The route, island by island
A La Maddalena archipelago boat tour is a full day of short sails between granite islands: Spargi, the natural pools of Budelli, Santa Maria, and on most boats an hour in La Maddalena town. Twelve listings run it, from $56 per person. This page follows the route in order and gives the time each boat spends at each stop.
Quick answer
The short answer. The Palau boats that give a time sail at 10:30 and are back between 17:00 and 17:30. In between you get three or four stops: a swim at Spargi, a short stop at the Budelli pools, a long beach stop at Santa Maria and an hour in La Maddalena town. On every La Maddalena archipelago boat tour here, the Pink Beach is seen from the boat only. If you want Caprera as well, three listings go there. Our top pick, at $70, is the only one that leaves from Santa Teresa Gallura.
How the day runs
Short crossings, long stops, and a return by late afternoon.
Think of a boat trip to La Maddalena archipelago as a loop of short crossings and long stops. From Palau, one listing puts Spargi at less than 15 minutes of sailing; another gives a 35-minute sail to Budelli. On the four-stop boat from Palau the named stops fill 235 minutes of the seven hours between 10:30 and 17:30.
A La Maddalena archipelago boat tour from Palau usually checks in between 9:00 and 10:00 for a 10:30 departure; one listing asks you to allow an hour for the traffic into Palau. Sofía from Ireland, on our top pick: «we had about an hour and a bit on the first beach, then the lunch, then the stop at La Maddalena town and the last beach stop was 1 hour and 45 minutes.»
The stops
Strip away the extras and the La Maddalena archipelago boat tour Spargi Budelli Santa Maria loop is the same on most boats. Times are from the listings.
Usually first from Palau, and long: most often 75 minutes to 2 hours. One listing names the wind-sculpted rocks of Cala Corsara: the Head of the Witch, the Bulldog and Italy.
20 to 30 minutes on the big Palau boats, 1 hour on the wild islands day and the dinghy day. The Pink Beach next to it is seen from the boat only.
The long beach stop on most boats, 75 minutes to 2 hours. On our top pick you step ashore on a walkway from the boat.
About an hour by Cala Gavetta for ice cream, shops and a walk; ten listings stop here.
Three listings stop at Cala Coticcio, Cala Serena or Cala Brigantino; the other nine sail past.
Most are back between 17:00 and 17:30, so a La Maddalena archipelago boat trip fills the whole day.
From the deck
Four frames from a La Maddalena archipelago boat tour: a swim stop, the granite, a bay and the town front.
Swimmers in turquoise water next to the white hull, under pale granite and green scrub.
A grey boulder with a hollow carved into its side, an inflatable boat behind it.
An inflatable boat off a long white beach, below a low green hillside.
Pastel houses with red roofs along the quay, a motorboat passing in front.
Stop by stop
Times on each La Maddalena archipelago boat tour as the listings give them. A dash means the listing names no stop there.
| Trip | Spargi | Budelli | Santa Maria | Town | Caprera |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Santa Teresa, our top pick | 1.5 h | From the boat | 1.5 h | About 1 h | — |
| Full day, Palau or La Maddalena | Cala Granara, 1.5 h | Pools, 20 min | 1.5 h | 1 h, from Palau | From the boat |
| Full day with audio guide | Cala Corsara, 75 min | Pools from the boat, 30 min | 1.5 h | 1 h | — |
| Islands day from Palau | Cala Corsara, 1.5 h | From the boat | 75 min | Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun | Cala Coticcio, 1 h, Mon, Tue, Fri |
| Wild islands from Palau | Cala Corsara, 2 h | Pools, 1 h | 5-minute photo stop | 70 min | — |
| Four stops from Palau | Cala Corsara, 75 min | Pools, 25 min | 75 min | 1 h | — |
| Four islands from Palau | Cala Granara or Cala Ferrigno, 75 min | Pools, 20 min | 75 min | 1 h | — |
| Palau day with pasta | Cala Corsara, 1.5 h | Pools, lunch stop | 2 h | Yes | — |
| From the Cannigione coast | Yes | Sails towards it | Yes | Yes | — |
| Caprera on a 1956 motorship | Cala Connari, 2 h | Cavaliere beach, 1.5 h | — | — | Cala Serena, 30 min |
| Dinghy day from Cannigione | Three coves | Pools and Cavaliere, 1 h | 1.5 h | — | Cala Brigantino or Cala Coticcio |
| From Olbia with a minibus | About 1 h | Sails around it | About 1 h | 1 h | — |
Budelli
Seen from the deck at the Pink Beach, swum in at the natural pools.
On a La Maddalena archipelago boat tour Budelli is the island everyone photographs and nobody walks on. All twelve listings show the Pink Beach from the boat only; one calls it a close-up look. No La Maddalena archipelago tour on this site lands you on its sand.
You get into the water instead at the natural pools of Budelli, close by. Eight listings stop there. On the big Palau boats it is the short stop of the day, 20 to 30 minutes. The wild islands day and the dinghy day give it an hour, and the 1956 motorship spends 1.5 hours at Cavaliere beach, with the crew taking you ashore by dinghy.
Caprera
Most of the twelve sail past Caprera. These three add it to the La Maddalena archipelago boat tour and stop for a swim.
