Civitatis La Maddalena review: the Spanish-speaking way to book the archipelago

Civitatis is a Spanish online travel agency, founded in 2008 and based in Madrid according to Spanish trade press, that built its name selling excursions with Spanish-speaking guides. If you search “excursión La Maddalena Cerdeña” in Spanish, its Palau page is usually the first booking result. This Civitatis La Maddalena review checks what that page actually sells, what the small print says, and when a Spanish speaker should use it instead of GetYourGuide, our partner.

We looked at the Spanish-language La Maddalena page, one full listing and the company’s help centre on 2 September 2026. Everything below is attributed to those pages; prices and ratings change with the season.

The catalogue: six products, four in Spanish

Civitatis groups La Maddalena under Palau. The page listed six activities, all with a “Cancelación gratuita” label:

That is the whole La Maddalena offer. There is no sunset cruise, no private charter, no half-day catamaran and no departure from La Maddalena town, all of which exist on GetYourGuide and Viator. The strength is concentrated in the classic Palau day: two motorboat versions (with or without lunch) and a sailing boat, all with a Spanish-speaking guide.

The three Palau boats follow the standard route we describe on the tours from Palau page: out past Porto Rafael and Punta Sardegna, swim stops in the natural pools of Porto della Madonna between Santa Maria, Razzoli and Budelli, a view of the Spiaggia Rosa from the water (landing is forbidden), and Cala Corsara on Spargi.

What the Palau listing says

We read the classic boat tour listing in full. According to Civitatis on 2 September 2026:

• Price from €60 per adult; child fares are set on the booking form.
• Check-in at the port of Palau between 9:45 and 10:00, departure 10:30, back after about 7 hours.
• Included: the boat and a guide in Spanish (English, French and Italian are also available on board).
• Not included: port taxes of €2.50 to €5 per adult depending on the season, paid in cash on the day. This is the same landing contribution other operators charge at Palau.
• Minimum 20 participants; if the minimum is not reached, Civitatis offers an alternative.
• The provider is named on the listing as Family Sea S.r.l.
• Voucher: electronic, shown on the phone.
• Rating 8.6/10 from 335 opinions.

The minimum-group clause is worth taking seriously in May and October, when boats run with fewer passengers. Ask what the alternative would be before you rely on a specific date.

Insider tip: The €60 boat and the €65 boat with lunch are the same route. In July and August the lunch version saves you a queue for a sandwich in La Maddalena town; in June, when the boat is emptier, the free time ashore is more pleasant and the €5 buys a good gelato in Piazza Garibaldi.

Cancellation policy, fetched from the help centre

Civitatis publishes its rules in a Spanish help centre (civitatis.zendesk.com). The relevant articles say:

• Every activity has its own cancellation policy. You can read it on the activity page before booking, in the confirmation e-mail under the section on modifications and cancellations, and on the voucher.
• “Free cancellation” applies only within the stated period. If you book with less notice than the policy requires, the reservation is non-refundable, even if you cancel a minute later.
• Cancellation is done from the “Modificar reserva” link in the confirmation e-mail.
• The policy applies regardless of personal reasons, though with documentation (a medical report, for example) you can ask an agent to review the case.

For the Palau boat the policy line reads “Cancelación gratuita hasta 24 horas antes”. That matches GetYourGuide’s default and Viator’s Standard tier. What we could not find is a general statement on operator cancellations for weather; the confirmation e-mail is where you should look for it, and in practice the operator refunds or rebooks when the mistral closes the port, as on every platform. See the national park page for how wind affects departures.

Languages, support and tickets

The site runs in Spanish, English, French, Italian and Portuguese, and the help centre we consulted is in Spanish. Tickets are electronic; the Palau listing tells you to carry the voucher on your phone. The guide language is the whole point: on GetYourGuide the same boats list Italian and English commentary, sometimes French or German, but rarely a guaranteed Spanish speaker.

Ratings use a 10-point scale rather than 5 stars. An 8.6 with 335 opinions is a healthy, stable score; the 7.5 of the Olbia cruise reflects a long day with more than three hours of travel in each direction, which is a format problem rather than a company problem. Read our Olbia departures page before choosing that one.

Price parity

Civitatis does not undercut the pier. The classic Palau boat from €60 sits inside the €50 to €80 band of the classic full-day boats on GetYourGuide, where the flagship vintage-motorboat tour was listed at €76 with a different itinerary and a longer 8-hour day. The sailing boat at €150 compares with catamarans at €150 to €200 on GetYourGuide. Choose by guide language, cancellation terms and boat, not by price.

Who should book on Civitatis

Book here if Spanish commentary matters to your group, especially with children or older relatives, and you want the classic Palau day. Look elsewhere if you want a catamaran with lunch and a small group, a sunset cruise, a private boat, or a departure from La Maddalena town; Civitatis has none of these for the archipelago. Also skip it if you are booking inside 24 hours, since the reservation becomes non-refundable at once.

Alternatives you can book online

For everything Civitatis does not list, GetYourGuide has it with the same 24-hour cancellation: the catamaran with lunch from Palau, the flagship archipelago boat tour, private charters and sunset cruises. Compare all La Maddalena boat tours before you decide.