Italy · North-west Sardinia
Yacht Charter Alghero
A Catalan city on the Sardinian coast, with Capo Caccia rising three hundred metres out of the sea beside it.
Alghero was taken by the Crown of Aragon in 1353 and has spoken Catalan ever since — the street signs are bilingual and the old town inside its sea walls belongs to Barcelona rather than to Sardinia. Beside it stands Capo Caccia, a limestone headland three hundred metres high with one of the great sea caves of the Mediterranean cut into its base.
The city inside the walls
The bastions run right along the water and you walk them from end to end at sunset, which is when the stone goes the colour the town is named for. Inside, the lanes are Catalan Gothic and the cooking follows: lobster done alla catalana, with tomato and onion, is the dish the town is known for.
The harbour sits directly below the walls, so you step off the passerelle into the old town. There are few places on this coast where the berth and the evening are the same hundred metres.
Capo Caccia and the Neptune's Grotto
The headland is a sheer limestone wall with a lighthouse on top and a marine reserve around it. The Grotta di Nettuno at its base is entered from the water — a cathedral-sized cavern with a saltwater lake, stalactites and columns, and boats go in on a calm morning.
North of the cape the Porto Conte inlet is a deep, almost enclosed bay that holds in any weather, and the coast between them is a protected area with water that stays clear all summer.
Practical notes
- Sailed from Olbia across the north of the island, or reached directly through Alghero airport, twenty minutes from the harbour
- The harbour sits below the old-town walls: you step off the passerelle into the lanes
- The Grotta di Nettuno is entered from the water on a calm morning; Porto Conte alongside holds in any weather
- Capo Caccia and Porto Conte are a marine protected area and anchoring is regulated in places
Reached from: Olbia
Where to dine
A table by the water
Al Tuguri
AlgheroThree floors in a lane inside the walls, doing Catalan-Sardinian cooking that exists nowhere else.
Angedras
AlgheroThe town's name spelled backwards, and a kitchen that treats the island's produce with a light hand.
Porto Conte
Porto ConteTables on the inlet north of the cape, where the fish comes off boats you can see from the table.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The sea walls at sunset
The bastions run the length of the waterfront and are walked end to end, which is when the stone turns the colour the town is named for.
Grotta di Nettuno
A cathedral-sized cavern at the base of Capo Caccia, entered from the water, with a saltwater lake under stalactites.
Capo Caccia
Three hundred metres of sheer limestone with a lighthouse on top and a marine reserve around it.
Porto Conte
A deep, almost enclosed bay north of the cape that holds in any weather, with clear water all summer.
The fleet
Yachts available for Alghero
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Alghero
- What makes Alghero different from the rest of Sardinia?
- It is Catalan. Taken by Aragon in 1353, still bilingual, with a Gothic old town inside sea walls and a cooking tradition — lobster alla catalana — that came from Barcelona rather than from the island.
- Can we get into the Neptune's Grotto by boat?
- Yes, on a calm morning, and that is the way to do it. The cavern is entered directly from the water and holds a saltwater lake under stalactites.
- What does a yacht charter in Alghero cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter at Alghero
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.