On Monday, Tuesday and Friday, a 1-hour swim in Cala Coticcio from the boat; on other days, La Maddalena town instead. Bring a snorkelling mask.
An 18-metre refurbished motorship with a covered deck and a bar: Cala Serena for 30 minutes, Cavaliere for 1.5 hours, Cala Connari for 2. Rated 4.7 by 657 reviewers.
Inflatable boats that reach places larger boats cannot: Cala Brigantino or Cala Coticcio, Budelli, Santa Maria and three Spargi coves. Bring your lunch. Rated 4.9 by 558 reviewers.
Every trip, current fare
Twelve versions of the La Maddalena archipelago boat tour Sardinia offers, per person. None includes the landing fee, and no listing says drinks are in the price.
| Trip | Price | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Santa Teresa, our top pick | $70 | 8 h | Boat day, local lunch cooked on board | Santa Teresa Gallura, 8:00 | 4.3 · 1,571 |
| Full day, Palau or La Maddalena | $62 | 6 - 7 h | Boat day, live guide; food for sale | Palau or La Maddalena | 4.6 · 6,436 |
| Full day with audio guide | $59 | 6 - 7 h | Boat day, smartphone audio guide; bar extra | Palau, check-in 8:45 | 4.5 · 2,982 |
| Islands day from Palau | $56 | 7 h | Boat day; food to buy on board | Palau, 10:30 | 4.4 · 2,876 |
| Wild islands from Palau | $56 | 7 h | Boat day; lunch not included | Palau, 10:30 | 4.3 · 2,827 |
| Four stops from Palau | $64 | 1 day | Boat day on a 210-seat boat; bar extra | Palau, 10:30 | 4.5 · 2,597 |
| Four islands from Palau | $65 | 1 day | Boat day on a 150-seat boat built in 2025 | Palau, 10:30 | 4.6 · 2,522 |
| Palau day with pasta | $67 | 7 h | Boat day, pasta with mussels and prawns | Palau port | 4.0 · 2,104 |
| From the Cannigione coast | $70 | 8 h | Boat day, pasta dish cooked on board | Laconia, Cannigione or Baja Sardinia | 4.4 · 1,387 |
| Caprera on a 1956 motorship | $80 | 6.5 h | Boat day; bar and kitchen extra | Palau or La Maddalena | 4.7 · 657 |
| Dinghy day from Cannigione | $157 | 8 h | Dinghy day, the captain’s snack with white wine | Cannigione, by 9:15 | 4.9 · 558 |
| From Olbia with a minibus | $191 | 9 h | Minibus to Cannigione and back, boat day, tomato pasta lunch | Boat from Cannigione | 4.5 · 527 |
Before you book
Five minutes on a La Maddalena archipelago boat tour listing saves surprises on the quay.
Up to five euros a head, by month, in cash on the day; under-7s do not pay. No listing includes it.
Palau boats check in from 9:00; one turns away anyone arriving after 9:45. On three listings, arriving late means no refund.
Four listings serve lunch on board. Elsewhere, buy food on board or bring your own; the dinghy day asks you to bring it.
No listing says masks are handed out. Bring your own for the pools and the coves.
The islands day from Palau changes route by weekday, and one Palau listing sails with a minimum number of passengers in May and October.
Our verdict
Our top pick is the full day from Santa Teresa Gallura, $70. It is the only start from the north tip of Sardinia, gives Spargi and Santa Maria 1.5 hours each, adds an hour in town and serves a lunch cooked on board. 1,571 reviewers rate it 4.3.
From Palau, the islands day at $56 is the lowest price here, shared with the wild islands day. For Caprera and longer swims, take the 1956 motorship at $80. Whichever Maddalena archipelago boat tour you choose, the islands are the same; the time at each one is what differs.
Book direct
Our top pick, the lowest price here and the two days that add Caprera, all per person.
★ 4.3 · 1,571 reviews
★ 4.4 · 2,876 reviews
★ 4.7 · 657 reviews
★ 4.9 · 558 reviews
Common questions
No. All twelve listings show it from the boat only. You swim nearby in the natural pools of Budelli, where eight listings stop for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
Spargi and Santa Maria usually get 75 minutes to 2 hours each, the Budelli pools 20 to 30 minutes on the big Palau boats, and La Maddalena town about an hour.
Ten of the twelve do, for about an hour. The islands day from Palau stops there on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday only; the motorship and the dinghy day do not stop in town.
Three: the islands day from Palau (Cala Coticcio, Monday, Tuesday and Friday), the 1956 motorship (Cala Serena) and the dinghy day from Cannigione. The rest sail past.
No. A landing fee of up to five euros a head, depending on the month, is paid in cash on the day. Children under 7 do not pay it.
Palau boats that give a time sail at 10:30 and are back by 17:00 to 17:30. From Santa Teresa Gallura you meet at 8:00 to 8:15 and return around 17:00.
Go deeper
Spargi, Budelli, Santa Maria and Caprera, one by one.
The day outFrom the morning departure to the return: timing, stops and what to bring.
From PalauThe harbour most boats leave from, and the days that start there.
SnorkellingWhich boats stop for snorkelling, and what gear is on board.
Lunch on boardThe boats that serve lunch, and what is on the plate.
From Santa Teresa Gallura: La Maddalena Full-Day Boat Tour
★ 4.3 · 1,571 reviews · 8 hours