La Pelosa Beach Guide: Plan Your Alghero Visit

Where La Pelosa sits

La Pelosa lies at the tip of the Stintino peninsula, in the far north-west of Sardinia, with the island of Asinara and the small Isola Piana just offshore. The bay faces open water, which gives it the clear turquoise colour and the low, island-framed horizon that photographs so well. Stintino town is the nearest base, a short drive from the sand.

Alghero, roughly an hour's drive south along the coast road, works well as a trip base if you want a town with an airport, restaurants and other beaches for the rest of the week. Treat La Pelosa as a dedicated beach day rather than an afternoon add-on: the drive each way plus the booking slot makes it a half-day or full-day outing. If you are building an itinerary around the town, the wider selection of Alghero beaches shows what else is within easy reach. Weighing a booked day at La Pelosa against a free one in town? Compare the Olbia beaches for a similar choice between coves and bays on another stretch of the island.

Getting there from Alghero and Stintino

By road, you follow the coastal route north from Alghero towards Stintino and then continue on the peninsula road towards the beach. In peak weeks traffic builds on the final approach and parking fills early, so aim to arrive at the start of your booked slot rather than mid-morning. Carry water and sun protection in the car; the approach has little shade.

Parking arrangements and any charges at La Pelosa change with the season and are managed locally, so check the current setup with the Comune di Stintino tourist office before you travel. Boat trips from Stintino harbour are another way to see the bay and the offshore islands without joining the beach queue. For the wider picture of how the peninsula fits with the region, see the best beaches near Alghero.

The numbered-entry system

La Pelosa runs a numbered-entry system that caps daily visitors at 1,500, split between two booking windows. For the 1 June to 30 September period, 750 places can be reserved without a time limit, and a further 750 can be booked no earlier than 48 hours before the day of use. Each reservation covers a maximum of four people and a user can make only one reservation per day.

The reservation fee is 3.50 euros per person, and children under 12 are not included in the booking, so a family of four with two young children books only the adults. Book through the official La Pelosa reservation page, where the two windows and the fee are set out. The 48-hour window is the practical fallback for anyone who missed the open booking, but it is a race in August, so treat it as a backup rather than a plan.

The sand and the water

The sand at La Pelosa is famously fine and almost white, and the bay is known for water that stays shallow a long way out. That wide shelf is the reason the beach works so well for small children and for adults who prefer to wade rather than dive in. It also means the beach gets crowded in the shallows at peak times, so pick your spot with some space in mind.

The bay is open to the sea and exposed to the prevailing winds, so conditions vary day to day. Pay attention to any flags or local notices on the day rather than trusting a calm-looking surface from the car park. A travel guide describes La Pelosa's snow-white sand and cobalt-blue panorama, which matches the character of the bay but says nothing about conditions on a given morning.

Facilities

Expect a managed beach: the numbered-entry system and the reservation app point to an organised setup rather than a wild strip of sand. The official booking page is the place to look for what is included with your entry and how the beach is laid out in the season you plan to visit. Reading the booking page ahead of your visit beats arriving and discovering a service you assumed would be there is not.

Bring your own shade, water and picnic supplies, especially if you are travelling with children and plan to stay through the hottest part of the day. If a lido or sunbed service matters to you, ask when you book, because that detail is managed locally and can vary through the season. Prices and booking dates can change, so check them before you travel.

Best time to go

The numbered-entry system has run from 1 June to 30 September in the published period, so plan your visit around those months if you want the bay at its most organised. July and August are the busiest weeks, when both booking windows fill and the 48-hour option becomes competitive. June and September give you warmer, quieter water and an easier time securing a slot.

Sea temperatures peak in late summer, so swimmers who feel the cold will be most comfortable from July onwards. Arrive early in your slot to claim a patch of sand with shade nearby, and leave the middle of the day for a long swim or a walk along the shore rather than fighting for space.

Who it suits

La Pelosa is at its best for families with small children, who benefit from the wide shallow shelf, and for swimmers who like long, gentle entries. Snorkellers will find more interest around the rocks and the offshore islands than on the sandy shelf itself. Quiet-seekers should aim for early or late in the day, or visit outside the peak weeks, because the beach is a headline destination and draws a crowd.

If your group includes a mix of ages, the booking system actually helps: with a capped number of visitors, the beach is less likely to feel like a scrum in the height of summer. The trade-off is that a spontaneous beach day is off the table in season unless you secure a slot.

Nearby beaches to combine

The Stintino coastline has other coves and beaches within a short drive of La Pelosa, so you can pair a booked morning with an afternoon elsewhere. The wider set of beaches around Alghero, including Maria Pia beach with its long sandy run and easy town access, makes a good contrast for a day when you want a spontaneous swim rather than a booked slot.

Further south, Mugoni beach sits in a sheltered bay on the Alghero side, and Bosa Marina offers a longer, more developed beach for a change of scene. Spiaggia di Maria Pia is the easiest alternative if you are staying in Alghero and want a beach you can reach without booking ahead.

Practical planning

Book as soon as the open window allows if your dates are fixed, then use the 48-hour window only as a backup. Confirm the current fee, daily cap and date range on the official reservation page before you pay, since these are set season by season. Carry your booking confirmation on your phone and arrive at the start of your slot.

Pack shade, water, reef-safe sun cream and something to sit on, because the fine white sand is beautiful but gets everywhere. If you are travelling with children under 12, remember they do not need to be included in the reservation, which keeps your group within the four-person limit. For the rest of your trip, the Alghero beaches guide covers the town's other options.

Plan Your Visit

La Pelosa rewards planning: the white sand and wide shallow bay are the draw, and the numbered-entry system is the price of keeping them manageable in peak season. Book through the official page, keep your group within the four-person limit, and leave room in your itinerary for a spontaneous day at one of the nearby beaches.