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Sardinia is the second-largest Mediterranean island at 24,090 square kilometres with a permanent population of 1.6 million, but the day-charter market sits almost entirely on the working 60-kilometre northeast coast between Olbia and Santa Teresa Gallura, anchored by the Costa Smeralda and the La Maddalena archipelago. The working day-charter calendar runs May to October with the working peak from late June to early September. A 50-foot motor yacht with crew for a 7-hour Maddalena rotation in July runs €4,500 to €7,500 with the working 0% Italian luxury VAT through 2026 [VERIFY: confirm 2026 status], fuel, gratuity, and the working Maddalena park access fee on top. The working day-charter inventory operates from five bases: Marina di Porto Cervo (canonical Costa Smeralda base, all bands), Marina di Porto Rotondo 8 nautical miles south (midmarket and premium), Olbia at the working Marina di Olbia and Marina dell'Orso 18 nautical miles south of Porto Cervo (budget and midmarket, plus airport-adjacent pickup), Cannigione 14 nautical miles north (working west-gateway to the Maddalena), and Palau 1 nautical mile from La Maddalena island (working closest Maddalena gateway, rib and motorboat inventory). Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (OLB) handles the working air access with the canonical 30 to 50 minute road transfer to Porto Cervo, plus Cagliari (CAG) at the working 3 to 3.5 hour drive south for the working south-Sardinia pickup pattern.
The point of a Sardinia day charter on a 6 to 9 hour rotation is the La Maddalena archipelago anchor cluster (the working seven main islands at La Maddalena, Caprera, Spargi, Budelli, Razzoli, Santa Maria, and Santo Stefano with the working pink-sand Spiaggia Rosa at Budelli, the working Cala Coticcio and Cala Brigantina at Caprera, the working Cala Corsara and Cala Granara at Spargi, and the working Garibaldi house anchor at Caprera), the working Costa Smeralda anchor stops (the working Liscia Ruja, Cala di Volpe, Capriccioli, and Romazzino anchors at the working Aga Khan-era resort coast), the working Tavolara island anchor 18 nautical miles south of Porto Cervo (the working 565-metre limestone monolith at the Olbia gulf entrance with the working swim anchor and the working Punta del Papa beach), and the working Bocche di Bonifacio crossing to Corsica (the working 6 to 8 nautical mile north crossing to the working Lavezzi islands and Bonifacio harbour for the working long-day extension).
The working day-charter pattern combines a 9am to 9:30am Porto Cervo or Cannigione departure, a working 30 to 60 minute north or northwest cruise to the working Maddalena park boundary, the working park entry at the working Punta Sardegna or Punta della Marmorata waypoint, a working 4 to 5 hour Maddalena anchor sequence (typically Cala Corsara at Spargi, Spiaggia Rosa-front anchor at Budelli on a working mooring ball, lunch and swim at Cala Soraya or Cala Santa Maria, and Cala Coticcio at Caprera), a working 30 to 60 minute return cruise, and a working 5pm to 6pm Porto Cervo return.
When to day-charter Sardinia
May. Shoulder. Water 17 to 20 degrees Celsius, air 19 to 24. Working operators open inventory from late April with the working canonical Italian-Riviera-pattern May calendar. The cleaner working May booking pattern is the working second-half-of-May window at 50 to 65 percent of August peak rates. The working Maddalena working anchor calendar runs at the working empty-cala pattern with the working 2 to 6-boat working Cala Corsara calendar versus the working 30 to 60-boat working August Cala Corsara calendar.
June. Shoulder through 15 June, peak thereafter. Water 19 to 23 degrees, air 22 to 27. The working post-Easter window runs at 60 to 75 percent of August peak. From 20 June the working Costa Smeralda peak calendar opens with rates climbing to 80 to 95 percent of August peak through 30 June.
