- 2 basesPalau/La Maddalena and Cala Gonone
- 2 boat daysthe anchors of the week
- ~45 minOlbia airport to Palau
- Jun / Septhe two months to aim for
- From $58the Day 2 archipelago boat tour
A Week in Sardinia, Done Properly Rather Than Quickly
This Sardinia 7-day itinerary splits a week between two bases — the Palau / La Maddalena area in the north (Days 1–4) and Cala Gonone on the Gulf of Orosei in the east (Days 5–7) — flying in and out of Olbia with a rental car throughout. That is two regions done properly instead of five done from a car window.
The two anchor experiences are boat days: a La Maddalena Archipelago tour from Palau on Day 2, and a Gulf of Orosei excursion from Cala Gonone on Day 5. Both reach beaches that are inaccessible by road, which is the whole reason they are worth building the week around rather than fitting in.
Come in June or September, rent your car at Olbia airport, and book the boat tours, the Cala Goloritzè ticket and the Cala Coticcio guided hike well before you arrive. Everything else on this page can be decided the night before.
From Sardinia: La Maddalena Archipelago Full-Day Boat Tour
Why it anchors the week: it leaves Palau Marina mid-morning and covers Spargi, the Pink Beach viewpoint at Budelli, the Porto della Madonna natural pools and Santa Maria in one run — the four places in northern Sardinia you simply cannot drive to.
Fills weeks to months ahead in summer. Check live dates and prices below.
When to Come, the Car, and the Booking Order
Three of the four things on the booking list sell out. The order below is the order that matters.
Best time
June and September. Both months deliver warm sea, reliably clear skies and far fewer crowds than the August peak, and the mix of beach and hiking in this itinerary benefits from cooler temperatures on the trails.
Rent a car
At Olbia airport — essential for this route. Book well in advance; Sardinian fleets sell out in summer.
1. Accommodation
In both bases, before anything else. Palau or La Maddalena for the first half, Cala Gonone for the second.
2. The two boat days
La Maddalena from Palau, and the Gulf of Orosei from Cala Gonone. These are the two fixed points the rest of the week bends around.
3. Cala Goloritzè entry ticket
Released on a 72-hour window through the Heart of Sardinia app, and gone within minutes in peak season. Set an alarm.
4. Cala Coticcio guided hike
On Caprera. A mandatory authorised guide, a daily cap of 60 visitors, and booking months ahead if you are travelling in August.
Other Experiences You Might Enjoy
The trips travellers most often slot into the gaps in this itinerary.
Beyond the two anchor boat days, the north half of this week has room for one more thing on the water. A small-group RIB tour from Palau reaches the wilder coves around Razzoli and the Porto della Madonna natural pools; a catamaran day trip with a Sardinian lunch on board turns Day 2 into a slower, quieter version of itself; and a late-afternoon sunset cruise with aperitivo works as an evening rather than a day. Our guide to boat tours from Palau compares all of them.
Our picks: Palau or La Maddalena: 4-Hour RIB Tour (4.8, 800+ reviews, from $55) · From Palau: Catamaran Tour with Lunch (4.9, 2,270 reviews, from $188) · Palau: Spargi and Budelli Sunset Tour with Aperitif (4.7, 5,799 reviews, from $136).
In the east half, the Day 5 cruise is the main event, but Cala Gonone's harbour also runs shorter trips along the coast towards Cala Luna and the Grotta del Bue Marino sea caves, and guided treks into the Gorropu canyon leave from Dorgali — both linked in Days 5 and 6 below. On Caprera, the guide-only hike to Cala Coticcio is the one walk in the archipelago you cannot simply turn up for.
The Day-by-Day Plan
Days 1–4 from Palau or La Maddalena; Days 5–7 from Cala Gonone. Drive times are estimates and summer coastal traffic can add significantly to all of them.
Arrive Olbia, drive to Palau / La Maddalena, first swim
Collect the car at Olbia airport and drive north, roughly 45 minutes via the SS125. Check in at Palau or on La Maddalena, then take the afternoon for a first swim — Spiaggia delle Saline at Palau, or Bassa Trinità on La Maddalena. Dinner in La Maddalena town or on the Palau waterfront, and the week's first Vermentino di Gallura.
