La Pelosa is the most frequently voted "best beach in Europe" and it deserves it. White sand so fine it squeaks. Water so turquoise and shallow you wade 50 meters and it still only reaches your waist. An Aragonese tower on a tiny island 200m offshore framing the scene like a painting. And behind it: the island of Asinara (former maximum-security prison, now a national park with wild albino donkeys). La Pelosa is in Stintino, the northwest tip of Sardinia — remote, extraordinary, and since 2019 protected by a daily access limit of 1,500 people. Best beaches Italy →
Daily limit: 1,500 people. Reservation required May-September via lapelosastintino.it (€3.50 includes mandatory biodegradable mat — you CANNOT bring your own towel directly on the sand, to protect the beach). Book 2-4 weeks ahead in July-August — it sells out. Rules: No smoking. No sand removal (€500 fine if caught taking sand as "souvenir"). No glass. Biodegradable mat mandatory. Umbrellas allowed but SMALL ones only (the beach has limited space). These rules exist because La Pelosa was being destroyed — 8,000 daily visitors were stripping sand, leaving trash, and eroding the ecosystem. The limit restored the beach to its extraordinary state.
Walk from the parking area (400m, through pine trees and dunes) and the beach reveals itself in stages — first the tower on the island, then the water color (electric turquoise, genuinely unbelievable), then the sand (flour-fine, white). Wade in: the water is warm (24-26°C July-August), shallow for 50m, crystal clear. Snorkeling: swim around the tower island for fish, sea urchins, and the best underwater visibility in the Western Mediterranean. The sunset: La Pelosa faces northwest — the sun sets directly over the water, turning the tower into a silhouette against orange sky.
Stintino is a small fishing village (1,500 residents) 3km south of La Pelosa — restaurants on the harbor (lobster alla catalana €30-40, grilled fish €15-20), a few bars, and the specific atmosphere of a place at the end of the road. From Alghero airport: 50 min drive north. From Alghero town: 45 min. From Porto Torres (ferry port from mainland): 30 min. Car essential — no bus to La Pelosa. Rent at Alghero airport → Hotels in Stintino: €80-200 summer. Book Stintino →