Italy · Gallura, Sardinia
Yacht Charter Olbia
The largest base in this fleet — thirteen yachts, an airport twenty minutes away, and the Maddalena archipelago an hour north.
Thirteen boats sit at Olbia, more than at any other base we have, and that is the whole argument for starting a Sardinian week here rather than at the famous marina up the coast. The choice is real instead of whatever happens to be free; the airport is twenty minutes from the pontoon; and the water that matters — the Maddalena archipelago, the Costa Smeralda, the strait across to Corsica — begins within an hour of leaving the gulf.
Why the fleet lives here and not at Porto Cervo
Olbia is a working town with a deep, sheltered gulf and the island's main airport at the head of it. Porto Cervo, forty minutes north, is a marina built for a season and priced for one. Boats are kept here and taken there, which is the sensible way round.
It also means embarkation is simple in a way it rarely is elsewhere: land, transfer twenty minutes, provision, and be at anchor off Tavolara before dinner. Nobody spends the first day travelling.
The gulf itself is the least interesting water on this coast, and that is fine — it is a starting point, not a destination. Tavolara, the limestone slab standing five hundred metres out of the sea at its mouth, is the first proper stop and it is forty minutes away.
What a week from here actually reaches
North: the Costa Smeralda and then the Maddalena archipelago, sixty-two islands inside a national park, with anchorages that hold their colour in any light. That is where most weeks go and it fills seven days comfortably.
North again and across: Corsica is an hour and a half over the Strait of Bonifacio, which turns a Sardinian week into two countries. The passport goes aboard and the crossing is made in the morning.
South: Tavolara, Cala Ginepro, the Gulf of Orosei with its cliffs and cave beaches — Cala Goloritzé, Cala Mariolu — which is the wilder half of the island and sees a fraction of the traffic. It is a longer week and worth asking about.
Practical, and the part nobody mentions
August on the Costa Smeralda is genuinely full: the good anchorages are taken by eleven in the morning and the marina berths are booked from spring. June and September give the same granite and the same water with a third of the boats.
The mistral builds through the afternoon on this coast and the archipelago funnels it. Crews here plan the day around the wind rather than the clock, and the itinerary in your hand is a proposal, not a timetable.
Practical notes
- Thirteen yachts are based here — the widest choice at any base in this fleet
- Olbia Costa Smeralda airport is twenty minutes from the pontoon, which makes this the easiest embarkation we have
- The Maddalena archipelago is a national park: anchoring is zoned and the crew hold the current permits
- Corsica is an hour and a half across the strait — a border crossing, so passports come aboard
- June and September give the same coast as August with a third of the boats
Reached from: Olbia
Where to dine
A table by the water
Tavolara
Porto San PaoloTwo or three tavernas on the sand under a five-hundred-metre wall of limestone, reached by tender.
Olbia old town
OlbiaBehind the harbour, where the town eats: sea urchin in spring, and bottarga that has not been shipped anywhere.
Cala Brandinchi
San TeodoroTwenty minutes south, on a beach the guidebooks call Little Tahiti and the pines behind it keep in shade.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
Tavolara
A limestone slab standing five hundred metres out of the sea at the gulf's mouth, with a population in double figures and its own self-declared king.
Molara and the Molarotto
The two islets beside Tavolara, inside a marine reserve, with dolphins that are actually resident rather than rumoured.
Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu
Shallow, white and sheltered, twenty minutes south — the first anchorage most weeks make.
Golfo Aranci
North of the gulf, with Cala Moresca under the headland and the whole Maddalena archipelago an hour further on.
The fleet
Yachts available for Olbia
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Olbia
- Why start at Olbia rather than Porto Cervo?
- Because the boats are here. Thirteen of them, against whatever happens to be free at Porto Cervo in your week, and the airport is twenty minutes away instead of an hour. You still go to Porto Cervo — you just do not have to begin there.
- How long does it take to reach the Maddalena archipelago?
- About an hour and a half to the first anchorages, less if the plan is Tavolara first. Nothing on a Sardinian week from here is a long passage.
- Can we cross to Corsica?
- Yes, and it is the thing most people do not think to ask for. Bonifacio is an hour and a half over the strait; passports come aboard and the crossing is made in the morning, because the strait funnels wind and builds through the afternoon.
- Is August worth it here?
- The coast is; the anchorages are contested. Every good bay is taken by eleven and the marinas are booked from spring. If your dates are movable, June and September are the same water with a third of the traffic — and we will say so rather than sell you August.
- What does a yacht charter from Olbia cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks. Send us your dates and how many are coming.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter from Olbia
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.