| Where | Off Palau, north-east Sardinia, at the mouth of the Bonifacio Strait |
| Islands | Seven main islands — La Maddalena, Caprera, Santo Stefano, Spargi, Santa Maria, Razzoli, Budelli |
| Getting there | Ferry from Palau (15-20 minutes) to La Maddalena town |
| Boat tour price | Roughly €50-90pp for a full-day multi-island tour |
| Best time | May-September; June and September for calmer, less crowded water |
| Status | National park since the 1990s, one of only two in Sardinia |
Seven islands, one national park
The La Maddalena archipelago sits at the very tip of north-east Sardinia, separated from Corsica by the Bonifacio Strait, and is protected as one of only two true national parks in Sardinia — the other being Asinara further west.
The park covers seven main islands and dozens of smaller islets and rocks, all granite rather than the limestone found around Alghero, which is part of why the water here runs so consistently clear: granite sheds far less sediment than softer rock, and there’s no significant river system nearby to cloud visibility after rain. La Maddalena town, on the largest island, is the only genuinely inhabited settlement in the archipelago and the natural base for most visits.
Getting there: the ferry from Palau
Almost every visit starts with the short ferry crossing from Palau on the mainland, running frequently through the season and taking only 15-20 minutes — short enough that day-trippers regularly cross without pre-booking a specific sailing. Cars can be brought across, useful if you want to drive to Caprera independently, though many visitors leave the car in Palau and rely on La Maddalena town’s compact size plus organised boat tours for the smaller islands. Cannigione, a short drive from Palau, is a common alternative base with its own boat-tour operators running direct to the archipelago.
Boat tours: the main way to see the smaller islands
Most of the archipelago’s uninhabited islands — Spargi, Santa Maria, Razzoli and Budelli — are reachable only by boat, and a full-day multi-island tour is the standard, and genuinely the best, way to see them. The 7 islands, 7 stops guided tour of La Maddalena covers the widest spread of the archipelago in a single day, stopping at multiple islands rather than anchoring at just one or two. The La Maddalena archipelago boat tour offers a similar full-day format with swim and snorkel stops built in along the way.
From Cannigione, the boat tour covering Caprera, Spargi, Budelli and Santa Maria links four of the seven islands in one route, a practical choice if you’re based on that side of the Palau peninsula rather than in La Maddalena town itself.
Budelli and the pink beach you can’t walk on
Budelli, the smallest of the main seven islands, is famous for the Spiaggia Rosa — a pink-tinged beach coloured by fragments of coral and shell rather than sand alone — but the beach itself has been closed to foot access for years to protect it from erosion and the disappearance of the very material that gives it its colour. Boat tours pass close by and offer a view from the water, which is now the only realistic way to see it; treat any tour promising to land you on the pink sand itself with real scepticism, since that access simply doesn’t exist under current park rules.
Diving: some of the clearest water in Sardinia
The archipelago’s granite seabed produces regularly 25-30m visibility through summer, among the best diving conditions anywhere on the island, with terrain that favours granite boulder fields and drift dives over the caves and walls found near Alghero’s Capo Caccia.
The scuba diving for beginners in La Maddalena is a well-suited first underwater experience given how forgiving the clear water is for anyone new to diving. Our dedicated diving at La Maddalena guide covers dive sites, pricing and the option of extending toward the Lavezzi Islands reserve in French waters for certified divers with more experience.
Naval and military history
Beyond its natural appeal, the archipelago carries a genuine naval history stretching back to the 18th century — Santo Stefano, one of the seven main islands, hosted a submarine support base used by NATO and the US Navy for decades before it closed in the 2000s, a reminder that this remote, wind-scoured cluster of islands has held real strategic importance well beyond its current life as a national park and boating destination. Some archipelago dive routes still pass old mooring structures and small wreck sites tied to this history, a point of interest for anyone who enjoys a bit of context alongside the natural scenery.
