[Sardinia Guide] Hiking Guide to Cala Napoletana, La Maddalena

Where is Cala Napoletana & What to Expect

Cala Napoletana is located on Caprera, one of the 60 islands of La Maddalena archipelago. It is located on the northwest coast of Caprera, between Sardinia’s main island and France’s Corsica. 

Location: Google Maps

Cala Napoletana is a small piece of paradise made of transparent turquoise waters full of fish, surrounded by pinky granite rocks and green scrub typical of the area. 

There, you won’t find any facilities (no snack bar, no beach equipment rental), only nature. So make sure to bring anything you could need with you (especially plenty of water). 

There are 2 small stretches of fine white sand where you can put down your towel: the first one gets quickly crowded as it is the easiest to reach; the second is right behind the rocks on the right side (about 5min climbing). 

How to Get to Cala Napoletana, Caprera

Getting to Cala Napoletana means getting to the archipelago first, which is possible only by boat. Here is a mini step-by-step guide to reaching the cove. 

1. Ferry to La Maddalena

The best way to reach La Maddalena is to take the ferry from Palau, a city located north of Sardinia. The ride is short as it lasts only 20 minutes.

You can take the ferry with your car at a reasonable price, which is best to reach Cala Napoletana as there is no bus service or any other public transportation to get you there.

The ride from Palau to La Maddalena costs about 17€/person round trip, and 22€ round trip for a regular car. You can book your ferry ticket directly on this website, and choose the departure time (ferries leave Palau every 30 minutes).

2. Drive to Becco di Vela

When arriving, you will find yourself in the city center of La Maddalena city, the archipelago’s main town. From here, you have to drive for about 20min to Becco di Vela, the starting point of the hike.

You will definitely enjoy driving there as everything is beautiful like straight out of paradise. Plus, the small bridge connecting La Maddalena’s main island to Caprera is so unique you won’t forget it.

3. Where to Park for Cala Napoletana

When on the final road to Becco di Vela, simply keep following the road until it ends. You will certainly see cars parked all along, this is normal especially during the high season. 

If you arrive early enough, you might be able to park in the small parking lot accessible through a dirty road, left at the end of the road where the hike starts.

Otherwise, you can park along the road, like most visitors. Try to park as close as possible to the entrance of the hike, and make sure your car is off the road.

Cala Napoletana Hike Details

The hike to Cala Napoletana is easy, but you need proper walking shoes as the trail is rocky. Along the way, you will be surrounded by greenery, and some parts of the trail are in the shade of dense bushes. If you are lucky, you might encounter sheep or wild boars on the way.

If you are doing this hike in summer, try starting it the earliest possible to avoid burning under the sun. 

Here are the details of the hike:

Cala Napoletana Hike

Easy

1h10    4.2km / 2.7 miles

89m / 292ft    120m / 394ft

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Hike distance: The distance of the hike is 4.2km/2.7 miles including the return trip. 

Hike duration: If you simply go down and back up, it will take you about 1h10. Plan for at least 3,5 hours to be sure to have enough time to enjoy the beach, snorkeling, and have fun climbing the rocks. 

Hike elevation: The hike is mostly flat, with a slight elevation on the way back when starting the hike from the beach, but nothing bad. 

Hike difficulty: Nothing difficult about this hike, it is short and easy. The trail is rocky so you will need to wear proper hiking shoes so you don’t get hurt. If you do it in summer, the trail can be tiring as the temperatures are quite high. 

Tips: This hike is not a loop so you will take the same way back to your car. But if you want to extend your hike and do a loop, note that you can reach 2 other beaches from Cala Napoletana (Punta Crucitta and Cala Candeo), and then go back to Becco di Vela. But this hike will take much more time (about 2-3 hours) + it is not as well signed.

Hiking Cala Napoletana

Nesrine and I decided to explore La Maddalena archipelago on the last day of our Sardinia itinerary. And we chose to start this trip with the hike to Cala Napoletana, to avoid the heat as much as possible (we were there at the end of August). 

We took the ferry from Palau to La Maddalena at 9.30 am, had breakfast with a view on the marina at Vincanto Wine Lounge Bar, and headed to Becco di Vela. We took our time, so we parked along the road and started the hike much later than expected, at 11.25 am. 

The trail is perfectly well signed from the beginning as you can see in the photo below. The hike to Cala Napoletana is marked as path 14, so we only had to follow the path 14 sign along the way. 

Right after starting the hike, we discovered a beautiful setting with plenty of rocks everywhere, green bushes, and some ruins of an old building creating a very unique panorama. Although rocky, the trail is clean and clearly recognizable, but no shadow so we were very hot at the beginning. 

