Trains to and from Alghero Airport (AHO)

Alghero Airport is one of three main airports on Italy’s island of Sardinia, and is located approximately 8 km from the charming seaside town of Alghero. The other two main airports on the island are Cagliari and Olbia. The airport is particularly nearby the village of Fertilia, and is therefore also commonly referred to as Alghero-Fertilia Airport, or even Riviera del Corallo Airport, as Alghero is the tourist capital of this region. There are plenty of bus services which operate directly from the terminal building, however, there is no actual train station on the airport site. Passengers arriving at Alghero can access the railway network in Sardinia via the bus services.

The destination handles just over one and a half million passengers per year, and is a popular arrival point for many tourists. Sardinia is famous for its long stretches of beautiful beaches and seaside resorts, from where a range of water related activities are enjoyed. The terminal building at the airport was recently extended and renovated, and today provides very modern facilities and a comfortable gateway to Northern Sardinian regions. Although there is no train station at the airport, a variety of bus and coach services provide transport to the town of Alghero, from where railway services can be found. Bus and train transportation in Italy is extremely popular, and very cost efficient when compared to taxi services.

The main local bus service in Alghero is the ARST Bus Company, or the Azienda RegionaleSarda Trasporti, and there are frequent bus services from Alghero Airport to Alghero, and other prominent towns and cities in the region. They have a very modern fleet of vehicles, many of which are accessible by disabled persons in wheelchairs. Bus tickets can be purchased from the bus driver or online, from http://arst.sardegna.it. The FDS Buses, or Ferrovie della Sardegna buses, also offer many routes around Alghero, and form part of the ARST Bus Company. Their website is found at http://www.ferroviesardegna.it. Alternative bus services from Alghero Airport include Fara Viaggi, Redentours Deplanu, Logudoro Tours, Autolinee Pani, Digitur Buslines, Nuragica Tours and Turmo Travel. All the bus services can be found outside the arrivals area of the terminal building.

The train station in Alghero is known as the Alghero Sant’Agostino Train Station, and is nearby from where most of the bus services arrive and depart. The train station is also relatively nearby the town center of Alghero (about a fifteen to twenty minute walk). The train station is located in Via Don Minzoni, which is just off Via Garibaldi that leads into the town center. The buses in Alghero arrive and depart from Via Catalogna, and certain trains are met by small buses which provide transport to this area.

The railway services in Sardinia is operated by Ferrovie della Sardegna, while there are also services by Trenitalia, Ferrovie dello Stato, which is Italy’s state owned railway company. These are two separate companies, offering various routes and train services in Sardinia. At Alghero Train Station, only trains by Ferrovie della Sardegna are available, but passengers can take a train to Sassari, from where Trenitalia trains travel to various locations, such as Cagliari. The trains to Sassari are frequent, and take about 35 minutes to reach the railway station in Sassari. The Ferrovie della Sardegna railway services mainly provide transport between Cagliari and Isili, Nuoro an Macomer, Nulvi and Sorso, and Alghero and Sassari. Tickets can be purchased at the relevant train stations, or online from the websites of the two companies. Further information about Trenitalia is available at http://www.trenitalia.com, while Ferrovie della Sardegna’s website can be found at http://www.ferroviesardegna.it. Although this company has mostly been taken over by ARST, this website is still the main source of information regarding bus and train schedules from Ferrovie della Sardegna.

The state owned railway services in Sardinia may not prove to be as efficient as those in the major Italian cities, but are still useful for reaching certain areas. Tourists will find the bus services to be more comprehensive, and are useful when traveling to more remote areas that are unreachable by train. There is a third train service in Sardinia, which is actually a special tourist train, and their services are very popular with visitors. It is known as the ‘Little Green Train’, or the Trenino Verdo, and provides an excellent way to view the island. The Green Train is actually a completely restored old steam locomotive that pulls wooden passenger cars. It creates a lovely atmosphere as it chugs through areas rich in vegetation, over bridges, along mountain gorges and through other railway stations, and takes you to remote locations on the island which otherwise would be inaccessible. The Green Train is available from late June to early September.

Passengers arriving at Alghero who would like to continue their journey by train can find out more information on train schedules from the information desk within the arrivals area.