The 12 best things to do in Alghero, Sardinia

A gem of Sardinia’s northwest, Alghero is a perfectly preserved seaside fortress, its historic honey-colored center wrapped within the solid embrace of medieval ramparts, on which locals and tourists now stroll in the golden evening light as they admire the cliffs of Capo Caccia. 

Arriving in Alghero from Olbia or Cagliari, you’ll feel closer to Barcelona rather than Italy. This fortified Catalan stronghold retains a distinctly Spanish feel as well as its own officially recognized minority language.

The waters around the city harbor healthy seagrass meadows – the name Alghero is derived from alghe, meaning seaweed. Lobster trapping and coral diving are still mainstays of the economy, alongside one of Sardinia’s most vibrant tourist scenes.

Now that you’ve booked your trip, here are the best things to do in this special corner of Sardinia.

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1. Take a boat to Grotta di Nettuno (Neptune’s Cave)

From March to October, one of the most popular activities in Alghero is the boat trip along the gorgeous northern coast. Your destination? The dramatic limestone headland of Capo Caccia and the Grotta di Nettuno, the largest sea-cave complex in the Mediterranean. 

Ferry operator Navisarda has departures for the cave every hour between 9am and 5pm; their vessels carry 240 passengers and the round trip takes 2½ hours. You’ll need to buy a separate ticket for the 40-minute tour through the cave's stalactite-covered interior once you disembark. Linea Grotte di Nettuno also offers regular service to the cave in smaller boats.

Detour: If time allows, consider one of Navisarda’s full-day cruises – on smaller, 45-passenger boats – instead. You’ll motor around to the headland to Cala de la Barca for a swim in the quiet cove, then putter around the islands of Piana and Foradada before heading to the Grotta di Nettuno for the tour. After the cave there’s a stop for lunch and by another swim stop at Cala Tramariglio before the return to Alghero.

2. Embrace Alghero’s beach life

North of Alghero’s yacht-jammed marina, Via Garibaldi arcs north to the town’s long, sandy beaches: Spiaggia di San Giovanni and Spiaggia di Maria Pia. Both are deep golden beaches, though San Giovanni is busier and is lined with lidos where you can hire umbrellas and sun loungers for around €20–25 (US$23–26) per day, depending on demand.

If you want to do more than just swim and sunbathe, hire windsurfers, SUPs and kayaks from Ocean Tribe Watersports, or rent a bicycle (and two-seater kids’ trailers if you need them) and scooters at Xtreme Alghero (late April to mid-October only).

Also at Spiaggia di San Giovanni, Rafel Restaurant & Lounge Bar, with its all-white decor and four-poster lido loungers, is the place to be seen and keep the party vibes going into the evening. 

Further north, the 1.2km-long (.75-mile-long) Spiaggia di Maria Pia is quieter and wilder, its dazzling white sand backed by fragrant umbrella pines. The turquoise water shelves off gradually, making it a family-friendly beach (it’s also wheelchair accessible). There are a couple of snack shacks and lidos, the best of which is Stabilimento Balneare Rosanna, with luxe padded loungers and great bar. At the northern end of this beach, you can stay at Camping Village Laguna Blu.

Planning tip: If you can’t choose which beach you prefer, perhaps book a spot at Camping La Mariposa, which has a prime location between the two, and tent sites and bungalows set amid pine trees. 

3. Dine on exquisite seafood

Eating out is a joy in Alghero. There’s a huge number of restaurants, trattorias, pizzerias and take-out spots (many in the historic center), and standards are generally high. Menus feature the full range of Sardinian staples, but seafood is the star. A local speciality is Catalan-style lobster, aragosta alla Catalana, served with tomato and onion.

If you’re in for a splurge, the Michelin-starred Ristorante da Musciora has an eight-course tasting menu that pays homage to local ingredients. Another upmarket seafood-focused restaurant, Nautilus has romantic views over the marina, and a stellar aragosta alla Catalana.

For a smart osteria buried in the backstreets, La Saletta serves three artfully presented menus (vegetarian, meat and seafood) full of clean seasonal flavors. 

Trattoria Lo Romanì is an attractive trattoria serving superior Sardinian fare, including a giant platter of Catalan-style crab pasta. More-laid-back dining can be found at Il Pesce d’Oro – a local favorite with wood-fired pizza and fab seafood feasts, starting with the flavor-packed mixed-fish antipasto.

Local tip: After a more homely vibe? Head to Mabrouk, a cozy, stone-walled restaurant owned by a fishing family where there are no menus to select from, but rather a multi-course bonanza of the day’s catch.

