Spargi, Budelli, Santa Maria, Caprera
A La Maddalena islands boat trip is a full day between four islands and one town: Spargi, Budelli, Santa Maria, Caprera and La Maddalena itself. All 12 trips on this site stop at Spargi, but they split on the rest. Below, island by island: who goes ashore, who only looks from the deck, and what each price covers, from $56 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. For the classic set of islands with real time on the sand, our top pick is the Santa Teresa day at $70: 1.5 hours each at Santa Maria and Spargi, about an hour in La Maddalena town and a local lunch cooked on board. It sees Budelli from the boat only. If Caprera matters, pick a La Maddalena islands boat trip that swims there: three of the 12 do.
Spargi
All 12 trips stop here. The only question is which cove, and for how long.
Each La Maddalena islands boat trip Sardinia’s north coast offers on this site stops at Spargi. From Palau it is close: one listing puts it at less than 15 minutes of sailing. Five Palau boats use Cala Corsara, for 75 minutes to two hours; the longest stay is on the wild islands day at $56. Two use Cala Granara, and one of them may take Cala Ferrigno instead.
Cala Corsara is the stop with the shapes: two listings name its granite rocks, the Head of the Witch, the Bulldog and Italy in miniature. The 1956 motorship gives two hours at Cala Connari, reached by swimming; the dinghy day names Cala Granara, Cala Soraya and Cala Corsara. Luciana from Italy, on the four-stop day: «We stopped at 2 beaches and one snorkel/swim spot, with the clearest and most beautiful water i’ve ever seen.»
From the deck
Three frames of what the islands look like from the water and at a swim stop.
A smooth grey boulder with a deep hollow sits in blue water below a green slope.
People swim in a small turquoise cove, with orange rocks under the water in front.
A slim white lighthouse and a square white building on a rocky point below a dark hill.
Budelli
The famous beach is a view. The swim is in the pools next to it.
Budelli is the island with the famous name, and the one to read carefully. Its Pink Beach can be seen from the boat only: every one of the 12 listings says so in its own words, from «due to government regulations» to «closed to all». No La Maddalena islands boat trip takes you ashore on that sand.
What you can do at Budelli is swim in the natural pools, the shallow water by Porto della Madonna, close to Cavaliere beach. That is a different spot from the Pink Beach. Eight trips stop there; four do not: the Santa Teresa day, the Palau day at $56, the trip from Laconia and Cannigione, and the minibus day from Olbia. On those four, Budelli is a view from the deck.
At the pools
On a La Maddalena islands boat trip, time at the natural pools runs from 20 minutes on the big boats to 1.5 hours ashore by Cavaliere beach.
The 1956 motorship. The crew takes you to the beach by rubber dinghy.
The dinghy day, with an aperitif: a Sardinian snack and a glass of chilled white wine.
The wild islands day from Palau, plus a 5-minute photo stop at the Pink Beach.
The full-day archipelago trip, the trip by boat, the four-stop day and the 4-islands day.
The pasta boat stops at Budelli for lunch; the listing gives no length for the stop.
Santa Maria
Ten of the 12 trips land here, for up to two hours.
Santa Maria is where a La Maddalena islands boat trip usually gives you the longest time on a beach. The pasta boat stops there for two hours. The Santa Teresa day, the full-day archipelago trip, the trip by boat and the dinghy day give it 1.5 hours; three Palau boats give it 75 minutes. On the Santa Teresa day the boats dock at the beach pier and you walk off along a walkway.
Two trips treat Santa Maria differently: the wild islands day passes it for a 5-minute photo stop, and the 1956 motorship does not name it. Two listings also warn that the beaches are crowded in high season. Miruna from the United Kingdom: «only bad thing were the crowds on the beaches but it’s not something that the crew/boat can help with.»
Caprera
Caprera is the island most trips only see from the water. A La Maddalena islands boat trip that stops there for a swim is one of these three.
The Palau day swims here from the boat for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, and goes to La Maddalena town on the other days. The listing calls the cove a real natural aquarium.
The 1956 motorship makes this its first stop.
The dinghy day from Cannigione names both; it says a dinghy reaches places larger boats cannot.
La Maddalena town
Ten trips give the town about an hour; on one, it depends on the weekday.
Ten of the 12 trips stop in the town of La Maddalena, usually for about an hour; the wild islands day gives it 70 minutes. Listings name Cala Gavetta and the Naval Museum, and suggest the hour for a walk, an ice cream and the shops.
Two details catch people out. On the Palau day at $56, the town stop is only on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and the full-day archipelago trip stops in town only if you start from Palau. The 1956 motorship and the dinghy day skip the town altogether, so if the town matters, leave those two out. Marianne from Norway: «just enough time to enjoy a coffee and ice cream».
