# Alghero and Capo Caccia

Walls above the sea, the Grotta di Nettuno by boat or down 654 steps, nuraghi and wineries. No direct flight from Spain: you arrive via Olbia or Cagliari.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sardinia/alghero-capo-caccia · Revisado: 2026-11-13

## What are Alghero and Capo Caccia?

Alghero is a city of about 44,000 inhabitants on Sardinia's north-west coast, the island's fifth largest. In Sardinia they call it Barceloneta: its old town is of Catalan origin, street names are in Catalan beside the Italian and its festivals, such as Holy Week or the New Year's Eve Cap d'Any, show the Hispanic heritage. It preserves almost intact the walls on the sea side, with bastions that are now the city's promenade.

Capo Caccia is the limestone promontory that closes the bay of Porto Conte to the west, about 24 km away. Its walls drop sheer into the sea, and at the base opens the Grotta di Nettuno, a cave with a salt lake inside. Around it, the Porto Conte Park protects scrub, pine woods and the coast, and the sea is a Marine Protected Area. Between the city and the cape lie remains of prehistoric Sardinia, such as the Palmavera nuraghe, and to the north, on the Nurra plain, the vineyards.

## How do you get there from Spain?

Let's be clear: there is no direct flight from Spain to Alghero. Alghero-Fertilia airport (AHO) is 10 km from the city, but from Spain you can only reach it with a connection. The practical thing is to fly direct to one of the island's other two airports and cross by hire car:

Olbia (OLB), with a direct flight from Barcelona. From Olbia to Alghero it's about 140 km and about two hours by car.

Cagliari (CAG), with a direct flight from Barcelona and Seville. From Cagliari to Alghero it's about 200 km and about three and a quarter hours on the SS131 road.

From Olbia you can do Alghero in one long day, but it's worth sleeping at least one night. From Cagliari, think of two or three nights, or combine it with a trip along the west coast.

## Where to stay: in the city or at Porto Conte?

In the city, if you want to do everything on foot: the bastions, the dinners and the boat to the grotto, which leaves from the port. The San Francesco Heritage Hotel is inside the walls, in a former convent, and Villa Las Tronas, a five-star on a promontory, is on the seafront. At Porto Conte, if you're coming for the sea and Capo Caccia: the Hotel El Faro is inside the park, with the cape opposite.

For eating, Il Pavone is the fish house on Piazza Sulis, with a veranda over the sea; Al Tuguri, chef's Sardinian cooking in a stone house in the old town; and Sa Mandra, the Nurra agriturismo with a fixed menu of shepherds' cooking.

## How do you see the Grotta di Nettuno?

There are two ways, and the journey is half the visit:

By boat from the port. With Navisarda or another operator, it leaves from the Banchina Dogana, next to the walls, and in about 40 minutes skirts Cape Galera, Punta Giglio and the cliffs of Capo Caccia to the mouth of the cave. It runs from April to 31 October. It's what the grotto recommends for families with children and older people. See the page for the boat to the grotto.

On foot down the Escala del Cabirol. From the Capo Caccia viewpoint 654 steps descend hugging the cliff. Going down is easy; coming back up, especially at midday in summer, is tiring. From June to October you park at Casa Gioiosa and take a shuttle; from November to May, you drive all the way up. The page on the stairs explains it step by step.

Entry to the grotto costs €18 (€10 for ages 6 to 17, free up to 5) and the visit is guided, every hour on the hour, half an hour long. By land you need a booked time slot. In rough seas it doesn't open: call the tourist office before setting out.

## What else to see

The walls and old town: the Marco Polo, Pigafetta, Magellano and Colombo bastions, the towers of Porta Terra, San Giovanni and Sulis, the cathedral of Santa Maria. Free, best at sunset.

The Palmavera nuraghe: a tower from around 1600 BC and a village of huts, on the way to Capo Caccia. €7.

The Anghelu Ruju necropolis: 38 tombs cut into the rock from around 4300 BC, with carved bull horns. €7.

The Sella & Mosca winery: the great wine estate born from the 1899 land reclamation, with visits and tastings by reservation.

Underwater: a try-dive or snorkelling in the marine protected area with Capo Galera Diving Center, from €35.

