Alghero Area Holidays

This Mediterranean beauty's nestled on the north-east coast of Sardinia – and it's got ancient credentials. Its first settlers, the Ozieris, made it their home over 6,000 years ago. Nowadays, Alghero's a bustling town with a cobbly centre and plenty of gotta-go-back restaurants and bars.

Hemmed in by 16th-century walls, Alghero's packed with charming remnants of its life as a Catalan colony. The eagle-eyed will notice street signs in Italian and Catalan, as well as tastebud-tingling fusion food. Spanish tapas alongside a crusty Italian pizza make for a tasty meal.

Stick the romantic Neptune’s Grotto on your list of places to visit. This vast system of caves is crowded with softly lit stalactites and stalagmites, and there's a spooky chamber with a dark, underground lake. It's a half-hour drive outside Alghero – or 45 minutes if you travel by boat.

To the north, you’ll come across a bevy of beaches that give the Caribbean a run for its money. Valledoria’s home to a monster sweep of sand the colour of a custard cream. It’s got the sea on one side and a river on the other, so the castaway vibes couldn’t be stronger. Head up the coast to Badesi Mare, and you’ll find an out-of-the-way pocket of white sand. Around the corner in Isola Rossa, there's a half moon-shaped patch of chalk-like sunbathing territory.