Twelve days, side by side
A La Maddalena boat tour is a full day among the islands off the north of Sardinia: Spargi, Budelli, Santa Maria and often Caprera, with swim stops and, on most days, an hour in La Maddalena town. This site lists twelve of them, from $56 per person. Below, each one side by side: where it starts, how long it runs, where it stops, whether lunch is in the price, and what reviewers say.
Quick answer
The short answer. For a La Maddalena boat tour with lunch in the price and two long beach stops, take our top pick, the 8-hour day from Santa Teresa Gallura at $70. For the lowest fare, two 7-hour days from Palau cost $56. For Caprera and a smaller boat, the dinghy day from Cannigione costs $157 and is rated 4.9.
The usual route
Eight of the twelve leave Palau, and their days run in a similar order. Times and lengths below are the ones the listings give.
Check-in at the harbour, departure at 10:30 on most Palau days. Santa Teresa meets at 8:00.
Under 15 minutes from Palau. Cala Corsara, with rocks called the Witch’s Head, the Bulldog and Italy, gets 75 minutes to 2 hours.
A swim in the natural pools, 20 minutes to an hour. The Pink Beach next to them is seen from the boat.
The long beach stop, 75 minutes to 2 hours.
About an hour among the shops and ice cream parlours by the old harbour.
The wild islands day is back at 17:30, or 16:30 in October.
Every trip, current fare
Every price is per person. The landing fee is not in any of them.
| Trip | Price | Length | Where it starts | Stops | What the price covers | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Teresa day, our top pick | $70 | 8 hours | Santa Teresa Gallura harbour, meet at 8:00 to 8:15 | Santa Maria and Spargi, 1.5 hours each; about an hour in town | The boat day and a local lunch cooked on board | 4.3 · 1,571 |
| Archipelago day with a live guide | $62 | 6 to 7 hours | Palau or La Maddalena | Budelli pools 20 min, Santa Maria 1.5 h, Cala Granara 1.5 h, town 1 h from Palau | The boat day and a guide in four languages; food to buy or bring | 4.6 · 6,436 |
| Palau day with an audio guide | $59 | 6 to 7 hours | Palau, check-in 8:45 to 9:30 | Cala Corsara 75 min, Santa Maria 1.5 h, Budelli pools from the boat, town 1 h | The boat day and a smartphone audio guide; bar on board for a fee | 4.5 · 2,982 |
| Islands day from Palau | $56 | 7 hours | Palau, sails at 10:30 | Cala Corsara 1.5 h, Santa Maria 75 min, then Cala Coticcio or the town, by weekday | The boat day; lunch and snacks to buy | 4.4 · 2,876 |
| Wild islands day | $56 | 7 hours | Palau, check-in 9:00 to 9:45 | Cala Corsara 2 h, Budelli pools 1 h, town 70 min; Santa Maria seen from the boat | The boat day; lunch not included | 4.3 · 2,827 |
| Four stops, three decks | $64 | 10:30 to 17:30 | Palau, pier 5 | Cala Corsara 75 min, Budelli pools 25 min, Santa Maria 75 min, town 1 h | A 210-passenger boat with a shaded lower deck; bar for a fee | 4.5 · 2,597 |
| Four islands on a new boat | $65 | 10:30 to about 17:15 | Palau, pier 4 | Budelli pools 20 min, Santa Maria 75 min, Spargi 75 min, town 1 h | A 150-seat boat built in 2025 and a live guide; food to buy | 4.6 · 2,522 |
| Palau day with pasta | $67 | 7 hours | Palau | Santa Maria 2 h, Budelli pools, Cala Corsara 1.5 h, the town | The boat day and pasta with mussels and prawns; drinks to buy | 4.0 · 2,104 |
| Day from the Cannigione coast | $70 | 8 hours | Laconia, Cannigione or Baja Sardinia | Spargi, Santa Maria and La Maddalena town | The boat day and a pasta dish cooked on board | 4.4 · 1,387 |
| Caprera on a 1956 motorship | $80 | 6.5 hours | Palau or La Maddalena | Cala Serena 30 min, Cavaliere beach on Budelli 1.5 h, Cala Connari 2 h; no town stop | A restored 18-metre boat with a covered deck; food to buy | 4.7 · 657 |
| Caprera, Spargi and Budelli by dinghy | $157 | 8 hours | Cannigione, check-in by 9:15 | Caprera coves, Budelli 1 h, Santa Maria 1.5 h, Spargi coves; no town stop | The dinghy day and an aperitif with a glass of white wine; bring your own lunch | 4.9 · 558 |
| From Olbia with a minibus | $191 | 9 hours | Minibus to Cannigione and back | Town 1 h, Spargi and Santa Maria about 1 h each | The minibus both ways, the boat day and a tomato pasta lunch | 4.5 · 527 |
Who picks what
Price is only one way to choose a La Maddalena boat tour. Six questions split the twelve.
