Boat trips from Olbia to La Maddalena: minibus pickup, buses and the drive to Palau

Three routes take you from Olbia to La Maddalena: a boat trip with a minibus that collects you in town, the ARST bus to Palau, or the 40 km of road between the airport and the harbour where the motor ships load. Nothing sails for the archipelago from Olbia’s own port, which sits in a gulf south of the Costa Smeralda, too far from the islands to make a day trip work.

Below you will find all three with honest timings, the tours worth booking in each case, the rule for anyone landing in the morning and hoping to be on a boat by lunchtime, and a word on where to sleep.

Olbia in two sentences

Olbia is where Gallura begins for most visitors: Olbia Costa Smeralda airport takes domestic and international flights, including summer services from several UK airports, and the port receives ferries from Livorno, Civitavecchia, Genoa and Piombino. The town has shops and restaurants, but for archipelago purposes its job is to be a starting point.

Palau, the main harbour for boat trips, is about 40 km away, or 45 minutes by car. Cannigione, where the motor ships with minibus pickup load, lies in the same direction.

Option 1: the tour with minibus pickup

The boat tour with minibus transfer is built for people staying in Olbia without a car. A minibus collects you in town and delivers you to the motor ship at Cannigione; from there the day takes in La Maddalena town, swimming stops at Spargi and Santa Maria, and a pasta lunch on board. Nine hours in total, return transfer included. As listed on GetYourGuide in September 2026 it is rated 4.5 out of 5 from 508 reviews, with the price shown on the listing.

It is the simplest solution, with two limits: the day is long, and the itinerary is whatever the motor ship does, without the catamaran or RIB variants you would find in Palau. Your exact pickup point and time are confirmed after booking, so read the email the evening before.

Option 2: driving to Palau

With a hire car, Palau is 45 minutes away, and that is where the choice lives: the classic four-stop trip (rated 4.5 from 2,330 reviews on GetYourGuide and the most booked boat of all), the vintage motorboat with four swimming stops and a walk up to the fort (€76 on GetYourGuide, 4.5 from 215 reviews), 12-seat catamarans, RIBs and private boats.

Departures usually leave the marina at 10 am or 11 am, with the pier number given on the listing. Parking beside the harbour is paid, there is a multi-storey as well, and in August the free spaces have gone by 9:30 am. Coming from Olbia for a 10 am boat, be on the road by 8:30 am.

Option 3: the ARST bus to Palau

ARST buses cover Olbia to Palau in roughly 1 h 15 to 1 h 30. They are cheap and they stop in the village, but they are not timed around the boats. Before booking anything, check arst.sardegna.it for a service reaching Palau at least 30 minutes before your check-in, and a return departure after 6 pm, when the motor ships come back in. Outside the main season the frequency drops.

Insider tip: if you are relying on the bus, pick an 11 am boat rather than a 10 am one. That extra hour absorbs a late bus without costing you the trip, and GetYourGuide’s free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead covers you if the plan falls apart.

The three options compared

Straight off the plane: when you can realistically sail

The rule is blunt: do not book a 10 am boat if your flight lands at 9 am. Between baggage reclaim, the hire car desk, 45 minutes of road, parking and pier check-in, aircraft door to gangway takes at least two hours, and rather more in August.

In practice:

• landing by 8 am: an 11 am departure from Palau is possible, with the car pre-booked and no detours;
• landing between 8 am and 10 am: book for the next day, and spend the afternoon on a sunset sail or the climb to Roccia dell’Orso (Bear Rock) above Palau;
• landing after 10 am: next day, no argument.

Ferries follow the same arithmetic. Dawn arrivals leave room for an 11 am boat; mid-morning ones do not. Current flight information is published on the airport’s own site, geasar.it.

Where to stay: Olbia or Palau

For one archipelago day, sleeping in Olbia works perfectly well: 45 minutes out in the morning, the same back, and the town behind you for dinner. Take the minibus tour and you will not even want the car.

If your plan runs to two days on the water, a sunset trip with drinks, a visit to La Maddalena and Caprera on the Delcomar or Maddalena Lines ferry, or a RIB hire, then Palau saves you an hour and a half of driving every day. It is a small place: the harbour is walkable from almost every bed in the village, and the kiosks along the seafront sell trips to anyone who prefers to decide the night before. Our guide to La Maddalena island explains how to shape the days on shore.

Practical advice

• Book through GetYourGuide with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead: a delayed flight or a mistral cancellation then costs you nothing.
• In July and August reserve one to two weeks in advance, particularly for the cheaper boats.
• Carry cash. Some listings ask for a park contribution at check-in, shown in the “Not included” section.
• Keep swimwear, water shoes, sunscreen and a hat in your cabin bag: arrive early enough and you can go from airport to pier without opening the big case.
• Masks and snorkels are not always handed out on board.

Local tip: land in Olbia in the afternoon, sleep in Palau, and use the evening for a walk along the seafront past the excursion kiosks. You can see the actual boats, compare departure times and decide without pressure. Book online anyway and you keep the free cancellation.

Booking your trip from Olbia to La Maddalena

If you are staying in town without a car, the tour with minibus pickup is the most straightforward way to get from Olbia to La Maddalena. For everyone else, the drive to Palau opens up the full range covered in our guide to boat trips from Palau and in the comparison of archipelago tours. The overview of departures from other towns also covers Cannigione, Santa Teresa Gallura and Baia Sardinia.