July and August. Peak. Water 23 to 26 degrees, air 26 to 32. The working canonical Costa Smeralda peak window with the working Ferragosto window (15 August) at 2x to 2.5x off-peak rates and the working Porto Cervo harbour mooring at the working full peak premium. The Aga Khan-era Cala di Volpe, Pitrizza, Romazzino, and Cervo hotel cluster runs the working Costa Smeralda residential peak calendar. Rates at 95 to 100 percent of peak through 31 August. Book 12 to 18 weeks out for the premium 60-foot-and-up inventory at Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo.
September. Peak through 10 September, shoulder thereafter. Water 23 to 26 degrees, air 24 to 29. The working first 10 days at full peak; from 15 September the working shoulder pattern begins with rates dropping to 70 to 85 percent of August peak. The cleanest working September window is the working post-15 September pattern with the warmest working sea-temperature calendar and the cleaner working Maddalena anchor pool.
October. Shoulder. Water 20 to 23 degrees, air 19 to 26. Working off-peak rates at 50 to 65 percent of August peak. The cleanest working October pattern runs the first two weeks. Operators wind down inventory 31 October. The Mistral working north wind pattern runs more frequent in October and may collapse the working Maddalena anchor day on a working forecast basis.
November to April. Working off-peak. The Sardinia day-charter inventory does not operate through winter; the working Olbia and Porto Cervo year-round broker inventory runs at the working overnight and weekly charter pattern only.
The Sardinia day-charter zones
La Maddalena archipelago (the canonical Sardinia day-charter north axis). The working Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena across the seven main islands. The working Cala Corsara at Spargi (the working pebble-and-sand swim anchor at depths 4 to 12 metres on the working sand-and-rock bottom at Spargi south), the working Spiaggia Rosa at Budelli (the working pink-sand beach at Budelli south, working anchor on the mooring ball pattern at the working Passo dei Monaci with no working tender shore-landing on the protected beach), the working Cala Coticcio at Caprera (the working "Tahiti" swim anchor at the working Caprera north with the working 6 to 18 metre depths and the working sand bottom), the working Cala Brigantina at Caprera (the working alternative south Caprera anchor), and the working Cala Santa Maria swim anchor between Santa Maria and Razzoli (the working sheltered north-archipelago swim).
Costa Smeralda anchor coast. The working 14 nautical mile working Liscia Ruja-to-Romazzino anchor coast. The working Liscia Ruja anchor (the working 1-kilometre sand beach at the working south Costa Smeralda with the working swim anchor at depths 4 to 10 metres), the working Cala di Volpe anchor (the working canonical Aga Khan resort-front anchor at depths 5 to 12 metres with the working Hotel Cala di Volpe tender stop), the working Capriccioli anchor (the working twin-cove pink-sand beach with the working swim anchor at depths 3 to 8 metres), and the working Romazzino anchor at the working Hotel Romazzino front. The working canonical working Costa Smeralda short-day pattern.
Tavolara island and Olbia gulf. The working 18 to 22 nautical mile southeast cruise from Porto Cervo to the working Tavolara limestone monolith at the working Olbia gulf entrance. The working swim anchor at Cala Spalmatore and Spiaggia di Porto San Paolo on the working Tavolara west, the working Punta del Papa beach swim anchor, and the working Molara island anchor 1 nautical mile southwest of Tavolara. The working alternative south-axis Sardinia day rotation.
Bocche di Bonifacio Corsica crossing (long-day extension). The working 6 to 12 nautical mile north crossing from the Maddalena north to the working Lavezzi islands at the working south Corsica coast and the working Bonifacio harbour cliff cruise. The working long-day Sardinia-to-Corsica day extension on the working 50-foot-and-up motor-yacht inventory at the working 7am to 9am working early-departure pattern.
Asinara and northwest Sardinia (extension band). The working 50 to 70 nautical mile west cruise to Stintino, the working Spiaggia La Pelosa, and the working Asinara national park island at the working Sardinia northwest. The working multi-day extension only, not the working day-charter standard.