If you're going to see the grotto and several museums, the Alghero Ticket at €35 brings them together: the grotto, Palmavera, Anghelu Ruju, the Coral Museum, the archaeological museum and the San Giovanni tower.

## When to go?

May, June and September. There are boats to the grotto, the sea is good for swimming in the coves of Lazzaretto or Le Bombarde and the bastions can be strolled without crowds. July and August are high season: more people, full boats and a very tough staircase in the sun. In October there are still boats until the 31st. From November to March the city is quiet and cheap, but there are no boats, the grotto opens from 10:00 to 15:00 and closes on Thursdays, and the archaeological sites close at 14:00.

## Plans from Olbia and Cagliari

There are two day plans from Olbia, the grotto by boat and the bastions and Capo Caccia on foot and Palmavera, and a two-night getaway designed for those arriving at Olbia or Cagliari.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Bosa and the Planargia (a 33.1 km), Stintino and Asinara Island (a 43.1 km), Barbagia (a 96.1 km), Gulf of Orosei (a 115.3 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Grotta di Nettuno by Boat from Alghero Harbour, along the Capo Caccia Coast** (3 h · All ages · Desde 18 € per person, cave entry only): The Grotta di Nettuno is a karst cave that opens to the sea at the base of the cliffs of Capo Caccia, about 24 km from Alghero. You can walk down by the Escala del Cabirol, but the arrival that made it famous is by sea: a boat leaves Alghero harbour, skirts the coast and drops you at a small quay at the mouth of the cave, almost at water level. From there you enter with a guide and walk a few hundred metres of the nearly two and a half kilometres the cave has.
The crossing
The boats leave from the Banchina Dogana, the quay on the harbour promenade, at the foot of the walls. The longest-running line is that of Navisarda, with a departure every hour every day until 31 October; the cave's website gives the start of the boat season as April. The Frecce delle Grotte line also runs, from the same quay. The crossing takes about 40 minutes: it passes Cape Galera, the cliffs of Punta Giglio, rounds Capo Caccia and the island of Foradada, a holed rock off the cape, and enters the cove of the cave.
Inside the cave
The visit is guided, starts every hour on the hour and lasts about 30 minutes. The route follows the shore of Lake La Marmora, a lake of clear salt water that fills a good part of the cave. You pass the Acquasantiera, a two-metre stalagmite with little pools of water; the hall of the Ruins, with large stalactites broken by 19th-century visitors; the Reggia hall, with calcite columns about nine metres high reflected in the water and an eighteen-metre ceiling; the Smith hall, with the Grande Organo, the largest column; and you finish at the Tribuna della Musica, a balcony over the lake.
Hours, price and tickets
The cave is open every day from 10:00 to 15:00 (last entry at 15:00) on the hours its website currently publishes; from 12 November to 18 March it is closed on Thursdays, and also on 24 and 25 December. If the sea is rough, it does not open. In high season the hours may be longer: check the official website before going.
Entry costs €18; €10 for ages 6 to 17 and for students up to 26; free for under-6s. The boat is paid separately: Navisarda does not publish the price on its website and you see it when you book or by phone. The cave recommends buying the ticket online on its sales platform; from June to October, if you arrive by boat, you can also buy at the harbour office.
Who it is for
For almost everyone: the boat avoids the 654 steps of the staircase. It is the option the cave itself recommends for families with children and older people. It is not wheelchair accessible. You do not go in wearing swimwear or barefoot, and there are no toilets inside: they are next to the ticket office.
- **The Escala del Cabirol and Capo Caccia Viewpoint, 654 Steps to the Grotta di Nettuno** (2 h 30 · Reasonably fit; not for heart or respiratory problems · Desde 18 € per person, cave entry): Capo Caccia is the limestone headland that closes the bay of Porto Conte on the west, about 24 km from Alghero. Its wall drops sheer to the sea, and at the base the Grotta di Nettuno opens. To reach it by land there is a staircase carved into the cliff, the Escala del Cabirol, the roe deer's staircase in the Catalan of Alghero: 654 steps that go down from the viewpoint to the mouth of the cave, with the open sea on one side and the island of Foradada in front.
How to reach the viewpoint
It depends on the time of year:

From June to October you cannot drive up to the cape. You park at Casa Gioiosa, the headquarters of the Porto Conte Park, at Tramariglio, and go up on the shuttle. You must be there an hour before your visit time. The shuttle is paid separately.
From November to May you drive up to the viewpoint esplanade. Arrive at least 40 minutes before your time: if you are late, you lose the booking.
By bus, line ARST 9321 leaves Alghero all year, and from May to September there is also a private Beach Bus.

