6199 Alghero

Alghero is quite small and could be visited in a day, however there are many attractions and areas of interest that can be easily reached by boat and the occasional bus (high season dependant!).

Alghero: If you like shopping; along Via Roma and neighbouring streets there is a range of boutiques and clothes shops – including many places for coral jewellery. Siesta is from half one until four and everywhere seems to follow this– however this was an off-season visit. If you like something less formal, the Wednesday market (just off the main road coming from the north of the town) has a selection of clothes, shoes, essential pasta kitchen items and a wealth of cheeses, fish and vegetables with a chip stand thrown in for good measure! This is definitely a place for bargaining with the locals and has a much more relaxed feel and is less busy than say the Milan market.

The beach is one minute from the centre of Alghero and hosts a range of snack bars and restaurants. Picture this: Crick Crocks in hand, soaking up the sun on the white sand with the elegant views of cascading hills beyond the fresh blue sea. Do I exaggerate? I’m afraid not! Also, because the bay is wide, the sea is very calm so in season water sports take place and this is popular with the locals.

The port and beach are very accessible with flat surfaces so wheelchairs, bikes, children and the like are not restricted to distant viewings along the walk atop the historic city walls that encircle Alghero, giving potential sunsets over the wide bay- it’s a nice view at any time of the day- and allows an overview of the many buildings squished into the city displaying both Italian and Catalan styles. The highly colourful dome of the Church of Santa Maria provided us with the challenge of locating it, but we were to find that it is currently under renovation. It would seem a fair amount of renovation and building work is going on at the moment, but then this would be the time of year to do it.

In season the port offers a number of excursions. A trip to Neptunes caves would not only save you the bus journey and then the 300+ steps down a sheer cliff face, but would be a great way to see more of this part of the Sardinian coast. There are nighttime coral viewing trips, dolphin watching trips and numerous diving expeditions to be had, provided you’re there when they’re open! Neptunes caves can be reached by none seafarers by taking the bus opposite the park- however a head and stomach for heights will be needed for those steps. Using the bus service you can also reach Buso, a popular medieval village. The buses to the sights tend to be early leavers, so plan your trips the day before! Especially if you like your breakfast!

There are many nurhages on Sardinia- these are homes, and towns built by the pre-Roman peoples who lived here, and it seems you can’t go far without being close to one. Alghero has its share in the vicinity, but unless you’re in a car or on a bike they aren’t the easiest of places to get to. It seems there are no museums relating to this period in Alghero, they are to be found in the bigger cities elsewhere on the island.