With children
A La Maddalena boat trip family day is a long one: six to nine hours on the water, two or more swim stops and, on most trips, an hour in town. No listing names a minimum age. Below: what the twelve listings say about children, landing fees, toilets, shade and the shortest days, with prices per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. No listing sets a minimum age and none mentions life jackets, so ask the operator about both. For a first La Maddalena boat trip family groups can start with our top pick from Santa Teresa at $70: lunch cooked on board, restrooms on its boats and walkways onto two beaches. The shortest days are two Palau trips of 6 to 7 hours, at $59 and $62.
Ages
No minimum age, no word on life jackets, and a fee four listings waive for young children.
No listing names a minimum age, so on paper a La Maddalena boat trip family outing can include a toddler. Four listings say young children do not pay the landing fee: one writes «children from 0 to 6 years do not pay», the others put it as over 6, from 7 or under 7. The Palau trip that runs 6 to 7 hours adds a line parents will want: «On board are allowed just small bags and compact folding strollers.»
Only one listing mentions children in its route: the four-stop trip from Palau calls Santa Maria a beach «to the delight of young people and children». No listing mentions life jackets or swim aids, so if your child needs a vest or armbands, bring your own or ask the operator after you book.
Getting into the water
The biggest difference between one La Maddalena boat trip family day and another is how you reach the water.
Our top pick from Santa Teresa docks at the beach piers of Santa Maria and Spargi, with swimming stops of 1.5 hours each. Diving from its boats is not permitted.
The $56 islands trip from Palau lets you get off via the dock at Santa Maria and walk to the old lighthouse.
On the 1956 motorship the crew takes you to Cavaliere beach on Budelli in a rubber dinghy, for 1.5 hours.
The same motorship stops two hours at Cala Connari on Spargi, and there you reach the shore by swimming.
The islands trip and the four-stop trip both describe diving from the boat, the second at the Budelli natural pools.
Budelli
Tell the children before you go: you look at it, you swim next to it.
Children who have seen photos of the Pink Beach on Budelli will ask to go there, but none of the twelve trips lands on it: one listing says it is seen from the boat only «due to government regulations». Where you do swim is the natural pools of Budelli, and eight of the twelve trips stop there.
The time there differs a lot. Most Palau boats stop for 20 to 30 minutes. The wild islands trip from Palau and the dinghy day from Cannigione give the pools an hour, and the 1956 motorship spends 1.5 hours at Cavaliere beach next to them.
In the water
A La Maddalena boat trip family day, seen from the deck and the coves.
People swim and stand in shallow turquoise water between rounded granite boulders, with a strip of sand and green scrub on the slope behind and a line of buoys on the right.
From the shade of a canvas awning on deck: turquoise water, motorboats and sailing boats moored, and a red rock headland across the bay.
A man in orange shorts pulls on a snorkel mask in clear knee-deep water, while swimmers spread across the cove and yachts lie moored beyond the rocks.
Pastel houses line a quay of parked cars, and a small inflatable boat speeds past.
Hours on the water
Six to seven hours at the short end, nine at the long one.
If the length of a La Maddalena boat trip family day worries you, start with the clock. The shortest listings are two trips from Palau at 6 to 7 hours, at $59 and $62, and the 1956 motorship at 6.5 hours for $80. Three Palau trips are listed at 7 hours, including the $56 islands day. Most Palau boats that give a time sail at 10:30 and are back between 17:00 and 17:30.
The long days are the ones with an early start or a ride first. Our top pick from Santa Teresa meets at 8:00 to 8:15 and is back around 17:00. The Olbia trip runs 9 hours at $191, with a minibus to Cannigione and back. The dinghy day from Cannigione is 8 hours at $157, with your own packed lunch: no food can be bought on the islands.
