Sardinia / Tropea / Ischia / or Elba>

We visited Sardinia about this time last year, as a side trip from rainy London. We were going for food, a religious festival, and archaeological sights, not beach time, but we did get as far north as Bosa, which has massive surfing waves, not relaxing swimming waters. This was in April, of course, so maybe that’s a seasonal thing, and there weren’t a ton of people, but it looked like there were condos that could’ve handled more visitors.

I understand that popular beaches are farther north and northeast, but I can’t provide any personal observations about relaxation potential, or crowds. We flew to/from Cagliari, and rented a car. I understand there are good beaches on the south end of Sardinia, southeast of Cagliari, but, again, didn’t go there on this trip.

I’ve been to Sicily three times, and now Sardinia once, but not yet to any of the other three places you mention in the title.

All those places are awesome, so this is really about logistics. Which one can you get to and from that will fit into your very specific itinerary?
I would have put that time in Calabria since you are passing through en route to Sicily.
Scope out all of the transport options to see what stands out as maximizing your time and minimizing the back and forth. For example, to go to Elba, you would need to get to the ferry port (Piombino is the one I know, perhaps there are others). You would likely want a car there. Definitely you would want a car on Sardinia (there you have three airports to check).

What time of year are you planning to go?
You are moving around a lot which for me would mean time wasted travelling which could be spent relaxing.....
It's difficult to give advice without knowing when you are travelling however, of the places you mention -
Forget Isola d'Elba, the logistics of getting there by public transport are too complicated.
Tropea makes sense on the way between Amalfia and Taormina but I've never been so I can't advise about water/beach.
Ischia will be the most crowded of the places you mention.
Sardinia offers a lot of superb beaches and sea. If you fly into Cagliari look at the area of Villasimius for example, or Cala Brandinchi/Lu Impostu if you fly into Olbia, from Olbia it's easy to get a ferry to Genova. But there are hundreds iof beaches in Sardinia which are fantastic - you really need a car in Sardinia though.
Also bear in mind there are wonderful beaches/sea in Sicily too - Mondello beach of Palermo (will be busy), San Vito lo Capo is fantastic,
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2019/02/west-coast-sicily-day-9-san-vito-lo.html
or if you like rocks and swimming off rocks the island of Favignana (ferry from Trapani). The sea of Marina di Ragusa is also lovely and you could visit some Baroque towns like Modica, Ragusa, Scicli, too......

Thank you Tinac

I’m very tempted to scrap Sicily and or Amalfi and re- do that part.

We are going in June.
I don’t mind a few last minute changes.

☺️

*ps..

I’m now thinking the following - and to scrap Amalfi and Sicily.. as stunning as they are will be too much travel-
Updated
Rome 5 days
Sardinia 6 days or Ligurian coast 6 days
South of France- 7 days
Tuscany 12 days*

We spent a week in Sardinia last August. Our first priority was beach. My wife and kids made it a must. I grew up in a small beach town north of San Diego, so I am a bit fussy about going to the beach. I loved it, and am planning to go back.

A few things, yes you will need a car. Bosa was really lovely, and the sea was calm during our visit. The Sinis penisula is amazing, beach, nature and history.

Look at flying into Alghero, it is as very nice.

Posted a trip report: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-sardinia-august-24th-to-31st-part-1

On a personal note, the family wanted beach, but I put the condition that it be on the westside. I have found that seeing the sun rise out of the ocean gives me a slightly uneasy feeling. For me, the always went into the ocean.

I'm always happy when I read about Tropea. Whatever you do, you have to try Tropea's excellent red onions. For me, there are hardly any better onions. https://iitalycalabria.com/tropea/tropea-red-onion/

Hi, your updated itinerary looks good to me - although it very much depends on your travel style, I know I am slow!
As for choosing between ligurian coast and Sardinia:
In favour of Liguria - places like Portovenere, Lerici, Cinque Terre etc are stunning and since you are eliminating Amalfi coast you would get the 'picturesque fishing village on the coast' effect which doesn't exist in Sardinia. It would also be more simple - you just stop between Rome and south of France, easy to get to by train, minimum transport hassle/time wasted. However Liguria, and the relatively small beaches will already be very busy indeed, even in June.
In favour of Sardinia - there are beaches and sea that are absolutely stunning, June there will still be some green Mediterranean vegetation and while it will already be a bit busy it won't be packed. There's also simply a lot more space.....I always find coastal towns in Liguria a bit squashed between the sea, the train line, the hills behind, a lot of people, cars difficult to park in narrow streets. Sardinia is much wilder (depends on where you are obviously). Sardinia would also be a very different environment from South of France where you are going after whereas Liguria is more similar. This is our trip report from northern Sardinia in May last year to give you some ideas.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2024/07/sardinia-in-may-trip-report.html

