geocalia
Day itinerary · 40.56° N · 8.32° E
Drive from Olbia to Alghero, a boat around Capo Caccia to the Grotta di Nettuno, seafood lunch at Il Pavone and a stroll along the walls before heading back.
Part of Alghero and Capo Caccia
The plan
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
From Olbia to Alghero via Sassari; park on the seafront, outside the old town
Navisarda from the Banchina Dogana · cave entry €18 extra, half-hour guided visit · closed shoes
+39 320 741 2400
Free · Sulis tower, bastions, Santa Maria cathedral
In Olbia around 20:00
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Alghero is far from Olbia, two hours by car, but it fits into a day if you stick to the essentials: the Grotta di Nettuno from the sea and the city from its walls. You set out early, board a boat in Alghero harbour, skirt the cliffs of Capo Caccia to the mouth of the cave, eat seafood facing the sea on Piazza Sulis and walk the bastions before heading back.
There is no direct flight from Spain to Alghero. Fly to Olbia (OLB), which has a direct flight from Barcelona, and hire a car at the airport. From Olbia to Alghero it is about 140 km, around two hours via Sassari. In Alghero park on the seafront or in a car park outside the walls: the old town is a restricted-traffic zone and everything in this plan is done on foot.
7:30 · Leave Olbia. Two hours' drive.
9:45 · Boat to the Grotta di Nettuno. Navisarda boats leave from the Banchina Dogana, the quay below the walls, with one departure an hour. The crossing takes about 40 minutes and passes Capo Galera, Punta Giglio, the cliffs of Capo Caccia and Foradada island. The visit to the cave is guided and lasts half an hour: Lake La Marmora, the Reggia hall, the Grande Organo. The entrance fee, €18, is paid separately from the boat; buy the time slot in advance on the cave's website. You will be back in the harbour early in the afternoon.
13:15 · Lunch at Il Pavone. On Piazza Sulis, ten minutes' walk from the harbour, with a veranda over the sea. Seasonal seafood, three-course menu at €50 or four courses at €65. Book by phone.
15:30 · Walls and old town. From the Sulis tower you follow the Marco Polo, Pigafetta, Magellano and Colombo bastions to the Maddalena tower, and enter the old town by the cathedral of Santa Maria and the church of San Michele. Free.
18:00 · Back to Olbia. You arrive around 20:00. If you want to watch the sunset over Capo Caccia from the bastions, stay the night.
Where to eat
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
What to order: 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
What to order: 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
What to order: 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
Map
With where to park at each one.
Getting there
When to go
From April to October, when there are boats to the cave. Best in May, June and September. Do not go on a Monday or Tuesday: Il Pavone is closed at midday. With a heavy swell the cave closes; call before you set out.
Tips
With a heavy swell the cave closes and the boats do not sail.
Il Pavone is closed on Monday and on Tuesday at midday.
Four hours' driving in a day is a lot: the San Francesco is in the old town.
Questions
Yes, with two hours' drive each way and about three hours for the boat and visit.
Entry to the cave is €18; the boat is paid separately to the boat company.
No: from April to 31 October. In winter you go down the Escala del Cabirol.
No. Fly to Olbia, with a direct flight from Barcelona, or to Cagliari.
More plans like this
geocalia.com/en/italy/sardinia/alghero-capo-caccia/itineraries/grotto-by-boat-and-bastions
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sardinia/alghero-capo-caccia/itineraries/grotto-by-boat-and-bastions
