Neptune’s Cave is one of the most famous and spectacular caves of Sardinia (Italy) that welcomes crowds of tourists every year. Extremely well preserved although it is about 2 million years old, this cave is definitely a must-see if you are traveling Sardinia.

Want to visit for yourself? 

Find everything you need to know to discover this natural gem in this guide.👇

 

Where is Neptune’s Grotto & What to Expect 

Neptune’s Cave, Grotta di Nettuno in Italian, is located on the Capo Caccia promontory in northwest Sardinia. It is located about 25 kilometers/15.5 miles west of Alghero and 45 kilometers/28 miles southwest of the town of Sassari. 

 

 

Neptune’s cave is home to karst formations that can only be accessed if weather and sea conditions are favorable, either by a staircase on the cliffside or by boat.

Inside, there are rooms, corridors, and galleries with magnificent columns of stalagmites, lakes, wells, and a salt labyrinth. Some stalactites hanging from the vault sometimes join the stalagmites to form imposing columns of great beauty.

 

neptunes caves

 

How to Get to Neptune’s Cave

To visit Neptune’s Grotto, you need to reach Capo Caccia, a rocky promontory of 190 meters high that juts out over the Gulf of Alghero.  

Note that if you choose to get there by land, you will arrive at the Escala del Cabirol, the 654-step stairs leading to the cave which take about 15 min to walk down/20 min to climb. 

 

🚗 By car 

Accessing the site by car is very easy. The place is referred to as “Neptune’s Grotto” on the GPS and is served by one single road, the SP55. It will take you to the stairs leading to the cave. 

  • From Alghero – 35min: drive north to take the route SS127 bis, then take the SP55 that will lead you to the Capo Caccia.
  • From Sassari –  40min: drive southwest through the SS291 var, then follow the SS291, the SP55 bis, and finally the SP55.
  • From Olbia – 1h50min: drive west following routes E840, SS729, SS597, 127bis until reaching the SS291 var near Sassari. Then follow the SS291, the SP55 bis, and finally the SP55. 

When approaching Neptune’s Grotto, you will see cars already parked on both sides of the road.

You can park behind one of these cars and then walk to the site entrance. Or you can keep driving to try finding a spot closer to the entrance. There is a roundabout near the entrance at the end of the road, so you can easily turn around. Parking is free. 

 

escala del cabirol to neptunes cave

 

🚌 By public transportation 

Grotta di Nettuno is served by Bus ARST 9321. The bus itinerary starts in Alghero and is not direct, but it will take you right in front of the site’s entrance (the stop name is “Capo Caccia”), close to the stairs leading to the cave.  

  • From Alghero – 50min: take the bus from “Alghero Via Catalonia” bus station. The cost is 2,50€/person.
  • From Sassari – 2h15: you have to take the SASSARI-ALGHERO bus first for 40min, then take the line ARST 9321 at Alghero La Pietraia bus station to Capo Caccia. The total cost is 5€/person. 

Bus service works every day, but the frequency is low, so you need to prepare your trip well in advance to match the bus schedules. Check the bus hours here. 

 

🛥 By boat

Choosing to arrive by sea is definitely best if you can’t take the stairs, or if you don’t have a car. But personally, I prefer the stairs as they are a true attraction on their own.  

From Alghero harbor located in the city center, 2 companies operate boat trips to Neptune’s Cave: 

  • Linea Grotte Navisarda: 15€/person, 7€ for kids  
  • Linea Grotte Attilio Regolo: 16€/person, 8€ for kids from 3 to 12 years old

Boat tickets don’t include the entry fee to the cave. You need to buy them separately. Also, prices may vary depending on the season. 

Boat rides take about 45 min to reach the cave. 

 

neptunes grotto beautiful formations

 

Facts about the Neptune’s Cave

Here are a few interesting facts you will love to know about this natural wonder before visiting:

  • Neptune’s Cave became famous in the 18th century thanks to a fisherman who was fascinated by his discovery. 
  • Until 1959, access to the cave was only possible by sea. The Escala del Cabirol, a gigantic staircase of 654 steps dug in the rock along the cliff of Capo Caccia, allows visitors to reach it by land in full safety since then.
  • The maze of underground rooms extends over 4 kilometers but only the first part is open to the public, which is about a few hundred meters.  The rest is accessible to experienced speleologists only. 
  • Besides Neptune’s Cave, Capo Caccia has many other lesser-known sea caves such as Grotta dei Pizzi e Ricami, Grotta di Nereo and Grotta Verde where paintings dating back to the Neolithic have been found.
  • All these caves open to the sea were once used as shelters for monk seals.