4. Discover the unique coral of Capo Caccia

Coral jewelry has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs and prehistoric European burial sites, and was once thought to be the blood of the gorgon Medusa. This explains why the the corals that grow in the deep off Capo Caccia are known as “red gorgonians.” These coral polyps are short and dense to withstand the drag of the sea, which means they have few air pockets – the sign of premium coral. 

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Coral has long been a source of wealth for Alghero, and coral fishing is strictly controlled, with only 25 divers permitted to harvest it. Visit the Museo del Corallo to explore Alghero’s coral history or visit the Corallium Rubrum ad Alghero to find accredited jewelers.

Local tip: One of Alghero’s finest coral jewelers, Agostino Marogna sells perfect sets of blood-red beads.

5. Meander like a local along the city ramparts

Alghero's golden bastioni (ramparts), complete with seven mighty defensive towers, were built by the Aragonese in the 16th century. They’re a highlight of the town’s historic cityscape, and are crowned with a pedestrianized path that commands superb westward views across the bay to Capo Caccia and the blue horizon.

Restaurants and bars line the walkway, providing the perfect perch for sitting back and lapping up the holiday atmosphere. Everyone comes for a stroll here at some point in the day, from morning joggers to couples enjoying romantic sunsets to locals enjoying their daily passeggiata (promenade).

6. Embark on a self-guided walking tour around medieval Alghero

Start at Torre di Sulis, a fortress tower named after Vincenzo Sulis, a 19th-century revolutionary who spent 22 years imprisoned within it. Then dive into the medieval maze along Via Carlo Alberto, stopping at the Complesso di San Francesco, a superb 15th-century Catalan-Gothic monastery with a bell tower you can climb. Continue past Palazzo Serra and turn left to see the Cattedrale di Santa Maria and admire its late-Renaissance interior.

Return to Piazza Civico, Alghero’s showcase square, where Spanish aristocrats once gathered to debate affairs. Have a coffee at Caffè Costantino (in a building where Emperor Charles V stayed in 1541), then drop out of the medieval warren to the marina beside Forte della Maddalena, built by the Genoese Doria family.

Walk all the way around the impressive ramparts from here via Bastione Magellano to Torre di Sant’Elmo (named for the patron saint of sailors). Continue on to Torre di San Marco and Torre di San Giacomo (opposite the 1644–1649 Chiesa di Nostra Signora del Carmelo, with its beautiful gilded retablo), and end at Chiesa di San Michele, a richly decorated Jesuit church.

7. Indulge in a night out in Alghero

Alghero’s drinking scene consists of elegant cafes, waterfront bars, hole-in-the wall cocktail joints, pubs and wine bars. Much of the action is in the historic center, though you’ll also find places on the sea walls and the seafront. Things do quiet considerably outside the summer season.

For a cocktail bar conjuring delicious mixes – the spicy Paloma is made with Espolòn Blanco tequila, and infused with habanero chile – head to Agavy, which hosts DJs in summer. Occupying a fabulous spot on a platform on the rocky shore beneath the ramparts, Riservato Beach Bar has sun loungers by day and cocktails and DJs at night in summer; reserve a spot ahead. On the ninth floor of Hotel Catalunya, the glass-walled Blau Skybar has the best views in town: enjoy the historic center laid out before you as you sip a good cocktail. 

For something more intimate, L’Altra Vineria is a wine bar on Via Principe Umberto offering unusual local wines by the glass accompanied by meat and cheese boards. Prosciutteria Sant Miquel is another model wine bar, with excellent charcuterie and cheese platters served with good glasses of local varietals. And if craft beer on tap and vintage vinyl is more your vibe, check out the highly rated Il Tocco del Prete. 

8. Time travel through church history 

Alghero's finest church is the Catalan-Gothic Complesso di San Francesco, a monastic complex officiated by the Franciscans. Wstablished in the late 14th century, it got a Renaissance facelift in 1593. This has left it with an interesting mix of period styles.

The lovely cloister, pentagonal presbytery and several side chapels are Gothic originals, while the magnificent polychrome high altar was fashioned by Gianbattista Franco in Genoa in 1773. On top of it stands a sculpture of the Madonna between St Francis and St Anthony of Padua; the trio glows an ethereal white in shafts of sunlight. Also notable is the sculpture of Christ at the Column. This sorrowful-looking Christ figure is a revered piece of sculpture carried during the Holy Week procession. (It’s known locally as lo rosegat, meaning “gnawed.”)

Note the chicory leaves, artichokes and vines that adorn the capitals of the columns. And along the left side of the nave are three gilded altars that were created in the local workshop of Agostino Masala in the 18th century.

