geocalia
Day itinerary · 41.21° N · 9.41° E
Drive to Palau, a boat from 10:00 to 17:00 with swims at Cala Corsara, Santa Maria and the Budelli pools, Roccia dell'Orso at sunset and seafood dinner facing the islands.
Part of La Maddalena Archipelago
The plan
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
From Olbia to Palau along the coast road; park near the port
Elena Tour Navigazioni · check-in from 8:45 to 9:15 at the ferry terminal, departure at 10:00 · from €52.50 plus the landing tax · bring lunch
+39 342 321 7323
€3 · last entry about 45 min before closing, from 18:30 to 22:30 depending on the month
To Olbia in about 45 minutes
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
The small islands of La Maddalena can only be seen from the sea, and from Olbia they fit into a day. You drive three-quarters of an hour to Palau, board an excursion boat at ten and swim in three places: Cala Corsara, on Spargi; Cala Santa Maria; and the natural pools of Budelli, with the Spiaggia Rosa seen from the deck. Back on land, you climb the Roccia dell'Orso in the afternoon light and have seafood dinner at La Gritta, with the islands in front of you.
Fly to Olbia (OLB), with a direct flight from Barcelona; from other cities, with a connection. Hire a car at the airport: Palau is about 42 km away, 45 minutes by the coast road towards Santa Teresa. You do not need to take the car across to La Maddalena: the boat leaves from the port of Palau and calls at La Maddalena in the morning.
8:00 · Leave Olbia. Park near the port of Palau; in summer the town fills up early.
9:00 · Check-in and boat. Check-in with Elena Tour Navigazioni is from 8:45 to 9:15 in front of the ferry terminal and the boat sails at 10:00. It first stops at La Maddalena, with some free time in the centre, and continues to Cala Corsara, Cala Santa Maria and Porto della Madonna, the natural pools of Budelli, where you swim from the boat. You see the Spiaggia Rosa without going ashore: landing has been forbidden since 1998. It costs from €52.50, plus a landing tax of €2.50 or €5 depending on the month. Bring your own lunch.
17:00 · Back to Palau. The boat returns via Punta Sardegna and Porto Rafael.
17:30 · Roccia dell'Orso. Ten minutes by car, on Capo d'Orso. An hour for the climb up the steps and the view over the channel and the islands. €3.
19:45 · Dinner at La Gritta. At Porto Faro, the tip of Palau beside the lighthouse, with a terrace facing the archipelago and seafood cooking by Roberto Pierro. Book by phone.
22:00 · Back to Olbia. Three-quarters of an hour.
Where to eat
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
What to order: the fish of the day in the version the chef suggests and a Sardinian wine from a small producer on the list; ask for a terrace table for the sunset over the islands
What to order: the Gallurese pizza, with fresh sausage and pecorino, or the Sarda, with cured sausage; if you do not want pizza, the zuppa gallurese, the northern Sardinian soup of bread, broth and cheese
What to order: the aragosta alla Sette-Otto, the family's lobster recipe for more than sixty years; if you do not want lobster, the spaghetti alla Grotta with seafood and the fish of the day alla Filomena
Map
With where to park at each one.
Getting there
When to go
From May to October, when the boat runs; La Gritta is open from April to October. Best in May, June and September, with fewer boats in the coves. Outside 15 June to 15 September, avoid Sundays: La Gritta is closed.
Tips
In a mistral the boat changes route or does not sail; keep the Monte Altura fortress as plan B.
The boat does not include lunch and there are no bars at the coves.
La Gritta is closed on Sundays except from 15 June to 15 September.
Questions
Yes: Palau is 45 minutes away and the excursion boat runs from 10:00 to 17:00.
From €52.50 per person with Elena Tour Navigazioni, plus the landing tax of €2.50 to €5.
No. The boat leaves from Palau.
No, it is forbidden. You see it from the boat.
More plans like this
geocalia.com/en/italy/sardinia/la-maddalena-archipelago/itineraries/maddalena-islands-by-boat-from-olbia
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sardinia/la-maddalena-archipelago/itineraries/maddalena-islands-by-boat-from-olbia
