A 7-day Corsica and Sardinia yacht charter itinerary: Bonifacio, La Maddalena and the Costa Smeralda, with passage times, permits and anchoring rules.
A 7-day Corsica and Sardinia charter itinerary typically runs between Porto Vecchio or Bonifacio in southern Corsica and Porto Cervo or Olbia on Sardinia's Costa Smeralda, with the Lavezzi Islands and the La Maddalena archipelago in between. The legs are short, mostly one to three hours, which is why the area suits guests who want to swim more than they steam.
Whether guests booked a Sardinia yacht charter around the Costa Smeralda or a Corsica yacht charter out of Bonifacio, the two islands work best as one week, linked by the short Strait of Bonifacio crossing.
The catch is that this is one of the most regulated stretches of water in the Mediterranean. The Strait of Bonifacio funnels wind, La Maddalena is a national park with a permit system, and the seabed on both sides is protected Posidonia meadow. This guide sets out how experienced crews plan the week around those constraints, and where Guest Trip takes the planning out of spreadsheets.
The season runs from May to early October. June and September give warm water, working restaurants and quieter anchorages; July and August bring the crowds to Porto Cervo and Bonifacio and the highest demand for berths and buoys. The Strait of Bonifacio has a well-earned reputation for accelerating westerly and easterly winds, so any crossing between the islands should be planned for the morning with a fallback on either side.
Both coasts are granite, which means spectacular boulder-lined coves and reliably clear water, but also rocky bottoms outside the sand patches. Anchoring is increasingly restricted to sand, and the authorities on both sides enforce it.
1. Decide the direction from the guests' flights
Figari (Corsica) and Olbia (Sardinia) are the two useful airports, so most weeks run one-way between them. A Porto Vecchio-to-Olbia week suits guests flying into Corsica; the reverse works for Olbia arrivals. A round trip from Porto Cervo is possible but spends two days retracing the same water.
2. Book the fixed points early
Berths at Porto Cervo and Bonifacio in high season, a table at the citadel restaurants in Bonifacio, beach club reservations on the Costa Smeralda and, above all, the La Maddalena park permit. The permit is bought online before arrival against the yacht's name, LOA and registration, is priced by length and propulsion, and must be available on a phone for inspection. Sailing yachts pay a reduced rate.
3. Plan the Bonifacio crossing for the morning
The strait is short, roughly six miles from Bonifacio to the Lavezzi and around eight more to Santa Teresa Gallura, but it is the one leg of the week that can be uncomfortable. Put it early in the day and early in the charter, when energy is high, and keep a sheltered alternative such as Sant'Amanza or Rondinara in reserve for a windy morning.
Sant'Amanza now has an organised mooring field with sectors for yachts from 26 to 70 metres LOA, which makes it a practical overnight for larger boats that cannot fit inside Bonifacio's harbour.
each leg is drawn on navigable water by the sea-routing engine, so the route shown to guests around the Bonifacio headlands is the one the bridge will run.
4. Anchor on sand, and know the zones
In the Bonifacio Strait nature reserve, the Lavezzi islands and the La Maddalena park, anchoring on Posidonia carries heavy fines. The Lavezzi's main anchorages, Cala Lazarina and Cala di u Grecu, remain usable on sand. La Maddalena's Zone A areas are no-stop zones; Budelli's Spiaggia Rosa is closed to landing and close approach, so plan it as a slow pass rather than a stop. In the zones that allow daytime anchoring, overnight stays are again permitted on sand and mud, with a cap on the number of boats in each cove.
Further north on Corsica's west coast, Scandola's core zone restricts anchoring and asks yachts to keep at least 250 metres from marked seabird nests through August. It is a two-day detour from the southern circuit and better suited to a ten-day charter.
5. Build the middle of the week around swim stops
Guests remember the water, not the marinas. Between the Lavezzi, Santa Teresa's Rena Bianca, the La Maddalena coves, Cala di Volpe and Tavolara there are more good swim stops than days, so the skill is choosing. Pair a big Porto Cervo evening with a quiet La Maddalena morning, and give at least one day no plan beyond a bay.
custom saved locations with draggable pins let the crew keep their own library of swim stops and reuse them across itineraries.
6. Attach the onboard programme once the days are stable
The chef needs to know which nights are ashore (Bonifacio and Porto Cervo are the obvious two), the interior needs the early-departure mornings, and the deck needs to know where the toys can go: many of the coves are speed-limited inside the park. Add spa slots on the quiet days at anchor.
7. Present it and keep it live
A one-way week with a permit-bound park in the middle is exactly the kind of plan that changes on day three when the wind comes through the strait. Publish the itinerary as a page the crew can edit, not a PDF that is wrong by the second morning.
the itinerary publishes as a PIN-protected, branded guest site and can be updated mid-charter without re-sending.
Day 1. Embark Porto Vecchio; short hop to Rondinara or Santa Giulia for a swim; welcome dinner aboard. About 1 hour. Day 2. Bonifacio: cliffs and sea caves by tender, afternoon in the citadel, dinner ashore. About 3 hours. Day 3. Lavezzi Islands: swim stop at Cala Lazarina; cross to Santa Teresa Gallura for the evening. Under 2 hours total. Day 4. La Maddalena archipelago (permit): slow pass of Spiaggia Rosa, lunch at anchor on sand, quiet night in a cove. About 1.5 hours. Day 5. Porto Cervo: berth, beach club afternoon, evening on the Costa Smeralda. About 2 hours. Day 6. Reserve day: Cala di Volpe or Tavolara depending on wind; spa treatments. About 2.5 hours. Day 7. Short passage to Olbia, disembarkation brief. About 1 hour
Total steaming for the week is around 100 nautical miles, roughly twelve hours under way, which leaves most of each day for the water. Passage times assume a comfortable displacement cruising speed; adjust for the yacht.
Most charters combine both. Sardinia's Costa Smeralda and La Maddalena give the glamour and the clearest water, while southern Corsica adds Bonifacio, wilder anchorages and French villages. The Strait of Bonifacio is short enough to cross in a morning when the wind allows.
Yes. The La Maddalena Archipelago National Park requires a permit bought online before arrival, priced by vessel length and propulsion type, with a reduced rate for sailing yachts. Keep the confirmation on a phone for inspection.
In the zones that allow daytime anchoring, overnight stays are permitted on sand or mud bottoms, subject to a cap on boats per cove. Zone A areas, including the approach to Budelli's Spiaggia Rosa, are no-stop zones.
Roughly 45 to 50 nautical miles via the Lavezzi and La Maddalena, usually split over two or three days. Bonifacio to the Lavezzi is about six miles; the Lavezzi to Santa Teresa Gallura about eight; La Maddalena to Porto Cervo about twenty.
June and September offer warm water, open restaurants and lighter crowds. July and August are busiest, with the highest demand for berths at Porto Cervo and Bonifacio.
Every leg through the strait drawn on navigable water, with an overview chart for guests.
Keep your own pins for the sand patches and coves you trust, and reuse them next season.
Permits, berths and reservations attached to the day they belong to.
Change the plan when the wind does, without re-sending a PDF.
Draw the route on real water, attach permits and bookings to the day, and publish a guest-ready site under your own brand.