TRIP OVERVIEW
Day 1 – La Maddalena Archipelago National Park · Spargi · Budelli · Nuraghe La Prisgiona · Giants' Grave of Coddu Vecchiu
Day 2 – Bear Rock · Palau · La Maddalena · Caprera
Day 3 – Porto Cervo · Stella Maris Church · Spiaggia del Pevero
Day 4 – Basilica di San Simplicio · Olbia Archaeological Museum · Corso Umberto I · Piazza Margherita
Day 1
1. La Maddalena Archipelago National Park~1 hr
Italy's geomarine park protecting all 28 islands and islets of the archipelago — 180 km of coastline of white granite wind-carved rock and translucent water. From Punta Sardegna the whole scatter of islands spreads out across the strait.
Open 24/7
2. Spargi~1 hr
An uninhabited granite island in the heart of the archipelago known for the sheltered turquoise waters of Cala Corsara on its south coast. The sandy bay is a standard stop on all day-boat loops out of Palau.
Open 24/7
3. Budelli~1 hr
The uninhabited island famous for the Spiaggia Rosa whose sand glows pink from crushed shells of the microscopic Miniacina miniacea. The beach is fenced off to protect it so boats hold offshore for a front-row view of the colour.
Open 24/7
4. Nuraghe La Prisgiona~1 hr
A Bronze Age nuragic complex in the Capichera valley — a central tower of stacked granite ringed by a village of some 90 huts occupied from the 14th to the 9th century BC. Deep stone-walled well and hut floors are still legible on the ground.
5. Giants' Grave of Coddu Vecchiu~30 min
A Bronze Age gallery-grave of the Gallura type. A central granite stele nearly four metres tall carved with a horizontal moulding and a small false door fronts a curved exedra where rites were held.
Day 2
1. Bear Rock~45 min
The Roccia dell'Orso — a 120-metre granite formation above Palau weathered by wind into the unmistakable shape of a crouching bear. A short panoramic path leads up from the car park; long used by sailors as a landmark across the strait.
2. Palau~1 hr
The mainland harbour town facing the archipelago with a compact centre of granite buildings and a waterfront lined with ferries to La Maddalena. The old Aragonese watchtower gives a sense of the Gallura's working life before the yacht era.
Open 24/7
3. La Maddalena~1 hr
The archipelago's main island and town — a granite harbour of pastel houses reached by boat across the Strait of Bonifacio. Napoleon fought his first action here. The island anchors a full-day boat tour of the surrounding islands booked in the Tours section.
Open 24/7
4. Caprera~1 hr 30 min
A pine-and-granite island joined to La Maddalena by a causeway entirely inside the national park. Giuseppe Garibaldi bought half of it lived his last years here and is buried on it; the twin coves of Cala Coticcio are nicknamed "Tahiti."
Open 24/7
Day 3
1. Porto Cervo~1 hr 30 min
The heart of the Costa Smeralda — a purpose-built resort village of curved pastel facades the stone-terraced Piazzetta and a 700-berth marina where mega-yachts moor. Wander the arcaded lanes and the pedestrian steps down to the old port.
Open 24/7
2. Stella Maris Church~30 min
A small white masterpiece of Mediterranean-modern sacred architecture by Michele Busiri Vici built on land donated by the Aga Khan. Inside hangs a 16th-century Mater Dolorosa attributed to El Greco.
3. Spiaggia del Pevero~1 hr 30 min
The Costa Smeralda's largest beach — a sheltered crescent of fine white sand backed by holm oak and granite boulders with calm shallow turquoise water ideal for swimming and paddling.
Open 24/7
Day 4
1. Basilica di San Simplicio~40 min
Sardinia's foremost Romanesque church raised in pale granite in the Pisan style on a low hill once used as a burial ground. A Roman necropolis surrounds it and it remains the best-preserved medieval church on the island.
2. Olbia Archaeological Museum~1 hr
A ship-shaped museum on Peddone island displaying Roman shipwrecks raised from the ancient harbour — amphorae anchors and hull timbers recovered from the sea floor around Olbia. The building itself is a landmark of contemporary Sardinian architecture.
3. Corso Umberto I~1 hr
Olbia's pedestrian main street — a wide boulevard of granite pavement lined with bars bakeries and local shops running from Piazza Margherita to the historic quarter. The corso is the everyday pulse of a working Sardinian city.
Open 24/7
4. Piazza Margherita~45 min
The civic heart of Olbia — a broad granite square of palm trees and outdoor terraces anchoring the north end of the corso. Ringed by cafes. In the evening locals fill the outdoor tables for aperitivo.
Open 24/7
Weekly Closures
Museums · Closed Monday
Tours
Viator
Full-day sailboat cruise between north Sardinia the Maddalena archipelago and south Corsica with swim stops and lunch on board.
7 hr · Small group
Seven-hour cruise from Palau to Spargi Budelli Santa Maria and La Maddalena with beach and swim stops and an onboard bar serving Sardinian products.
