Sardinia and Corsica

Public transportation on these two islands is limited, and not particularly useful for a tourist with little time. Both islands are lovely, but both are big (bigger than most first-time visitors think), it takes time to get around them (more time than most first-time visitors expect), and their attractions are widely scattered around. Unless you have a pretty long trip, or don't mind being confined to a small corner of one island, you are going to need a car.

Having been to both, I am convinced that trying to squeeze in a visit to one (or both) in just a few days as a side-trip from another country is a mistake (which it seems most American tourists try to do). Maybe just pick one?

How much time are you dedicating to Sicily? However much time that is, it would be a good starting point for either (not both). Sardinia is roughly the size of Sicily. Corsica is smaller (about 1/3 the size of Sicily) but both islands have road systems and geography that make for slow going.

Each island is worth some time, and I think either makes a great destination for a dedicated trip. I find it helpful to try not to think of them as some small island you can knock out in a couple of days. They're really more like separate countries (neither is completely happy to be part of Italy or France, they have been independent nations in the past and many people in both would like to be again).

Just my 2 cents.

Thank you so much for your input. I was thinking 7-10 days on each island . Since the major expense is air perhaps doing both islands Would be best.
I realize they are large and I’ve been reading about them. I was thinking Sardinia in the southeast and then hiring a driver to go to the northwest and then get the ferry to Corsica and do the same thing…just see a couple places and maybe return in the future…like a Hawaiian vacation …,,Did you have any favorite beach..,not too crowded and good snorkeling?

With 7-10 days for each island, and traveling from south-to-north along the eastern coasts, you could see a lot (you would get the east coast, which has some great stuff; but there's also great stuff on the west coasts and the interior, though that needs more time).

In terms of "beaches" we liked a lot of the west coasts (both islands). In Sardinia, there are lovely beaches in many places (we spent more time on the west coast there, too). The coast along the Gulfo di Orosei is spectacular, we loved Cala Gonone but there are many drool-worthy places. I also loved Cagliari in the south, and the La Maddalena archipelago in the northeast, among others. In Corsica, Bonifacio is wonderful.

In October, the water should still be warm enough for some swimming and snorkeling, though just barely - it won't be balmy. We swam in the first week of October (both islands, two separate trips) but the water was a little brisk. I'd say that in our experience, the seawater temps in October is starting to cool to enough that you may think twice about jumping in. Its refreshing initially but warm enough to still be good (though you probably won't want to be in the water for hours).

Plan your flights carefully: most flights are highly seasonal, and flight frequencies start dropping in late August, many peter out through September, by early October your flight options will dwindle. You can make things work, but do not assume all flights go all year round - some dry up completely, others drop to one or two days a week. There are multiple airports (again, scattered around both islands) but it's a bit to sort through. It's worth investigating the flights early in your planning, so you don't plan an itinerary that can't actually be done.

Lots to see and do there. You'll love it.

I agree with what David says above and will add that we normally take public transport on holiday but had to hire a car in both Corsica and Sardinia since there was so little public transport available.

Regarding the time of year, our visits to Corsica and Sardinia were both in late September. In Sardinia, by the end of our week the weather had really turned. Our last planned beach day was too cold to go to the beach (we sat on sun loungers wearing our jumpers) and the day we left was raining all day. On the other hand, we had pretty good weather our whole time in Corsica and it was warm enough to go in the water. All that is to say that once you get into late September and especially early October the weather can be very changeable, so it's a bit of a gamble on whether you'll be able to go to the beach or not, and you should probably have some alternative activities in mind as a back-up.

Our favourite beaches in Sardinia were Alghero and the Maddalena Islands, and in Corsica Porto Vecchio near Bonifacio.

David is absolutely right about many of the flights being seasonal- we flew home from Figari in Corsica on the last day of September (to London) and it was the last flight of the season.

Good luck with your planning!

I have the same cautions the others expressed, but there is some transit on Sardinia—perhaps you could cobble together a combo of train or bus for the long journeys (since you are transiting the entire island), just to save some money as a driver for the entire length of the island will be pretty expensive. Or, you could consider flying to Alghero, which I have heard repeatedly is the best place to be without a car with proximity for easy day trips (I focused on the east coast by car).

PS you posted in Beyond Europe and I think all the Sardinia fans found you, but you should post in the Italy and France pages too. Good luck!