Every trip, current fare
Every La Maddalena islands boat trip on this site, priced per person. The landing fee is extra on all of them, and drinks are not in any price.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | Where you swim or go ashore | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Teresa day, our top pick | $70 | per person | 8 h | Santa Maria and Spargi, 1.5 hours each; town | Local lunch cooked on board | Santa Teresa Gallura port | 4.3 · 1,571 |
| Full-day archipelago trip | $62 | per person | 6 - 7 h | Budelli pools; Santa Maria; Cala Granara; town from Palau | Live guide in four languages; lunch extra | Palau or La Maddalena | 4.6 · 6,436 |
| Archipelago trip by boat | $59 | per person | 6 - 7 h | Cala Corsara; Santa Maria; Budelli pools; town | Smartphone audio guide; food for a fee | Palau or La Maddalena | 4.5 · 2,982 |
| Palau day | $56 | per person | 7 h | Cala Corsara; Santa Maria; Cala Coticcio or town | Live guide in four languages; food for a fee | Palau | 4.4 · 2,876 |
| Wild islands day | $56 | per person | 7 h | Cala Corsara 2 hours; Budelli pools 1 hour; town | Lunch not included | Palau | 4.3 · 2,827 |
| Four-stop day | $64 | per person | 1 day | Cala Corsara; Budelli pools; Santa Maria; town | 210-passenger boat; bar for a fee | Palau | 4.5 · 2,597 |
| 4-islands day | $65 | per person | 1 day | Budelli pools; Santa Maria; Spargi; town | Live guide in four languages; food for a fee | Palau | 4.6 · 2,522 |
| Pasta boat | $67 | per person | 7 h | Santa Maria 2 hours; Budelli pools; Cala Corsara; town | Pasta with mussels and prawns | Palau | 4.0 · 2,104 |
| From Laconia or Cannigione | $70 | per person | 8 h | Spargi; Santa Maria; town | Pasta dish cooked on board | Laconia, Cannigione or Baja Sardinia | 4.4 · 1,387 |
| 1956 motorship | $80 | per person | 6.5 h | Cala Serena; Cavaliere beach; Cala Connari. No town | Covered deck, two bathrooms; food for a fee | Palau or La Maddalena | 4.7 · 657 |
| Dinghy day | $157 | per person | 8 h | Caprera coves; Budelli; Santa Maria; Spargi. No town | Aperitif with a glass of white wine; bring your own lunch | Cannigione | 4.9 · 558 |
| Minibus day from Olbia | $191 | per person | 9 h | Spargi and Santa Maria, about 1 hour each; town | Minibus to Cannigione and back; tomato pasta | Minibus to Cannigione port | 4.5 · 527 |
Our verdict
For the classic islands with time ashore, our top pick is the Santa Teresa day at $70: two 1.5-hour beach stops, lunch cooked on board and the town, rated 4.3 by 1,571 reviewers. For Caprera and the longest Budelli stop, the 1956 motorship at $80 is rated 4.7 by 657. On a budget, the Palau day at $56 adds Cala Coticcio on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
Book direct
Our top pick, a Palau day at the lowest price on this site, and the two trips that swim at Caprera: four ways to plan a La Maddalena islands boat trip, priced per person.
★ 4.3 · 1,571 reviews
★ 4.4 · 2,876 reviews
★ 4.7 · 657 reviews
★ 4.9 · 558 reviews
Before you book
Your boat tour Maddalena islands checklist, read straight off the listings.
Up to five euros a person, paid in cash on the day; not in any price. Children under 7 do not pay.
On the Palau day, Cala Coticcio and La Maddalena town fall on different days of the week.
No listing says masks are handed out. Pack yours, especially for Cala Coticcio.
Four trips serve pasta on board; on the dinghy day you bring your own.
Most Palau boats sail at 10:30; on the wild islands day, late arrivals after 9:45 are not allowed on board.
Common questions
No. On all 12 trips the Pink Beach is seen from the boat only. Eight of them stop for a swim in the natural pools of Budelli, a different spot.
Short. From Palau, one listing reaches Spargi in less than 15 minutes of sailing, and another gives a 35-minute sail to Budelli.
Ten of the 12 do, usually for about an hour; the 1956 motorship and the dinghy day do not. The Palau day at $56 stops in town on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays only.
Three: the 1956 motorship at Cala Serena, the dinghy day at Cala Brigantino or Cala Coticcio, and the Palau day at Cala Coticcio on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
No. On this La Maddalena islands boat trip the fee is paid in cash on the day: up to five euros a person, depending on the month. Children under 7 do not pay.
Yes, bring your own. No listing says masks are handed out, and the Palau day strongly recommends a mask for Cala Coticcio.
Go deeper
How the day runs between the islands, and where the boats stop.
Which one to pickChoosing by port, boat, price and the islands you want.
SnorkellingWhich boats stop for snorkelling, and what gear is on board.
From PalauThe harbour most boats leave from, and the days that start there.
From Santa TeresaThe day that sets out from the northern tip of Sardinia.
From Santa Teresa Gallura: La Maddalena Full-Day Boat Tour
★ 4.3 · 1,571 reviews · 8 hours