Going down and coming up
Going down is easy and, in good light, very beautiful: the staircase runs hard against the wall, with a handrail, and below the water is dark blue. The hard part is climbing back up after the visit, especially in summer and at midday, with the sun full on the wall. Bring water and sun protection. The cave is not recommended for people with heart problems or respiratory insufficiency. If someone in the group cannot manage the stairs, go by boat from Alghero.
The cave: time, price and booking
If you walk down, entry to the cave always needs a booked time slot, even if you buy at the ticket office. It costs €18, €10 for ages 6 to 17, free for under-6s. The visit is guided, on the hour, and lasts half an hour: Lake La Marmora, the Reggia hall with its columns, the Grande Organo. It is now open from 10:00 to 15:00 and, from 12 November to 18 March, closed on Thursdays. With a rough sea it does not open; check its website or call before setting out.
Even if you do not go down, the viewpoint at the top, next to the road up to the lighthouse, is worth the trip: you see the Foradada, the line of the staircase and the coast towards Porto Conte.
- **Walls, Bastions and Old Town of Alghero, Sardinia's Catalan City** (2 h · All ages; pushchairs no problem on the bastions · Free): Alghero is the Sardinian city that most resembles one on the Catalan coast, and not by chance: its old town is of Catalan origin, on the island they call it Barceloneta and on the street signs you will see the name in Catalan beside the Italian. The best way to understand it is to walk its walls, which it preserves almost entire on the sea side, something rare in Italy.
A little history
The city was founded by the Doria, a Genoese family, in the early 12th century, and the first walls came a few decades later, with twenty-six towers. In the 16th century the whole circuit was rebuilt: the sea side was finished and the land side left half done. From 1867 Alghero ceased to be a fortress and the land side began to be demolished. On the sea side the bastions and eight towers of the 16th century remain within the city.
The walk, step by step
Start at the Porta Terra tower, the old Porta Reial, the entrance from Sassari. From there go down through the old town to the sea and follow the bastions, which bear the names of navigators: Marco Polo, Pigafetta, Magellano and Colombo. Today they are a wide promenade, without cars, with the sea on one side and the façades on the other.
On the way you will see the San Giovanni tower, the middle one; the Sulis tower, where fighting took place on the night of 5 to 6 May 1412 against the troops of William III of Narbonne; and the Maddalena tower, also called Garibaldi's because the general landed there in 1855. At the end of the bastions stands the Garitta Reale, a guard post.
Poke your head into the old town: the cathedral of Santa Maria, begun in 1530, with its bell tower above the roofs; the church of the Carmelo, with a gilded altarpiece; San Michele, with its dome of coloured tiles; and the cloister of San Francesco.
When and how much
The walk is free and open all year. Allow about two hours with stops. The best time is the last hour of the afternoon: the sun sets behind Capo Caccia, across the bay, and the bastions fill with people. If you want to go into the museums, the Alghero Ticket at €35 includes the Coral Museum, the archaeological museum, the San Giovanni tower, the San Francesco complex, the Grotta di Nettuno, Palmavera and Anghelu Ruju; each museum on its own costs €7.
For dinner afterwards, Il Pavone is on the same piazza Sulis and Al Tuguri three streets away.
- **Palmavera Nuraghe, the Nuragic Village beside Porto Conte Bay** (1 h · All ages · Desde 7 € per person): Sardinia is full of nuraghi, dry-stone towers raised in the Bronze Age by a people who left no writing. The one at Palmavera is the best to visit from Alghero: it is at the entrance to the Porto Conte Park, beside the road to Capo Caccia, a few minutes from the sea.
What you see
