If you want to combine Corsica and Sardinia in one week on a luxury motor yacht, this is the route we would usually recommend. Start in Porto-Vecchio, make Bonifacio the big Corsica night, spend real time in the Lavezzi and La Maddalena islands, then finish with a polished run down the Costa Smeralda and an easy exit in Olbia.
The win here is balance. You get a proper Corsica start, a dramatic harbour arrival, wild anchorage nights, and then the smarter, more polished Sardinia finish. It feels like a yacht charter, not a transfer plan.
Our 7-day Corsica to Sardinia motor yacht itinerary
Day 1: Porto-Vecchio to Palombaggia and Bonifacio
We would leave Porto-Vecchio on day one. There is no reason to burn the first afternoon sitting on the dock when South Corsica is right there. If timing allows, we would make Palombaggia the first proper stop. This is one of those beaches that actually lives up to the photos: pale sand, red rocks, umbrella pines, and water that looks almost unreal in the right light.
If the guests want a relaxed first lunch ashore, Palm Beach is an easy call because they will collect you by boat and it keeps the start feeling light and summery. Then we would keep moving south and make Bonifacio the first night. This is one of the best arrivals in the Mediterranean. You come in under the white limestone cliffs, turn into the long natural harbour, and suddenly the whole mood changes from beach day to classic port night.
Bonifacio is a proper dockside evening, not an anchorage evening. Step off the yacht, walk the quay, head up into the old town, and let the first day end with some energy.
- What we love: you get a beautiful swim stop and one of the strongest harbour arrivals in the Med on the same day
- Best lunch ashore: Palm Beach on Palombaggia if you want a simple beach start
- Dinner move: Finestra by Italo Bassi if the clients want a polished dinner, or Da Passano if you want something that feels more rooted in Bonifacio
- Overnight style: marina, old town, bars and restaurants right outside the yacht
Day 2: Bonifacio to the Lavezzi Islands, Cavallo, and Porto della Madonna
We would not rush this morning. Bonifacio is worth a slow coffee and a short walk before departure. Then we would head out past the cliffs and into the Lavezzi Islands, which is where the itinerary starts to feel really special. The water here has that polished, transparent look that makes even experienced charter guests stop talking for a second. The granite boulders are huge, the anchorages feel wild, and the whole area has a protected, low-key luxury about it because there is so little built around you.
If the guests want one elegant lunch ashore instead of a full wild-islands day, Cavallo is the place to do it. Hotel & Spa des Pecheurs is the obvious choice. If they would rather stay in swimsuits and keep the day natural, we stay on the yacht and let the crew make the most of the anchorage. By late afternoon, if the strait is behaving, we would cross into Porto della Madonna in the La Maddalena archipelago.
This is the opposite of Bonifacio: no quay, no scene, just the yacht on anchor in extraordinary water between islands.
- What makes the day: Bonifacio gives you drama, Lavezzi gives you silence, and Porto della Madonna gives you that floating-in-a-natural-pool feeling
- Active option: paddleboards, snorkeling, and tender exploring around the granite coves
- Lunch ashore: Hotel & Spa des Pecheurs on Cavallo if you want one dressed-up island lunch
- Overnight style: pure anchorage night, very little around you except the islands and the water
Day 3: Budelli, Santa Maria, Spargi, and La Maddalena town
Day three is about doing the park properly. We would start around Budelli and Santa Maria, but this is where it helps to know the area. Budelli is not the stop where we try to turn the day into a beach-club scene. The point is the color of the water, the feeling of being inside a protected landscape, and seeing the Pink Beach area respectfully from the yacht.
Then we would move on to Spargi, which is one of the islands that really makes people understand why La Maddalena deserves more than a quick pass-through. Cala Corsara is the headliner here, and on a calm day it looks almost too photogenic to be real. This is the kind of stop where lunch on board often beats lunch ashore because the whole point is being in the water, on the toys, and in that anchorage.
For the night, we usually like one change of pace and head into Cala Gavetta in La Maddalena town. After two nights of big scenery and anchorages, it is nice to step off the yacht, take an aperitivo, wander the harbour, and let the guests feel some human scale again.
- What we love: this is the prettiest swim day of the week
- Best advice: do not waste Budelli by treating it like a beach club; the win is the water, the scenery, and the park atmosphere
- Best swim stop: Spargi, especially around Cala Corsara
- Overnight style: small-town harbour, easy aperitivo, casual evening off the yacht
Day 4: Caprera in the morning, Porto Cervo at night
We would use the morning for Caprera. If the guests are active and want to get off the yacht for something more than lunch, this is one of the best places to do it. Cala Coticcio is the famous name, but the real value is not just ticking a famous bay off a list. It is the mix of granite landscape, protected water, and the slightly wilder feel of Caprera compared with the more polished Costa Smeralda stops that follow.
