MY wife and I are going to Europe which will include 7 nights in Sardinia Sept 20-27. we fly in and to of Olbia and are renting a car. We want to stay in Alghero for 4 nights and since we want to take a boat tour of La Maddalena we want to stay somewhere in the north east for The other three days. Costa Smeralda or Saint Teresa di Gullara. being close to mazing beaches and loves is important but also we love Towns. so close to a nice charming town, (if there is one in Costa Esmeralda? it might all be too modern. What do you think of Saint Teresa di Gularra?
Also while in Alghero:
1. what are the best places to visit within driving distance.
2.Do we need to book reservations at the best beaches in Late September?
3. Are the boat tours worth it. if so do you recommend any.
if there's anything else we should know please tell us.
Much appreciated
Andrew
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15807 posts
From Alghero you can visit Stintino, Bosa, Porto Torres. The Stintino beach is very famous, but there are a tons everywhere. If you decide to stay in Santa Teresa di Gallura (this is the correct spelling), then Castelsardo is pretty much half way between Alghero and Santa Teresa, so you can visit from both. Castelsardo I think is the prettiest town in Sardinia. 4 nights in Alghero is quite a bit, so you have time to take several day trips.
Never booked any beaches in Sardinia, and I always went in late June or July. Many don't even have concession facilities, but if there are, and you want to rent a spot with a chair and umbrella, there will be no problem doing so on the spot. The busy time when some clubs may be full is August, but in late September the place will be half empty.
There are plenty of boat excursions of the Maddalena Archipelago Marine Park that you can choose from at the harbors of both Santa Teresa and Palau. Yes I recommend a tour of the Maddalena, it will be the highlight of your trip. Be aware that they don't operate in case of wind, which can be high in those waters, so hopefully you will find a nice day. I've taken some over the years but always from Santa Teresa, since I always stayed in or near Santa Teresa, which I recommend. The Costa Smeralda is beautiful and near (basically it goes from Cannigione to Spiaggia Bianca), but it is more expensive, especially near Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo. Arzachena is also a nice town, but it's in the interior, so if you like beaches you can just visit it.
I also recommend, if you have time, to see Bonifacio, in Corsica. There is a car ferry from the harbor from Santa Teresa that can take you there in 50 min. I don't recommend a car in Bonifacio (you won't need it and parking is difficult) unless you plan to visit more of Corsica and maybe drive to Porto Vecchio or some other place of Corsica, but a car is unnecessary just to see Bonifacio, so you can leave it in Santa Teresa. Be aware that the ferry departs from the ferry dock on the other side of the tunnel from the boat harbor.
Posted by
North Italy
371 posts
Alghero is one of the prettiest towns and it's worth doing a tour of the coast going east to Capo Caccia and then north from there. There are places on the Costa Argentiera which are beautiful and wild.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2024/06/sardegna-in-may-day-8-alghero-porto.html?m=1
And then Stintino. The famous La Pelosa beach in Stintino has to be booked until 31st October and there are rules as to beach towels etc so read carefully at this link:
https://spiaggialapelosa.it/en/
Bosa from Alghero, as mentioned above.
Santa Teresa di Gallura itself is modern and nothing special but nearby Capo Testa is spectacular especially at sunset and all the beaches in the area are beautiful