A Day Trip to the Maddalena Islands from Sardinia
Known for golden sands and stunningly clear turquoise waters, the Maddalena Islands are a group of seven main islands and several smaller islets off the northeast coast of Sardinia, Italy.
Part of the La Maddalena National Park, which protects its natural beauty and unique ecosystem, the archipelago is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean,
To bring you up to speed…my favorite travel accomplice, Shannon, and I are nearly at the halfway point of a month-long trip around the sun-splashed Med.
Current location: Sardinia.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to book through these links, I receive a small commission, which I will undoubtedly blow on more flights (it’s a vicious cycle). All of this internet voodoo takes place at no additional cost to you.
We only have two full days to spend on this massive island yet we dedicated our first full day to a fantastic day trip to another island by hopping a ferry to Bonifacio, Corsica.
For our second full day, we have a decision to make.
We have wheels (about the only positive statement I can make about the ridiculous Smart Car we’ve rented, it does have wheels) so we have the freedom to go wherever we like.
Road trip around the island of Sardinia or take another ferry trip?
Sardinia is a huge island and the driving distances are fairly long, especially with mountain roads.
So when our helpful front desk clerk (at the lovely Grand Hotel President in Olbia) and the car rental guy both highly recommended taking the ferry over to Maddalena Island, we decide to go for it.
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The Maddalena Islands
Situated between Sardinia and Corsica, the Maddalena Archipelago is made of up 7 large islands and 55 tiny islets surrounded by turquoise seas more reminiscent of the Caribbean than the Mediterranean.
The primary islands are:
- La Maddalena: The largest and most developed island in the archipelago. The town of La Maddalena has a charming, small-town vibe with colorful buildings, narrow streets, and lots of history.
- Caprera: Connected to La Maddalena by a bridge, Caprera is known for rugged coastlines, beautiful beaches, and great hiking.
- Spargi: A smaller island, Spargi is famous for its hidden coves, crystal-clear waters, and white sand beaches. It’s a favorite for boaters and snorkelers.
- Budelli: Famous for its Spiaggia Rosa (Pink Beach), which gets its distinctive color from microscopic fragments of coral and shells. The beach is protected, so visitors have to settle for admiring it from afar.
- Santa Maria: Known for its tranquil atmosphere and pristine nature. It’s a less-visited island with peaceful, clear waters for swimming and snorkeling.
Maddalena’s military history
The Maddalena Islands’ strategic location in the Strait of Bonifacio made them a natural choice for military bases. From 1972 until 2008 there was a US Naval Support Activity Base here as well as a NATO base on nearby Santo Stefano.
The prosperity brought by the military bases meant the pursuit of tourism dollars was largely unnecessary for many years. The closing of the US base in 2008 was a major blow to the local economy.
Since then, supporting the local economy through tourism has become a high priority.
The Maddalena Islands are a natural fit for travelers seeking great beaches and a welcoming local community. And thanks to the years of American military activity on the islands, English is more widely spoken here than almost anywhere else in Italy.
Getting to Maddalena
The ferry to Maddalena leaves from the port town of Palau.
We passed Palau on our way to Santa Teresa Gallura yesterday so we know exactly how to get there. It takes a little less than an hour from Olbia.
In the summer season, the ferries run hourly and we arrive just in time to buy tickets for the 10:00am departure.
To get around, we elect to bring the half-car-half-bicycle-built-for-two (aka Smartcar) on the ferry with us since it’s only a few euros more. It’s helpful to have a car to see the sights on Maddalena and take the bridge over to the neighboring island of Caprera.
It’s my first time driving a car onto a ferry but it’s easy since, as I already mentioned, it’s not really a car.
Arrival in La Maddalena
The ferry ride is just under an hour and by 11:00am we are docking in the perfect little Italian village of La Maddalena.
I drive the car off the ferry and we easily find a parking space in town.
The first order of business is exploring the main town a bit and finding some lunch. Then we’ll hop back in the car to take a driving tour of the island. We’re also hoping to find a tourism office to pick up a map and some tips on where to go.
The town is completely adorable, as beautiful as any Italian town I’ve ever visited.
With cobbled streets, shops, cafes, and sea views from every corner, it’s the whole nine yards of Italian beauty. We easily locate the tourism office and after a short consultation depart with a map in hand and a plan for the rest of the day.
After a leisurely stop for lunch, we hop back in the car and begin our perimeter driving tour of the island.
Spalmatore Beach
Our first stop turns out to be the most beautiful beach we see all day, Spalmatore.
I’ve read that these islands are a cross between the Seychelles and the Maldives. And while that seems like an incredibly tall order, Spalmatore definitely reminds me of the beaches of the Seychelles with its giant boulders and rock formations.
After seeing Spalmatore, I instantly wish we had enough time to do a boat trip around the islands. It’s the most popular way to explore and reach some of the more remote beaches.
Tip: If you have more time, these are the Top 3 full-day boat trips to book:
- Catamaran tour to the Maddalena Archipelago from Cannigione
- Sailboat tour from PALAU to the Maddalena Archipelago
- Small Group Snorkeling Day from Palau
After soaking in the beauty of Spalmatore for a bit, we continue around the island to three or four more beaches. They’re all beautiful but none of them quite compare to Spalmatore.
The island of Caprera
It only takes us about an hour to drive the entire perimeter of the island.
With a little more time to kill before our return ferry, we take the bridge over to Caprera to visit two more beaches the nice lady in the tourist office highlighted on our map.
Most of the smaller island of Caprera is dedicated to national park land so there are no hotels or services on the island. But there are lots of camping facilities, a few roadside snack bars and, of course, plenty of beaches.
We drive along the southern peninsula of the island and stop to check out several beaches along the way. Again, I think the first beach spoiled us because none of the Caprera beaches seem quite as impressive.
Oh, and I never spot anything resembling the Maldives so I’m not sure where that reference originated. I will, however, concede the Seychelles comparison, especially at Spalmatore Beach.
The Costa Smeralda
By 4:00pm, we’ve completed a lap of both islands and catch the ferry back over to Sardinia.
There’s still time left in our day to cruise along the Costa Smeralda on the way back to our hotel in Olbia.
Known as the “Emerald Coast” of Sardinia, the Costa Smeralda is an extremely popular holiday destination with wealthy Italians, the international jetset, and a variety of celebrities.
In fact, this 12-mile stretch of Sardinian coastline is allegedly home to the most expensive real estate in all of Europe. Not to mention a number of luxury hotels like the spectacular Hotel Cala di Volpe and the exclusive Hotel Pitrizza (some with rates as high as $2,000-$3,000 a night).
That’s just a smidge out of our budget for this trip so we’ll have to settle for a drive-by.
Porto Cervo is the main town along the Costa Smeralda so we follow the signs toward it in search of luxury yachts and movie stars.
Unfortunately, they must keep this area pretty locked down because we don’t have much luck finding anything of note. We do spot a few lovely beaches from above but are unsuccessful in finding a road to access them.
I’m sure there are more beautiful spots along this stretch of the coastline but I guess you have to know where you’re going to access them…oh well!
It was still a terrific day exploring Sardinia and the Maddalena Islands!
Another big travel day tomorrow as our month-long Euro-adventure continues. Off to Rome for a quick layover and then we’ll continue on to one of the stops I’m most excited about…the Greek island of Crete!
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