What to do in Alghero?

When you arrive in Alghero, car hire is an indispensable necessity if you wish to explore the stunning beauty of this town right on the Sardinian coastline.

Driving your car hire around Alghero will bring you face to face with one of the most charming and picturesque places in Italy. Day trip opportunities abound, from the Grotta di Nettuno’s famous series of caves to the spectacular marine reserves at the Punta Ghisceria. You can also drive and visit historical sites of interest like the Church of St. Mary and the Palazzo D’ Albis and learn more about the Catalan influence so prevalent in the town.

If you enjoy beaches, you couldn’t have come to a more perfect place. Bring your Alghero car hire and partake in the town’s fantastic coastlines, alternately spending your time in

Porto Conte, La Pelosa, Bosa Marina and dozens of other resorts catering to visitors all year round.

Don’t wait until you reach the Alghero to realize that you need a car to enjoy everything it has to offer. All it takes is a few minutes from your busy day to book your Alghero car hire with Pronto, the Italian car hire specialists. With the lowest prices on offer, there’s no point in thinking twice whether to book a car hire for your Sardinian holiday!

Alghero - there is something for everyone

There is something for everyone in and around Alghero. If beaches are your thing then you are in heaven as there are plenty of fantastic beaches in this area, some very deserted. The best include Porto Conte, La Pelosa, Porto Ferro and Bosa. You’ll need a car to access all of them but you will enjoy the drive too!! Speaking of which there are also wonderful drives, it goes without saying that you’ll need a car to enjoy a good drive but there are many sights to see.

The drive from Alghero to Bosa is stunning; the road hugs the cliffs with fantastic beaches around every bend. The drive from Alghero up to Stintino is very nice but different, going through a bit of a wilderness and then on to a rugged coastline. Walking around Alghero for an afternoon or day is very pleasant. It’s got some really old buildings and narrow winding streets and you might be glad to climb back into your car again a after a good wander!!! Sunset at Capo Caccio is an absolute must!! Capo Caccio is a stunning cape about a half hour drive from Alghero. They have a famous grotto here too, the Grotto Nettuna. The sunset from the cliffs is beautifully romantic

How to escape the crowds in Alghero

Crowds and Italy tend to go hand in hand as it is a small but populous country - nothing new there then.   With millions of people visiting each year it is like and invading armada of people.   We it is good to know that if you are in Sardinia then there is help at hand. 

The first place to get away from it all is the beautiful beaches. Being an island, there is plenty to choose from if you like sunbathing or swimming in crystal-clear blue water. But for the escapee this this is perhaps a reason to avoid some areas, most notoriously the Northeastern “Costa Smeralda” (Emerald Coast), in the months of July and August. With this in mind we would suggest visiting in late spring or warly autumn.  Some beaches, like Chia stretch for miles, with high dunes of thin white sand and wind-carved rock formations, where the only sounds you hear are those of the waves of its warm sea of many varieties of green and blue.

Sardinia is also beautiful for its inhabitants, the “Sardi”, who take great pride of their culture. Throughout the year, there are many festivals and fairs celebrating old traditions and customs, some religious and some pagan, often coinciding with the harvest and production of local products and delicacies, such as wine or honey. Every town and village has its culinary tradition in the form of weirdly shaped breads, sweets, pastas, lobster, roasted pork, and other kinds of fish and meat. The coastal cities, and especially Cagliari, are obviously the best places if you like fish. And Cagliari, with its millenary history, is also home to most cultural and sporting events. You can visit museums and art galleries, listen to classical music and opera, watch football and windsurf, or simply stroll along the old shopping district to watch people go by.

There are endless activities to keep a person of any age busy. We personally recommend renting a car, since it’s always the best way to get around the island and explore its busy cities and rustic and rugged environment. You can also rent a boat and explore the numerous small beaches, some of them only accessible by the sea. Just keep in mind that driving a boat often requires a license depending on its size. And if riding long-distances is not on your agenda, renting a bicycle or a motorcycle is a better option, especially for parking and traffic jams.

Had enough of the beaches in Sardinia and Algerho?

Enjoy these local dishes

Sardinia and Alghero are both famous for their delicious local dishes.  One of the must try being – malloreddus.  This is typical pasta made from semolina wheat, eggs, water and salt and seasoned with a great tomato sauce infused with sausages and fresh pecorino. We would also recommend that your taste buds enjoy the sumptuous culurgiones.  This is another type of pasta but it is stuffed with potato, mint and pecorino, delicately seasoned with basil.

Among the main courses, we must mention Su Porcheddu, the typical suckling pig, loved by locals and tourists alike. Sardinians love meat!! Make sure you try the lamb stews seasoned with a delicious sauce made from chopped dried tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. The Cordula with peas is a fantastic dish: is none other than the lamb’s intestine in olive oil with garlic and parsley and then cooked in a pot with water and peas.

Sardinian Desserts: pardulas, small cakes stuffed with fresh ricotta, or bianchittus,  meringues, cakes very light derived from simple ingredients such as almonds, sugar and egg white. 

For digestive purposes!! Immediately after the meal, you should order a Mirto, the Sardinian drink of choice made from Myrtle berries.

The festival of Santa Maria and Honey

What is it? The festival of Saint Mary from the 14th to 22nd August and the Honey Festival from the 30th - 31st.

Where abouts? Guspini

If you are looking for things to do in Sardina just now then you should give these a try.

The festival of Santa Maria has great heritage and very imporant in this area. Three guesses what the honey festival celebrates - you got it - the honey production in the area.

More information can be found from:

Info: Pres. The Committee of Santa Maria, Sig.Vargiu John 3332589006; Ass. Renato Cherchi / Municipality of Guspini - via Don Minzioni 10, Guspini - Tel. 070 9760 Cell.3355797943

Pres. Guspini Pro Loco Rossella Dessì via San Nicholas 17 Guspini-Tel. 070 970384 Cell. 3383316533

Where are the best beaches in Sardinia?