The centre is the main tower, the oldest part, from about 1600 BC, which keeps its chamber with a false dome intact: the stones close in towards the top without mortar. The complex had three towers; the third, found in recent excavations, collapsed already in antiquity. A pentagonal wall separates the nuraghe from the village.
Around it are the stone bases of the huts: the village covered at least three hectares and had about 200 huts with roofs of logs and branches. The largest is the meeting hut, the second largest in Sardinia by interior area. Inside were found a stone seat and a model of a nuraghe in stone, which archaeologists read as a sign of a chief who used the place to show his power. They lived from farming, livestock, hunting and fishing: a fish hook found here is in the Archaeological Museum of Alghero. The site is on UNESCO's tentative list.
Hours and price
From November to February it is open every day from 10:00 to 14:00; in October, from 10:00 to 18:00; for March and summer, check the seasonal hours on the ticketing website. Admission costs €7, reduced €5 (ages 6 to 17, students up to 26) and is free for under-6s. The guided visit costs €3 more per person. The necropolis of Anghelu Ruju has the same rate and both sites are in the Alghero Ticket.
Getting there
By car, along the Fertilia and Porto Conte road (SS 127 bis, km 45), about 10 km from Alghero. By bus, with line ARST 9321, Alghero–Porto Conte–Capo Caccia, or 9320, which stop nearby all year. Combine it with the Escala del Cabirol: it is on the way.
- **Anghelu Ruju Necropolis, 38 Rock-Cut Tombs among the Vineyards** (1 h · All ages; you have to stoop in some tombs · Desde 7 € per person): Ten kilometres from Alghero, beside the road to the airport and Porto Torres, there is a field of vines with holes in the ground. They are the mouths of 38 tombs cut into the sandstone, most of them domus de janas, "fairy houses" in Sardinian. It is the largest Neolithic necropolis in northern Sardinia and it was used for two thousand five hundred years, from about 4300 BC until about 1800 BC: it is older than Stonehenge and the first pyramids of Egypt.
What a tomb is like inside
You enter by a shaft or a corridor cut into the rock. First you reach an antechamber, the main room, where offerings were left and rites held; behind it open the cells where the dead were placed with their grave goods. The walls have reliefs: carved false doors, pillars and, above all, bull horns, the symbol of a deity who protected the sleep of the dead. Looking for the horns in each tomb is the best way to get children involved.
Part of what was found inside, vessels and grave goods, is in the National Museum in Cagliari and the Archaeological Museum of Alghero. The necropolis is on UNESCO's tentative list.
Hours and price
From November to February it is open every day from 10:00 to 14:00; in October, from 10:00 to 18:00; for the rest of the year check the ticketing website. Admission costs €7, reduced €5 (ages 6 to 17, students up to 26) and is free for under-6s. With a guided visit, €3 more. The Palmavera nuraghe has the same rate, and both are in the Alghero Ticket.
Getting there
By car, along the SP 42 dei Due Mari, the airport road: about ten minutes from Alghero. By bus, with lines ARST 9322 or 9325 to the Z.I. San Marco stop. It is a few minutes from the Sella & Mosca winery and the airport: it is a good visit for the day of arrival or return.
- **Sella & Mosca Winery, Visit and Tasting at Alghero's Historic Wine Estate** (1 h 30 · Adults; minors do not taste): A good part of the wine you see on Alghero's menus comes from a single estate, north of the city, on the Nurra plain: Sella & Mosca. Its story begins in 1899, when two Piedmontese, the engineer Sella and the lawyer Mosca, began to reclaim a land of marshes and scrub to plant vines. From that came one of the largest wine estates in Europe, with its own village at the centre.
What you visit
The heart of the estate is a group of buildings from the early 20th century: the cellars, the houses built for the workers, a school and a small church. Around them, the vines stretch as far as the eye can see on a very open plain.
The winery offers three tours, which it presents as three chapters of the same story:

A short one, a walk and a toast, for those with little time.
Another through the borgo, the estate's village and its origins, more leisurely.
A longer one with a tasting of its great classics.

The website publishes neither the duration nor the price of each: you see them in its online booking system, or ask at visit@sellaemosca.com or on 079 997746. Visits are always by reservation.
The wine shop
From 15 May to 31 October, the enoteca and its square are open every day from 10:00 to 20:00. It is the easy stop if you do not have time for the visit: you buy wine and Sardinian products or have a glass. On the estate there is also the restaurant La Cucina di Casa Villamarina, which opens for dinner Thursday to Tuesday, by reservation.
Getting there and how to combine it
It is on the SP 42 dei Due Mari, the road from Alghero to the airport and Porto Torres, about ten minutes by car from the city. Right next door is the Neolithic necropolis of Anghelu Ruju, and the airport is a few minutes away: it is a good morning for the day of arrival or departure. If you taste, let someone else drive.
- **Try Dive and Snorkelling at Capo Caccia with Capo Galera Diving Center** (3 h · From age 10 for the try dive; snorkelling for families · Desde 35 € per person): The sea at Capo Caccia is a Marine Protected Area, Capo Caccia–Isola Piana, and one of the best-known dive sites in the Mediterranean. The limestone wall you see from the viewpoint continues underwater and is full of submarine caves: the Grotta di Nereo, the Madonnina, the Cervi. To dive inside the area you must go with a centre authorised by the park; Capo Galera Diving Center, in Fertilia, is one of them.
If you have never dived
The try dive, which PADI calls Discover Scuba Diving, costs €100 and can be done from age 10, with no experience. It is done in a pool, from the beach or from the boat, with an instructor beside you the whole time. It does not give a certification: it is a first time to find out whether you like it. If you do, the centre runs PADI courses, from Scuba Diver (€280) to Open Water (€400).
If you just want to look
Snorkelling by boat costs €35 for adults and €25 for children, with equipment included. It needs a minimum of eight people to go: ask which days there is a group. From the bay, without a boat, it costs €25. It is the option for families with small children or for those who do not want to put on a tank.
If you are already certified
A dive from the boat costs €55, with tank, weights and guide; the night dive, €15 more; with nitrox, €8 more. There are packages of 3, 6 and 10 dives. The centre has three boats, the largest 13 metres, and goes out to its eight sites: the walls of Lungo le Falesie, Il Porticato, Il Tunnel and the caves. The caves, like Nereo, are for experienced divers.
What it is worth knowing
The centre's price page does not say which year it is from: confirm the rate when booking, by phone or email. The website also does not publish season dates; in winter, ask beforehand whether there are trips. With a north-westerly wind, the mistral, the sea at the cape gets rough and trips are changed or cancelled. The centre is at Capo Galera, about 10 km from Alghero on the Fertilia road, near the Palmavera nuraghe.

## Dónde comer
- **Al Tuguri** (Restaurant, Alghero, €€€). Qué pedir: the week's tasting menu, three to seven courses (€40 to €75), or à la carte the roasted culurgiones with sheep broth and the cuttlefish in its ink; Sardinian cannonau and vermentino wines
- **Il Pavone** (Restaurant, Alghero, €€€). Qué pedir: the Alessandrina fritto and the octopus salad to start, the fresh pasta with bottarga, artichoke and pecorino, and for dessert a wild fennel ice cream; if there is any, the owner's goat's cheese
- **Agriturismo Sa Mandra** (Restaurant, Alghero, €€€). Qué pedir: the Menù Degustazione 1990, the fixed menu of traditional Barbagia cooking with produce from the farm and the Nurra; tell them when booking if you are vegetarian or coeliac