Where to base: Palau is the practical choice — mainland, keeps the car with you, and it is where the boat tours leave from. La Maddalena town is prettier with more evening atmosphere, but everything crosses on the ferry; our Palau–La Maddalena ferry guide covers the crossing.
La Maddalena Archipelago boat tour ⭐ — the highlight
A full-day boat tour departing Palau Marina, roughly 10:00–17:30. The stops: Spargi (Cala Corsara or Cala Granara), the Pink Beach viewpoint on Budelli, the Porto della Madonna natural pools, and a swimming stop at Santa Maria. Small-group and private options leave from the same marina, with park fees and snorkelling gear included on some boats and charged separately on others.
Book ahead — these fill weeks, and in August months, in advance. Evening: aperitivo at the La Maddalena marina and a fresh seafood dinner. Our Cala Corsara guide and Pink Beach guide cover two of the stops in detail.
Our pick: the full-day tour in the booking panel above — 4.6 stars across 6,100+ GetYourGuide reviews, from $58.
La Maddalena island and Caprera
Morning: take the perimeter road around La Maddalena by car or scooter — Cala Spalmatore, Cala Lunga, and the Punta Tegge sunset viewpoint. Then cross the Passo della Moneta bridge to Caprera, which is free and takes about 10 minutes.
At the Compendio Garibaldino: the Casa Bianca museum (€8 adult, Tuesday–Sunday 8:30–19:30) and the Forte Arbuticci Memorial (€12 combined). Afternoon: either Spiaggia del Relitto, which has easy access and a Blue Flag, or the pre-booked Cala Coticcio guided hike — a mandatory guide, a €3 PagoPa fee plus roughly €25 for the guide, and a cap of 60 people per day. Evening: dinner on La Maddalena or back in Palau.
Our pick for Cala Coticcio: Caprera: Hiking to Cala Coticcio with Aperitif — from $68, 4.8 stars but only 28 reviews so far, so read the most recent ones before you commit. There is no legal way to walk to the cove without an authorised guide.
Bear Rock, Costa Smeralda beaches, drive south
Morning: Bear Rock (Roccia dell'Orso) above Palau — €3 entry plus €3 parking, open from 9:30am, and about a 45-minute guided visit. Then drive south along the Costa Smeralda for Spiaggia del Principe and Capriccioli, with Porto Cervo town as an optional stop.
Afternoon: the long leg of the week — 2 to 2.5 hours south to Cala Gonone via the SS125. Check in, spend the evening at the Cala Gonone harbour, and eat fresh fish.
Gulf of Orosei boat tour ⭐
A full-day excursion from Cala Gonone port along the Baunei coast, roughly 7–8 hours. The stops: Cala Luna (white sand and caves), Cala Mariolu (pink and white pebbles), and Cala Goloritzè — named the number one beach in the world in 2025, capped at 250 visitors a day, with a €7 ticket, and where boats cannot land. Book from Cala Gonone port in advance. Evening: sunset on the Cala Gonone beach and a trattoria dinner.
Our pick: Dorgali: Gulf of Orosei Cruise to Cala Goloritzè — 4.3 stars across 3,889 GetYourGuide reviews, the largest verified sample on this coast. The rating is lower than the La Maddalena boats and the reviews explain why: the Baunei stops are pebble, not sand, and the beach caps mean the schedule is tighter.
Gorropu Gorge or Tiscali, then Dorgali
Option A — Gorropu Gorge, sometimes called Europe's Grand Canyon: about 4 hours round trip, roughly €5–6 entry, a rocky trail, and sturdy shoes essential.
Option B — Tiscali, a Nuragic village built inside a collapsed cave: about 4 hours round trip, roughly €5, moderately challenging, and a guide is recommended. There is no GetYourGuide listing for Tiscali at the time of writing, so arrange a guide locally in Dorgali or Oliena.
Afternoon: Dorgali town — Cannonau wine producers, ceramics, and lunch at an agriturismo for porceddu, culurgiones and local wine. Evening: back to Cala Gonone for a final seaside dinner.
Our pick for Gorropu: Dorgali: Gorropu Canyon Trek with Off-Road Transfer & Lunch — 4.9 stars, though from only 32 reviews. The off-road transfer removes the longest and dullest section of the walk-in, which is what the €5–6 self-guided version does not.
