Alghero Sardinia

Ships anchor in front of the harbour, with passengers tendered ashore to the town centre.

Alghero’s spacious gulf and port occupy an enchanting setting long familiar to tourists. Its coastline includes secluded bays, small inlets edged by plentiful pine forest, and tall jagged rocks washed by an emerald-green sea. Inland, luxuriant vineyards yield some of Sardinia’s most aromatic wines.

Alghero takes its name from Aleguerium, a mediaeval Latin term meaning “stagnation of algae”.

Alghero is Sardinia’s large, lively fishing port on the northwestern coast; Sardinia itself is the Mediterranean’s second-largest island after Sicily. A Genoan family founded the city in the 12th Century. Less contrived than other Sardinian resorts, it retains a long Catalan connection following Aragon’s conquest in 1353, so street names appear in both Catalan and Italian. Its old centre resembles an ancient Italian town, sometimes compared with Sorrento or San Remo, and its cobbled streets are packed with boutiques, bars and restaurants. A lookout can also be visited...

Seven defensive towers dominate the walls around Alghero. Porta Terra, also called the Jewish Tower, is among the most prominent.

North of the Old Town and marina, Alghero has a long, well-maintained sandy shoreline, including the long white Maria Pia beach along the Fertilia road. This family-friendly beach runs for a few kilometers, with shallow water that gradually shelves. Hotels, bars, cafés and shops line the road opposite the entire beach; non-motorized boats, pedalos and other equipment are available to hire, as are sunbeds in many locations.

The walled, truly old part of the city makes for a pleasant hour’s walk among souvenir shops, restaurants and ice cream parlors. Explore on foot, on the little train, or by horse and cart; the latter two begin and end at the tender point.

Buses run around and between Sardinia’s towns. Cagliari’s main ARST intercity station is at Piazza Matteotti, while PANI buses for various towns depart from Stazione Marittima; its ticket office is inside the port building. Sunday bus services are infrequent.

Alghero is the third highest rated port among Europe’s top ten ports, in Sardinia’s northwest corner. Its Catalan past still shapes the language, architecture and culture. From here, guests can see Castelsardo, the twelfth-century fortress town known for cliff-top views.

Excursion boats leave the waterfront beside the Old Town walls for Grotte di Nettuno, or Neptune’s Caves. The journey is 1-1/2 to 2 hours; the modest fare covers only the boat, and entry to the grotto costs another 10 euros or so.

There are many excellent places for scuba diving or snorkelling, while the park also has hiking trails and rock climbing.

The cliff-hugging road from Alghero to Bosa is spectacular, with beautiful beaches appearing around each bend.

The Old Town’s shops largely sell local coral jewellery or scoops of gelato. Pecorino cheese, Mirto liqueur and wines are also popular with tourists. Before purchasing red coral jewellery, visitors should consider its potential environmental damage to coral reefs.

Most shops shut from 12:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.

The currency is the Euro.

Many Sardinians speak both Italian and Sardinian, the latter closer to Latin than Italian. Sardinian is more common in smaller towns and villages, while some Alghero residents use a version of Catalan.

In Italy, most shops and businesses trade Monday to Saturday from around 8am to 1pm, then from about 4pm to 7pm. Many close on Saturday afternoons and Monday mornings; in the south, the day may begin and finish an hour later. Some northern businesses keep 9am-5pm hours to support international dealings. Traditionally, all but bars and restaurants close on Sunday, although most towns have a pasticceria open in the morning and Sunday opening is becoming more common in large cities and tourist areas.