This page contains affiliate and referral links. If you charter, book, or buy through them we earn a referral fee, paid by the broker or platform, at no cost to you. We have not adjusted our rankings for the referral rate. Full breakdown on our how-we-make-money page.
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 60-kilometre northeast coast between Olbia and Santa Teresa Gallura, anchored by the Costa Smeralda and the La Maddalena archipelago. The day-charter calendar runs May to October with the 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 0% Italian luxury VAT through 2026, fuel, gratuity, and the Maddalena park access fee on top. The 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 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 (west-gateway to the Maddalena), and Palau 1 nautical mile from La Maddalena island (closest Maddalena gateway, rib and motorboat inventory). Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (OLB) handles the air access with the canonical 30 to 50 minute road transfer to Porto Cervo, plus Cagliari (CAG) at the 3 to 3.5 hour drive south for the 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 seven main islands at La Maddalena, Caprera, Spargi, Budelli, Razzoli, Santa Maria, and Santo Stefano with the pink-sand Spiaggia Rosa at Budelli, the Cala Coticcio and Cala Brigantina at Caprera, the Cala Corsara and Cala Granara at Spargi, and the Garibaldi house anchor at Caprera), the Costa Smeralda anchor stops (the Liscia Ruja, Cala di Volpe, Capriccioli, and Romazzino anchors at the Aga Khan-era resort coast), the Tavolara island anchor 18 nautical miles south of Porto Cervo (the 565-metre limestone monolith at the Olbia gulf entrance with the swim anchor and the Punta del Papa beach), and the Bocche di Bonifacio crossing to Corsica (the 6 to 8 nautical mile north crossing to the Lavezzi islands and Bonifacio harbour for the long-day extension).
The day-charter pattern combines a 9am to 9:30am Porto Cervo or Cannigione departure, a 30 to 60 minute north or northwest cruise to the Maddalena park boundary, the park entry at the Punta Sardegna or Punta della Marmorata waypoint, a 4 to 5 hour Maddalena anchor sequence (typically Cala Corsara at Spargi, Spiaggia Rosa-front anchor at Budelli on a mooring ball, lunch and swim at Cala Soraya or Cala Santa Maria, and Cala Coticcio at Caprera), a 30 to 60 minute return cruise, and a 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 canonical Italian-Riviera-pattern May calendar. The cleaner May booking pattern is the second-half-of-May window at 50 to 65 percent of August peak rates. The Maddalena anchor calendar runs at the empty-cala pattern with the 2 to 6-boat Cala Corsara calendar versus the 30 to 60-boat August Cala Corsara calendar.
June. Shoulder through 15 June, peak thereafter. Water 19 to 23 degrees, air 22 to 27. The post-Easter window runs at 60 to 75 percent of August peak. From 20 June the 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 canonical Costa Smeralda peak window with the Ferragosto window (15 August) at 2x to 2.5x off-peak rates and the Porto Cervo harbour mooring at the full peak premium. The Aga Khan-era Cala di Volpe, Pitrizza, Romazzino, and Cervo hotel cluster runs the 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 first 10 days at full peak; from 15 September the shoulder pattern begins with rates dropping to 70 to 85 percent of August peak. The cleanest September window is the post-15 September pattern with the warmest sea-temperature calendar and the cleaner 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 October pattern runs the first two weeks. Operators wind down inventory 31 October. The Mistral north wind pattern runs more frequent in October and may collapse the Maddalena anchor day on a forecast basis.
November to April. Working off-peak. The Sardinia day-charter inventory does not operate through winter; the Olbia and Porto Cervo year-round broker inventory runs at the overnight and weekly charter pattern only.
The Sardinia day-charter zones
La Maddalena archipelago (the canonical Sardinia day-charter north axis). The Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena across the seven main islands. The Cala Corsara at Spargi (the pebble-and-sand swim anchor at depths 4 to 12 metres on the sand-and-rock bottom at Spargi south), the Spiaggia Rosa at Budelli (the pink-sand beach at Budelli south, anchor on the mooring ball pattern at the Passo dei Monaci with no tender shore-landing on the protected beach), the Cala Coticcio at Caprera (the working "Tahiti" swim anchor at the Caprera north with the 6 to 18 metre depths and the sand bottom), the Cala Brigantina at Caprera (the alternative south Caprera anchor), and the Cala Santa Maria swim anchor between Santa Maria and Razzoli (the sheltered north-archipelago swim).
