La Maddalena catamaran tour: which boat to choose, and when the price is worth it

A La Maddalena catamaran tour follows the same route as the big shared boats, Spargi, Budelli and Santa Maria, but with twelve people on board instead of a hundred, lunch served at a table, and a skipper free to anchor in coves the large vessels never enter. It costs two or three times as much, so the useful question is whether that gap buys you something you actually want.

This page compares the three catamarans leaving Palau, the luxury catamaran from La Maddalena, and the catamaran and sailing boat from Santa Teresa Gallura. We set out what is included, when you sail and when you motor, and who the price makes sense for.

At a glance

Why pick a catamaran over a shared motor boat

Four differences you feel on the day.

• Stability. Two hulls roll less than one. At a swim stop the boat barely moves, and anyone who dislikes the motion of a big ship notices within minutes.
• Space. Trampoline nets forward, a cockpit with a proper table and a flat deck mean you can lie in the sun or sit in the shade without fighting for a bench.
• Twelve people. No queue at the swimming ladder, stops that last as long as they need to, quiet in the water. For a couple it is the difference between a coach trip afloat and a day on a boat.
• Quieter coves. With shallow draught and no crowd to manage, the skipper anchors where the motor ships do not stop and picks the cove to suit the day’s wind.

The trade-off: no free time in La Maddalena town, which you only see from the water, and a bill that passes €600 for a family of four. If you want the town, or the lower fare, the classic archipelago boat tour is the better buy.

Formats compared: catamaran, motor ship, sailing boat, private

The three catamarans leaving from Palau

The catamaran with lunch: the benchmark

The catamaran with lunch from Palau is the most reviewed product in this category: GetYourGuide shows 4.9 from more than 2,200 reviews, 7 hours, 12 guests maximum, aperitivo, lunch and wine included, at €200 per person. This is the boat we point people to when they want the best-run day short of going private: check availability for the catamaran with lunch.

The 50-footer with pickup

The 50-foot boat is again capped at 12 people and again comes with lunch, at €150 according to GetYourGuide (4.8 from 82 reviews). Two details set it apart: pickup is included, which helps if you are staying outside Palau without a car, and the guide works in Italian, English, French and Russian. At €50 less than the most reviewed of the three it is the first alternative to weigh up: 50-foot catamaran with lunch.

The third catamaran with lunch

This one also runs 7 hours with lunch and a 12-guest limit, rated 4.9 from 831 reviews on GetYourGuide; the fare is shown on the listing. It earns its place when the other two are sold out on the date you need, which happens often between 15 July and 31 August: catamaran with lunch, third option.

Insider tip: on a 12-berth catamaran the trampoline nets forward are the seats everyone wants and also the most exposed to sun and spray. Board first if you want them, and leave your bag in the cockpit: one gust on the nets and your hat is in the sea.

The luxury catamaran from La Maddalena

An all-inclusive tour on a Lagoon catamaran leaves from La Maddalena, 7.5 hours with lunch and drinks. We flag it with caution: at the time of writing the GetYourGuide listing shows 3 reviews averaging 3.7, far too few to judge. If you are sleeping on the island and the format appeals, read those reviews in full before you commit, and compare them with the Palau boats, which carry thousands of ratings and sit 15 to 20 minutes away by ferry.

From Santa Teresa Gallura: the catamaran and the sailing boat

Staying in Santa Teresa Gallura, 25 km west of Palau, gives you two options from the local harbour.

The catamaran runs a full day with lunch, wine and a stop at the natural pools off Budelli, rated 4.6 from 612 reviews on GetYourGuide. The sailing trip is a monohull for people who want to feel the boat heel under canvas, 4.9 from 49 reviews. Both show their price on the listing.

What changes compared with Palau is the route. From Santa Teresa you first cross the Bocche di Bonifacio (the Strait of Bonifacio), the arm of sea between Sardinia and Corsica. In wind it is the roughest water in the region and anyone prone to seasickness will know about it; on a calm morning it is the most cinematic crossing of the lot, with the Corsican cliffs standing on the horizon. Logistics are set out on our page on boat trips from Santa Teresa Gallura.

Sail or engine: what to expect

A seven-hour day has to get its guests to Spargi, Budelli and Santa Maria and back to Palau again. Sails go up when there is a breeze on the open stretches, typically between Spargi and Budelli; the short transfers and the anchoring manoeuvres are done under engine. In flat calm you motor all day, and in a hard mistral nobody leaves the harbour. Anyone after a full day of genuine sailing should look at the monohull from Santa Teresa, or at a skippered charter, which we cover on the page about private tours and boat rental.

