Just inside Porta a Mare, Piazza Civica is Alghero’s showcase square. In a former life it was the administrative heart of the medieval city, but where Spanish aristocrats once met to debate affairs of empire, tourists now converge to browse jewellery displays in elegant shop windows, eat gelati and drink at the city’s grandest cafe – Caffè Costantino. It occupies the ground floor of the Gothic Palazzo d’Albis, where the Spanish emperor Charles V famously stayed in 1541.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
28.54 MILES
About 2.5km north of Stintino, the Spiaggia della Pelosa is a dreamy image of beach perfection: a salt-white strip of sand lapped by shallow, turquoise…
0.15 MILES
Alghero's golden sea walls, built around the centro storico by the Aragonese in the 16th century, are a highlight of the town's historic cityscape…
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17.44 MILES
Sassari's premier museum, housed in a grand Palladian villa, has a comprehensive archaeological collection and an ethnographical section dedicated to…
0.07 MILES
Rising above the historic centre, the Cattedrale di Santa Maria's 16th-century campanile is one of Alghero's signature landmarks. The tower, accessible…
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8.09 MILES
Capo Caccia's principal crowd-puller is the Grotta di Nettuno, a haunting fairyland of stalactites and stalagmites. The easiest way to get to the caves is…
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7.65 MILES
This reserve, just west of Porto Conte at the base of Monte Timidone (361m), is a beautiful pocket of uncontaminated nature. Encompassing 12 sq km of…
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17.46 MILES
Signposted off the SS131 between Sassari and Porto Torres, Monte d’Accoddi is a unique Neolithic temple. Unlike anything else in the Mediterranean basin …
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17.43 MILES
Sassari’s largest piazza is one of Sardinia’s most impressive public spaces. Covering about a hectare, it is surrounded by imposing 19th-century buildings…
Nearby Alghero attractions
0.01 MILES
Overlooking Piazza Civica, this Gothic palace was the governor's residence and famously hosted the Spanish emperor Charles V in 1541. It's now home to the…
0.02 MILES
This gateway, one of two entrances to the medieval city, links Piazza Civica with the marina, passing through the city walls.
3. Museo Diocesano d’Arte Sacra
0.04 MILES
This museum of religious art, in the former Oratorio del Rosario, houses religious artefacts from the Cattedrale di Santa Maria, including silverware,…
0.05 MILES
Also known as the Torre di Garibaldi, this tower was incorporated into the Forte della Maddalena in the late 16th century.
0.05 MILES
To the north of the old town, the Forte della Maddalena is the sole survivor of three forts built at the end of the 16th century to bolster the city's…
0.06 MILES
Overlooking Piazza Duomo, Alghero’s oversized Cattedrale di Santa Maria appears out of place with its pompous neoclassical facade and fat Doric columns…
0.07 MILES
Rising above the historic centre, the Cattedrale di Santa Maria's 16th-century campanile is one of Alghero's signature landmarks. The tower, accessible…
0.09 MILES
Alghero's finest church is a model of architectural harmony. Originally built to a Catalan Gothic design in the 14th century, it was later given a…