Then we shift gears and run down to Porto Cervo. This is where the itinerary puts its jacket back on. Instead of a remote anchorage, you are suddenly in a proper luxury marina environment with boutiques, galleries, restaurants, and people watching right off the passerelle. That contrast is exactly why the week works.
If every night were wild, you would miss the social energy. If every night were polished, you would miss the magic of the islands.
- What changes here: the trip moves from nature-led to style-led
- Active option: Caprera in the morning for swimming, tender exploring, or a guided shore excursion if guests want to stretch their legs
- Dinner move: Confusion at Promenade du Port if you want a proper Porto Cervo night
- Overnight style: glamorous marina, shops, bars, and a real evening scene right outside the yacht
Day 5: Costa Smeralda beach day from Porto Cervo to Porto Rotondo
This is the day to use the yacht properly on the Costa Smeralda. Porto Cervo is where you dress up. The coastline between Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo is where you actually enjoy the boat. We would spend the day hopping between the best-looking water and the right mood stops: Cala di Volpe, Pevero, Romazzino, or Liscia Ruja, depending on the wind and the clients.
We would not overcomplicate it. One great swim stop, one beautiful lunch setup, one elegant late-afternoon arrival is enough. If the guests want lunch ashore, Frades La Terrazza is the standout because the setting over Cala di Volpe is exactly what people come here for. If they would rather stay on board, this is also a perfect day for a long lunch on the aft deck and a slow afternoon with toys in the water.
We would usually finish in Porto Rotondo or Portisco. Porto Rotondo feels a little softer and more village-like than Porto Cervo, which often makes it a nicer overnight at this point in the trip.
- What we tell clients: do not spend the whole day tied to a dock here; the coastline is the real reason to have a yacht
- Best lunch ashore: Frades La Terrazza if you want a beautiful Costa Smeralda lunch with a view
- Best overnight: Porto Rotondo if you want an elegant but lower-key evening than Porto Cervo
- Dinner move: Deste if you overnight in Porto Rotondo and want a polished final Sardinia dinner
Day 6: Tavolara and Molara, then stage for Olbia
For the last real cruising day, we like to head toward Tavolara and Molara. Tavolara has a completely different scale from the Costa Smeralda: more dramatic, more open, and more elemental. It is the kind of place that works beautifully as a final swim day because the backdrop is huge and the water still feels protected and clean.
If the weather is kind, this is where we would finish with one more proper lunch at anchor and one more long swim before the trip starts winding down. Then we would make the final staging decision based on flights and the yacht. If departures are easy, we prefer to keep the last night somewhere that still feels like part of the holiday, usually Porto Rotondo or Portisco, and run into Olbia in the morning.
If the guests have early flights, or the yacht logistics make it smarter, we berth in or near Olbia and keep the end simple. This is not the day for heroics. The point is to finish well.
- Why we like this day: Tavolara gives the itinerary one last big natural statement before disembarkation logistics take over
- Best use of the yacht: swim, lunch, water toys, and a very unhurried afternoon
- Expert move: unless timing forces it, we usually keep the last night nicer than Olbia itself
- If you berth in Olbia: keep dinner simple and close to the boat, then make departure morning easy
Day 7: Olbia disembarkation
Departure day should be clean and easy. If we have staged it properly, this is just breakfast, a short transfer, and guests leaving feeling like the trip ended smoothly rather than being squeezed for one last stop. A calm finish makes the whole charter feel better organised and more expensive.
Why this route works so well on a motor yacht
This itinerary is a very good example of where a motor yacht makes life easier. You can leave Porto-Vecchio on day one, give Bonifacio the attention it deserves, cross into La Maddalena without making the week feel rushed, and still have time for two proper Sardinia days before finishing in Olbia.
That said, we still build this route around the Bonifacio Strait, not against it. Good itineraries in this area are flexible. If the weather says cross later, we cross later. That is how you protect the quality of the charter.
Our recommendation
If a client asks us for the best one-week Corsica and Sardinia route on a luxury motor yacht, this is the answer we would usually give. Start in Porto-Vecchio, make Bonifacio count, do not rush the Lavezzi and La Maddalena islands, then finish with the right mix of Porto Cervo polish, Costa Smeralda water, and an easy Olbia exit.
It feels balanced, it feels high-end, and most importantly, it feels like a yacht charter rather than a transfer itinerary dressed up as one.