Planning tip: You’ll pass through the sacristy to get to the cloister, which in summer makes a charming venue for small concerts. If the weather is nice, climb the bell tower for views over the historic center.

9. Ride the waves at Spiaggia di Porto Ferro

Spiaggia di Porto Ferro is a wild, unspoiled beach on the exposed western coastline near Alghero, where surfers congregate at Bonga Surf School to take lessons with Italian longboard champion Marco “Bonga” Pistidda and his brother Riccardo.

The surf classes and courses here are a reference point for surfers all over Sardinia; the school also hosts host the all-female Girl Surf Power contest. This is a brilliant place to learn or develop your technique, with courses carefully tailored to beginners, intermediate and advanced levels. The beach is perfectly hidden behind a thick tract of pine woods and overlooked by a Spanish tower.

Planning tip: If you want to stay longer, you can book a spot at Camping Village Torre del Porticciolo. Also on the beach here, a simple wooden shack serves cold beers to accompany the stunning sunsets.

10. Cycle Sardinia’s stunning coastal highway

Head off on a 108km (67-mile) round-trip cycling ride from Alghero on the SP105. To begin, you’ll be climbing gently to the viewpoint of Sa Mesa de S’Atentu, where you can snap pictures of the views looking back to Alghero. Continue to Riserva Naturale del Grifone, where (if you have binoculars) you can spot the griffon vultures on the cliffs above.

Next, cycle downhill to Ristorante Casa del Vento and stop for lunch beside the sea. Beyond the restaurant is the cove of Cala Cumpoltitu, where you can have a swim. From here the road heads into the macchia-covered hills for the final stretch into Bosa. Cross the River Temo, and turn right to Il Localino for a beachside spritz. 

If you can, overnight in Bosa and rise early to tackle the return on the SP19, which you find near Castello Malaspina. After climbing 500m (1640ft) up to the village of Montresta, whizz through and just after you exit take a hard left onto the SP12 toward Villanova Monteleone. After about 18km (11 miles), you’ll see the back of a sign pointing to a track on the left, down which you’ll find Nuraghe Appiu. Then, complete the final 10km (6.2 miles) to Villanova Monteleone.

If you need a drink, make a pitstop at Miky Bar in the quaint town center. From here, the final 26km (16km) stretch to Alghero involves a thrilling descent around hairpin bends on the SS292, with the forest greenery gradually receding to reveal sunny sea views.

11. Get out on the water and spot dolphins in the wild

The Marine Protected Area of Capo Caccia and Isola Piana is on Alghero’s doorstep, and numbers among the Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance. It’s also a favored playground for bottlenose dolphins. 

To see them, join Fabio and his team of marine biologists on one of Progetto Natura’s observation trips. Summer tours (June to October) combine dolphin watching with snorkeling in the marine park, while spring and autumn tours are just dedicated to dolphin watching.

On each of the trips, onboard scientists collect data about different pods and individual dolphins, monitoring their behavior and interactions. Usually, they also drop a hydrophone in the water to listen to them – and it’s thrilling to hear the dolphins communicate via whistles, clicks and loud broadband packets of sound called burst pulses. Scientists are still trying to determine if these constitute a language.

Detour: On windy days, boat trips get postponed. Instead, take a tour inland with Naturalghero. On the classic five-hour, 4WD off-road trip, you’ll disappear high up the mountainside behind Alghero, as you learn about endemic flora and venture into cork woods to see the ancient and sustainable practice of cork farming. Then you’ll explore Nuraghe Appiu before descending back to the coast to spot griffon vultures riding the thermals and sunning themselves by their nests. Finally, just as the sun is about to set, you’ll make your way to a secluded beach for a convivial sundowner. 

12. Taste regional wines around Alghero

Sardinia’s top wine producer, Sella e Mosca, has been based on a 650-hectare (1607-acre) estate since 1899. To learn more about its history, join the free afternoon tour. At Cantina Sociale di Santa Maria la Palma the spumante, white and red wines are made from local Cannonau and Cagnulari grapes. You can take a guided tour on request.

Another boutique winery to add to your itinerary, Cantina Rigàterri is run by three brothers, one of whom will take you on a tour before retiring to the lovely, vineyard-facing wine-tasting room. 

Planning tip: If you’d like to overnight at a wine resort, book a stay at Wine Resort Leda d’Ittiri, where the accommodation is surrounded by 18 hectares (44 acres) of vineyards and olive trees.

This article was adapted from Lonely Planet’s Sardinia guidebook, published in July 2025.