A leisurely morning, then back to Olbia
Option A: a relaxed morning swim, then drive straight to Olbia — about 2 hours via the SP38 and SS125.
Option B: stop in Nuoro for the Museo del Costume (around €5, closed Mondays).
Option C: Olbia old town and its archaeological museum, which is free, before the airport.
Recommendations
The decisions that change the trip, as opposed to the ones you can make on the day.
Book in this order, now
Accommodation → the two boat days → the Cala Goloritzè ticket → the Cala Coticcio guide. Three of those four run out, and the order is the order they run out in.
June or September
Both are ideal. In July and August, do the hikes at first light and book everything months ahead — the boats, the Goloritzè ticket and the Coticcio guide all go early.
Base in Palau and Cala Gonone
North then east, one long transfer on Day 4. It is the split that gives you two boat days without a third change of hotel.
With young children
Favour the easy beaches and skip the demanding hikes. Capriccioli, Cala Santa Maria and La Pelosa are shallow and family-friendly; Gorropu and Cala Coticcio are not.
Caveats
Four things about this itinerary that are genuinely uncertain, and one that is commonly got wrong.
Prices and caps change each season
Fees, opening hours and visitor caps are all revised annually. Verify before you travel, especially the Baunei coast rules — new caps came in from summer 2025.
Cala Goloritzè is not a UNESCO site
It has been a National Natural Monument since 1995, which is an Italian designation. Plenty of guides get this wrong.
Drive times are estimates
Every figure on this page is a clear-road estimate. Summer coastal traffic on the SS125 can add significantly to all of them.
Weather rules the boat days
Both anchor days are at the mercy of wind. Build in a flexible fallback day rather than scheduling the boat for your last morning.
All figures are indicative as of 2026 and were checked on 11 September 2026. Confirm fees, timetables and access rules with the official park and operator websites — for the archipelago, lamaddalenapark.it.
A Week in Sardinia: Frequently Asked Questions
The car, the booking order, the two permits, and where to sleep.
Is 7 days enough for Sardinia?
Seven days is enough for two regions done properly, not for the whole island. This itinerary splits the week between the Palau and La Maddalena area in the north (Days 1–4) and Cala Gonone on the Gulf of Orosei in the east (Days 5–7), flying in and out of Olbia. Trying to add the west coast or Cagliari in the same week turns the trip into a driving holiday.
Do you need a car for a 7-day Sardinia itinerary?
Yes. Rent at Olbia airport and keep the car for the whole week — it is essential for this route. Book well in advance, because Sardinian rental fleets sell out in summer.
When is the best time for this Sardinia itinerary?
June and September. Both months deliver warm sea, reliably clear skies and far fewer crowds than the August peak, and the mix of beach and hiking in this itinerary benefits from cooler temperatures on the trails. In July and August, do the hikes at first light and book everything months ahead.
What should I book first for a week in Sardinia?
In this order: accommodation in both bases; the two boat days (La Maddalena from Palau, and the Gulf of Orosei from Cala Gonone); the Cala Goloritzè entry ticket, which is released on a 72-hour window through the Heart of Sardinia app and goes within minutes in peak season; and the Cala Coticcio guided hike on Caprera, which requires a mandatory authorised guide, is capped at 60 visitors a day and needs booking months ahead for August.
Can you walk to Cala Coticcio on your own?
No. Access to Cala Coticcio on Caprera requires a mandatory authorised guide. There is a €3 PagoPa fee plus a guide fee of roughly €25 per person, and the daily cap is 60 visitors. Book months ahead if you are travelling in August.
Is Cala Goloritzè a UNESCO site?
No. Cala Goloritzè has been a National Natural Monument since 1995, which is an Italian designation, not a UNESCO one. It is capped at 250 visitors a day, the entry ticket costs €7, and boats cannot land on the beach — tour boats hold offshore.
Where should I base myself in northern Sardinia — Palau or La Maddalena town?
Palau is the practical choice: it is on the mainland, it is where the boat tours leave from, and it keeps the car with you. La Maddalena town is prettier and has more atmosphere in the evenings, but everything has to cross on the ferry. Either works for this itinerary.