7 hr · Group
Full-day catamaran from Palau visiting the archipelago's best bays and beaches with swim and snorkel stops aboard a 12-metre Fountaine Pajot.
8 hr · Small group
Full-day cruise on a 16-metre monomaran boarding from La Maddalena or Palau cruising the islands with swim stops and deck space to relax.
8 hr · Small group
Full-day luxury catamaran boarding from Cannigione and Palau threading the quietest island coves with generous swim time and shade on deck.
7 hr 30 min · Small group
Cappuccino
Cové Café · 4.2 · 240+ reviews
Bar Excelsior · 4.0 · 70+ reviews
Caffè Sole by Nuna · 4.0 · 60+ reviews
Bar Sottovento · 4.1 · 90+ reviews
Bar Nautico Porto Cervo · 4.1 · 55+ reviews
Restaurants Near Hotel
Nuna al Sole · 4.0 · 120+ reviews
Mediterranean plates in the Piazzetta — charcuterie boards and pasta.
Daily 12:00pm - 11:00pm
Spinnaker · 4.0 · 200+ reviews
Garden terrace serving pizza and Sardinian pasta near the marina.
Daily 12:30pm - 11:00pm
Ristorante Pedrinelli · 3.8 · 236+ reviews
Costa Smeralda institution: Italian classics and grilled meats in a garden.
Daily 7:30pm - 11:30pm
Downtown Restaurants
Officina del Gusto · 4.2 · 818+ reviews
Contemporary Sardinian kitchen; local veg and herbs in a stone-walled room.
Daily 12:30pm - 3:00pm · 7:30pm - 11:00pm
Ristorante Su Cumbidu · 4.3 · 900+ reviews
Rustic Sardinian house cooking — porceddu and malloreddus served family-style.
Daily 12:30pm - 3:00pm · 7:30pm - 11:00pm
Trattoria del Corso · 4.1 · 700+ reviews
Traditional Gallurese trattoria — handmade pastas and slow-cooked meats.
Daily 12:00pm - 3:00pm · 7:00pm - 11:00pm
Ristorante Gallura · 4.2 · 300+ reviews
Historic Olbia dining room; classic Sardinian and Gallurese cooking.
Daily 12:30pm - 3:00pm · 7:30pm - 11:00pm
Ristorante La Lanterna · 4.0 · 400+ reviews
Long-standing corso restaurant; pizza and Sardinian pasta, family-friendly.
Daily 12:00pm - 3:00pm · 7:00pm - 11:30pm
Dining Areas
Palau
La Maddalena
Local Tastes
Seadas
A large fried pastry parcel filled with fresh pecorino and lemon zest served warm under a pour of bitter corbezzolo honey — Sardinia's defining dessert.
Culurgiones
Hand-pleated ravioli sealed in a wheat-ear pattern filled with potato pecorino and mint usually dressed in a simple tomato-and-onion sauce.
Porceddu
Suckling pig slow-roasted on a spit until the skin crackles then scented with myrtle — the centrepiece of a Sardinian feast.
Pane Carasau
Wafer-thin twice-baked flatbread nicknamed carta da musica for its parchment crispness — served across the island as an accompaniment to nearly every meal.
Mirto
The island's signature digestivo — a herbal bittersweet liqueur steeped from the dark-blue berries of the myrtle shrub. Poured cold at the end of a meal.
Food Delivery
Glovo
Foreign number: not required. — it signs in with Google, Facebook or email, and a phone sign-up takes any prefix with the code by SMS or WhatsApp.
Good coverage in Olbia including the historic centre and port area. Delivers from supermarkets, restaurants, and pharmacies; typical window 30–45 minutes.
Getting Around
Uber
Foreign number: accepted. — verified on the Apple App Store.
Operates in Olbia; availability is lower than mainland Italian cities and wait times can be longer, especially outside peak season. Most reliable for rides within the city and the Costa Smeralda resort area.
Train Stations Near Hotel
Olbia
Michelin Restaurants
ConFusion
Contemporary tasting-menu; the only Michelin star on the Costa Smeralda.
Worth Knowing
Threads of the Emerald Coast
One name keeps surfacing across this whole itinerary: Prince Karim Aga Khan. He and a consortium invented the Costa Smeralda out of empty scrubland in the early 1960s and hired the architect Michele Busiri Vici to shape Porto Cervo's curves — and that same architect designed the little Stella Maris church on Day 1 on land the prince himself donated. A single modern vision sits underneath the whole coast.
The other thread is far older and pulls the opposite way. Fifteen minutes inland from the yacht marina the nuraghe and the giants' grave at Capichera were already ancient when Rome arrived — a granite civilisation that left more than 7,000 towers across the island and not one line of writing. Standing at Coddu Vecchiu the billionaires' harbour feels very young indeed.
And the human note: on Caprera Garibaldi — the man who unified Italy — spent his last years growing vegetables on a rocky island and is buried there. The archipelago that now fills with day-boats was to him the quietest place he could find.
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