How to get around La Maddalena without using a car?
The Maddalena archipelago is made up of numerous islands, some uninhabited or only reachable by boat, while the two main islands (La Maddalena and Caprera) are connected by a charming bridge and also served by two urban bus lines, good for tourists too.
Let’s find out in this guide how to get around La Maddalena using the island’s urban buses or an electric bike!
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Getting around La Maddalena by bus
The bus is a great way to get around La Maddalena, also to go to the beach, as many of the Maddalena beaches are a short distance from the stops.
The urban service is run by the Turmo Travel company, with two lines.
Buses run quite frequently during the summer, about every 60-90 minutes. The only potential risk might be overcrowding in high season, especially on the line to Caprera which, to move more easily along the island’s narrow roads, uses mini buses for 15-20 people. In September, however, there’s no problem.
Bus lines in La Maddalena
There are two bus lines running between the two main islands of the archipelago:
- “Linea Panoramica”: It does an almost complete tour of the main island along what’s called the “panoramic road”.
- “Linea Maddalena-Caprera”: which takes you to the island of Caprera, connected to the main one by a charming bridge; it makes stops near the most famous beaches, the Garibaldi museum, and the Stagnali village.
In the map below (in addition to the location of the best beaches in La Maddalena) you can see the approximate route of the two La Maddalena bus lines: the Panoramica line in green and the one for Caprera in blue.
La Maddalena Bus Timetables
On the official Turmo Travel website, you can find the updated timetables for the urban lines. In the dropdown menu, besides choosing between summer and winter timetables, you’ll need to choose the direction for each line:
- “Colonna Garibaldi – Case Ornano” is the Panoramica line heading out from the center;
- “Case Ornano – Colonna Garibaldi” is the Panoramica line returning towards the Center;
- “Nido D’aquila – Due Mari” is the line from Maddalena towards Caprera;
- “Due Mari – Nido D’aquila” from Caprera towards La Maddalena.
Urban Bus Ticket Prices
The urban buses running between Maddalena island and Caprera island cost €1 if bought at a point of sale or €1.50 if bought directly on board the bus.
Where to buy La Maddalena bus tickets
At the time of writing this guide, tickets can only be bought at the Calumet tobacconist’s near the island’s port. It’s the best option to pay less (€1) and avoid wasted time when boarding the bus.
If the shop is too far, you can buy them directly on the bus from the driver for €1.50 (but you’ll need to bring some coins!)
Bus stops in the center of La Maddalena
The two stops closest to La Maddalena’s historic center are “Colonna Garibaldi”, right opposite the port, and “Piazza Comando”, which you can see shown on the map below.
Read also: The best area to stay in La Maddalena
Getting around La Maddalena by bike
The other eco-friendly alternative for getting around the archipelago without renting (or bringing) a car is a bike. Only if it’s electric, in my opinion. Or alternatively, a scooter.
Unless you’re tireless riders, the roads and little streets on the islands have some significant slopes, difficult to tackle with a classic bike. If you like exploring beaches and other points of interest, it’s easy to clock up 30-50km in a day too.
How to rent a bike and the costs
Getting around La Maddalena by electric bike, however nice, is unfortunately less simple option than the bus.
The first little problem is that there are basically only a couple of bike rental places, near the island’s port. After my experience, I recommend you check carefully that the vehicle works before going too far from the shop. Without naming the shop where I rented an electric bike, I got an ebike that kept accelerating and braking on its own, probably due to a faulty pedal sensor. And while I was signing the rental agreement, another customer came back to report that his just-rented scooter had the oil light lit (and the rental lady already knew). Plus other hitches I won’t bore you with, maybe I’m just unlucky.
The second little problem is the cost. For an electric bike, prices start from €30 per day: if you are two people, it already covers the cost of a car, if there are more than 2 of you, being eco-friendly also makes you lose quite a bit of money. And the deposit cost isn’t insignificant: €300 per bike in my case.
There’s a lot of talk about the “ecological transition”, but, both here and in many other places, as long as rental places charge as much for an electric bike as for a car, it’s impossible.
Finally, if they quote you 80km of battery range (which doesn’t even add up if you calculate based on the battery and motor specs), don’t trust it; you’ll probably get 35-40km if the battery isn’t worn out.
Beyond these issues, getting around between Maddalena and Caprera by bike is very nice because it allows you to stop wherever you like, without wasting time looking for parking, you can also ride along some dirt roads surrounded by nature stopping at quiet, semi-unknown coves… and you might even get caught in some sudden rain (yes, I managed that 😆 ).
Getting around… by boat!
Finally, don’t forget that with all this islands to see, a boat tour like this may be a nice idea to reach some minor islands of the archipelago that you can’t reach otherwise, especially if you want to see some of the restricted beaches in la Maddalena.
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