Located on the North Eastern part of Sardinia, the Maddalena Islands are perfect place to explore some of Sardinia’s most exceptional beaches and protected natural landscapes. While visiting Sardinia in September 2024, we knew we had to spend a day exploring the beauty of this area, and the easiest way to do so is by boat.
We drove to Palau, a small town on the coast which offers numerous boat company tours to choose from. Here the bustling harbour features day trips for every budget. Large double decker boats and ferries are the best budget option, beautiful yachts are perfect for those travellers who want a private guided tour and are willing to pay extra for a luxury experience. No matter what your budget, the beauty of the islands will not disappoint. Here are some of the incredible places you can expect to see while on the Maddalena Islands.
We met up on the docks in Palau early in the morning. A beautiful wood sail boat waiting to take us to our first destination. Our itinerary for the day included 3 stops, and an optional hot lunch you could purchase on board. We opted to bring our own bagged lunch, along with the essentials for a day on the water: plenty of water, sunscreen, a towel and of course our camera!
Budelli Island
First stop was a beautiful private beach on Isola Budelli – only accessible by boat. The boats dock close to shore and then take groups of 12 – 15 people right to shore in a small motorized dingy. We were able to stay for a little over an hour. The small sandy beach was perfect to relax and of course the blue, clear water was an excellent place to swim.
Not far from the drop off point was a 5 minute hike through the bush to a protected area named Spiaggia del Cavaliere. This was an absolute stunning beach with amazing water to swim in. However, you are not allowed to walk on this beach at all. It is monitored by local authorities, and you are explicitly told not to even leave any of your belonging on the beach while you swim so as not to disrupt the delicate ecosystem. Although a little bit of a hassle, this beach was so worth it to see. And the water was some of the clearest we saw that day!
The crystal clear waters of Spiaggia del Cavaliere are perfect for swimming!
Once back on the boat we enjoyed lunch as we travelled to the next destination. While on route, the crew would point out interesting landmarks along the way and educate us on the history of the Maddalena Islands. The next stop wasn’t a beach but rather a spot where you had the opportunity to dive off the boat and swim in the open water. Hundreds of small fish could be seen swimming underneath you. As it was midday, it was a welcome chance to cool off!
Spargi Island
After this quick stop we continued to the last destination, Isola Spargi. The final beach was the perfect spot to end our day boat trip. We spent approximately 1.5 hours here catching the late afternoon sun before we made our way back to the docks of Palau.
Cala Cosara on Isola Spargi
The boat tour of the Maddalena islands was a great excursion and something we would definitely book again! It is a great way to see multiple places on the island, some which are only accessible by boat. The cost was around €60 a person, for an 8 hour tour. Lunch was approximately an extra €10, and included 2 different choices of fresh made pasta. We arrived back in Palau around 6:00 pm, just in time to enjoy dinner at one of the towns restaurants before we drove back to our Airbnb.
