La Maddalena archipelago boat trips: the five compared

Budelli, Spargi and Santa Maria are only reached by excursion: there is no ferry. Almost all leave from Palau and last seven hours; they differ in the size of the boat, whether lunch is included and whether they stop in La Maddalena town. None includes the park fee, and none lands on the Pink Beach.

TripPriceFromLastsRating
Boat: Spargi, Budelli and Santa Maria60 €Palau 10:307 h8,6 · 336
Boat with lunch + La Maddalena town65 €Palau 9:007 h8,6 · 368
Sailing boat with lunch150 €Palau7 h9,4 · 75
Speedboat50 €Palau 9:30 · 13:454 hunrated
Cruise from Olbia (via Cannigione)150 €Olbia, Molo Brin10–10,5 h7,5 · 66

Adult prices on Civitatis on 6 September 2026. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before, except the speedboat (3 days).

1. Boat to Spargi, Budelli and Santa Maria (€60): the classic

Check-in from 9:45 to 10:00 at Palau harbour and departure at 10:30 on “Sardinia’s most modern boat”. It skirts Porto Faro and Porto Raphael, anchors for a swim in a cove on Santa Maria (with the old monastery in view), continues to Budelli for a swim in the Porto della Madonna with Razzoli opposite, sails past the Pink Beach without landing, and ends with a swim at Cala Granara on Spargi. Seven hours. Park fee extra, in cash. A customer’s tip: the boat is not always visible from the meeting point; call if you cannot find it.

BOOK THE CLASSIC (€60) →

2. With lunch and a stop in La Maddalena town (€65)

For €5 more, lunch included aboard and a fourth destination: the historic centre of La Maddalena, for a stroll round the town. Leaves Palau at 9:00, anchors first for an hour at Cala Corsara (Spargi), then Budelli and Santa Maria, and ends at La Maddalena before returning. The park fee, in the listing’s own words: €5 from June to August and €2.50 in May and September, over-6s only. The most travelled: 5,005 people and 368 reviews. One of them: “ideal for a first look with no stress about transport and food”.

SEE THE VERSION WITH LUNCH (€65) →

3. Sailing boat with the skipper’s lunch (€150): the best rated

Small group and a different pace: from Palau past Porto Rafael and Punta Sardegna to the natural pools between Santa Maria, Razzoli and Budelli, the Pink Beach from the sea, an hour’s swim on whichever side of Budelli or Santa Maria the wind allows, lunch aboard (starter, pasta, fruit, dessert and coffee, with soft drinks and beers) and in the afternoon two stops at Spargi. Seven hours. 9.4/10 from 75 reviews; one, from a stormy day: “even so we enjoyed two coves, saw the Pink Beach and even sailed under canvas”.

SEE THE SAILING BOAT (€150) →

4. Four-hour speedboat (€50) and 5. cruise from Olbia (€150)

The speedboat leaves Palau at 9:30 or 13:45 and in four hours does one of two routes: the Porto della Madonna between Budelli, Razzoli and Santa Maria, or Caprera and Isola del Porco. Very few seats and cancellation only up to three days before; no reviews yet. The cruise from Olbia picks up at the Molo Brin car park, transfers to Cannigione and covers Caprera, Santo Stefano, Santa Maria, Spargi (an hour’s swim), lunch aboard and Budelli from the boat: a long ten hours, €150, €5 landing fee extra, and a 7.5 with complaints about the food.

THE SPEEDBOAT (€50) → FROM OLBIA (€150) →

Which to choose

With a car and no wish to complicate things, the €60 classic or its version with lunch. For a small-group experience and good food, the sailing boat. From Olbia without a car, the cruise, knowing it is ten hours. And in every case: cash for the fee, a cap, water and your swimsuit on.

Details read on the operators’ Civitatis listings on 6 September 2026. The valid price and itinerary are always those in the booking process.