Gateway to the archipelago, Palau is one of the north-east's best-kept bases. Here is how to spend your days.
Palau sits at the doorstep of the Maddalena islands, some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean. Here is how to make the most of it.
Palau as your base
Palau is a relaxed, working harbour town on Sardinia's north-east coast that makes an ideal springboard for the Maddalena archipelago. It is friendly and unpretentious compared with the glossier Costa Smeralda just down the road, with enough restaurants, shops and gelaterie to keep you happy ashore. From here, the islands are quite literally a short hop across the water.
Above the town, the wind-sculpted granite of Capo d'Orso, the famous bear-shaped rock, is worth a short walk for the views over the strait. It is a fine way to get your bearings on your first afternoon.
Crossing to La Maddalena and Caprera
Frequent car and passenger ferries shuttle across from Palau to the island of La Maddalena throughout the day, and the crossing is short and scenic. La Maddalena town is lively and walkable, with a pretty waterfront, lanes of shops and plenty of places to eat.
A causeway links La Maddalena to neighbouring Caprera, a greener, quieter island of pine, granite and superb swimming coves. Caprera is also where the Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi lived, and his house is now a museum well worth an hour between beaches.
The boat day
The classic Maddalena experience is a full-day boat trip, and it is worth doing at least once. Operators run out of Palau and La Maddalena to anchor at a string of beaches and swim stops, often including a glimpse of the protected pink-tinged sands of Budelli, which you admire from the water rather than walk on.
Choose a smaller boat if you prefer a calmer, more intimate day, or a larger one with lunch aboard for a sociable outing. Either way, bring sun cover, water and a swimsuit you can change out of, as the swimming is the whole point.
Beaches worth your time
On La Maddalena and Caprera, seek out the white-sand coves that the archipelago is famous for, where the water glows in shades of turquoise over pale granite-sand. Many are reached down short tracks, so a little walking opens up the loveliest spots. Pack reef shoes, as some coves mix sand with smooth pebbles.
Closer to Palau, beaches around the town and nearby coast give you easy swims without taking a boat, perfect for a quieter day or a late-afternoon dip.
How to spend a few days
A good rhythm is to give one day to the big boat trip, one to driving or ferrying across and exploring La Maddalena and Caprera at your own pace, and another to lazier local beaches and a wander around Palau itself. Mixing one organised day with self-guided ones keeps things relaxed and flexible.
Build the schedule around the wind, which can pick up in the strait, and around the cooler hours for the best of the beaches. From a self-catering base in or near Palau, you can dip into the archipelago and retreat to your own terrace each evening, which is the area at its best.