Costa Smeralda anchor coast. The 14 nautical mile Liscia Ruja-to-Romazzino anchor coast. The Liscia Ruja anchor (the 1-kilometre sand beach at the south Costa Smeralda with the swim anchor at depths 4 to 10 metres), the Cala di Volpe anchor (the canonical Aga Khan resort-front anchor at depths 5 to 12 metres with the Hotel Cala di Volpe tender stop), the Capriccioli anchor (the twin-cove pink-sand beach with the swim anchor at depths 3 to 8 metres), and the Romazzino anchor at the Hotel Romazzino front. The canonical Costa Smeralda short-day pattern.
Tavolara island and Olbia gulf. The 18 to 22 nautical mile southeast cruise from Porto Cervo to the Tavolara limestone monolith at the Olbia gulf entrance. The swim anchor at Cala Spalmatore and Spiaggia di Porto San Paolo on the Tavolara west, the Punta del Papa beach swim anchor, and the Molara island anchor 1 nautical mile southwest of Tavolara. The alternative south-axis Sardinia day rotation.
Bocche di Bonifacio Corsica crossing (long-day extension). The 6 to 12 nautical mile north crossing from the Maddalena north to the Lavezzi islands at the south Corsica coast and the Bonifacio harbour cliff cruise. The long-day Sardinia-to-Corsica day extension on the 50-foot-and-up motor-yacht inventory at the 7am to 9am early-departure pattern.
Asinara and northwest Sardinia (extension band). The 50 to 70 nautical mile west cruise to Stintino, the Spiaggia La Pelosa, and the Asinara national park island at the Sardinia northwest. The multi-day extension only, not the 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 park entry at the Punta della Marmorata waypoint |
| 10:45 | Cala Corsara at Spargi | 90-minute swim anchor at the 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 Budelli south with the pink-sand beach view (no tender shore-landing) |
| 13:15 | Cala Santa Maria lunch and swim | 90-minute lunch on board at the 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 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 Costa Smeralda short-day pattern (which substitutes the Maddalena north axis with the Liscia Ruja, Capriccioli, Cala di Volpe, and Romazzino south-axis cluster on a 5 to 6 hour day), for the Bonifacio Corsica long-day extension (which moves to a 9 to 11 hour day with the Lavezzi islands and Bonifacio harbour stops), and for the Tavolara south-axis pattern (which substitutes the Maddalena cruise with the 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 budget Sardinia day-charter band; the cleanest fit for the Palau or Cannigione Maddalena-priority pattern. The Asso 31, Capelli 32, and Pirelli 1100 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, small galley capacity. The midmarket Sardinia day-charter band; the cleanest fit for the 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, on-board chef on the 55-foot-and-up, full watersports inventory. The premium midmarket band with the structured 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, tender garage, the canonical Porto Cervo day-stop mooring (€500 to €1,200 fee). The premium day-charter band with the structured 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 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) | €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 upper end of the western Mediterranean day-charter market on a per-day basis given the Costa Smeralda peak premium, the Porto Cervo mooring fee at peak, and the Maddalena park access overhead. The 0% Italian luxury VAT through 2026 absorbs the cleanest single cost-saving versus the French-flag inventory at neighbouring Bonifacio. The cost-control move is the Cannigione or Palau departure (which substitutes Porto Cervo €1,200 day-stop mooring with the working €40 to €120 Cannigione or Palau slip rate and shortens the cruise to the Maddalena by 20 to 30 nautical miles), the June or post-15 September booking at 65 to 80 percent of August peak, and the weekday booking pattern (Monday to Thursday) at the cleaner Maddalena anchor pool.
Operator ranking (the day-charter inventory)
We rank rather than list. The Sardinia day-charter operator inventory we would book runs at the following band:
Sardinia Charter and Yacht Charter Sardinia (Porto Cervo). Holds the operator-direct 40 to 90 foot motor-yacht inventory at the Marina di Porto Cervo with the Sunseeker, Pershing, Sanlorenzo, Riva, and Azimut inventory. Working operator-direct booking, Italian commercial licensing, on-board chef capability at the 55-foot-and-up, Maddalena park permit handling, and the Bonifacio Corsica long-day extension capacity. The cleanest single operator-direct booking pattern at the €4K-and-up Sardinia day-charter band.