Seasickness

For sensitive stomachs this is the best format going: less roll under way, and long stops with the boat at rest. From Palau the open-water stretch is short. Leaving from Santa Teresa, take a tablet an hour before boarding, stay out in the air at the stern and keep your eyes on the horizon while you cross the strait.

When to book a La Maddalena catamaran tour

The season runs from April to late October, with daily departures from June to September. June and September give the best mix: water at 20–21 °C in June and 22–23 °C in late September, quieter anchorages, and steady breezes for sailing. July and August bring the warmest sea (25–26 °C) and the most boats in the same coves.

With only twelve places per departure, catamarans sell out before the motor ships. Between 15 July and 31 August, book one to two weeks ahead. The mistral, most frequent in spring and autumn, ends the day before it starts: the GetYourGuide listings quoted here offer a refund or a new date, on top of free cancellation up to 24 hours before from your side. Put the trip in the first days of your holiday so you have room to reschedule.

The catamaran route: what you see

The order depends on the wind and on a skipper picking sheltered water. The regular stops are:

• Spargi, uninhabited and built of granite: Cala Corsara with its four small beaches, or Cala Granara and Cala Connari when the first one fills with big boats.
• Budelli: a pass in front of Spiaggia Rosa (the Pink Beach), which under the rules of the Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago di La Maddalena may only be viewed from the water, then a swim in the natural pools of Porto della Madonna or off Spiaggia del Cavaliere. Full detail on our Budelli Pink Beach page.
• Santa Maria: the long white sweep of Cala Santa Maria and the lighthouse at Punta Filetto, often the lunch stop.
• Razzoli, on the more adventurous boats: the lighthouse on the cliff facing Corsica, with strong currents and sections closed by the park authority.

Island-by-island notes are in our guide to the archipelago’s islands.

Insider tip: ask the skipper at boarding which cove has been picked for lunch. If the answer is Santa Maria or Cavaliere, take your long swim at Spargi in the morning; if it is Spargi, save your energy for the natural pools after lunch, when the light is better.

What’s included and how to save

• Aperitivo, lunch and wine come with the Palau catamarans, so you are effectively buying a restaurant meal inside the fare. Set €150–200 against €76 for a motor boat plus lunch in town and the real gap narrows.
• Children. Reduced fares differ from boat to boat: check the listing and check the minimum age, because not every catamaran takes very small children.
• Shoulder season. In May, June and September the same boat often costs less and anchors in empty coves.
• Pickup. The 50-footer includes it: staying in Cannigione or Baja Sardinia without a car, that saves you a taxi.
• Booking early on GetYourGuide costs nothing thanks to reserve now, pay later and free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead; the kiosks along the Palau waterfront give you no such guarantee.
• Not included. Mask and snorkel in some cases, parking in Palau, and any cash landing contribution. Read the “Not included” section before you pay.

Getting to the departure harbour

Palau lies about 40 km (25 miles) and 45 minutes from Olbia Costa Smeralda airport, which has summer flights from several UK airports; ARST buses take 1 h 15 to 1 h 30 (timetables on ARST). Catamarans leave from the marina, where the piers are numbered and your listing names the one you want. There is paid parking beside the harbour and in the multi-storey car park, and the free spaces are gone by 9:30 am in August. Everything else is on our page about boat tours from Palau.

Santa Teresa Gallura is 25 km west of Palau, and its boats use the same harbour as the Bonifacio ferries. If you are staying on La Maddalena, the Delcomar and Maddalena Lines ferries reach Palau in 15 to 20 minutes.

What to bring on a catamaran

• Reef-safe sunscreen and a hat with a cord: the breeze on the forward nets never stops.
• A light long-sleeved top for the middle of the day and a sweatshirt for the run home.
• Towel and a spare swimsuit.
• Water shoes for stops on granite.
• Mask and snorkel, unless the listing states they are provided.
• A dry bag for phone and documents.
• Cash for any landing contribution.
• Seasickness tablets, above all from Santa Teresa.

Everyone goes barefoot on board, so leave shoes in the cockpit. According to the Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago di La Maddalena, taking sand, shells or pebbles away is forbidden, and drones need permission from the park authority.

Booking your catamaran tour in La Maddalena

For a catamaran tour in La Maddalena with the most tested formula behind it, the catamaran with lunch is our first pick: twelve guests at most, lunch with wine, and more than 2,200 reviews at 4.9 according to GetYourGuide. Check availability and the current price for the catamaran with lunch. To save €50, or if you need the pickup, compare the 50-footer; for an evening on the water instead, look at the sunset catamaran. From six people upwards, do the sums against a private boat before you decide.