There are really two options to finding the best beaches in Sardinia - hire a car and find your own little paradise or check out some of these recommendations.

South: the capital of Cágliari has a popular 10km white, stretch of sand called Poetto Beach and some superb stretches of sand off Sardinia’s most scenic road heading southwest on the Costa del Sud, past cliffs, coves, ancient watchtowers, dunes and flamingoes. South-west: Spiaggia san Nicolo, just north of Buggeru is a huge curving slash of golden sand much favoured by surfers and isolation-seeking beach folk. Piscinas Beach - just south of Mariana di Arbus and below Oristano - has 3,000 acres of sand dunes known as the ‘Sahara of Italy’, and naturally spectacular wide-open beaches too.

 

 

North Costa Smeralda is Sardinia’s best-known upmarket beach area, sporting sensual wind-sculpted rocks and glittering seas but costly, needless to say. A couple of easy-access beaches there are Cala Liscia Rula and Spiaggia Capriccioli.  North-west: For those on a tighter budget the popular package tourist town and active fishing port of Alghero on Sardinia’s west coast is one attractive option with some excellent architecture in and around the old town, plenty of colourful fishing activity and some good beaches nearby, such as Torre del Lazzaretto’s shallow waters or S’Abba Druche and it’s rocky pools - both family friendly.?

North: Alternatively try the turquoise sea, powder sand and sociable, bikini-packed beach of La Pelosa, near Stintino on the northwestern tip of the island, or even better, hire a boat to get to Asinara National Park and share the magnificent beaches with little albino donkeys, wild pigs and wild sheep. In short, go wild.?East: Sardinia’s east coast is still forested and strangely undeveloped, with dozens of perfect coves and bays lined with curvy cliffs and perfect sand.

Mabrouk - Alghero’s hidden secret

Summer is well and truly here so it that time of year when I get to review all the local resturants in Alghero.  I know what you are thinking – yes it is hard, jumping in my car and driving around the good, bad and indifferent eateries in this Alghero.   I almost go on car auto-pilot to one of the very best restaurants in Alghero – “Mabrouk”.   This superb place is located in the very heart of the old town of Alghero.   You can not miss it as it is situated in an old stone building with arched interior ceilings – beautiful!  Now this place is one of Alghero’s little know secrets – not even a menu on the street to tell you it is there so shhh!  When you peek through the old windows you will observe an uninspiring entrance – don’t let this put you off.  One thing to be aware of is that it only sell seafood – caught fresh that day.   As usual I had the clam linguine with garlic and parsley.  This was followed by fresh fruit, coffee and a shot of Limoncello – if that is your thing. This food is to die for.   A meal for two with wine comes at a very reasonable $33 per person.  The wine which you can drink as much of as you like is great – not the house plonk.  

The service is great, the food is great – damn it – Mabrouk is and for ever will be fantastic

Alghero - Get Out and Explore!

Alghero make the perfect Italian beach getaway if you are looking for a quaint old world experience. The beaches in this beautiful seaside paradise are perfect and the sand is pure white and endless. The crystal blue waters of Alghero outline the beautiful white sandy beaches make this a picturesque Italian beach holiday. There are numerous beaches in Alghero so you may require a car hire if you want to experience all of them during your travels. All of the different Alghero beaches are different in character so they are all worth exploring.

 

Alghero also has a lovely and quaint old town that makes for a nice evening stroll among the shops and boutiques. The city has numerous restaurants and a fun filled night life to fill your holiday. The city has  a variety of surrounding attractions outside its center that are worth seeing, but do require travel by car. Our Quick Car Hire Booking search engine will ensure that you get the best rate on your Alghero car hire possible. We work with all of the major car hire companies located in and around Alghero to ensure you get exactly what you need to enjoy all the beautiful sites of this quaint Italian city.

Alghero - why are we here?

 

“Alghero!” she said.  Alghero!  Why on earth are we going there?  It is hard having a travel journalist as a wife sometimes.  So off we went.   Jumped on a plane from Stansted and winged our way to Alghero to hire a car and then sampled 7 days of delights to review the highs and lows of Sardinia.    Alghero is on the coast of Sardinia, and enjoys a wonderful mix of Italian and Catalan influences in just the right helpings of medieval history, fine architecture and delicious pasta.   So why go there I hear you say?   In comparison to other resorts in Sardinia, Alghero is refreshingly down to earth and despite its Catalan connection its old centre has the feel of an ancient Italian town, often being compared to Sorrento. The town’s small cobbled streets are packed with boutiques, bars and superb restaurants.    This week we are staying in a few different hotels.  The first is the Hotel Villa Las Tronas - a 19th-century villa that was once a holiday playground for Italian royalty. A ten minute walk from the town, the hotel is full of character with wooden shutters, antiques, wrought-iron beds and old-fashioned furnishings throughout. Rooms are on the small side but for more space ask for one of the sea-facing rooms on the first floor.   It boasts superb children’s pool, miniature golf course and tennis courts. Rooms are comfortable and well equipped, and those at the back are reasonably priced. 

Well enough about the hotel in Alghero and more about what we all come to Italy for – the delicious food.  First stop Palau Reial, located on the ground floor of a medieval palazzo. Generous portions of fish and meat are cooked to old Sardinian recipes over an open fire in the small, atmospheric dining room. Then the next night we tried the Al Tuguri - a cosy, rustic trattoria, located in the centre of old Alghero, specialising in fresh fish cooked to Catalan recipes.   Well my friends this is the end of the first few days but rest assured we will report back with reports on the rest of Alghero in the coming few days.  Over and out – time for another large wine I think!

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