Four days include it: Santa Teresa at $70, the Palau pasta day at $67, the Cannigione coast day at $70 and the Olbia day at $191. On the rest you buy food on board or bring your own.
Two 7-hour days from Palau cost $56: the islands day and the wild islands day, which gives Cala Corsara two hours.
Three days stop there: the 1956 motorship at Cala Serena, the dinghy day at its Caprera coves, and the $56 islands day at Cala Coticcio on its three set weekdays.
The archipelago day with a live guide carries the largest number of reviews here, 6,436 at 4.6, and its guide speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish.
The 18-metre motorship at $80 or the dinghy day at $157. Mariana from Ireland, on the dinghy: «As it was a small boat we could visit places that large boats weren't able to go!»
Only one day starts there: a minibus to Cannigione and back, 9 hours in all, for $191 with lunch on board.
The water
The Pink Beach is a view. The pools are where people swim.
No Maddalena boat tour Sardinia offers puts you on the Pink Beach itself: on all twelve days here it is seen from the boat. The swim happens next door, in the natural pools of Budelli, where eight of the twelve stop for 20 minutes to an hour and a half.
On a La Maddalena boat tour crystal water is the line operators use: four of the twelve listings describe crystal-clear waters. On a La Maddalena boat tour turquoise water is the colour reviewers name. Tímea from Hungary: «The scenery was breathtaking, with crystal-clear turquoise water, stunning beaches, and unforgettable swimming stops.»
On the water
In the water, in town, in a bay and at lunch.
People swim a few metres from the hull, with a rocky shore behind them.
Pastel houses line the waterfront while a motorboat cuts a white wake in front.
A long white beach under green hills, with one small dinghy in the bay.
Penne in tomato sauce in one dish, and bread rolls, cheese and olives on a plate beside it.
Our top pick
Lunch on board, two long beach stops and the town, from one harbour.
Of the twelve, it is the one La Maddalena boat tour that starts in Santa Teresa Gallura, at the northern tip of Sardinia. For $70 you get an 8-hour day with a local lunch cooked on board, two swim stops of an hour and a half each at Santa Maria and Spargi, and about an hour in La Maddalena town.
It is rated 4.3 by 1,571 reviewers. Marianne from Norway: «A seafood pasta was served as lunch after the first beach stop.» Sofía from Ireland: «Good price considering all the stops.» Book your whole group in one reservation to share a boat.
Before you book
Four things to check on the listing before you pay for a La Maddalena boat tour.
It is in none of the twelve prices: a few euros a head, mostly paid in cash on the day; the audio guide day asks for it by e-mail.
Without lunch in the price, you buy on board or bring your own; on the dinghy day, bring it.
No listing says a mask is provided. The Palau islands day recommends you bring one for Cala Coticcio.
Leave an hour early for the traffic into Palau. Late check-in can mean no refund.
Where to start
Pick the harbour first; the boat follows.
When you book a Maddalena tour Sardinia gives you three harbours to start from on this site. Palau has eight of the twelve, and three of those can also start in La Maddalena itself. Santa Teresa Gallura has our top pick. The Cannigione coast has two, and the Olbia day is a minibus to Cannigione and back.
Our verdict
For a first La Maddalena boat tour, book the Santa Teresa day. At $70 it is one of the four days with lunch in the price, and it adds two long beach stops and the town.
If Palau is closer, the islands day at $56 is the lowest fare here. If you want Caprera, the dinghy day at $157 carries the top rating, 4.9.
Book direct
Our top pick, the lowest fare, the day with the largest number of reviews and the top rating. All priced per person.
★ 4.3 · 1,571 reviews
★ 4.4 · 2,876 reviews
★ 4.6 · 6,436 reviews
★ 4.9 · 558 reviews
Common questions
No. On all twelve days here the Pink Beach is seen from the boat only; one listing says this is due to government regulations. Eight of the twelve stop for a swim in the natural pools of Budelli next to it, from 20 minutes to an hour and a half.
On four of the twelve: the Santa Teresa day, the Palau pasta day, the Cannigione coast day and the Olbia minibus day, each with pasta on board. On the rest you buy food from the bar or bring your own. Drinks are not in any price.
No. A landing fee for La Maddalena is not included on any of the twelve. It is a few euros per person, children under 7 do not pay it, and most operators collect it in cash on the day.
Ten of the twelve do, usually for about an hour. The motorship and the dinghy day go to beaches instead, and the $56 islands day stops in town on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Yes, bring your own. None of the twelve listings says masks are provided, and the Palau islands day recommends one for Cala Coticcio.
Palau has the most choice, eight of the twelve, and the boats reach Spargi in under 15 minutes. Santa Teresa Gallura has our top pick at $70. Olbia has one day, $191 for 9 hours, with a minibus to the boat at Cannigione.
Go deeper
From Santa Teresa Gallura: La Maddalena Full-Day Boat Tour
★ 4.3 · 1,571 reviews · 8 hours