## By plane: Flying to Olbia or Cagliari and Driving to Alghero
There is no direct flight from Spain to Alghero. The city's airport, Alghero-Fertilia (AHO), is about 10 km away, but from Spain you can only get there with a connection. The practical thing is to fly direct to Olbia (OLB), from Barcelona, or to Cagliari (CAG), from Barcelona and Seville, and cross the island by hire car: from Olbia it is about two hours by road and from Cagliari about three and a quarter.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Villa Las Tronas Hotel & Spa** (Spa hotel): A hunting villa over the sea
Villa Las Tronas is the crenellated house you see on the rocks south of the old town, on Alghero's seafront. It was built around 1880 by Alessandro, third Count of Sant'Elia, as a hunting lodge, and around the 1920s it was remodelled with the air of a medieval castle. It was the summer and hunting residence of the Italian royal house, received Romanov princesses, who gave two salons still on show in the Sala Rosa, and has been a hotel since 1961. Today it is a five-star with only 24 rooms and suites, on its own promontory between Cala Lavatoio and Cala Capone, separated from the city by a centuries-old park.
The rooms
They keep period furniture. They range from the 13 m² single, with a four-poster bed, to the 60 m² Suite Superior with a 50 m² terrace and a whirlpool bath for four. In between there are doubles with sea view, coast view or park view, some with a balcony, suites with a living room and a triple with a garden view. The rooms have air conditioning, satellite television and a minibar. Ask for a sea view: from the gulf side you see Capo Caccia in the distance.
Pools, spa and restaurant
The outdoor pool is seawater, unheated, facing the gulf, and is used in the summer months. The spa has a heated indoor saltwater pool, sauna, Turkish bath and a fitness area, and also works in winter. From its own piers you go straight down to the sea. The restaurant serves Mediterranean cooking with views of the old town, and breakfast is Italian.
Getting there and what is nearby
Alghero airport is 10 km away, and the hotel arranges the transfer if you ask 24 hours ahead. It has free outdoor parking in the park, unattended. The historic centre is reached on foot along the seafront. The concierge books hire cars, boats, restaurants and guided visits with a day's notice. If you travel with your dog or cat, the hotel accepts all pets at no charge: tell them when you book. The website does not publish prices or check-in and check-out times.
- **San Francesco Heritage Hotel** (Small hotel): Sleeping in an old-town convent
The San Francesco Heritage Hotel occupies part of the old convent of San Francesco, next to the church of the same name, in the heart of Alghero's old town. It has 20 rooms, several of them overlooking the cloister, one of the quietest corners of the city. It is not a luxury hotel: the rooms are simple, and what you pay for is sleeping inside the walls, in a building with centuries of history, five minutes' walk from the bastions, the cathedral and the harbour from which the boats leave for the Grotta di Nettuno.
The rooms and breakfast
There are singles, doubles, triples and superiors, single or double. The style is sober, with no frills. Breakfast, continental and included, is served from 8:00 to 10:00 in the cloister; there are gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options if you ask. There is wifi.
What you need to know before booking
It is an old building and has limitations worth knowing:

There is no lift: the rooms are reached by stairs. If you have large suitcases or find climbing hard, ask for the ground floor.
There is no parking, and the old town is a limited-traffic zone: you arrive on foot. Leave the car in a car park outside the walls.
Animals are not allowed.
Children are welcome, but there are no cots.
Check-in is from 16:00 to 23:00 and check-out until 10:30, with no late check-out. Reception is open from 8:00 to 23:00.

Who it is for
For those who travel without a car or leave it parked and want to do everything on foot: the walk along the walls, dinners at Al Tuguri or Il Pavone and the boat to the cave, which leaves from the harbour five minutes away. The website does not publish the star rating or prices: you see them in its booking engine.
- **Hotel El Faro** (Spa hotel): A ship-shaped hotel facing Capo Caccia
Hotel El Faro is at the tip of Porto Conte, inside the natural park, above the Baia delle Ninfe. It is a superior four-star with a building of stepped terraces over the rocks designed by the architect Antonio Simon Mossa in the shape of a ship. Next to it stands a coastal tower, and across the bay, opposite, you have the wall of Capo Caccia. It is the accommodation for those who want to sleep away from the city, with the sea in front and the cape a quarter of an hour away.
Rooms
There are a dozen types: from the Classic, with or without a sea side, to the Deluxe with terrace, the Sea Garden with garden, the suites and the Premier Deluxe Terrace, with a large terrace over the bay. There are Family Rooms for families. The website does not publish the number of rooms or their prices: you see them in its booking engine.
Pools, thalassotherapy and restaurant
It has two pools on the slope that goes down to the sea. The central one is seawater, with hydromassage, and is heated in the cooler months. The Thalasso & Spa centre works with seawater. There is a restaurant over the sea and a lounge bar. The hotel also organises sports activities, excursions and experiences in the area.
Getting there and what is nearby
It is at the exit from Fertilia, on the Porto Conte road, about twenty minutes by car from Alghero; you need a car. From here you are very close to everything around Capo Caccia: the Palmavera nuraghe, the Escala del Cabirol and the Capo Galera diving centre. The website does not publish the opening season, the check-in and check-out times or whether pets are allowed: ask before booking.
### Servicios
- **ARST 9321 Bus Alghero–Porto Conte–Capo Caccia**: Regional bus line from Alghero to Capo Caccia via Fertilia, Palmavera and Porto Conte · all year · for the Escala del Cabirol without a car

