Alghero is doable even as a long weekend, thanks to the direct flight from Bratislava. In two days I fitted in the walled old town, Castelsardo and La Pelosa beach, where in season you have to book your entry in advance. If you want to see the surrounding area as well, I’d hire a car.
- How many days
- Two days and one night, flying out of Bratislava in the morning and back in the evening of the second day
- Do you need a car
- For the surrounding area, yes; public transport to La Pelosa, Castelsardo and Neptune’s Grotto doesn’t run often
- Where I stayed
- Casa Villamarina at the Sella & Mosca winery, a few km from the airport, cheaper on their own website than on Booking.com
- La Pelosa beach
- About an hour by car; in 2026 booking required in advance from 15 May to 15 October, tickets €3.50
- Watch out
- Neptune’s Grotto is often closed in high seas (it happened to me), so check before you go
- Skip
- Sassari felt run-down to me; with only a few days, I’d put the coast and the small towns first
Contents5 chaptersHideShow
- 01Alghero: what to know before you go
- How to get to Alghero from Bratislava
- Do you need a car in Alghero?
- 02Where to stay in Alghero: the Sella & Mosca winery
- 03Things to do in Alghero
- Alghero’s old town and sea walls
- Alghero Ticket: one pass for 13 sites
- Neptune’s Grotto near Alghero
- Boat trips and dolphin watching in Alghero
- 04Day trips from Alghero
- La Pelosa beach
- Castelsardo
- Sassari
- 05Is Alghero worth a trip from Bratislava?
What to see in Alghero? I flew to Sardinia from Bratislava for just two days and one night, and fitted in more than I’d expected. I left early in the morning and got home late in the evening of the second day. That’s not enough to get to know all of Sardinia, but as a taster it works. The flight takes just under two hours, which, funnily enough, is about as long as the train from Bratislava to Žilina in north-western Slovakia.
Alghero: what to know before you go
How to get to Alghero from Bratislava
Ryanair flies direct from Bratislava to Alghero. The flight takes just under two hours, and the number of flights a week changes with the season. Alghero-Fertilia airport is only a few kilometres from town. It’s the early flight out and the evening flight back that make Sardinia doable even as a long weekend.
Do you need a car in Alghero?
If you want to see the surrounding area, yes. La Pelosa beach, Castelsardo and Neptune’s Grotto are all some way from town, and public transport doesn’t run there often. I booked my car through a comparison site that shows offers from several hire companies at once, so I could pick the price and the features that suited me.
Hiring a car is sometimes a bit of a lottery, especially when I’m going through dozens of offers online. A comparison site makes it much simpler. I found driving in Sardinia easy. The roads were in decent shape and the drivers calmer than I’d expected in Italy.
If you don’t have a credit card, see my guide to hiring a car without a credit card or a deposit.
Where to stay in Alghero: the Sella & Mosca winery
Since we had a car, we looked for somewhere outside the centre with parking. In the end we stayed right at the Sella & Mosca winery, at Casa Villamarina. Founded in 1899, the winery is one of the best-known wine producers in Sardinia, and it’s only a few kilometres from the airport.
The rooms are right in the middle of the vineyards, and you can book a winery tour with a tasting on site. In the evening I tasted their wines, then went for a walk among the vines at sunset. It’s an Italian cliché, but one I’d happily repeat.
- Tip from Milan I booked directly through the Casa Villamarina website. It worked out cheaper than Booking.com.
You’ll find tours and trips in Alghero here:
Things to do in Alghero
Alghero’s old town and sea walls
Alghero’s old town is a tangle of narrow stone lanes, yellow façades and balconies full of flowers. The best plan is no plan: just wander. In the morning I had an espresso in a small square. Then I walked along the town walls above the sea and popped into little shops selling coral jewellery, olive oil and Sardinian cheeses.
Alghero feels different from the rest of Italy, and the reason is historical. In the 14th century the Aragonese conquered the town and Catalans settled it. Part of the population still speaks a dialect of Catalan, and some street signs are in two languages. That’s why locals sometimes call Alghero ‘little Barcelona’. If you’re here in the early evening, the sunset from the walls is worth staying for.