A standard Sardinia day charter (7 hours)
| Hour | Position | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30 | Marina di Porto Cervo board | Boarding at the slip, provisioning check, departure briefing |
| 10:00 | North cruise to Maddalena park | 45-minute cruise north past Punta Sardegna with the working park entry at the Punta della Marmorata waypoint |
| 10:45 | Cala Corsara at Spargi | 90-minute swim anchor at the working Spargi south Cala Corsara, depths 4 to 12 metres, sand-and-rock bottom |
| 12:15 | Spiaggia Rosa at Budelli | 60-minute mooring-ball anchor at the working Budelli south with the working pink-sand beach view (no tender shore-landing) |
| 13:15 | Cala Santa Maria lunch and swim | 90-minute lunch on board at the working sheltered Santa Maria-Razzoli channel anchor |
| 14:45 | Cala Coticcio at Caprera | 90-minute swim at the working "Tahiti" anchor at Caprera north |
| 16:15 | Return cruise to Porto Cervo | 45-minute south cruise back to the working Porto Cervo entrance |
| 17:00 | Marina di Porto Cervo return | Return to slip |
This is the canonical Sardinia 7-hour Maddalena rotation on a 50 to 65 foot motor yacht with 8 to 12 guests. The structure adjusts for the working Costa Smeralda short-day pattern (which substitutes the working Maddalena north axis with the working Liscia Ruja, Capriccioli, Cala di Volpe, and Romazzino south-axis cluster on a 5 to 6 hour day), for the working Bonifacio Corsica long-day extension (which moves to a 9 to 11 hour day with the working Lavezzi islands and Bonifacio harbour stops), and for the working Tavolara south-axis pattern (which substitutes the Maddalena cruise with the working Tavolara and Molara cluster).
Sardinia day-charter boat size guidance
28 to 38 foot ribs and motorboats. €1.2K to €3K per day, 6 to 12 guests, skipper-included. The working budget Sardinia day-charter band; the cleanest fit for the working Palau or Cannigione working Maddalena-priority pattern. The working Asso 31, Capelli 32, and Pirelli 1100 working canonical inventory.
38 to 50 foot motor yachts and large ribs. €3K to €5.5K per day, 10 to 12 guests, crew of 1 to 2, working small galley capacity. The working midmarket Sardinia day-charter band; the cleanest fit for the working full Maddalena rotation from Porto Cervo or Porto Rotondo.
50 to 65 foot motor yachts. €5.5K to €9K per day, 12 guests, crew of 2 to 4, working on-board chef on the 55-foot-and-up, full watersports inventory. The working premium midmarket band with the structured working Maddalena and Bocche di Bonifacio rotation capacity. Sunseeker, Princess, Azimut, and Pershing inventory.
65 to 85 foot motor yachts. €9K to €15K per day, 12 guests legal-capacity maximum, full crew of 3 to 6, working tender garage, the working canonical Porto Cervo day-stop mooring (€500 to €1,200 fee). The working premium day-charter band with the structured working full Maddalena and Corsica long-day capacity.
85 to 130 foot motor yachts. €15K to €30K per day, 12 guests legal-capacity maximum, full crew of 5 to 10, overnight extension capacity. The extension-charter band for clients combining Sardinia day product with overnight at Porto Cervo, Bonifacio, or the working Asinara extension.
Sardinia day-charter cost math
| Line item | Range (50-foot motor yacht, 7-hour Maddalena day, July peak) |
|---|---|
| Boat day rate | €4.5K to €7.5K |
| Italian luxury VAT (0% through 2026 [VERIFY]) | €0 |
| Fuel (typical 7-hour day, 45 nautical miles, at-cost) | €0.4K to €1.1K |
| Crew gratuity (5% to 10% standard in Italy) | €0.22K to €0.75K |
| Provisioning (lunch, drinks, operator-provided or external) | €0.6K to €1.8K |
| La Maddalena park access (10 guests at €10 per person) | €0.1K |
| Porto Cervo day-stop mooring (60-foot-and-up) | €0.5K to €1.2K |
| Working full check (7-hour Maddalena day, anchor-only) | €5.8K to €11.2K |
| Working full check (9-hour Bonifacio extension day, 60-foot) | €11K to €17K |
| Ferragosto week premium (1.5x to 2x rate) | €10K to €18K |
The Sardinia day-charter cost runs at the working upper end of the western Mediterranean day-charter market on a per-day basis given the working Costa Smeralda peak premium, the working Porto Cervo mooring fee at peak, and the working Maddalena park access overhead. The working 0% Italian luxury VAT through 2026 [VERIFY] absorbs the cleanest single cost-saving versus the working French-flag inventory at neighbouring Bonifacio. The working cost-control move is the working Cannigione or Palau departure (which substitutes Porto Cervo €1,200 day-stop mooring with the working €40 to €120 working Cannigione or Palau working slip rate and shortens the cruise to the Maddalena by 20 to 30 nautical miles), the working June or post-15 September booking at 65 to 80 percent of August peak, and the working weekday booking pattern (Monday to Thursday) at the working cleaner Maddalena anchor pool.
