SARDINIA + CORSICA + "THIRD TERRITORY" OF YOUR CHOICE - ITINERARY PLANNING
HOW IT ALL BEGAN? WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION?
Do you relate with a place you see on social media and you can't
believe it's true?
One of those places so perfect that you think it's fake or too much instagram filter?
The place I am talking about is in the photo
below: Spiaggia Thaiti in Caprera, Sardinia.
Spiaggia Thaiti - Caprera Island (Sardinia)
For a travel lover, a place like this becomes an immediate “obsession”.
You start to fantasize about your presence in that place....you surf the internet to check if the place is really all that....you start to voraciously read blog posts about the place...
After all,
how to turn this dream into reality?
Lavezzi Island - Corsica
Then, after
a quick search, confirming the expectation, you immediately put the place on
your famous travel "bucket list".
Then, you start to analyze the price of the plane tickets, run simulations on google flights
(https://www.google.com/flights) and crazily begin to assess whether such a
"dream" should or MUST come true.
My
"homemade" video, in loco, of Spaggia Thaiti
It is all about dreaming and planning, right??!!
By the way,
this is not the first time that this immediate fascination has happened to me 😜😜😎.
Happened in Zakynthos (post here)...happened in Kefalonia (post here)... happened on the Amalfi Coast (post here)...on the Romantic Route in Germany (post here), in Malta (post here), in Sicily (post here), in Menorca/Mallorca (post here) and dozens of other trips of this blog.
And I
certainly still hope it will happen in many other places. 🙏🙏🙏
After all, I really believe that our souls feed on new cultures, new places and new ways of reinventing life.
It's like Mario Quintana once said: "travelling is like changing the layers of your soul".... do you agree?
So, before
you make excuses saying things like: "ah, but it's too expensive",
"that's not for me", "it's only for those with
money", "I'll never take a trip like that" etc... .think twice!!
Really think twice!!!
If you plan
well, control your expenses, everything ends up fitting in your pocket (GUARANTEE!!).
And I really enjoy planning trips....
I think it's my eternal engineering side that
enjoys managing "projects"...😎
If you think about it, planning a trip is like managing a "complex" project, but the final result is not money, it's culture and pure pleasure!!! 😎🙏🙌🙌
Jokes aside, the fact is that we start travelling when we start planning, when we start learning the culture of the country and the places to be visited.
Sardinian
sea - believe it!!
They hit me one of those states
of perplexity in the best style...WOW!!! 😱
What the f.u.c.k.!!!
I want to swim in these waters, I want to LIVE in this place, even if it's just for the few days of my vacation!
Cala
Brandinchi with Isla Tavolara and my wife 💕😍in the background - Sardinia
Curiously, days after I started thinking about the planning, there was a program on the local TV showing the beauties of CORSICA: sea and mountains in one place!!! Too top! LOVE at first sight!
Ok, that´s it....now I am ready!!
Itinerary decided: SARDINIA + CORSICA... and what happens along the way (stopovers... or
that third territory in the title of the post) is a bonus.
Time to put the plan in practice.
The two
islands are huge. I only had 15 full days of vacation.
There wouldn't
be enough time to know/visit everything.
I studied
the two islands, the various ways to get there, the main attractions and I started to put
together a route to my liking.
Inevitably, I prioritized the "MUST SEE" attractions and made a point of exploring all the places I had seen in the videos/photos that had fascinated and motivated me on this trip.
Obviously, I would like to stay longer on each island, but as vacation time was reduced, I had to make a super special "gourmet tasting menu"😎🙌
Bonifacio -
Citadel - Corsica
The idea of this post is, therefore, to let you know the motivation through some photos and to familiarize yourself a little bit with the planning, okay?
I'm going to detail each area of both islands (Sardinia and Corsica) in isolated posts to make the reading smoother, okay?
So, after a brief analysis of the region's geography and the flight options, I soon realized that, unlike small Greek islands like Mykonos (post here) and Santorini (post here), Zakynthos etc., the two islands (Sardinia and Corsica) in this journey were gigantic and therefore deserved 15 days (or more), but on each one.