Alghero Ticket: one pass for 13 sites
If you’re planning to see several museums and sights, look into the Alghero Ticket. One ticket gets you into 13 places in and around town. They include Neptune’s Grotto, the coral museum, the archaeological museum, the San Giovanni tower, the San Francesco complex and the prehistoric sites of Palmavera and Anghelu Ruju. In 2026 an adult ticket costs €35. There’s no time limit, but you can visit each site only once. You can buy it online or at the local tourist information office.
Neptune’s Grotto near Alghero
Neptune’s Grotto (Grotta di Nettuno) is a huge karst cave in the cliffs of Capo Caccia, with its entrance just above the waterline. Inside there are stalactites and an underground lake. You can get there by boat from Alghero or on foot, down 654 steps cut into the cliff.
I’d planned to visit, but that day it was closed because of high waves. That happens a lot, as the entrance is right by the water. So check that it’s open before you set off, especially if it’s windy.
Boat trips and dolphin watching in Alghero
You can see dolphins off the coast around Alghero and in the bay of Porto Conte. Sightseeing cruises take you along the cliffs, and with a bit of luck you’ll see them in the wild. The best time is from spring to early autumn, when the sea is calmer. You can book a cruise through GetYourGuide, for example.
Day trips from Alghero
La Pelosa beach
La Pelosa beach near the small town of Stintino is one of the most photographed places in Sardinia. It has white sand, shallow turquoise water and an old watchtower on the islet just offshore. It’s about an hour’s drive from Alghero.
Access to the beach is restricted. In 2026 this applies from 15 May to 15 October. No more than 1,500 people a day can visit, a ticket costs €3.50, and children under 12 get in free. You book your ticket for a specific day on the official website spiaggialapelosa.it and show the QR code at the entrance. Booking is required from 8am to 6pm. Before and after those hours entry is free, but there are no services.
The beach has strict rules. You have to put a mat under your towel so you don’t carry sand away. You can’t take sand, shells or stones home, and smoking isn’t allowed either. When I was there, a strong wind was blowing and the sea was rough, so it’s worth checking the forecast before you book.
- Tip from Milan If you can’t get a ticket for La Pelosa, try the beaches of Le Saline, Lazzaretto or Porto Ferro. You can reach all of them by car from Alghero.
Castelsardo
If you like stone lanes winding up a hill, you’ll love Castelsardo. This small town in the north of Sardinia combines a medieval feel with the calm of a seaside resort. What I liked most was simply wandering around the old town, up narrow steps with views of the sea.
At the top stands the 12th-century Castello dei Doria. Today it houses a museum of traditional basket weaving. We didn’t go inside, but the view from the castle alone is worth it. You can see the dome of the Co-Cathedral of St Anthony the Abbot, covered in colourful majolica tiles, from a long way off.
If you’re driving, stop at Elephant Rock (Roccia dell’Elefante). It’s a big lump of rock that really does look like a sitting elephant. It has prehistoric tombs carved into it, so it’s an archaeological site too. For a quick swim, Castelsardo also has its own town beach.
Sassari
We also stopped in Sassari, Sardinia’s second-largest city. Personally, it didn’t do much for me. The historic centre has a few pretty corners, but overall it felt run-down. There’s a big square, a cathedral and cafés, but it lacked the atmosphere I love in Italian towns. I also saw an unusual number of police cars in the streets, so I didn’t feel entirely at ease. If you only have a few days in Sardinia, I’d put the coast and the smaller towns first.
Is Alghero worth a trip from Bratislava?
Yes, even for just two days. I fitted in the old town, an evening in the vineyard, the coast and Castelsardo. Not every place clicked: Sassari left me unconvinced. But that’s part of travelling too. Sardinia won me over, and I know I’ll be back for longer.
Happy travels!
A Slovak travel blogger who has been getting Slovaks out of their office chairs since 2013. Author of the book Influencer and founder of the Bez Mapy blog.
