below. We read everything and always try to reply.