Why you should get around Alghero by bus
There are plenty of good reasons to get around Alghero (and surroundings) by bus.
- Saving money: especially if you’re travelling alone or as a couple, if you don’t plan to go far, the savings from not renting a car and not feeding the business of outrageously priced parking in Sardinia (which is everywhere, even at the most remote beaches) will be huge.
Plus, ticket prices are particularly cheap compared to other Italian cities; for example, an urban ticket costs €1. - Daily tickets: if you plan on moving around a lot (as I recommend doing to visit the best beaches in Alghero), daily tickets are reasonably priced, usually less than 3 single rides;
- Buying tickets is easy: you can buy all ARST bus tickets directly via smartphone using the Dropticket app, which I’ll explain later, and activate them with a button when you see the bus arriving. Private companies, on the other hand, let you buy them directly on board. No wasting time looking for physical shops!
- Convenience: all bus lines from the ARST company (which in Alghero manages both the urban and intercity service for ARST) are loaded also onto Moovit and Google Maps, so by selecting your destination you can easily see the next schedule and the nearest stop. Other lines too, like the Beach Bus from the Cattogno company, allow you to see the real-time location of the buses via QR code.
- Ecology: you can guess 😉
ARST Buses in Alghero
The ARST company manages both the intercity lines for the Sardinia region and the local urban public transport in some Sardinian cities, including Alghero.
This simplifies buying tickets, for example, since you can do everything with the DropTicket app. Including the bus to Alghero airport, for which a normal €1 urban ticket is sufficient.
To make the most of Alghero’s public transport, it’s best to stay in the areas north of the historic center, where most transport passes through. I talk more about this in the guide on where to stay in Alghero.
Urban Buses in Alghero and Prices
There are 5 urban lines running around Alghero city: you can find them all at this link on the official website with route and schedules.
The one you’ll use most often is probably the linea ALFA, both for reaching the airport and for getting to the beaches closest to the center.
You can find the urban ticket prices in-app, currently €1 for a single ride valid for 90 minutes and €2.80 for the daily ticket. The urban daily ticket is particularly convenient because it lasts 24 solar hours, so you can use it, for example, for an afternoon and the following morning.
Intercity Buses in Alghero
You can find all the intercity lines at this link.
How DropTicket Works
DropTicket (for Android or Apple) is an app that lets you buy public transport tickets or parking for various Italian cities, including those for ARST (and it’s not the only app; you can find here all the available ones).
Once you’ve installed the app and selected the city of Alghero, the screen will let you choose whether to buy urban tickets or intercity tickets.
- Urban tickets: you can choose whether to buy single tickets or daily tickets. Considering that with Alghero buses you can go to/from the airport with the classic urban ticket without surcharges, if you plan to tour the city a bit or the beaches near Alghero, it might be worth getting the daily ticket right away.
- Intercity Tickets: in this case, by typing the name of the location or destination stop where you want to get off, you’ll be shown the cost of the single ticket or the daily one (whose price is equivalent to two single rides but allows you to hop on and off as many times as you want throughout the day).
Ticket Activation
After buying the ticket, it’s not immediately active, but its validity period will start only when you press the specific button. So you can buy the ticket in advance without worrying about it expiring, and activate it just when you’re about to board the bus. Finally, when boarding, show the phone screen to the driver, like in the example below:
The validity of a single urban ticket is 90 minutes, thus allowing you routes with potential intermediate changes or stops.
How Alghero’s “beach bus” works
Another very useful bus in Alghero is the so-called “Beach Bus”, run by the private company Cattogno.
This bus is very useful for those who want to visit the beaches around Alghero and wish to visit more than one in the same day.
The ticket for a single ride costs €5, which isn’t very convenient since there’s an ARST intercity line that runs a similar route for half the price (although with fewer daily runs). The daily ticket (€8) offers better value; it allows you to ride for any journey along the stops served by this bus in Alghero and surroundings, which runs on average 8 times a day. You can find the updated schedules on the official website.
Tickets can be found on the website or directly on the bus; in that case, make sure you have some cash.
This company also lets you see the real-time location of the Alghero Beach buses by scanning the QR code present on the timetable, so you can know precisely how long until yours arrives… and when to get up from the beach to reach the stop! 🙂
The only advice is to remember the spot where you get off and return there when you catch the next bus, as many intermediate stops or those at the beaches have neither a sign nor an identifying pole! The stops closest to the center, however, are distinguished by a sign with the company logo.
Bus from Alghero to Stintino
Tired of the nearby beaches and fancy a trip further afield? In my 4-day Alghero itinerary, I suggest a couple, including visiting Stintino and its beaches.
The Sardabus company offers a summer bus connection service between Alghero and Stintino (with the last stop at the famous La Pelosa beach, here are the schedules), also passing through Alghero airport.
The price is €6 each way and the ticket is bought directly on the bus; again, make sure you have cash.
I tell you more about which beaches to visit once you arrive at your destination in the itinerary. 🙂
Now that you know everything about how to get around, also take a look at the best areas to stay in Alghero so you’re not far from the stops, and look for a cheap flight with the box below:
Send a Tip 😍
