# Asinara by sailing boat from Stintino: Cala d'Oliva, the old prison, white donkeys and a Sardinian dinner in the countryside

A classic sailing boat from 9:30 to 17:30 via Cala d'Oliva, Cala del Bianco and Cala Reale with lunch on board, the Tonnara Museum on the way back and a Sardinian inland dinner at Depalmas.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sardinia/stintino-and-asinara/itineraries/asinara-by-sailing-boat · Revisado: 2026-11-13

## El día
- 06:45 · Salida: 2 h by car (To Stintino; estimated time, without stops. It is sensible to sleep there the night before)
- 09:10 · Asinara on a vintage sailing ship from Stintino, with lunch on board and four stops (Gite Asinara · boarding at Piazzale Guardia Costiera 20 min before 9:30 · from €95 with lunch, drink and tax) · Gite Asinara (BluMare Service), From €95 per person
  - 6 min on foot
- 18:00 · Stintino Tonnara Museum (MuT), the tuna fishing that founded the town (from June to September until 20:30, last entry at 20:00 · closed on Monday)
  - 7 min by car, 2,4 km
- 20:15 · Agriturismo Depalmas (Sardinian inland dinner with a fixed menu; booking compulsory; closed on Sunday) · Agriturismo Depalmas, €€€
- 22:30 · Vuelta (To Olbia or Cagliari, or to your hotel in Stintino)

For over a century Asinara was a forbidden island: a quarantine station, a penal colony and, from 1975, a maximum-security prison. Today it is a national park and is visited by boat. This plan tours it on a classic sailing boat that leaves from Stintino, stops at the island's two villages and lets you swim in coves with no road, with lunch served on board. On the way back, the Tonnara Museum tells how the families expelled from Asinara founded Stintino, and dinner is inland fare, at a farm stay in the countryside.

## Getting there from Spain

Fly to Olbia (OLB), with a direct flight from Barcelona, or to Cagliari (CAG), from Barcelona and Seville. Alghero is about 50 km from Stintino, but has no direct flight from Spain. By car, from Olbia it is about two hours and from Cagliari about three and a half hours, estimated times. The boat leaves at 9:30: the sensible thing is to sleep in Stintino the night before.

## The day, hour by hour

9:10 · Boarding. At Piazzale Guardia Costiera in Stintino harbour, twenty minutes before sailing. With Gite Asinara, from €95 in June and September, with lunch, drinks and the €5 landing tax included.

9:30 · Cala d'Oliva. The white-houses village of the old penal colony and the Diramazione Centrale, seen from outside. Two beaches for the first swim.

Midday · Cala del Bianco. A swim and lunch on board: a first course with prawn sauce, wine, coffee and Sardinian liqueurs.

Afternoon · Cala Reale. The old quarantine station, a Roman wreck and the white donkeys. The park's Sea Centre costs €4. A last swim at Li Graniti or Punta degli Inglesi, depending on the wind.

17:30 · Back to Stintino. In a strong grecale the skipper changes route and goes via Fornelli and its prison.

18:00 · Tonnara Museum. A few minutes' walk from the harbour. €5, free for under-15s.

20:15 · Dinner at Agriturismo Depalmas. 2 km from the village, in the countryside. A fixed menu of Sardinian inland cooking: the house pecorino and cured meats, ricotta ravioli, suckling pig with myrtle and seadas. Booking compulsory.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
To get to Stintino and for dinner in the countryside. The sailing boat leaves from the village harbour.

### Without a car
If you sleep in the centre, the boarding point and the museum are within walking distance; for Depalmas, swap it for Il Portico, on the promenade.

## Consejos

### Sleep in Stintino the night before
The sailing boat leaves at 9:30 and from Olbia it is two hours.

### Bring a snorkelling mask
Hire on board costs €4.

### Choose a day from Tuesday to Saturday
The museum is closed on Monday and Depalmas on Sunday.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much is the sailing boat to Asinara?
From €95 per adult in June and September, with lunch, drinks and landing tax.

### Do you go ashore on the island?
Yes, at Cala d'Oliva and Cala Reale, or at Fornelli if the grecale is blowing.

### Is there an alternative without a long boat trip?
The 4x4 tour only uses the boat to cross over.

### Can you bring a dog?
No, animals are not allowed in the park on these excursions.