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In this text, I’ll examine Sicily vs Sardinia and clarify what every island is nice for, in addition to what’s one of the best island to go to in Italy (should you’re selecting between Sardinia and Sicily). We went to Sicily in early October and to Sardinia in July, so the experiences have been comparable; nonetheless, it wasn’t that sizzling in Sicily anymore (but, swimming was attainable).
Without additional ado, let’s get began!
Sicily – one of the best island in Italy for historical past/structure
The greatest time to go to Sicily
As I discussed earlier than, we had a chance to go to Sicily in early October. The climate was terrific, nonetheless, we had one wet day, which we spent exploring the countryside and the outlet. The remaining 7 days have been wonderful. It wasn’t too sizzling, and the temperatures day-after-day have been between 25 and 28 levels, which is greater than bearable; it’s truly fairly nice! Yet, it was attainable to swim, because the water temperature within the sea was round 21-23 levels.
Sicily will get very popular in summer time, and whereas it might have been higher to spend time on the seashores and swimming, it might have additionally been difficult to really do any sightseeing with that climate. I might in all probability suggest heading to Sicily in the midst of September – that means, you might have even fewer possibilities of dangerous climate and the water temperature could be hotter.
However, not like many islands in Italy, Sicily can be nice for visiting low season. There are a variety of issues to see and do, and it’s a phenomenal place for sightseeing. You can spend a number of weeks there and wouldn’t even get bored with no need to go to swim. More importantly, life doesn’t cease in Sicily in winter – it’s a big island the place folks depart all 12 months lengthy, so that you received’t see closed companies and empty accommodations low season in giant cities in Sicily!
What is there to see in Sicily?
Sicily is totally gorgeous! We spent 8 days driving across the island, and it wasn’t sufficient! We might solely see round 30% of the principle highlights of Sicily. For us, essentially the most spectacular cities have been Taormina, Cefalu, Syracuse and Catania! Palermo was additionally exceptional, however not as nice as Catania, in my view. There are a variety of archaeological ruins, stunning cathedrals, gorgeous palaces in Sicily. You can take excursions, e.g. the excursions that convey you to the highest of Etna volcano (which is an lively volcano, by the way in which) or a Godfather-themed tour within the Sicilian countryside.
Sicilian meals can be wonderful – there’s a large number of dishes and the components are contemporary and really scrumptious. I like to recommend taking this Palermo avenue meals tasting tour as you’ll uncover so many distinctive dishes and meals along with your information!
Check our itinerary for a 7-day highway journey round Sicily >>>
The cons of Sicily
Even although we cherished Sicily, there are some things that may allow you to down slightly bit. First of all, it’s security. Lots of people are afraid of the mafia in Sicily, however what try to be cautious of are automotive thieves and pickpocketers. Some automotive businesses will advise you in opposition to staying in a single day or leaving your automotive in Catania or Palermo due to accidents that they had with their automobiles prior to now. I can’t communicate from expertise as a result of nothing ever occurred to us, however these feedback made us a bit uneasy!
Walking at evening on small streets in Palermo or Catania may also really feel slightly too dangerous due to that, so I might suggest being cautious and utilizing roads the place there are lots of people. In smaller cities, it’s not the identical, for instance, Taormina felt very protected, and so did the Old city of Syracuse!
Sardinia – one of the best island for scenic seashores and swimming
The greatest time to go to Sardinia
We went to Sardinia in July, and it was great! However, I did discover it slightly too sizzling, particularly on some days, when the temperatures reached 38 levels. We have been in Northern Sardinia, which is one of the best area for pure magnificence and seashores and we didn’t do a variety of sightseeing just because there isn’t that a lot sightseeing to do in North Sardinia.
However, if we have been to return to North Sardinia, I might in all probability go there early or mid-September, as some days have been genuinely too sizzling even to be on the seaside below an umbrella!
What is there to do in Sardinia?
North Sardinia isn’t one of the best place for sightseeing (not like Sicily), nevertheless it’s an exquisite vacation spot for a seaside vacation because it has a few of the most stunning seashores in Europe. There are some pretty stunning cities in Sardinia as properly (Alghero, Cagliari), however the majority of cities in Sardinia should not very spectacular.
Food in Sardinia is nice as properly! In my opinion, one of the best factor to do in Sardinia is to drive round and discover essentially the most stunning seashores and eat in pretty genuine eating places! If you come to the South of Sardinia, you are able to do a bit extra sightseeing, however one of the best seashores are positively within the North!
If you journey to Sardinia low season, particularly to smaller cities within the North of the island, you’ll discover all the pieces closed low season!
Read our itinerary for a 4-day highway journey round North Sardinia >>
The cons of Sardinia
For us, the principle draw back of Sardinia would in all probability be the shortage of gorgeous cities and cities, certain, Alghero could be very fairly, however not as fairly as most locations in Sicily. Moreover, locations like Olbia (learn my put up about Olbia) are fairly unimpressive and didn’t really feel very protected at evening both.
Sicily vs Sardinia – what’s one of the best giant island in Italy?
Finally, should you solely want to decide on one place and it’s worthwhile to select between Sardinia and Sicily as a vacation spot to your journey to Italy, it actually is dependent upon the time of the 12 months and what you’re on the lookout for. If you’re travelling low season and have over 3 days, I might positively suggest Sicily, as there are such a lot of issues to do!
In case you’re travelling in the course of the excessive season and you’ve got a variety of time, I like to recommend Sicily – you’ll be able to simply discover actions for your entire length of your journey. If you might have a variety of time there, you may also sail to a few of the most stunning miniature islands situated near Trapani – it’s a paradise to swim there.
If you solely have 3-7 days and also you’re on the lookout for a soothing vacation spot the place you wish to swim on gorgeous seashores, drink nice Italian wine and eat scrumptious seafood, I like to recommend Northern Sardinia. The seashores we noticed in North Sardinia are among the many greatest in Europe, if not one of the best! Some of one of the best seashores in Sardinia are Spiaggia de Rena Blanca in Santa Teresa Gallura and La Pelosa (it’s worthwhile to e book it upfront although) close to Spuntino!
Summary of Sardinia vs Sicily
Alright, we efficiently in contrast Sicily vs Sardinia, and hopefully, you already know a bit extra about these two islands now and may make an knowledgeable resolution about the place to go subsequent. Both islands are distinctive and distinctive! It simply actually is dependent upon what you’re on the lookout for – if it’s nice seashores, then head to North Sardinia. If you’re on the lookout for sightseeing, nature, meals and a little bit of swimming as properly – then Sicily could be a greater choice!
Some different posts you would possibly like:
Ischia – the culinary paradise vacation spot of Italy
The greatest seashores close to Pisa, Florence and Cinque Terre