Unfortunately,
as I had 15 days to visit both islands, for logistical and geographic reasons,
I preferred to stay in the north/northeastern part of Sardinia and in the
southern part of Corsica. Looking at the map below, with the points I visited
marked in red, you can get an idea.
Don't worry about zooming in because I'll detail each region in more detail in individual posts.
See the map below (from the excellent maps.me app)
Here is the maps.me link containing a map in kmz format for you to load to your mobile mapsme app.
MY FINAL ITINERARY LOOKED LIKE THIS:
DAY 1 -
MILAN
DAY 2 -
OLBIA (BEACHES OF THE EMERALD COAST - PART 1)
DAY 3 -
OLBIA (BOAT TOUR - GOLFO DI OROSEI)
DAY 4 -
OLBIA (BEACHES OF THE EMERALD COAST - PART 2)
DAY 5 -
ARCHIPELAGO LA MADDALENA AND ISOLA CAPRERA (PARADISE BEACHES)
DAY 6 - LA
MADDALENA ARCHIPELAGO - BOAT TRIP
DAY 7 -
OLBIA (BEACHES OF THE EMERALD COAST - PART 3)
DAY 8 -
SARDINIA FERRY --> CORSICA AND VARIOUS TOURS IN BONIFACIO
DAY 9 -
LAVEZZI ISLANDS AND BONIFACIO SURROUNDINGS
DAY 10 -
PORTO VECCHIO, ZONZA AND PEAKS OF BAVELLA
DAY 11 -
BRUZZI (hiking), RONDINARA BEACHES, PALOMBAGGIA
DAY 12 - SOLENZARA
WATERFALLS
DAY 13 -
AJACCIO
DAY 14 -
BRUSSELS
DAY 15 -
BRUGGE
DETAILED POSTS FROM EACH PLACE:
Sardinia
deserves four posts:
POST 1 -
SARDINIA (ESMERALD COAST): link here
POST 2 -
SARDINIA (GOLFO DI OROSEI): link here
POST 3 -
SARDINIA (ARCHIPELAGO LA MADDALENA) link here
POST 4 -
SARDINIA (SOUTHERN OLBIA) link here
Corsica
deserves three posts:
POST 5 -
CORSICA (BONIFACE AND LAVEZZI ISLANDS): link here
POST 6 -
CORSICA (MOUNTAINS AND WATERFALLS): link here
POST 7 -
CORSICA (BRUZZI, PORTO VECCHIO AND AJACCIO): link here
Belgium has two posts:
POST 8 -
BRUSSELS (BRUSSELS): link here
POST 9 -
BRUSSELS (BRUGES): link here
HOW TO GET THERE
From
Brazil (my home country), there are no direct flights to the two islands. 😕
You can
arrive to Corsica (generally coming from France) or Sardinia (coming from
Italy or Barcelona in Spain).
From almost every country in Europe there are direct flights to the main airports in Corsica (Figari, Ajaccio and Bastia) and Sardinia (Alghero, Olbia and Cagliari). However, from France, Italy or Spain, due to the geographic proximity, there are always very convenient and frequent low-cost flights during the medium and high season.
In my case,
I chose to arrive in Sardinia first and then go to Corsica by ferry.
I flew Rio de Janeiro -
Milan (Milano, Italy) and then I took a low-cost flight (40 Euros) from the company Air
Meridiana (daily flight from June to September) to Olbia, as my focus was on
the northeast part (Costa Smeralda) of the island (please, see map above).
But, in my research, I noticed that there were also cheap flights from Rome, Paris and Barcelona.
In summary, choose the city where you want to make your first
pitstop and "buon viaggio" or "bon voyage". 😀😀😀
WHEN TO GO
Unless you
have no choice, avoid July and August, the peak season in Europe. Prices will
be more expensive (hotel, car, attractions, food, etc.), the sun will be
scorching and the beaches will be crowded, which means traffic on the islands,
parking difficulties, inflated prices and the famous "crowd" that
"steals" the beauty of some places.