We finally arrived at a shaded section with big trees, so we took the time to refresh ourselves and drink some water, then we carried on our way, under the sun. 

By 11.45, we arrived at the first intersection, with a beautiful view with the sea in the distance, quite motivating! As always, we followed the Path 14 sign. 

We started seeing breathtaking views of Cala Napoletana after the third sign mentioning trail 14.

Right after the fourth and last sign to Cala Napoletana, we started going down to the beach. The way down is easy. A few big rocks block the way, but you only need to walk around them. 

And finally, we reached it by 12.05 pm. We were blown away by the fine sand and crystal-clear waters. We put down our towels on a small corner, and immediately dive into the water! We saw lots of fish when snorkeling there. 

Unfortunately, we forgot to bring our umbrella with us so we stayed about 1,5 hours (absolutely no shadow on the beach). We had enough time to enjoy swimming, climbing the rocks, and eating our picnic. So, we took our way back to the car by 1.30 pm.

Things to Know about Cala Napoletana

Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions about this hike: 

Is this hike suitable for kids?

Well, this depends on your kids. 

If they are used to walking, then yes, this hike is perfectly suitable as there is no difficult section at all, mostly flat trail.

If not, I still think this hike is okay, but you will have to stop often and the hike will be much longer. It still can be a challenge for you and your kids. But if your kids are not used to walking + under 10, I definitely don’t recommend it. 

In any case, you are the best judge of what you can and cannot do with your children. So trust yourself, and avoid making a risky choice when kids are involved. 

What to pack for hiking to Cala Napoletana?

Here is a list of what should wear and bring with you to enjoy this hike and the beach: 

• Comfy hiking shoes
• Water (enough for both the hike and the time you will spend on the beach)
• Snacks and picnic
• Towel
• Umbrella
• Sun protection
• Snorkeling gear

As already said above, there are absolutely no amenities on the beach and no shade, so make sure to be well prepared and equipped.

New to hiking? Check out this post of the essential hiking gear.

Are there any rules to follow on Cala Napoletana?

Like in any other place in the middle of nature, there are minimum rules to follow to protect the environment:

1. ✅ Leave no trace on the way: take all your trash and items you came with back again with you. It is very important not to pollute and to leave your place clean as Cala Napoletana is not equipped with bins.
2. 🐕 No dogs: dogs aren’t allowed on Cala Napoletana. On the archipelago, Porto Palma beach is one of the only dog-friendly beaches.
3. 🔥 No barbecue: in general, avoid lighting a fire, even for a barbecue, in the middle of nature for obvious reasons.
4. ⛔️ Don’t take anything from the beach: it takes a lot of time for nature to create sand, corals, and everything. Stealing sand is considered a crime in Sardinia and can be fined up to 3,000€.

What to see after Cala Napoletana?

From this hike, you can reach other pretty coves which are Cala Caprarese, Punta Crucitta, and Cala Candeo.

Reaching Cala Caprarese and Punta Crucitta from this hike is quite easy as they are well signed. However, reaching Cala Candeo is more challenging as it will take much more time and the path is not well maintained. In any case, I don’t recommend going to a random place without checking the way in advance. 

Other beaches are easily and quickly accessible by car from Becco di Vela: Cala Garibaldi (10min), Spiaggia I due Mari (15min), and Spiaggia del Relitto (20min drive). 

For more beach recommendations on La Maddalena archipelago, check out this post

Visit Sardinia

Going to Sardinia? Here are further readings that will help you plan your trip to Sardinia: 

👉 Here is the main travel guide: 7 Days Itinerary in Sardinia (with free map)

If you are looking for Sardinia’s best beaches, here are other dedicated guides:

• All the Most Beautiful Beaches in Sardinia
• The Best Beaches on La Maddalena archipelago
• The Best Beaches in Northern Sardinia
• The Best Beaches in Southern Sardinia
• The Best Spots to Snorkeling Sardinia
• The Best Beaches Near Olbia

Also, find below my guides to discovering some of Sardinia’s best attractions: 

• The Best Things to Do in Olbia
• Visit Cala Goloritze in the Gulf of Orosei
• Visit Laveria Lamarmora
• Discovering Porto Flavia & Pan di Zucchero
• Visit the archeological site of Tharros
• Hiking Capo San Marco
• Visit Neptune’s Grotto
• Complete Guide to di Cala Li Cossi Beach

Finally, if you’re looking for a home base in Sardinia, you will find my best accommodation recommendations below:

• The Best Areas to Stay in Sardinia
• The Best Place to Stay in Sardinia for Couples
• The Best Places for Nightlife in Sardinia

I hope you have found everything you need to hike to Cala Napoletana; if you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.

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