Population: 2,715
Altitude: 5 m. above sea level

Palau is a large tourist town on the northern-most tip of the Sardinian coast and stands in front of the archipelago of La Maddalena.

The tourist marina lies to the south of the berthing area reserved for the ferries to La Maddalena and during the summer months it abounds in boats of all shapes and sizes.

The town has grown considerably in recent years, with complexes of villas and apartment blocks springing up along the coast.


The most characteristic nucleus is Porto Raphael, built around a small beach which has been turned into a picturesque harbour, overlooked by elegant neo-Mediterranean architecture.

The renowned "Roccia dell'Orso" lies just a few kilometres from the town. It is an enormous granite boulder, shaped like a large plantigrade. This famous landmark, mentioned by Tolomeo in his "Geografia", rises up majestically from a rocky promontory and dominates one of the most beautiful panoramas in the Mediterranean, with the islands of Santo Stefano, La Maddalena, Caprera, and the splendid coastline stretching towards Palau.