Where to stay in Alghero
The walled old town of Alghero is closed to traffic for most of the day and night, so the first decision is where the car waits. The five areas answer that question differently.
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How the areas differ
The centro storico is the walled town on its headland, a sea wall walkway above the rocks and pastel fronts with blue shutters. It is also a limited traffic zone all year. Under 1 km away, the port and Piazzale della Pace give the same walk without the zone.
North of the town, Maria Pia and the Lido run along a sandy bay behind pine woods, about 4 km from the old town and about 8 km from the airport. Fertilia, the planned village beside the airport, is about 6 km from the terminal and about 7 km from the walls, with its own marina.
West of all of them, Porto Conte and Capo Caccia sit inside the Parco Naturale Regionale di Porto Conte, which regional law set up in 1999 and which covers over 5,000 hectares and 60 km of coast in the comune. That coast is the Riviera del Corallo, named for its red coral; in 2015 the comune set up a committee to certify jewellery made from genuine Corallium rubrum against imitations. Quub's Sardinia guide covers the rest of the island.
Staying with a rental car
The ZTL is the deciding fact. Under the 2018 regulation the comune publishes, the whole historic centre is a limited traffic zone all year, with circulation and parking banned from 00:00 to 08:00, from 10:30 to 14:30 and from 16:30 to 24:00 except for permit holders. That leaves two open windows a day, 08:00 to 10:30 and 14:30 to 16:30. The ordinance in force in 2026 was not found on the comune's site, so whether those hours still apply is unverified as of September 2026. Camera gates stand at Via Simon by Piazza Porta Terra and at Piazza Sulis. Permits cost EUR 20 for residents on a two-year transit pass or EUR 10, and they are requested online with SPID, CIE or CNS.
Guests of hotels and other lodging inside the zone, with a booking, may enter only to load and unload luggage, and the manager must send the car's plate to the Polizia Locale. That is a transit right, not a parking right. A camera fine for entering without authorisation runs EUR 83 to 332 and is billed to the registered keeper, which for a hire car is the rental company.
The car therefore lives outside. Piazzale della Pace, under 1 km from the walls, is paid for the whole day every day from 15 April to 15 October 2026 at EUR 0.50 for every 20 minutes, with parking meters that take cards and the EasyPark and DropTicket apps; a ticket cannot be extended once it has expired. At the beach end, the comune opens 550 spaces on the unmade ground at Maria Pia on viale Primo Maggio from mid June to the end of September, 09:00 to 21:00, run by Alghero In House. In July 2025 the comune announced eight further areas across the town, about 1,400 spaces in all, most of them free, with viale Primo Maggio and via Castelsardo charged. GetCar's car rental page for Alghero covers the hire side of the trip.
Tax and registration for a guest
The imposta di soggiorno for 2026 was set by Giunta deliberation 376 of 20 November 2025 and applies from 1 January 2026, with the seasonal difference removed by the council in November 2025. Per person per night: EUR 4.00 in hotels of four stars and above, EUR 2.00 in hotels up to three stars, EUR 2.00 in extra-hotel lodging, EUR 2.00 in open-air lodging without the guest's own vehicle and EUR 1.00 with it. Extra-hotel lodging covers holiday houses and flats, B&Bs and homes let occasionally for tourism, so a holiday flat pays EUR 2.00.
The tax falls on people not resident in Alghero, and nights after the first seven consecutive nights are exempt. Children up to their twelfth year pay nothing, as do carers of inpatients in local hospitals, police, armed forces and firefighters on duty, and guests with a severe disability under Law 104/1992 and one companion. Every Sardinian let shows a regional IUN next to the national CIN in its listing and at the entrance of the unit, and the host registers each guest with the police within 24 hours, so bring an identity document or passport for everyone.
When to book what
Alghero's parking schemes run on dates rather than on demand. Piazzale della Pace is charged from 15 April to 15 October, the Maria Pia car park opens from mid June to the end of September, and the comune publishes its temporary summer areas each year. The notices set charges for those dates only, so check the current notice before a stay in the shoulder months.
Travellers flying in from outside the Schengen area pass through the EU Entry/Exit System, fully operational since 10 April 2026, at their first Schengen border. Compare and book on this page once the area is settled.
Which area for which trip
A first visit on foot inside the walls: the centro storico.
An arrival by car with the old town a short walk away: the port and Piazzale della Pace.
Sand and a pine wood: Maria Pia and the Lido.
An early flight: Fertilia.
Cliffs and the regional park: Porto Conte and Capo Caccia.
Questions
When is the Alghero old town open to cars?
Between the closed windows: the 2018 regulation bans circulation and parking from 00:00 to 08:00, from 10:30 to 14:30 and from 16:30 to 24:00 except for permit holders, which leaves 08:00 to 10:30 and 14:30 to 16:30. Whether the 2026 ordinance keeps those hours is unverified as of September 2026.
Can a hotel inside the ZTL let a guest drive in?
Only to load and unload luggage, and the manager must send the car's plate to the Polizia Locale. It is a transit right, not a right to park inside the zone.
What does parking cost at Piazzale della Pace?
EUR 0.50 for every 20 minutes, around the clock and every day, from 15 April to 15 October 2026. A ticket cannot be topped up once the paid time has run out.
How much tourist tax does a holiday flat pay in Alghero?
EUR 2.00 per person per night as extra-hotel lodging, charged on the first seven consecutive nights only. Children up to their twelfth year are exempt.
What is the Riviera del Corallo?
The coast around Alghero, named for its red coral; in 2015 the comune set up a committee to certify genuine coral jewellery against imitations. Its protected core is the Parco Naturale Regionale di Porto Conte, over 5,000 hectares and 60 km of coast.