Caprera and Garibaldi’s home
A causeway connects La Maddalena to Caprera, the archipelago’s second-largest island, where Italian unification hero Giuseppe Garibaldi spent his final decades and is buried. Caprera’s own beaches, walking trails and Garibaldi’s preserved house-museum make it worth a dedicated half-day or more beyond a quick drive-through — see our full Caprera guide for what to prioritise there.
Where to base yourself
Palau is the most practical base for most visitors — it has the ferry terminal, a good range of accommodation and restaurants, and puts you a short crossing from La Maddalena town each morning. Cannigione, a short drive away, is a quieter alternative with its own direct boat-tour departures, useful if Palau’s peak-season crowds don’t appeal. Staying on La Maddalena island itself is possible and puts you closest to the archipelago’s boat departures, though the choice of restaurants and accommodation is narrower than on the mainland side.
When to go
May through September gives the calmest, warmest water for boat tours and swimming, with June and September offering a genuinely better balance of good weather and thinner crowds than the July-August peak, when boat tours can book out days ahead and the most popular swim stops get crowded by midday. The Bonifacio Strait is one of the windier stretches of water around Sardinia, funnelling both the maestrale and other prevailing winds through a relatively narrow channel, so a strong wind day can disrupt sailings even in peak season — check forecasts and confirm your operator’s cancellation policy, particularly in shoulder season when conditions vary more.
Costs and booking
A full-day multi-island boat tour typically runs €50-90 per person, generally including swim and snorkel stops but not always lunch — check the specific itinerary before booking if a meal on board matters to you. Diving starts around €50-80 per certified dive, with beginner and discover-dive experiences costing more given the added instructor time. In July and August, booking a few days ahead is worth doing for the more popular multi-island tours, since daily capacity on the smaller, more remote stops is genuinely limited. Shoulder-season visits in May, June and September see noticeably fewer crowds at the same anchorages without much drop in weather reliability.
Combining La Maddalena with the rest of Gallura
The archipelago pairs naturally with a wider Gallura-based stay. Santa Teresa Gallura, further along the coast, has its own ferry connections toward Bonifacio and Corsica — see our ferry between Bonifacio and Santa Teresa guide and day trip to Bonifacio and Corsica guide if extending north into French waters interests you. Porto Cervo and the Costa Smeralda sit a reasonable drive south for anyone splitting a trip between the archipelago and the more polished marina towns further down the coast.
Frequently asked questions about the La Maddalena archipelago
How many islands can you actually visit?
La Maddalena town and Caprera are reachable by car via the causeway. The other five main islands — Santo Stefano, Spargi, Santa Maria, Razzoli and Budelli — are reached only by boat, typically as part of a multi-island tour.
Can you still see the pink beach on Budelli?
Only from the water — the Spiaggia Rosa has been closed to foot access for years to protect the beach’s fragile coral-fragment composition. Boat tours pass close by for a view rather than a landing.
How long is the ferry from Palau?
Around 15-20 minutes to La Maddalena town, with frequent departures through the season — short enough that most day-trippers don’t need to pre-book a specific sailing.
Is the archipelago suitable for a day trip, or does it need longer?
A single full-day boat tour covers the highlights well. Two to three days lets you add diving, a proper Caprera visit and a less rushed pace across the smaller islands.
Can you bring a car onto La Maddalena and Caprera?
Yes — the ferry from Palau takes vehicles, and a causeway connects La Maddalena to Caprera directly, no second crossing needed.
How does diving here compare to Alghero or Villasimius?
La Maddalena wins clearly on water clarity, with granite drift dives rather than the limestone caves and walls found at Capo Caccia near Alghero, or the dense marine-reserve life at Villasimius’s Capo Carbonara.
Is a boat tour better than diving for a first visit?
For most visitors, yes — a boat tour covers more of the archipelago’s islands and coves in a single day, giving a broader sense of the park, while diving suits a second or third visit once you already know the archipelago’s core clearly is the draw.
How many days should a first-time visitor budget for La Maddalena?
One full day covers the essentials via an organised boat tour; two to three days lets you add diving, a proper Caprera visit, and a less rushed pace across the smaller islands without cramming everything into a single outing.
