From Olbia
A La Maddalena boat tour from Olbia is the only listing on this site with a minibus to the port: a shared minibus takes you to Cannigione, a shared boat spends the day among the islands, and the crew serves a tomato pasta lunch on board. It costs $191 per person for 9 hours, and 527 reviewers rate it 4.5. Below: what that price covers, how the day runs, and when driving to Palau yourself makes more sense.
Quick answer
The short answer. Book the La Maddalena boat tour from Olbia if you have no car and want the whole day arranged in one booking: the minibus to Cannigione and back, the boat, an hour in La Maddalena town, two stops at Spargi and Santa Maria, and lunch on board, for $191. If you can drive to Palau yourself, the boats there start at $56 per person, and our top pick from Santa Teresa Gallura costs $70.
The day
A boat trip from Olbia to La Maddalena on this listing is two journeys in one: a shared minibus by road, then a shared boat among the islands. These are the parts of the day the listing names.
A minibus takes you from the meeting point to the port of Cannigione, and the same minibus brings you back. The listing does not name the meeting point; it says to check availability for details.
From Cannigione the boat heads out past the islands of Caprera and Santo Stefano on its way into the archipelago.
The town was founded in 1770. The listing names the Town Hall, which houses an unexploded bomb fired by Napoleon’s troops, the Naval Museum and the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art.
The first of two stops of about an hour each, with time on the beach and in the water.
The second stop of about an hour, and with Spargi one of the two places named for a swim.
The boat goes around the coast of Budelli. Its Pink Beach is seen from the boat only, on this trip and on every other listing on this site.
At lunchtime the crew serves a tomato pasta on board, as part of the La Maddalena boat tour from Olbia. The listing says nothing about drinks.
The boat is due back in Cannigione between 17:00 and 17:30, and the minibus then takes you back to the meeting point.
The price
The road, the lunch and the length of the day.
At $191 per person this is the highest price on this site. The lowest-priced days here leave from Palau at $56, so the La Maddalena boat tour from Olbia costs $135 more. For that you get three things the Palau listings leave to you: the minibus to the port and back, a lunch of tomato pasta served by the crew, and a day that runs to 9 hours.
The minibus is the main part of the difference. Every other listing on this site starts at the harbour, so getting there is up to you. Here the road is arranged for you, both ways, and the driver also takes the docking fee: five euros a person, in cash, outside the price. Anita from the United Kingdom: «our van driver was punctual & careful».
Lunch is the other part. Four of the twelve listings here include a lunch, and this is one of them; most of the boats from Palau sell food on board or ask you to bring your own. Pierre-Luc from Canada: «the boat and the lunch were great.» Drinks are not mentioned, so bring water or money for them.
On the water
Four frames from boats around the islands: a lunch plate, a waterfront, a swim beside the hull and a beach from the water.
Penne in a red tomato sauce on a paper plate, beside a second plate of bread rolls, cheese slices, cured meat and olives.
Pastel houses line the harbour wall, with green hills behind and a motor dinghy crossing the blue water.
A dozen swimmers float in turquoise water next to a white hull, below pale granite rocks.
A motor dinghy rides in turquoise water off a long pale beach, with green scrub on the hills.
Every trip, current fare
Every price is per person. Where a listing names a landing or docking fee, it is paid on the day and is not part of the price.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olbia, with the minibus | $191 | per person | 9 h | Minibus from the meeting point to Cannigione and back; the boat day; tomato pasta on board. Docking fee extra, in cash | Meeting point not named; boat from Cannigione | 4.5 · 527 |
| Palau, lowest price here | $56 | per person | 7 h | The boat day: Spargi, Santa Maria, and Cala Coticcio or the town, by weekday. Lunch not included; food can be bought | Palau, check-in 9:00–10:00, departs 10:30 | 4.4 · 2,876 |
| Palau, pasta with seafood | $67 | per person | 7 h | The boat day with two hours at Santa Maria; a plate of pasta with mussels and prawns. Drinks at extra cost | Palau, check-in an hour before departure | 4.0 · 2,104 |
| Palau or La Maddalena, guided | $62 | per person | 6–7 h | The boat day with a local multilingual guide; Budelli’s natural pools, Santa Maria, Cala Granara. Lunch at extra cost, or bring your own | Palau or La Maddalena port | 4.6 · 6,436 |
| Laconia, Cannigione or Baja Sardinia | $70 | per person | 8 h | The boat day past Caprera to Spargi, Santa Maria and the town; a pasta dish cooked on board | Your choice of the three; be there 30 minutes early | 4.4 · 1,387 |
| Santa Teresa Gallura, our top pick | $70 | per person | 8 h | The boat day with a local lunch cooked on board; two beach stops of 1.5 hours each; about an hour in town | Santa Teresa Gallura port, meeting 8:00–8:15 | 4.3 · 1,571 |
With a car
More boats and lower prices, if the road is yours to handle.