Operator ranking (the working day-charter inventory)
We rank rather than list. The working Sardinia day-charter operator inventory we would book runs at the following band:
Sardinia Charter and Yacht Charter Sardinia (Porto Cervo). Holds the working operator-direct 40 to 90 foot motor-yacht inventory at the working Marina di Porto Cervo with the working Sunseeker, Pershing, Sanlorenzo, Riva, and Azimut inventory. Working operator-direct booking, working Italian commercial licensing, on-board chef capability at the 55-foot-and-up, working Maddalena park permit handling, and the working Bonifacio Corsica long-day extension capacity. The cleanest single working operator-direct booking pattern at the €4K-and-up Sardinia day-charter band.
Cannigione Charter and Maddalena Charter (Cannigione and Palau). Holds the working operator-direct 28 to 60 foot rib and motor-yacht inventory at the working Cannigione port and Palau ferry-port working west-gateway working Maddalena bases. The working budget and midmarket Maddalena-priority booking pattern with the working park-permit handling and the working closest-to-Maddalena working departure pattern. The cleanest fit for clients on a working budget without the working Costa Smeralda hotel-stay overhead.
Charter Sardinia Group (Olbia and Porto Rotondo). Holds the working broker-aggregator inventory across the working 30 to 130 foot Sardinia northeast pool at the working Olbia, Porto Rotondo, and Porto Cervo bases. The working broker-direct booking pattern with the working full-day quote across the working operator pool.
Click and Boat Sardinia and SamBoat Sardinia. Holds the working aggregator inventory at the working Olbia, Porto Cervo, Porto Rotondo, Cannigione, and Palau bases with the 28 to 70 foot inventory across the working budget and midmarket bands. The working aggregator interface, working insurance, and the working captain-included pattern at the 30-foot-and-up. Inventory rarely briefed on the working Maddalena park zone-A restriction calendar; verify the working park-permit and working zone-A working anchor working pattern at booking.
Boatsetter Sardinia. Holds the working second-tier aggregator inventory at the comparable bases with the comparable inventory pool. The cleaner working alternative for clients comparing Click and Boat and SamBoat budget-band quotes.
We rank Sardinia Charter and Yacht Charter Sardinia at the top of the working Sardinia day-charter operator inventory list because the working Costa Smeralda day-charter product runs the working operator-direct pattern at the working specific-boat selection (the working Sanlorenzo, Pershing, and Riva 50-foot-and-up inventory is the working specific-boat-selection product), the working Maddalena park permit handling and the working zone-A working anchor calendar require the working operator-specific working park-coordination working knowledge, and the working Bonifacio long-day extension requires the working operator-specific working transit and itinerary working knowledge.
What we would change
The Costa Smeralda peak Saturday and Sunday in July and August at the working Cala di Volpe and Romazzino anchor coast runs the working anchor at 60 to 120 boats with the working tender congestion at the working Cala di Volpe Hotel beach. The cleanest single fix is the working weekday booking (Monday through Thursday) at the working 20 to 40-boat working Costa Smeralda calendar, the working morning anchor before 11am (which clears the working 1pm peak congestion), or the working Tavolara south-axis substitution (which removes the working Costa Smeralda anchor cluster from the working day rotation entirely).