My personal tip: go
in June or September, perfect months, as it will be hot but not suffocating,
the daylight will be longer (dusk around 9:00 pm), prices will be reasonable,
there will be several free attractions (festivals and fairs) on the streets
and, most importantly, the islands will not be "crowded", capisce?😎😁
Bruzzi - Corsica
May and October are good months as second options. They lose to June and September, because they are a little colder....and you'll want to take several dips at the sea, right? 😎😁
March,
April, November and December only if you don't even think about beach,
okay?
WHERE TO STAY IN SARDINIA AND CORSICA
Car rental
to move around the islands is inevitable. So, if you want to save some money, you
don't need to stay on the edge of the beach or in the more expensive areas,
which are:
- Porto Cervo, Porto Rotondo on the Emerald Coast - Sardinia; and
- Porto Vecchio in Corsica.
- Corsica is generally slightly more expensive than Sardinia.
Bonifacio from the sea - Corsica
In short,
set up a base (or more bases) in a medium-size hotel, in a strategic location
on each island, according to your itinerary and your budget, and use a lot the flexibility of your rental car.
In Sardinia, due to my itinerary, I set up two bases: one in Olbia and another in La Maddalena Archipelago. Analyzing my intinerary above, you will better understand the selection of the bases.
I chose to
set up one base in Olbia, as this city has great infrastructure, good restaurants,
summer fairs and is strategically located halfway between the Golfo di Orosei
(an unforgettable boat trip I wanted to take!!) and the beautiful beaches of the Costa
Smeralda.
In Olbia, I
stayed in a very good hotel, with a nice breakfast (link hotel Grand President Olbia).
It wasn't so cheap, but here I "opened my wallet a little bit"😅 , because I wanted comfort (not
luxury!) and the hotel was conveniently close to the airport.
In La
Maddalena, I stayed in a very functional hotel (Excelsior hotel link), on the
port side. Cheap, good breakfast and ideal in terms of location to walk around the
archipelago's main bars/restaurants and to rent a boat to go around the different islands
that make up the archipelago.
Cala
Moresca - Sardinia
In Corsica,
also due to my itinerary, I set up three bases: one to the south, in Bonifacio,
another to the southeast, near the luxurious city of Porto Vecchio and another
in the southwest, in Ajaccio, from where I took my flight out of the island.
In
Bonifacio, we stayed at a hotel (Best Western Bonifacio) very close to the
port, for obvious reasons (we arrived by ferry, without a car). The hotel was very nice and covenient, as it was close to the boat departure for the trip to the Lavezzi Islands
and close to the ascent to the upper city (citadel). Breakfast was not included,
but the hotel was very close to good food markets and restaurants along the harbor.
Ajaccio - Corsica (land of Napoleon)
Porto
Vecchio (PV) is very expensive!! So, we looked for a more family-friendly hotel
(maison tavolara), AirBnb style and B&B style , close to Porto Vecchio and avoiding
the high prices of Corsica. Family hotel, with great hosts who gave very good tips
for many local tours. It was a perfect base for trips to the mountains of Zonza, Bavella,
the waterfalls of Solenzara and the beaches of the southeastern coast of
Corsica.
Finally, in
Ajaccio, we took an Airbnb-style hotel (Chambres Hotes Wagram). The idea here
was just a cheap place with parking to get to know the
capital of Corsica (Ajaccio - land of Napoleon), and leave the next day.
HOW TO MOVE IN SARDINIA AND CORSICA
Car! Car!
Car!
In terms of
getting around, I've already mentioned the importance of having a car on both
islands.
In my case,
I drove about 500km on each island and didn't even notice. 🙈😎
Of course,
if you rent from your home country in advance, you can get better prices.
I saw some
municipal buses circulating through the bigger cities (Olbia, Palau, Ajaccio),
but, honestly, I didn't notice if they reached the most hidden beaches. I
believe that if you are unable to travel by car, the ideal is to make private
transfers from your hotel to the points you want to visit.
About the car rental, be careful when driving on the islands, especially in Corsica,
as there are some winding routes in narrow streets that can become dangerous
due to some careless drivers. Don't forget there are other tourists, looking at
GPS, maps etc. among local, often impatient, drivers. Nothing much different in relation
to the traffic in big cities, but it's worth the extra attention tip.