Sounds a bit chaotic, as if you asked chatgpt for the best places in Italy. I would skip Elba. Ischia is nice also because of the thermal baths. Otherwise, the water is still cool in the Mediterranean in June. Tropea and Sardinia have nice clear water. Taormina is the town from the movie with the romantic music? If I were you, I would stay a little longer in Rome and not hop around like that. I would prefer Sardinia to the Ligurian coast. Personally, I prefer the north of Sardinia, Olbia or Alghero - depending on what flights are available. You need a rental car in Sardinia, but also on the Ligurian coast.

Got killer rental houses to recco in both Ischia plus Tropea. They are both really good, def Top Five rentals from all our experience.
If Amalfi returns to your itinerary, maybe consider Minori as a base? Great food town plus less commercially overrun than many of its more famous neighbors.
Provence works well as its own self-contained itinerary. Not sure that one would want to mix it with too much elsewhere.
Best of Luck.
I am done. The end.

Thank you so much,
Tinac, be-Rome, Mignon, Greg all fabulous insights and advice….☺️🙏

We have decided to keep a couple of options open, and doing a last minute decision while we are there, pending on how we are feeling, crowds and weather. Has anybody got insight into how the water temp is in Sardinia in June?

Has anybody here done by the fly last minute bookings? There seems to be a lot avaiable for next month. You know that feeling when your in a place and you wish you could stay longer..We’ll thought we would give that a go as well, by have some free days in between.
Sardinia and Ischia both sound lovely, so i guess if we decided to do a short Amalfi stop, then we would do Ischia…
But if we don’t and stay in Rome, then we fly to Sardinia.

Either way sounds good to me.

Just finished 8 days of touring Sardinia. If all you want is beach time then the northeastern resorts are probably you best choice. We did have a great beach experience in Cala Gonone, which does have beaches in town and all day excursions to 3 beaches and going into sea caves ( pick a smaller 12 person boat tour) there is much hiking in the nearby mountains and a couple of fantastic agriturismos in the area. The area east of Cagliari is also popular. It will be hot and busy in June but you'll probably enjoy the cooler water then.

You might also look at the north coast of Sicily, Cefalu area, for beach time. Sandy beaches and some hotels on the beach

Thank you friends lots for all the wonderful tips. Yes Sardinia sounds perfect Sicily would be amazing as well, unfortunately we had to scratch that one off the list as it was getting a bit too much travel.

👋😍

Hi,

Your itinerary sounds incredible. A few thoughts:

• Regarding your Amalfi Coast plans, between Minori and Cetara, I'd recommend basing yourself in Minori. It's a charming town with more activities and amenities. Cetara is quite small and can be easily visited on a day trip. If you do, make sure to dine at Punto e Pasta.

• I think Sardinia fits your goals really well—especially if you’re after turquoise waters, fewer crowds, and a relaxed rhythm before the next leg of your journey. If you're leaning toward heading to Genoa by ferry afterward, it’s good to know that the two Sardinian ports offering direct ferry routes to Genoa are Olbia and Porto Torres. So it might be worth organizing your stay around those areas—both have gorgeous beaches nearby and a relaxed vibe, especially outside the main resort zones.
  If you're booking the ferry, here's the main route info for convenience: https://www.ferryhopper.com/en/ferry-routes/direct/genoa-sardinia

We absolutely adored Sardinia. We drove around the whole island which took just over 3 weeks. The beaches are spectacular and the weather could not have been better September/October. We especially loved taking day trips on boats, stopping for snorkeling and swimming. Some were all day with a meal served. There are so many lovely beaches. We booked mainly nice hotels with a pool (quite reasonable) and a few Airbnbs. The food was spectacular, especially loved a restaurant in Palau, the Clams with pasta and bottarga was outstanding. Took walking history tours of a few of the towns. Driving was pretty easy, even through the winding, mountain roads. No crowds or hordes of tourists. You would love it!!

Thank you so much guys really wonderful stories and super helpful tips.🙏☺️

Sardinia sounds incredible. I would say that will be the perfect relaxing destination for us.

So far we are looking like -
Rome 4-5 days
Amalfi will stay in Minori 2-3 days ( yet to decide if want to add this in at the last minute)
Sardinia - 7 days
Genoa area - 4 days
Provence- 5 days
Tuscany-12 days