## By car: Alghero and Capo Caccia by Car
A car is what makes this trip from Spain work: you fly to Olbia or Cagliari and cross the island. Once in Alghero, leave it parked outside the walls for the old town and the boat to the cave, and use it for Capo Caccia, Palmavera, Anghelu Ruju and the wineries of the Nurra.
Presupuesto orientativo: 110–200 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Villa Las Tronas Hotel & Spa** (Spa hotel): A hunting villa over the sea
Villa Las Tronas is the crenellated house you see on the rocks south of the old town, on Alghero's seafront. It was built around 1880 by Alessandro, third Count of Sant'Elia, as a hunting lodge, and around the 1920s it was remodelled with the air of a medieval castle. It was the summer and hunting residence of the Italian royal house, received Romanov princesses, who gave two salons still on show in the Sala Rosa, and has been a hotel since 1961. Today it is a five-star with only 24 rooms and suites, on its own promontory between Cala Lavatoio and Cala Capone, separated from the city by a centuries-old park.
The rooms
They keep period furniture. They range from the 13 m² single, with a four-poster bed, to the 60 m² Suite Superior with a 50 m² terrace and a whirlpool bath for four. In between there are doubles with sea view, coast view or park view, some with a balcony, suites with a living room and a triple with a garden view. The rooms have air conditioning, satellite television and a minibar. Ask for a sea view: from the gulf side you see Capo Caccia in the distance.
Pools, spa and restaurant
The outdoor pool is seawater, unheated, facing the gulf, and is used in the summer months. The spa has a heated indoor saltwater pool, sauna, Turkish bath and a fitness area, and also works in winter. From its own piers you go straight down to the sea. The restaurant serves Mediterranean cooking with views of the old town, and breakfast is Italian.
Getting there and what is nearby
Alghero airport is 10 km away, and the hotel arranges the transfer if you ask 24 hours ahead. It has free outdoor parking in the park, unattended. The historic centre is reached on foot along the seafront. The concierge books hire cars, boats, restaurants and guided visits with a day's notice. If you travel with your dog or cat, the hotel accepts all pets at no charge: tell them when you book. The website does not publish prices or check-in and check-out times.
- **Hotel El Faro** (Spa hotel): A ship-shaped hotel facing Capo Caccia
Hotel El Faro is at the tip of Porto Conte, inside the natural park, above the Baia delle Ninfe. It is a superior four-star with a building of stepped terraces over the rocks designed by the architect Antonio Simon Mossa in the shape of a ship. Next to it stands a coastal tower, and across the bay, opposite, you have the wall of Capo Caccia. It is the accommodation for those who want to sleep away from the city, with the sea in front and the cape a quarter of an hour away.
Rooms
There are a dozen types: from the Classic, with or without a sea side, to the Deluxe with terrace, the Sea Garden with garden, the suites and the Premier Deluxe Terrace, with a large terrace over the bay. There are Family Rooms for families. The website does not publish the number of rooms or their prices: you see them in its booking engine.
Pools, thalassotherapy and restaurant
It has two pools on the slope that goes down to the sea. The central one is seawater, with hydromassage, and is heated in the cooler months. The Thalasso & Spa centre works with seawater. There is a restaurant over the sea and a lounge bar. The hotel also organises sports activities, excursions and experiences in the area.
Getting there and what is nearby
It is at the exit from Fertilia, on the Porto Conte road, about twenty minutes by car from Alghero; you need a car. From here you are very close to everything around Capo Caccia: the Palmavera nuraghe, the Escala del Cabirol and the Capo Galera diving centre. The website does not publish the opening season, the check-in and check-out times or whether pets are allowed: ask before booking.

