Some of the beaches in the La Maddalena archipelago are subject to restrictions. Some can only be reached accompanied by a guide, by paying a ticket, or, in others, it’s even forbidden to set foot there. Let’s find out in this guide what limits and bans exist and which are restricted beaches in La Maddalena and how to visit them.
After finishing this read, don’t forget to also check out the guide to the other best beaches in La Maddalena, that you can reach without any worries!
Tours or instructions to reach restricted beaches in La Maddalena
Let’s start the overview with the beaches subject to limitations located on secondary islands of the archipelago that can be visited with an organized tour.
Read also: Where to stay in La Maddalena
How to get to Spiaggia Rosa? (Budelli island)
The Spiaggia Rosa (Pink Beach), as the name suggests, is a beach characterized by a slight pink coloration of its sand. Accessible in the past, it’s now closed to tourist traffic and walking on its shore is forbidden.
Being on Budelli island, an uninhabited island not connected by bridges, the only remaining option to visit Spiaggia Rosa is to admire it from the sea, at a proper distance.
This is possible with your own boat or through one of the La Maddalena tours that take you around the secondary islands by boat or catamaran, such as:
- Tour from La Maddalena or Palau to visit Spargi, Budelli, and Santa Maria: one of the best-priced boat tours, lasting 7 hours.
- sailboat tour with lunch included which can start from both Palau and La Maddalena
Cala Corsara – Cala Granara (Spargi island)
Another secondary and uninhabited island in the archipelago is Spargi island, where at least 3 famous beaches are located: Cala Corsara, Cala Granara, and Cala dell’amore.
How to visit the beaches of Spargi?
There are no particular bans on this island, but the fact that it’s an uninhabited island not connected by bridges to the main ones still makes your own boat or a boat tour necessary, like those listed above.
A potential “risk” on this island, which has grown in recent years, is the presence of wild boars. Although harmless in most cases, they could cause trouble if they smell food in your backpacks.
Beaches visitable by reservation and with a guide
How to get to Cala Coticcio and Cala Brigantina (Caprera)
Cala Coticcio and Cala Brigantina are two of the most famous restricted beaches in the Maddalena archipelago, among the most photographed but also among the smallest.
They are located on the east coast of Caprera island and although the island has paved roads, Cala Coticcio and Cala Brigantina can only be reached via non-trivial trails requiring about 1 hour of walking.
The bad news is that you can no longer visit these beaches on your own. Instead, you must contact a guide to book access, agree on the fee to pay the guide, and finally pay a “ticket” of €3 per person online via the pagoPA platform (not even sure if foreign people can access it!), before getting there. It sounds like a joke, but it’s true.
The list of guides and detailed instructions can be found on the official website:
Is it worth visiting these beaches?
That’s a good question. It depends on your personal taste in beaches.
You should visit them if:
- You absolutely want to see those fantastic beaches you’ve seen on Instagram;
- You love trekking (in the case of Cala Coticcio and Brigantina);
- You have time available and like the idea of a boat tour (in the case of the other islands).
Instead, I recommend not visiting them if:
- you have few days on site and don’t want to spend an entire day to reach just 1 or 2 beaches;
- the idea of paying a ticket for each beach and also someone to accompany you along the path (in the case of Coticcio and Brigantina) irritates you, and you prefer not to fuel this questionable “business”;
- you’re not thrilled by the idea of all this hassle to get to beaches that, however beautiful, are small (less than 25 meters) and with the view of the bay teeming with moored boats (with occasional smells of diesel when they start up).
In the second case, there are many other La Maddalena beaches reachable by land (by car or bus)!
You may like: how to get around La Maddalena by bus
Is a rental boat or a La Maddalena tour better?
Is it better to choose an already organized La Maddalena tour or is it better to rent your own boat? It depends.
If you’re a really large group (at least 5-6 people) and you’re familiar with sailing, renting a private boat will cost you a bit less. If you choose this route, make sure first that you’ve checked the rules within the archipelago, such as the minimum mooring distance to respect (more information here).
Otherwise, a boat tour costs less and saves you all the worries. You’ll easily find them along the island waterfront and also online with free cancellation.
