Olbia · Gallura · Tavolara
Harbour evenings in Olbia, small squares among granite houses and ancient stone towers in Gallura. Along the coast lie beaches and Tavolara’s long limestone mountain.
One part of the coast can fill seven–ten days. Two–three weeks allow longer stays in favourite places.
The area on the map
Olbia lies on a deep gulf in the east. To the north are Porto Rotondo, Cannigione and Palau, with villages and archaeological sites inland. La Maddalena is a separate holiday area.
Place with a harbour Excursion ashore Airport
The eastern holiday
A day in town can include San Simplicio, shopping for the boat and dinner out. It is also a place to spend a few days without moving the boat.
Olbia
San Simplicio makes a fine destination for a walk through town, with time for shops and lunch along the way. MOYS lies on the south side of the gulf, some distance from the centre.
The museum still displays a closure notice for flooring work, while normal opening hours also appear on the page. Reopening is unconfirmed.
Museum visitor information ↗
Golfo Aranci
Cala Moresca is an outing ashore from Golfo Aranci, with two small beaches and paths continuing towards Capo Figari. Swimming and a walk in the pine woods can fill an afternoon before dinner at the harbour.
Porto Rotondo is another place to stay aboard and go ashore. Portisco is a separate marina on the other side of the gulf.
The northern holiday
Cannigione can be a starting point for harbour evenings and trips inland. By car, the villages and ancient stone buildings around Arzachena are within reach.
San Pantaleo
San Pantaleo lies among granite hills, with low houses, small workshops and cafés around the square. The Thursday market runs in spring and summer. Lunch here also offers a chance to try mazza frissa, a local speciality.
A nuraghe is an ancient Sardinian stone tower. At La Prisgiona, the tower stands amid the remains of a settlement. The Coddu Ecchju burial site lies nearby. The two sites suit a separate outing from Arzachena or the harbour.
Archaeological park: visits and opening hours ↗Palau has its own town life and the viewpoints at Capo d’Orso, the rock resembling a bear.
Porto Cervo can be a drive to see another side of the coast. Santa Teresa and the granite formations at Capo Testa are a possible addition further north.
Cannigione
The harbour consists of several facilities with different size and draught limits. A stay depends on the specific pontoon.
Cannigione: individual facilities ↗Tavolara and the coast to the south
Tavolara’s western end can be a beach and lunch excursion. The visit stays down by the sea; the summit is not an ordinary stroll.
Current arrangements for anchoring, overnight stays, buoys and tender landing at Tavolara remain unconfirmed. The passenger boat from Porto San Paolo offers another option.
The protected area’s published annual supplementary rules cover 2025; we found no 2026 replacement when checking on 19 September. Conditions for a visit in your own boat are therefore unconfirmed.
The passenger-boat timetable examined covers 15 July–31 August.
Protected-area rules ↗Passenger boat from Porto San Paolo ↗Puntaldia, Capo Coda Cavallo and San Teodoro lie in the southern part of the area. Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu require beach reservations from 1 June to 30 September 2026, including arrivals by sea. The reservation does not itself permit anchoring or tender landing.
Beaches: reservations in 2026 ↗Time to stay
Olbia–Golfo Aranci–Porto Rotondo is one holiday choice, with Tavolara as a possibility. Another is Cannigione and Gallura, with Palau. Each area suits a holiday in its own right.
Two–three weeks leave room for more days in the same place and return visits to a beach or village. June or September may suit.
Published trip descriptions estimate Portisco–Tavolara at around 12–14 nautical miles. Other legs have not been measured as sailing routes here; the route chosen depends on stops and conditions.
Tubber: described sailing trip ↗GlobeSailor: distance estimate ↗Coming aboard
Olbia is a practical arrival point with provisioning opportunities.
MOYS marina information ↑SYS in Olbia is a separate option for technical work.
SYS lists an 80-tonne boat lift and 4-metre draught; this does not confirm storage or supervision there.
SYS is not documented as a workshop inside MOYS.
SYS: technical facility ↗Cem Berksoy’s short film follows the streets around the church square and the low stone houses. It gives a closer impression of the village before a visit.
Watch the film on YouTube · 2 min 58 sec ↗Published 3 October 2023. Subtitles were unavailable when checked.
The photographer, source, date and licence appear beside each image. La Prisgiona is the photographer’s panorama assembled from six exposures.
The coastline comes from Natural Earth 1:10m, version 5.1.1. Place locations are based on Wikimedia and local harbours and tourist offices.
Natural Earth: freely available map dataWikimedia: structured place dataMap design: Sophie · CC BY 4.0Links to harbours, transport and access rules accompany the practical information.