Which harbour to leave from for La Maddalena: Palau, Cannigione or Olbia
Palau is the archipelago’s harbour: the trips and the ferry to La Maddalena island, which lies opposite, leave from here. The rest are alternatives for those without a car or sleeping far away.
Palau
Trips: the classic with check-in from 9:45 to 10:00 and departure at 10:30; the lunch one at 9:00; the speedboat at 9:30 and 13:45; the sailing boat, at the time on your voucher. Ferry to La Maddalena with two companies, 20 minutes, frequent departures and cars aboard.
Cannigione
On the Gulf of Arzachena, south of Palau. It is the harbour of the cruise from Olbia: the transfer picks up at the Molo Brin car park (Olbia) and boards here. Ten hours in all.
Olbia
The city of the airport and the mainland ferries. There is no direct boat to the archipelago: either the cruise with transfer (€150), or a hire car to Palau. We do not publish drive times because we have not verified them.
The Palau ⇄ La Maddalena ferry, on your own
For the main island and for Caprera (joined to it by a bridge) no trip is needed: two ferry companies cross from Palau. Delcomar advertises tickets “from €3.70”, with adult, child (6–11 and 4–5) and infant fares, all kinds of vehicles and a resident discount. Maddalena Lines (Caronte & Tourist group) promises “just 20 minutes’ crossing” with “frequent departures”: on the day we read it, one every half hour in the afternoon. Both carry cars, motorbikes and bikes. Full timetables and exact fares are in their booking engines; we have not read them and do not publish them.
Ferry or trip
The ferry gets you to La Maddalena and Caprera, with their beaches (Cala Coticcio, among others) and the town. Budelli, Spargi, Santa Maria and Razzoli are only seen from the trips: there is no scheduled line. The usual plan is a day of each.
Check-in and departure times read on Civitatis, and ferry details on delcomar.it and maddalenalines.it, on 6 September 2026.