Corsica + Sardinia Yacht Charter Itinerary: The Best 8-Day Route from Porto-Vecchio to Olbia

Your charter begins in Porto-Vecchio, where you board the yacht, meet the crew, and settle into the pace of the week. There is no reason to burn the first afternoon sitting on the dock when South Corsica is right there, so we would make Palombaggia the first proper stop: 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. We would overnight at anchor or in Porto-Vecchio, keeping the first night unhurried before the route turns toward Bonifacio.

Giving South Corsica its own full day is what makes this itinerary an 8-day route rather than a rushed 7-day one. Use the morning for Santa Giulia, one of the calmest and most photogenic anchorages in the area, before turning south toward Bonifacio.

Bonifacio is one of the best arrivals in the Mediterranean. You come in under the white limestone cliffs, turn into the long natural harbour, and the whole mood changes from beach day to classic port night. Step off the yacht, walk the quay, head up into the old town, and let the day end with some energy.

Do not rush the morning. Bonifacio is worth a slow coffee and a short walk before departure. Then head out past the cliffs into the Lavezzi Islands, where the water 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 there is very little built around you.

If the guests want one elegant lunch ashore, Cavallo is the place, with Hotel & Spa des Pecheurs the obvious choice. By late afternoon, if the strait is behaving, cross into Porto della Madonna in the La Maddalena archipelago: no quay, no scene, just the yacht on anchor in extraordinary water between islands.

This is the day to do the national park properly. Start around Budelli and Santa Maria, but treat Budelli with respect: the point is the color of the water and the feeling of being inside a protected landscape, seen from the yacht rather than turned into a beach-club stop.

Move on to Spargi, where Cala Corsara is the headliner and, on a calm day, looks almost too photogenic to be real. For the night, head into Cala Gavetta in La Maddalena town for a change of pace: step off the yacht, take an aperitivo, and let the guests feel some human scale again after two nights of big scenery.

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: a mix of granite landscape, protected water, and a slightly wilder feel than the polished Costa Smeralda stops that follow. Cala Coticcio is the famous name, but the value is in the setting, not just ticking a bay off a list.

Then shift gears and run down to Porto Cervo, 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.

Porto Cervo is where you dress up; the coastline between Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo is where you actually enjoy the boat. Spend the day hopping between the best-looking water and the right mood stops, such as Cala di Volpe, Pevero, Romazzino, or Liscia Ruja, depending on the wind and the clients. 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, with its setting over Cala di Volpe. We would usually finish in Porto Rotondo or Portisco, which feel a little softer and more village-like than Porto Cervo, making for a nicer overnight at this point in the trip.

For the last real cruising day, head toward Tavolara and Molara. Tavolara has a completely different scale from the Costa Smeralda: more dramatic, more open, and more elemental. It works beautifully as a swim day because the backdrop is huge and the water still feels protected and clean.

If the weather is kind, finish with one more proper lunch at anchor and one more long swim before the trip starts winding down. We would keep the last night somewhere that still feels like part of the holiday, usually Porto Rotondo, Portisco, or an anchorage near Golfo Aranci, rather than berthing in Olbia itself a night early.

Rather than treating the last day as a pure transfer, we like to keep one easy swim stop on the water near Golfo Aranci before the short final run into Olbia. It gives guests one more hour in the water instead of an early, dead morning at the dock.

Departure itself should be clean and easy: 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.