The best La Maddalena boat tours

Quick answers before you book

A few things worth knowing so you spend the day swimming, not second-guessing.

Big boat or catamaran?

The big motor boats are cheapest ($57–$66) and fastest to the islands; the catamaran adds shade, a small group and lunch for more. Both visit the same four stops.

How much does a tour cost?

From about $57 on the big boats to $185 on a catamaran with lunch, plus a small national-park fee paid in cash. See the full breakdown on our price page.

Can you walk on the Pink Beach?

No — Budelli’s Spiaggia Rosa is protected and boats only pause offshore. Here’s what you actually see at each of the 4 stops.

Leave from Palau or La Maddalena?

Most tours sail from Palau on the mainland; a few board in La Maddalena town. Here’s how to choose.

The honest guide to a La Maddalena boat tour

There’s a moment on every good archipelago day — usually when the boat cuts its engine in the channel between Budelli and Santa Maria and you look down through fifteen feet of water to white sand — when you understand why people drive to the top of Sardinia just to get on a boat. The La Maddalena archipelago is a national park of seven granite islands set in the windy Strait of Bonifacio, and the only honest way to see the best of it is from the water. Here’s everything worth knowing before you book.

What a La Maddalena boat tour actually is

It’s a full day on the water — usually six to seven hours — looping out from Palau (or La Maddalena town) to the uninhabited western islands and back, with four swim stops along the way. A skipper picks the most sheltered bays for the day’s wind, anchors, and lets you swim straight off the boat into water that genuinely looks Photoshopped. Some boats are big motor vessels carrying a hundred people; others are catamarans and sailing yachts with a dozen guests, shade and lunch laid on. The islands are the same; the day feels completely different depending on which deck you’re standing on.

The islands you’ll see

The marquee stops are Spargi (the sheltered Cala Corsara), the shallow turquoise lagoon shared by Budelli, Razzoli and Santa Maria, and a slow pass of Budelli’s famous Pink Beach — protected since the 1990s, so you view it from the water rather than walk on it. The day often finishes near Santa Maria or green Caprera, with its cult cove Cala Coticcio, nicknamed “Tahiti.” We break all of this down on the 4 stops, with a route map so you can picture the loop.

Which boat should you book?

This is the real decision, and it comes down to budget versus comfort. The big motor boats are the cheapest way to hit all four stops — from about $57–$66 — and the fastest to the far lagoon, but they’re busy and short on shade. A catamaran (from around $147–$185) is the comfort pick: stable enough to forget you’re at sea, a swim platform off the back, a small group, and a Sardinian lunch with an aperitif included. A sailing yacht (from about $102) is the quiet, romantic choice when the wind plays along. If you’re weighing it up, our sailing vs catamaran guide lays the three side by side.

What it costs — and the fee everyone forgets

Tickets aside, budget for the national-park access fee: roughly €2.50 in spring and autumn and €5 in June to August, charged from age 7 and usually collected in cash on the boat. Lunch is included on most catamaran and sailing tours but optional on the big boats. Kids are normally discounted. We put the full picture, including how to pay less, on the price page.

When to go, and what to bring

The season runs roughly May to October. July and August are hottest, busiest and priciest; June and September hit the sweet spot of warm water and thinner crowds. Whatever month you pick, bring water shoes (some entries are over rock), reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, a towel, a dry bag for your phone and a few euros of cash. The Strait of Bonifacio is breezy, so if you’re prone to seasickness, lean toward a catamaran and a calmer forecast.

How to book

In peak summer the best tours sell out days ahead, so book online with free cancellation rather than turning up at the port. Decide which port to leave from, pick your boat, and lock the date — then all you have to do is bring a towel. Start with every tour compared.