If you are seeking information on how to get from Cagliari to Alghero you are in the right place. Alghero has its very own airport – Alghero Fertilia International Airport, which connects it to the rest of Italy and is also served by budget airlines connecting it to a number or cities across Europe. The airport serves the north and north-west of Sardinia.
However, if for any reason you must fly to Cagliari Elmas airport, or are visiting several destinations around the island and need to make your way to Alghero, you will surely want to know about the best Cagliari Alghero connections. In this post, I will explain how to get from Cagliari to Alghero.
How To Travel From Cagliari To Alghero
There are three main options to travel from Cagliari city center to Alghero: train, car, and bus. You can also travel by a combination of train and bus.
Cagliari Alghero By Car
Whether you are landing in Cagliari Elmas Airport or traveling from Cagliari city center, getting to Alghero by car will take you around three hours. Follow SS131/E25 northbound towards Sassari and once there take SS291 to Alghero.
Check the prices of car rental in Sardinia here.
Cagliari Alghero By Train
There are no direct trains to Alghero. To get from Cagliari to Alghero you have to go via Sassari. Trains to Sassari depart every two hours from both Cagliari main train station located in Piazza Matteotti and from the train station located at Cagliari Elmas Airport, which you can easily find by turning left and following the signs “to the trains” outside of the baggage claim area in the arrivals terminal.
The trains observe the following schedule:
From Cagliari Central Station: 6:30 am; 8:35 am; 10:40 am; 12:22 pm; 2:30 pm; 4:30 pm; 6:30 pm.
From Cagliari Elmas Airport: 6:11 am; 6:20 am; 8:42 am; 10:46 am; 12:29 pm; 2:37 pm; 4:36 pm; 6:36 pm.
You can get from Cagliari Central Train Station to Cagliari Elmas Airport by train in under 10 minutes. There are departures every 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the time of day.
The overall ride from Cagliari to Sassari takes about 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Once you are in Sassari, you will find a direct train to Alghero departing every hour starting at 6:05 am and until 9:00 pm daily.
You will need to buy two separate tickets: the first train is owned by the Italian Railways (Ferrovie dello Stato) and costs about €17; the second one is an ARST regional service and costs between €2 and €4.
You can book your train tickets to Sassari online for the same price here. Once in Sassari, you will have to buy your ticket to Alghero in person.
Cagliari Alghero By Bus
There is a direct bus leaving from Cagliari Piazza Matteotti ARST Bus Station to Alghero Fertilia Airport. The service is operated by Logudoro Tours s.r..l. and leaves at 2:00 pm. Tickets are in the range of €16 to €23 and can be bought directly on board. Once at the airport, you can take the public bus to Alghero city center.
The total time you’ll need for the trip is about 4 hours 30 minutes.
Cagliari Elmas Airport To Alghero By Train + Bus
Let me start by stating I do not recommend this option as the journey is quite long and complicated, but failing all else, it is available and you may find it useful.
From Cagliari Elmas Airport you can travel all the way to Macomer, where you can hop on an ARST bus to Alghero. However, there is only one daily bus connecting Macomer to Alghero that departs at 8:50 am – which means you only really have one option.
Take the 6:20 am train from Cagliari Elmas Airport and get off in Decimomannu, where you can hop on the train to Macomer departing at 6:34 The train will arrive in Macomer at 8:23 am. Once in Macomer, find your way to ARST bus station and get on bus number 713 to Alghero departing at 8:50 am. You will get to Alghero at 10:48 am. The entire trip will take you around 4 hours and 30 minutes.
The train ticket costs around €10 and can be bought at one of the vending machines at the airport or online here.
The bus ticket costs between €4 and €7 and can be bought at the bus station.
Final Considerations
I am sure you have realized reading this post that getting from Cagliari to the center of Alghero by public transport is not easy. In any case, I wanted to give you all the available solutions so that you can pick which one you find most suitable to your needs, travel style and budget.
Further Readings
Make sure to read my other posts:
- How To Get To Sardinia
- How To Get From Cagliari Airport To The City Center
- A Guide To Renting A Car In Sardinia
- A Guide To Renting A Car In Cagliari
- A Guide To Renting A Car In Alghero
- How To Travel By Public Transport In Sardinia
- A Great North Sardinia Itinerary
- A Complete Guide To Alghero
- How To Get To Alghero From The Airport
- The Best Beaches In Alghero
- The Best Airbnbs In Alghero
- The Best Hotels In Alghero
- How To Get From Cagliari To Olbia
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Hi Claudia, Firstly. Thank you for your information about Sardinia. It is very informative.
My good friend and I are travelling to Sardinia from Catania in June. I am finding it difficult to find a flight from Catania directly to Alghero. We want to hire a car and travel around and end up at Olbia. The only options I am able to find is a direct flight with Ryan Air (operated by Air Malta) that gets us to Cagliari. We would then have to either train or drive the hire car from there which I know is around 3 hours. Any information that you may have with airlines and who flies into Alghero. ITA airways doesn’t seem to.
Any suggestions would be welcome. Monte Grazie
Hello Ros – yes, there won’t be direct flights I am afraid. The drive from Cagliari to Alghero is fairly long, but you can stop at Su Nuraxi in Barumini along the way to break it up, if you want!