Most of the listings on this site start in Palau, and two more start around Cannigione, so with a car of your own you have far more choice than the La Maddalena boat tour from Olbia gives you. Boats from Palau start at $56 per person. In return, the road, the parking and the timing are yours to handle, and the listings are strict about time: one Palau boat checks in between 9:00 and 9:45 and says anyone arriving after that will not be allowed on board.
Three lines from the Palau listings help. One warns of heavy traffic on the way into Palau and asks you to leave well in advance, a good hour early. Another names four car parks it recommends near the harbour. And the islands are close once you are on the water: one listing puts Spargi less than 15 minutes from Palau. What none of them gives is a drive time from Olbia, and we will not guess one.
Before you book
A few minutes on the listing makes the La Maddalena boat tour from Olbia easier on the day.
The listing does not name the meeting point. Check availability for the details before you pay, and make sure you can reach it in the morning.
Five euros a person, paid in cash to the minivan driver. It is not in the price.
None of the listings on this site says masks are handed out. Bring your own for Spargi and Santa Maria.
The listing says the tour may be canceled due to strong winds or rain. Read the cancellation terms on the booking page.
The listing names the Town Hall and two museums, but the stop is an hour. Pick one, or keep to the waterfront.
Reviewers
Several reviewers of this La Maddalena day trip from Olbia mention the minibus as well as the boat. Quotes as written.
«The food was tasty and extra portions offered.» And on the road back: «Transfer again comfortable clean and a friendly safe driver.»
«It was a lot of fun, with each location lasting just the right amount of time to enjoy without feeling rushed.» He wished for more hours in the shops, and found the beaches «a little crowded».
«2 beautiful beaches explored around La Madalena with enough time to swim, tour around the island was excellent».
«Fantastic day trip. Visited many fascinating and stunning places. Highly recommend».
Our verdict
Book it if you have no car. This La Maddalena tour from Olbia puts the road, the boat and lunch into one booking for $191: an hour in town, two beach stops and Budelli from the water, rated 4.5 by 527 reviewers.
If you can drive, the boats from Palau start at $56, and our top pick from Santa Teresa Gallura, at $70, also cooks lunch on board.
Book direct
The minibus day from Olbia first, then the lowest-priced day from Palau, the full day that can leave from Cannigione, and our top pick from Santa Teresa Gallura. All four are priced per person.
★ 4.5 · 527 reviews
★ 4.4 · 2,876 reviews
★ 4.4 · 1,387 reviews
★ 4.3 · 1,571 reviews
Common questions
It depends on whether you have a car. The La Maddalena boat tour from Olbia is the only listing here with a minibus, to Cannigione: 9 hours for $191. From Palau, one listing reaches Spargi in less than 15 minutes, and prices start at $56. Santa Teresa Gallura has one listing, our top pick at $70.
Yes. The crew serves a tomato pasta on board. Four of the twelve listings on this site include a lunch; on the others you buy food on board or bring your own. The listing does not mention drinks.
Yes. On this trip it is called a docking fee: five euros a person, paid in cash to the minivan driver. Every listing on this site that names such a fee collects it outside the price.
The listing describes a minibus transfer from a meeting point to the port of Cannigione, and back the same way. It does not name the meeting point or promise door-to-door collection; check availability for the details before you book.
No. On the La Maddalena boat tour from Olbia the boat goes around the coast of Budelli, and the Pink Beach is seen from the boat only, as on every listing here. The beach stops on this day are Spargi and Santa Maria, about an hour each.
The boat is due back in Cannigione between 17:00 and 17:30, and the minibus then returns you to the meeting point. The listing gives no start time, so check availability for the La Maddalena boat tour from Olbia before you plan the morning.
Go deeper
The harbour most boats leave from, and the days that start there.
From CannigioneThe boats that call at Cannigione, and what they add.
From Santa TeresaThe day that sets out from the northern tip of Sardinia.
Lunch on boardThe boats that serve lunch, and what is on the plate.
Which one to pickChoosing by port, boat, price and the islands you want.
From Santa Teresa Gallura: La Maddalena Full-Day Boat Tour
★ 4.3 · 1,571 reviews · 8 hours