Cannigione Charter and Maddalena Charter (Cannigione and Palau). Holds the operator-direct 28 to 60 foot rib and motor-yacht inventory at the Cannigione port and Palau ferry-port west-gateway Maddalena bases. The budget and midmarket Maddalena-priority booking pattern with the park-permit handling and the closest-to-Maddalena departure pattern. The cleanest fit for clients on a budget without the Costa Smeralda hotel-stay overhead.
Charter Sardinia Group (Olbia and Porto Rotondo). Holds the broker-aggregator inventory across the 30 to 130 foot Sardinia northeast pool at the Olbia, Porto Rotondo, and Porto Cervo bases. The broker-direct booking pattern with the full-day quote across the operator pool.
Click and Boat Sardinia and SamBoat Sardinia. Holds the aggregator inventory at the Olbia, Porto Cervo, Porto Rotondo, Cannigione, and Palau bases with the 28 to 70 foot inventory across the budget and midmarket bands. The aggregator interface, insurance, and the captain-included pattern at the 30-foot-and-up. Inventory rarely briefed on the Maddalena park zone-A restriction calendar; verify the park-permit and zone-A anchor pattern at booking.
Boatsetter Sardinia. Holds the second-tier aggregator inventory at the comparable bases with the comparable inventory pool. The cleaner 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 Sardinia day-charter operator inventory list because the Costa Smeralda day-charter product runs the operator-direct pattern at the specific-boat selection (the Sanlorenzo, Pershing, and Riva 50-foot-and-up inventory is the specific-boat-selection product), the Maddalena park permit handling and the zone-A anchor calendar require the operator-specific park-coordination knowledge, and the Bonifacio long-day extension requires the operator-specific transit and itinerary knowledge.
What needs work
The Costa Smeralda peak Saturday and Sunday in July and August at the Cala di Volpe and Romazzino anchor coast runs the anchor at 60 to 120 boats with the tender congestion at the Cala di Volpe Hotel beach. The cleanest single fix is the weekday booking (Monday through Thursday) at the 20 to 40-boat Costa Smeralda calendar, the morning anchor before 11am (which clears the 1pm peak congestion), or the Tavolara south-axis substitution (which removes the Costa Smeralda anchor cluster from the day rotation entirely).
The La Maddalena park zone-A restriction calendar at Cala Coticcio, Cala Brigantina, and the Spargi south coast runs the mooring-ball-only anchor pattern with the 8 to 22 mooring-ball-capacity per zone and the 7am to 11am ball-availability window. The cleanest single fix is the operator-direct booking pattern at the Porto Cervo and Cannigione Maddalena-experienced operator pool (which holds the ball-reservation pattern at the park-authority interface), or the alternative-cala substitution (which substitutes Cala Coticcio with the Cala Soraya or Cala Santa Maria pattern at the free-anchor sand bottoms).
The Ferragosto window (the 7 to 18 August Italian holiday pattern) runs material on the Costa Smeralda calendar with the Porto Cervo 700-berth capacity-limited mooring at the full peak-week absorption (rates at €1,500 to €3,500 per day for transient day-stop mooring on the 80-foot-and-up) and the Hotel Cala di Volpe and Pitrizza residential peak calendar at the ultra-premium absorption. The cleanest single fix is the post-Ferragosto September booking window at 65 to 80 percent of Ferragosto rates with the clean Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo slip availability and the cleaner Maddalena anchor pattern.
The rest of the trip
VillasForKings covers the Costa Smeralda and Porto Cervo private villa inventory across the Pevero, Romazzino, Cala di Volpe, Liscia di Vacca, and Porto Rotondo clusters with the 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 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 Ferragosto window. May, June, and post-15 September open inventory on 1 to 2 week notice at the shoulder rates.
Should I depart Porto Cervo or Cannigione for the Maddalena? Cannigione for the 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 Maddalena round-trip, which translates to 60 to 90 minutes more anchor time at the same day length, and runs the 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 crossing runs 6 to 12 nautical miles between the Maddalena north and the Lavezzi islands at the south Corsica coast. The full Sardinia-to-Bonifacio day rotation runs 9 to 11 hours marina-to-marina with the Lavezzi swim anchor and the Bonifacio harbour cliff cruise. Verify the Corsica entry customs clearance on the 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 Italian commercial day-charter limit), 12+ on the two-yacht booking pattern via Sardinia Charter or Charter Sardinia Group.