Alghero holidays

Holidays to Alghero offer the perfect balance of laidback and lively. Spend your days on ice-white beaches, and your evenings unwinding in Little Barcelona, the atmospheric old quarter.

Sardinian seduction

Alghero, in north-western Sardinia, is one of the island’s most seductive towns. It was ruled by the Spanish between 1400 and 1700, and still shines through in the fittingly named old quarter, Barcelonetta, or Little Barcelona. The cobbled streets here still have a distinctive Catalan character and, to this day, the locals speak a Catalan dialect. The new town spreads out on the other side of the 16th-century walls, and offers easy access to a string of white, sandy beaches.

A roll call of beaches

Just north of Alghero’s marina is the Lido, also known as San Giovanni Beach. This lengthy ribbon of sand's a great spot for sun-worshippers. For something even more spectacular, take a five-minute drive to Maria Pia Beach – a stretch of ice-white sand fringed by fragrant pine forests. The sea here's warm, clear and child-friendly, too. If a lively line-up of beach bars is more your scene, head to nearby Bombarde Beach.

The old quarter

Barcelonetta is Alghero’s well-heeled old quarter, and the heartbeat of the town. Spread among its tangle of cool alleyways and grandiose piazzas is a line-up of trattorias, plus some of the best ice-cream parlours in Sardinia. History buffs can goggle at Alghero Cathedral, built in Catalan Gothic style, and the lavish Palazzo d’Albis. And if you follow the seafront fortifications, you’ll arrive at the marina, which is filled with an armada of luxury yachts.

Close to Capo Caccia

A 25-minute drive gets you to Capo Caccia, where dramatic limestone cliffs are undercut by natural caves. Neptune’s Grotto, containing stalactites and stalagmites dating back 65 million years, is the most visited tourist attraction in the area. But there are underwater caves, too, that divers and snorkellers can access. Nereo’s Grotto, with its network of tunnels and archways, is the pick of the lot.