## As a family: Alghero and Capo Caccia with Children

With children, the plan comes naturally: a boat to a cave, a walled city you can walk round and two prehistoric sites where you go into the tombs. At the Grotta di Nettuno and the sites, under-6s go in free and ages 6 to 17 pay the reduced fee.

### What works best
The boat to the Grotta di Nettuno: 40 minutes of coast and half an hour of cave, without the staircase

The Alghero bastions at sunset, flat and car-free, good for a pushchair

The Anghelu Ruju necropolis: looking for the bull horns carved in the tombs

The Palmavera nuraghe, with a €3 guided visit

Snorkelling by boat with Capo Galera Diving, €25 for children

### Where to stay
Villa Las Tronas, with a seawater pool and babysitting on request

Hotel El Faro, with Family Rooms and two pools

### Where to eat
Il Pavone, on piazza Sulis, open Sunday at lunchtime

Sa Mandra has a children's menu

### Bear in mind
The Escala del Cabirol has 654 steps on the way back: with small children, the boat is better

The cave is not accessible with a pushchair; bring a baby carrier

The San Francesco has no cots or lift

### Qué hacer as a family
- Grotta di Nettuno by Boat from Alghero Harbour, along the Capo Caccia Coast
- Walls, Bastions and Old Town of Alghero, Sardinia's Catalan City
- Palmavera Nuraghe, the Nuragic Village beside Porto Conte Bay
- Anghelu Ruju Necropolis, 38 Rock-Cut Tombs among the Vineyards

## With teenagers: Alghero and Capo Caccia with Teenagers

Teenagers respond to the physical and to whatever has a touch of adventure: going down 654 steps hung from a cliff, entering a cave with a lake inside or taking their first try dive in a marine protected area.

### What works best
The Escala del Cabirol down to the Grotta di Nettuno, and the climb back as a challenge

The try dive with Capo Galera Diving, from age 10, €100

The Grotta di Nettuno by boat, with Lake La Marmora

The tombs of Anghelu Ruju, older than the pyramids

The Palmavera nuraghe and its meeting hut

### Where to stay
Hotel El Faro, next to Capo Caccia, with pools and sports

Villa Las Tronas, a walk from the old town

### Where to eat
Il Pavone, with ice creams in unusual flavours

Al Tuguri, with menus that change every week

### Bear in mind
At the cave and the sites, ages 6 to 17 pay the reduced fee

Leave a day between the last dive and the flight home

The staircase is best first thing or last thing in summer

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Grotta di Nettuno by Boat from Alghero Harbour, along the Capo Caccia Coast
- The Escala del Cabirol and Capo Caccia Viewpoint, 654 Steps to the Grotta di Nettuno
- Palmavera Nuraghe, the Nuragic Village beside Porto Conte Bay
- Anghelu Ruju Necropolis, 38 Rock-Cut Tombs among the Vineyards
- Try Dive and Snorkelling at Capo Caccia with Capo Galera Diving Center

## Consejos

### Fly to Olbia or Cagliari
There's no direct flight from Spain to Alghero.

### Book the grotto time slot
By land it's compulsory and in August it sells out.

### Check the sea before you go
With a ground swell the grotto closes and boats don't sail.

### Park outside the walls
The old town is a limited traffic zone.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Is there a direct flight from Spain to Alghero?
No. You fly direct to Olbia, from Barcelona, or to Cagliari, from Barcelona and Seville, and continue by car.

### How long does it take from Olbia to Alghero by car?
About two hours, about 140 km. From Cagliari, about three and a quarter hours.

### How much does the Grotta di Nettuno cost?
€18 entry; €10 for ages 6 to 17; free up to 5. The boat is paid separately.

### Boat or stairs to reach the grotto?
The boat, with children or if you're not fit; the stairs, if you want the cliff scenery and don't mind climbing 654 steps.

### Why does Alghero seem Catalan?
Its old town is of Catalan origin and the city preserves that heritage in its streets, its name and its festivals.

### How many days do I need?
Two or three: one for the city, one for Capo Caccia and the grotto, and another for Palmavera, Anghelu Ruju and a winery.