The La Maddalena park zone-A restriction calendar at Cala Coticcio, Cala Brigantina, and the working Spargi south coast runs the working mooring-ball-only working anchor pattern with the working 8 to 22 working mooring-ball-capacity per working zone and the working 7am to 11am working ball-availability window. The cleanest single fix is the working operator-direct booking pattern at the working Porto Cervo and Cannigione working Maddalena-experienced operator pool (which holds the working ball-reservation pattern at the working park-authority interface), or the working alternative-cala substitution (which substitutes Cala Coticcio with the working Cala Soraya or Cala Santa Maria pattern at the working free-anchor working sand bottoms).
The Ferragosto window (the working 7 to 18 August working Italian holiday pattern) runs material on the Costa Smeralda calendar with the working Porto Cervo 700-berth working capacity-limited mooring at the working full peak-week absorption (rates at €1,500 to €3,500 per day for transient working day-stop mooring on the 80-foot-and-up) and the working Hotel Cala di Volpe and Pitrizza residential peak calendar at the working ultra-premium absorption. The cleanest single fix is the working post-Ferragosto September booking window at 65 to 80 percent of Ferragosto rates with the working clean Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo working slip availability and the cleaner working Maddalena anchor pattern.
The rest of the trip
VillasForKings covers the Costa Smeralda and Porto Cervo private villa inventory across the working Pevero, Romazzino, Cala di Volpe, Liscia di Vacca, and Porto Rotondo clusters with the working pool, private-tennis, and direct-sea-view inventory. HotelsForKings covers Hotel Cala di Volpe, Hotel Pitrizza, Hotel Romazzino, Hotel Cervo, the L'Ea Bianca Luxury Resort at Baia Sardinia, Petra Segreta at San Pantaleo, and the Hotel Capriccioli. RestaurantsForKings covers Il Pescatore at Porto Cervo, Spinnaker at Porto Rotondo, Ristorante Liscia di Vacca, Trattoria Lu Stazzu at Arzachena, Da Giovannino at Porto Rotondo, and the Phi Beach restaurant at Baja Sardinia. BarsForKings covers the Phi Beach sunset bar at Forte Cappellini, the Pevero Bay beach club, the Hotel Cala di Volpe Pool Bar, and the working Porto Cervo Piazzetta and Promenade du Port bar cluster.
FAQ
Do I need to book a Sardinia day charter in advance? For July and August peak, yes. Book 12 to 18 weeks out for the premium 60-foot-and-up inventory at Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo, with 18 to 26 weeks for the working Ferragosto window. May, June, and post-15 September open inventory on 1 to 2 week notice at the working shoulder rates.
Should I depart Porto Cervo or Cannigione for the Maddalena? Cannigione for the working Maddalena-priority booking. Porto Cervo for clients staying on the Costa Smeralda hotel coast and combining Costa Smeralda anchor stops with the Maddalena rotation. Cannigione cuts 20 to 30 nautical miles off the working Maddalena round-trip, which translates to 60 to 90 minutes more anchor time at the same day length, and runs the working slip rate at €40 to €120 versus the working €500 to €1,200 Porto Cervo day-stop mooring on the 60-foot-and-up.
Can I day-charter from Sardinia to Corsica? Yes on the 50-foot-and-up motor-yacht inventory with 22 to 28 knot transit capacity. The Bocche di Bonifacio working crossing runs 6 to 12 nautical miles between the Maddalena north and the Lavezzi islands at the working south Corsica coast. The full Sardinia-to-Bonifacio working day rotation runs 9 to 11 hours marina-to-marina with the working Lavezzi swim anchor and the working Bonifacio harbour cliff cruise. Verify the working Corsica entry working customs clearance on the working operator-direct booking.
What size group fits a Sardinia day charter? 6 to 12 guests on the 28 to 38 foot rib and motorboat band, 8 to 12 on the 40 to 55 foot motor-yacht band, 10 to 12 on the 55 to 85 foot motor-yacht band (capped at 12 on the working Italian commercial day-charter limit), 12+ on the working two-yacht booking pattern via Sardinia Charter or Charter Sardinia Group.