Getting to and from Alghero airport — including the early flights
The airport is close — about ten kilometres from the centre, next to Fertilia — which lulls people into treating the journey as trivial. Then they meet the 6 a.m. flight, the last evening bus, or a Sunday timetable, and discover it isn't.
The bus
The airport is served by ARST buses connecting to Alghero centre and, on some runs, to Sassari and Porto Torres. Journey time to the centre is around 20–25 minutes.
- Buy before boarding. Tickets from the app, machines, bars and tabaccherie. Drivers generally do not sell them, and boarding without one is a fine, not a conversation.
- Validate the ticket on board — an unvalidated ticket counts as no ticket.
- Timetables change seasonally, and winter service is thinner. Check the day before, especially on Sundays and holidays.
The early departure matters more than the rest of the timetable. There is one bus early enough for a 6 a.m. flight; if it is moved or cancelled, everything after it is useless to you. This is exactly the kind of change we carry in the morning brief.
The taxi
Taxis wait at the airport for arrivals, but do not expect to find one at 4 a.m. for a departure. Book the evening before with a local driver — several serve the Alghero area and answer by WhatsApp, which is easier than a phone call if your Italian is limited. Expect a fixed-ish fare for the centre and more for outlying areas.
If you live outside town — Scala Piccada, the countryside, Santa Maria La Palma — give the driver a landmark and a pin, not just the address. (There's a tool for that: the delivery card works for taxis too.)
Parking and being collected
There is paid parking at the terminal and a short free drop-off window at the front. For anything longer than a week, compare the terminal's long-stay rate with a private lot — and note that some private lots are closed at the hours you actually need them.
The airport itself
Alghero–Fertilia is small, which is mostly good news: check-in to gate takes minutes. It also means: limited food outside peak hours, one main security line that jams when two flights coincide, and the ground handling for some airlines closes the desk strictly on time. For early departures, the terminal opens shortly before check-in — arriving at 3:30 for a 6:00 flight means waiting outside.
When things go wrong
- Cancelled flight, no bus yet: the airport is walkable to Fertilia in about 25 minutes, where there are more transport options and places to sit.
- Strikes are announced in advance and hit air and ground transport separately — the brief carries them when declared.
- Winter fog occasionally diverts flights to Cagliari or Olbia, several hours away by road; airlines organise coaches, but slowly.
Print this: the airport checklist
- Ticket bought and validated, or taxi booked the night before
- Timetable checked for the actual day (Sunday and holiday services differ)
- For early flights: confirmed the first departure still runs
- Address for the taxi given as landmark + pin
- Terminal opening time checked for very early departures
- Parking decided if driving
Timetables, fares and services change seasonally and at short notice. Confirm with ARST and the airport before travelling. Last reviewed: September 2026.