Costa
Smeralda - Sardinia
In
Sardinia, I picked up and dropped off the car at Olbia airport.
In Corsica,
I took the car at Figari airport (30 minutes from Bonifacio) and returned it in
Ajaccio.
Ferry and Bus
Olbia --> car to Palau-->ferry-->La Maddalena-->ferry--> car to Olbia
I took the ferry in two moments. To go to la Maddalena archipelago and to go to Corsica.
To get to
the La Maddalena archipelago, you take the ferry from Palau, a city north of
the Costa Smeralda. I took the rental car on the ferry, because I would need it
to move around in the archipelago and go to Caprera Island. I paid 44 euros for the ferry (car + two adults), round trip, in June 2017. 20min stretch. You pay on the
spot and you don't need to book (at least in June), as there are many schedule options.
Ferry Sites
(Palau - archipelago):
(http://www.maddalenalines.it/
or http://www.delcomar.it/)
Streets of
the Archipelago of La Maddalena
Olbia
--> bus --> Santa Tereza Gallura
I also went to Corsica by ferry.
Boats depart from Santa Tereza Gallura (STG).
Since I didn't want to take the car from Sardinia to Corsica (dropoff fees would be very expensive - changing countries!!) and I couldn't return the car in Santa Tereza Gallura (STG), I had to return the car where I picked it up (at Olbia airport) and from there I took a comfortable bus to STG (http://www.gruppoturmotravel.com/Linea-Olbia-STeresa-Estiva.php).
The bus was quite good, touristic type, big luggage rack and cost only 7 euros per person (1h30
journey).
Ferry from Santa Tereza Gallura to Bonifacio
STG -->
ferry --> Bonifacio
The ferry from Santa Tereza Gallura to Bonifácio cost 50 euros, for a couple, without a car. One way. A little expensive, but not so much since it was an international trip between Italy (Sardinia) and France (Corsica) 😀😀
The route
took 50 minutes and offered a beautiful view when leaving STG and arriving in
Bonifácio. In June, you don't need to book, especially if you don't have a car.
Ferry
Websites:
http://www.mobylines.com/routes/corsica/ferry-santa-teresa-bonifacio.html
or
View of Bonifácio at dusk
That´s it, folks!
This was the trip planning "motivational" post.
The photos
illustrate some of this motivation.
The details were just to show how you can, with planning, make a memorable trip possible.
Now, if you want to know better each paradise on this trip and you liked the "provocative" photos above, click on the respective post links and embark with me on this dream trip.
To simplify
the follow-up of the trip and not make the posts too long, I divided them
for easier reading.
In the
meantime, you should start planning your trip...you deserve it!
Ah... if
you need any specific tips, feel free to contact me, okay?
If you
liked the tips, please, hit the like button, leave your comment and recommend the post to your friends, because
this amateur " travel blogger", someday, still intends to transform the
hobby, that is, "pleasure" into "business"😎😃
If you want to follow the release of new posts, just like the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DicasDeViagemBlogLeoViajandao/
Hugs and kisses,
Leo from Brazil
Gulf of
Orosei - Cala Gonone
DETAILED POSTS FROM EACH PLACE
Sardinia deserves four posts:
POST 1 - SARDINIA (ESMERALD COAST): link here
POST 2 - SARDINIA (GOLFO DI OROSEI): link here
POST 3 - SARDINIA (ARCHIPELAGO LA MADDALENA) link here
POST 4 - SARDINIA (SOUTHERN OLBIA) link here
Corsica deserves three posts:
POST 5 - CORSICA (BONIFACE AND LAVEZZI ISLANDS): link here
POST 6 - CORSICA (MOUNTAINS AND WATERFALLS): link here
POST 7 - CORSICA (BRUZZI, PORTO VECCHIO AND AJACCIO): link here
Brussels will have two posts:
POST 8 - BRUSSELS (BRUSSELS): link here
POST 9 - BRUSSELS (BRUGES): link here
Brussels -
Brussels - Grand Place