Every trip, current fare
Six trips that suit a La Maddalena boat trip family plan in different ways. Every price is per person; the cash landing fee is extra.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Teresa full day, our top pick | $70 | per person | 8 hours | Santa Maria and Spargi by walkway, 1.5 hours each; a local lunch cooked on board; about an hour in town; restrooms on board | Santa Teresa Gallura port, meet 8:00 to 8:15 | 4.3 · 1,571 |
| Spargi, Santa Maria and the pools | $59 | per person | 6 - 7 hours | Cala Corsara, Santa Maria, the Budelli pools and town; a smartphone audio guide. Food and drinks extra; compact folding strollers allowed | Palau, check-in 8:45 to 9:30 | 4.5 · 2,982 |
| The archipelago with a live guide | $62 | per person | 6 - 7 hours | A live guide; the Budelli pools, Santa Maria and Cala Granara. Lunch extra, or bring your own; no landing fee for ages 0 to 6 | Palau or La Maddalena | 4.6 · 6,436 |
| The islands from Palau | $56 | per person | 7 hours | Spargi and Santa Maria, then Cala Coticcio or town, by day of the week. Lunch and snacks to buy | Palau, check-in 9:00 to 10:00, sails 10:30 | 4.4 · 2,876 |
| Four stops on a three-deck boat | $64 | per person | 10:30 to 17:30 | A shaded lower deck; Cala Corsara, the Budelli pools, Santa Maria and town. Bar for a fee | Palau, check-in 9:00 to 10:00 | 4.5 · 2,597 |
| Caprera on a 1956 motorship | $80 | per person | 6.5 hours | Covered deck and two bathrooms; Cala Serena, Cavaliere by dinghy, Cala Connari. Lunch extra, from the bar on board | Palau or La Maddalena, back about 17:30 | 4.7 · 657 |
Choosing
Shade, a toilet and lunch: what the listings say.
No listing sells itself as a La Maddalena boat tour family package, so we read all twelve for what parents ask about: shade, a toilet and food. Shade is stated on two: the four-stop trip has a lower deck in the shade, and the 1956 motorship has a covered deck with seating. Toilets are stated on two: our top pick says its boats have restrooms, and the motorship lists two bathrooms. The others do not say.
A lunch cooked or served on board is part of four trips: our top pick, the pasta boat from Palau, the trip from Laconia, Cannigione or Baja Sardinia, and the Olbia day. On the others you buy food on board or bring your own, and two listings say outright that a packed lunch is fine. Roos from the Netherlands, on the motorship: «We, a family of 4, had a great day … The boat is a nice wooden boat that offers shade and a bar with sandwiches and cold drinks».
Before you book
A few minutes on the listing make a La Maddalena boat trip family day run smoothly.
Up to five euros a person, in cash on the day, not in the price. Card payments may not work on the islands.
The Santa Teresa listing asks groups to book together; separate bookings may end up on different boats.
Late arrivals lose the trip on several Palau listings. One asks you to leave an hour early because of heavy traffic to Palau.
On the 6 to 7 hour trip from Palau the fee is paid by e-mail after booking, and the booking completes only then.
Parents on the day
Quotes from the listings’ own reviews.
Few reviews mention children, but those that do are warm. Adina from the United Kingdom, on the four-stop trip from Palau: «Nice experience with the children.» Ayairi from Bulgaria, on the four-island trip from Palau: «it was my son’s birthday and this day was quite special for him and for us.»
Plan for busy days. Two Palau listings say the beaches are crowded in high season, and one says its boat is always fully loaded then. One reviewer was told that the seat you pick at boarding is yours for the day, so arrive early with small children.
Our verdict
For a La Maddalena boat trip family day, book our top pick from Santa Teresa. For $70 you get a local lunch cooked on board, restrooms, walkways onto two beaches and an hour in town.
For the shortest day, take the 6 to 7 hour trip from Palau at $59. For shade and toilets on an 18-metre boat, the 1956 motorship at $80. Prices start from $56 per person.
Book direct
Our top pick, two short days and the lowest price on the site, each a good start for a La Maddalena boat trip family plan.
★ 4.3 · 1,571 reviews
★ 4.5 · 2,982 reviews
★ 4.7 · 657 reviews
★ 4.4 · 2,876 reviews
Common questions
No listing names a minimum age, and one Palau trip allows compact folding strollers on board. No listing mentions life jackets, so ask the operator before a La Maddalena boat trip family day with a small child.
No. It is up to five euros a person depending on the month, paid in cash on the day. Four listings say children aged six and under do not pay it.
On four of the twelve trips: our top pick from Santa Teresa, the pasta boat from Palau, the trip from Laconia, Cannigione or Baja Sardinia, and the Olbia day. On the others you buy food on board or bring your own.
No. On all twelve trips the Pink Beach is seen from the boat only. Eight trips stop for a swim at the natural pools of Budelli instead.
Most Palau boats that give a time sail at 10:30 and return between 17:00 and 17:30. Our top pick from Santa Teresa meets at 8:00 to 8:15 and is back around 17:00.
Toilets are stated on two listings: our top pick and the 1956 motorship, which also has a covered deck. The four-stop trip from Palau has a lower deck in the shade. The other listings do not say.
Go deeper
From the morning departure to the return: timing, stops and what to bring.
SnorkellingWhich boats stop for snorkelling, and what gear is on board.
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