Want to learn more about Sardinia? Check out these interesting facts. 

 

grotta di nettuno iconic stalactite

 

Neptune Caves Tickets & Opening Hours 

Here are the different Neptune Caves tickets available (30min guided tours): 

  • Adults: 14€
  • Kids (7-14 years old) and 65+ adults:  10€ 
  • Disabled people & companions and kids under 7: Free

If you arrive by sea, you don’t need to book your ticket in advance as passengers on scheduled boats are automatically reserved a spot to visit the cave.

If you arrive by land, you can book your ticket directly onsite or online on the Alghero Experience website. I highly recommend booking in advance online (min. 2 days before), especially during the peak season (June-September) as entries are limited.  

On the website, you can choose the day of your visit, the time slot and pay directly online. On D-day, go to the online reservations desk with your booking info, and they will print you a ticket. It is very quick, you won’t really have to wait in line. 

It is mandatory to arrive at the cave’s entrance 40min before your visit time slot when arriving by land so you have time to get your tickets, and to go down the stairs.  

The cave is open every day except on Christmas day, from 9 am to 6 pm.

Note that the cave may close in case of bad sea conditions, so check the website before going. If you have booked online in advance, you will be informed by email.  

 

grotta di nettuno final sight

 

Discovering the Grotta di Nettuno 

Nesrine and I decided to visit Neptune’s Cave by land on the 7th day morning of our Sardinia trip. We were sleeping in Alghero, so it took us a 30 min drive to arrive at Capo Caccia.

We parked and went to the booking desk to get our tickets printed. It was about 9.20 am as we chose the 10 am guided tour. 

 

1 - arriving at the entrance

 

Right after, we started going down the Escala del Cabirol. And the show starts immediately with a wide view over the sea framed by huge limestone cliffs. 

 

 

We loved walking down the hundreds of steps carved cliffside while watching the blue sea breaking on the rocks. The path was entirely in the shade so it was really refreshing. 

 

3 - kev walking the escala del cabirol

3 - cliffside path to the neptunes cave

3 - the stairs

3 - view on the return trip

 

During the walk, we could see other caves where people were diving. 

 

4 - other caves

4 - the other caves

 

On the final section to the cave, the stairs go deep down so we started thinking of the way back 😅. We knew it was going to be physical! But believe me, it was really worth it.

 

5 - cave entrance

5 - final stairs kev

 

We finally arrived at the cave entrance by 9.50 am. Yes, we really took our time along the way as we stopped several times to take TONS of photos and tried to avoid people photobombing them. 

We waited about 10min and entered the cave following a guide in a huuuge group of about 60 people (maybe more?). We knew in advance it was going to be crowded as we were visiting at end of August. Hopefully, it didn’t bother us too much. Plus, the uniqueness of the experience swept it. 

 

6 - cave entrance lac lamarmora

 

As soon as we entered, we saw the beautiful Lake Lamarmora, one of the largest saltwater lakes in Europe, and impressive stalagmite columns including the Acquasantiera.

The galleries, all more incredible than the others, follow one after the other: the Hall of Ruins; the Royal Palace Hall, and the Smith Hall. The guide leading the group explained everything about each of these rooms in Italian and English.  

We were amazed by the height and size of the cave inside, with huge stalactites of 2 meters high. 

 

7 - iconic stalactite

7 - first big lake

8 - climbing to the second room

 

In the final section before looping back to the entrance, the ceiling is absolutely stunning with billions of tiny stalactites hanging from the ceiling.

 

9 - before the loop

9 - last section

9 - final section

 

When the tour was over, we took the stairs back to the parking lot, which took us about 15min (we walked at a fast pace with one stop only).  

 

Visit Sardinia

Going to Sardinia? Here are further readings that will help you plan your trip to Sardinia:

👉 Here is the main travel guide: 7 Days Itinerary in Sardinia (with free map)

If you are looking for Sardinia’s best beaches, here are other dedicated guides:

Also, find below my guides to discovering some of Sardinia’s best attractions: 

Finally, if you’re looking for a home base in Sardinia, you will find my best accommodation recommendations below:

 

I hope you have found everything you need to visit Neptune’s Caves; if you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.

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