La Maddalena town is the only real settlement in the archipelago, a port of around 11,000 people clustered around a natural harbour on the south side of the main island. The waterfront — Via Amendola along the harbour — is pleasant for walking, with views across the channel to Palau and the Sardinian mainland. A small piazza a couple of streets back from the harbour is the social centre, ringed with bars and gelaterias.
The town is genuinely lived-in rather than a tourist set-piece. A morning fish market operates near the port; the streets behind the waterfront have butchers, bakers, and local shops that serve the resident population. The small Diocesan Museum has a collection of silver ecclesiastical objects given by Nelson — who used the harbour as a base for his Mediterranean fleet in 1804 — as well as local archaeological finds.