Sardinia (Sardegna in Italian) is a wondeful Island to visit! It’s maybe not top on your bucket list but it should be – with old town charm & beaches to die for, let me offer you a glimpse of what Sardinia has to offer…

Alghero

The quaint town of Alghero is full of cute cobbled streets, traditional shops with charming locals, delicious Italian food at very reasonable prices and is enclosed by impressive ancient walls.

One of my favourite things to do there was just to wander around all the tiny cobbled streets…

 

Of course there has to be a few ice creams on the way round!

Explore the old walls which surround the city…

This is so interesting! You get beautiful views of the harbour and find the best spots to watch the sunset!

 

Take the small train around the city.

I would really recommend this as it is so infomative! It explains a lot about the history of the town and its’ links to Catalunya, which you maybe wouldn’t know before your trip. This can also be seen in the street signs which are written in both Italian and Catalan around the city.

You can also spot some beautiful sights like this stunningly colourful Dome of church San Michele. I got this snap from the train and I love the colours in it!

 

You can also play the game ‘spot the fiat cinquecento’ which is always fun! We spotted at least 4 – there’s even one hiding in the above photos if you want to play too!

Walk along to the Port.

Take a gentle stroll along to the Port where you can enjoy a cappucino by the sea – and choose which boat you would like to own..

Enjoy the food with a view…

Now we might have been very lucky but we had stunning sunset views and wonderful live music two nights in a row! Whether you choose to eat on one of the Piazza’s – I highly recommend Piazza Pino Piras, which has live music by St John’s Tower in the summer nights as well as amazing food at the Trattorias. I don’t think my photo’s can quite describe how magical it is to wander around at night but hopefully they can give you a little glimpse.

 

Another must eat-at-spot is the promenade along the city walls. Tucking into delicious Italian food whilst you watch the sunset from your seat – there isn’t much better than that! There is a lot of choice with different restaurants and bars along the ancient walls but all come with an amazing view. My camera doesn’t really do it justice but again please take my word for it and check it out!

Take a boat to explore Neptune’s Grotto.

Grotta di Nettuno is a stalactite cave which was discovered by local fisherman back in the day and is now a major attraction! From Alghero you can get a small ferry, or even kayak around the area which I think would be really cool! We went for the wee ferry and were excited to start exploring! It’s very impressive!

MUST DO!

Go to Stintino, La Pelosa Beach!

Alghero does have a beach but honestly, it’s nothing special. When we went it was full of seaweed so I wouldn’t really advise going there. Instead DEFINITELY take the bus, car, moto to Stintino and go to their beach called La Pelosa! With sand and sea like this you might think you are in the Caribbean…

Now I do have some first hander tips for you here:

• La Pelosa is a very small beach and during the summer months it is REALLY busy, so I advise getting there VERY early to get a good spot!
• To beat the crowds and enjoy a more private beach, try coming in the months where the sea is warm and the schools are in (September- October and (May-June).
• There are 5 buses a day going to and from Alghero with the company Sarda Bus and will cost you roughly 6 euros.

The morning we arrived at La Pelosa was actually very cloudy which wasn’t what we hoped for our beach day but did make for some very dramatic photos!

We took our time, had a nice cold beer & admired the view…

Just LOOK at the colour of the water!

Now before I go I will leave you with a funny story and a bit of a warning from me to you…

• La Pelosa is a beach of 3 waters, it starts off white and clear as anything. It is so shallow that you can sit and relax on the sand and paddle to your heart’s’ content.
•  Then it turns a beautiful shade of turquoise blue and you will think you have died and gone to heaven.
• And then finally, you will see an amazing little Island in the distance with a small tower on it, you will see some people sunbathing on the rocks around it and think “that looks like a lovely Island to swim out to” and your boyfriend will say “Let’s try it!”
• Beware: It is not until you swim alll the way across that you will see the water turn black! There is a reason for this…and it’s not a good one! It is full of Sea Urchins!
• It was only when we were right on top of them that we noticed! As a consequence of this we ended up with Sea Urchin spikes in our feet and hands and let me tell you it was not fun and during a mini overreaction I may have pictured my foot getting chopped off as a result of this! A few weeks later and our spikes soaked in vinegar – we lived to tell the tale! Hurray!

Now we can look back and laugh as we were clearly the only people stupid enough to swim to the island and we got what was coming to us! But it’s moments like these that make the memories you will never forget…

And isn’t that what holidays are all about after all? 🙂

 

(P.S. We flew directly from Barcelona Girona to Alghero on Ryan air for a very good price and only an hour flight!)

I hope you have enjoyed my tips and stories from Sardinia and have found them useful when planning your trip! Have you got any other tips for me? Have you got any funny stories from places you have visited? I’d love to hear them! Please comment in the box below!

 

The Wee Wanderer x x