When and How Long - Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily

Hi,

To me, Sicily is far more interesting than Sardinia and worth a two-week stay or more. The island is large, varied, stunningly scenic in many parts, and you can go island-hopping in the Eolian islands if you want.
Now, if you have three weeks on your hands, then yes, maybe you can hop over to Sardinia. Corsica would be more complicated due to the lack of direct connections between Sicily and Corsica (I'm actually not even sure such connections exist between Sicily and Sardinia, but I assume they are more likely).
Late March-April will be off-season in Sicily, definitely no swimming, but a good likelihood of nice weather regardless.

I'd say an absolute minimum of two weeks on each (three weeks per island would be better).

Corsica and Sardinia are much different than Sicily and much smaller. I spent 10 days exploring both islands (late September, early October) but would advise 14 days. That period is off-season, lodging prices go down substantially and hotels and restaurants are very happy to get your business. I rented a car in Cágliari drove up the East coast, took the ferry to Corsica and toured the island tip to tip ferrying back to Sardinia and driving down the west coast. Also went through some of the mountainous interior sections. Though it had none of the “wow” sites of Sicily, I thought it fantastic and will return.

Thanks for the replies. As I said, I've already spent almost two weeks in Sicily so don't feel the need to repeat all the major sites. This trip would just be to see the bits we didn't get to and to repeat a few places that we really enjoyed. That's why I'm saying a week. If it were a first trip then I totally agree you need close to two weeks or more.

Interesting that some people think Sardinia and Corsica 'need' two to three weeks each, yet other people enjoy going for just 5 days or so. I guess that's why I'm asking, to get other's opinions.

Philip - so you did both islands in a total of 10 days. Interesting idea to go up one side of both islands and back down the other ending up in your starting place. So did you just have one car for the whole time? No problem taking it on the ferry between Sardinia and Corsica?

SICILY:
Well, since you intend to visit limited places it is up to you. However the logistics to get to the Aeolian islands are such that you need to spend at least 4 nights in those islands. If you want to add Siracusa, maybe another 2 or 3 nights in Siracusa. The most logical airport in this case would be Catania. You might need a night or two in Catania after arrival and/or before departure, depending on the flight times. Going from Catania to the Aeolians might take the best part of the day (ferries are in Milazzo). Same story coming back. You do the math on how many total nights you need.

SARDINIA:
I’m not sure why someone wrote that Sardinia is much smaller than Sicily but it is not the case. Sardinia is nearly as big as Sicily (9,301 sq.mi. vs. 9,907sq.mi.). Since Sardinia has a less developed transportation infrastructure (both roads and rail), traveling in Sardinia will be more time consuming. A rental car is therefore a must. Sardinia does not have the richness of historical sights that Sicily has, but the natural beauty of the island is stunning, especially the sea, which is a scuba diver’s paradise. If you are interested in natural beauty you need at the very least a full week to see a small portion of it, for example the Maddalena Archipelago and the Gallura in the north (since you want to see Corsica). If you want to see the whole island then you need a lot longer because highways are mostly two lanes and curvy therefore it takes forever to go from place to place.

CORSICA:
Corsica is also a natural beauty. Just more lush and rugged than Sardinia. Same comments I made for Sardinia also apply here. You also need extra money because prices are at least 50% higher than Sardinia. 5 nights is the minimum I would plan to make it worthwhile, it you can keep busy for weeks if you want.

There are no direct links between Sicily and Sardinia therefore you’ll need a layover in the mainland (likely Rome).
There are also no direct air links between Sardinia and Corsica, however there is a car ferry that can shuttle you back and forth across the Bonifacio strait between Santa Teresa and Bonifacio. The 12 km ferry crossing takes about 45 min.
I don’t think there are non stop flights from Corsica to Italy, therefore plan to take the ferry back to Sardinia. Olbia is the best airport for northern Sardinia.

Hey Isabel! I rented one car from Europcar (through AutoEurope) in Cágliari and used it for the whole round trip. They said it was fine to take the car on the ferry to Corsica. PM me if you have any questions.