La Maddalena village and the archipelago of Maddalena, Sardinia: a travel guide for visitors

Visit La Maddalena

La Maddalena is a village on the island of Maddalena, which is part of the Archipelago of Maddalena, off the coast of north Sardinia. Most visitors will arrive here by ferry from Palau.

Discover La Maddalena

Italy This Way review: La Maddalena village, as well as the archipelago on which it is situated, is one of the most beautiful parts of Sardinia and we highly recommend you visit as you explore the island

You need your camera at the ready as you approach the island on the ferry, as there are lovely views of the town before you arrive.

Your ferry will dock in the port, so we suggest you start with a walk along the waterfront in this part of La Maddalena. The centre of the village is behind the port, and the main harbour is to the east of here. A pretty port with traditional small boats is to the west of the port. You will want to explore all these areas of the village.

Town centre of La Maddalena

La Maddalena old town

There are many streets in the old town, and you will want to stroll along many of theme. To help you get your bearings, the main streets include Via XX Settembre, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the area around Piazza Giuseppi Garibaldi, but the area covered is not very extensive and you will quickly find your way around.

The architecture here in the old town of La Maddalena is very attractive, with lots of colourful houses and wrought iron balconies among the features you will see very often. Throughout the old town you will discover many small shops, cafes and restaurants.

There are no particular historic monuments in the centre, but the neo-classical style church of Saint Mary Magdalene is an attractive church at the north end of Via Italia, built at the end of the 18th century and with a nicely decorated interior.

Although it is quite a small town centre, allow plenty of time to explore the narrow alleys and staircases as well as to enjoy lunch in one of the popular squares in the town.

La Maddalena harbour

The harbour area, to the west of the centre, is perhaps the most attractive part of La Maddalena village. It is quite a small harbour, surrounded by colourful buildings and very pretty.

Many of the boats in the harbour here are traditional small fishing boats, painted in bright colours. On a sunny day these look very picturesque - this is the best place to take your photos for social media

Harbour in La Maddalena

Beaches at La Maddalena

If you have brought a car or hire a bike you can explore the beaches around La Maddalena. The closest to the town is the Spiaggia Punta Nera, but it is not very impressive compared to many on the island.

To find a better beach, we suggest you continue to Spiaggia di Punta Tegge, not much further west and a lovely small pebble beach with lots of eroded rocks and beautiful clear water. This beach is about 20 minutes walk from the town if you don't have other transport options.

Archipelago of Maddalena

The Archipelago of Maddalena, with numerous small islands and pretty beaches and rocky coastal scenery, is one of the most beautiful parts of Sardinia. You can explore the main island of Maddalena by car, and the island of Caprera is connected to Maddalena by a bridge, but to visit most of the others you will need to take a boat trip.

Note that even if you bring a car, many of the most beautiful sights still require that you hike to reach them - this is especially true if you visit Caprera island

You can reach many beautiful scenic places on the island, but to see the very best of the coast we recommend you take one of the boat trips around the islands.

Several different boat excursions are available, either from La Maddalena village or from Palau, that will allow you to see and visit many of the highlights of the archipelago that would otherwise be unreachable, such as the Spiaggia Rosa* on Budelli island; the Cala S. Maria; the Spiaggia di Cala Coticcio in east Caprera; and the Cala Granara and Spiaggia di Cala Corsara on Spargi.

*The Spiaggia Rosa beach, although quite famous for its beauty, was not the highlight we expected. The pink sand didn't really look at all pink, and access to the actual beach is closed to visitors

Many of the boat trips also allow time for a swim in the sea at some of the places that they visit. Because of this the exursions also take quite a long time - you will be on the boat trip for up to seven or eight hours.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Sardinia guide.