Sardinia & Corsica Discovery

Arrive in Cagliari, in the south of Sardinia. You will be collected at the airport and transferred to our start hotel in the city. The remainder of today is free for you to head out and explore the city.

Tuck into breakfast at the hotel before you meet our tour guide in the lobby. We then embark together on a 3-hour walking tour through the streets of Sardinia's capital. We explore each of Cagliari's three historic neighbourhoods, Castello, Stampace and Marina, taking in many of the city's highlights along the way. Admire the Bastion of Saint-Remy, which dates back to 1896. See the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the Elephant Tower, a medieval fortification built to try and repel the Aragonese invasion of 1323.

The afternoon is at leisure. You could head to the coast for a stroll, or grab your beach towel and enjoy a few hours of sunbathing at Poetto Beach, which is also located near the city's historic Roman Amphitheatre.

Cagliari - Oristano - Tinnura - Bosa - Alghero. Today we begin our journey north, exploring some of Sardinia's most captivating destinations en route. In Oristano, we visit the cathedral and the town square, and learn more about how the town's history is intertwined with the Phoenicians and a national heroine, Eleonora de Arborea.

In the tiny village of Tinnura, there is time to enjoy the murals painted mainly by Pina Monne, which decorate many of the buildings here. We then drive to Bosa, where we enjoy a delicious local lunch. After we've eaten, we explore the town, nestled on the banks of the Temo River. See the medieval Castle of Serravalle and enjoy some leisure time to browse the town's boutique shops. Arriving in the north-western city of Alghero, the evening is at leisure.

We start today with a walking tour through the historic centre of Alghero. Once forming a part of the Crown of Aragon, the nickname 'Barceloneta' is still used for the city today. We will meander through the Old Town, protected by coastal walls. Admire pretty courtyards and historic medieval palaces and churches, not to mention splendid views of the coast and the beaches which wind along it. Lunch is included today at a charming estate with a wonderful view of the surrounding area.

After our tour, we enjoy a panoramic drive along the coast to reach Capo Caccia Natural Reserve. There's time for a walk, during which we can admire the view of the coast and lighthouse, before returning to Alghero for the evening.

Alghero - Castelsardo - Tempio Pausania - Palau. Heading north-east today, our first stop is the coastal town of Castelsardo near the 'Costa Paradiso'. This area is renowned for its beautiful wild beaches and rugged landscapes. The houses in Castelsardo are nestled between the sea and the town's hilltop castle, and we will explore the historic centre during our visit.

Our next stop is the small town of Tempio Pausania, where we enjoy some free time to explore. Then it's on to the Galluras Museum in Luras. This small local history museum is privately owned and we have the privilege of being guided by the owner himself. We then complete our drive to Palau on the island's northern tip.

Enjoy some leisure time this morning to soak up some Sardinian sunshine by the pool. At around midday we'll head to a charming rural estate in the Gallura region, where we enjoy a delicious included meal. Afterwards we take a scenic drive along the Costa Smeralda, stopping to explore the small hamlets of Porto Rotondo and Porto Cervo. Returning to Palau, your final evening in Sardinia is at leisure.

Palau - Porto Vecchio (Corsica, France). It's Arrivederci to Sardinia and Bonjour to Corsica this morning as we take the ferry across the Strait of Bonifacioto to Corsica, a gorgeous French island in the Mediterranean. On arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel in the pretty coastal town of Porto Vecchio. There's free time before we meet our tour leader for the next part of our journey, and there's an included group dinner at the hotel tonight.

Porto Vecchio - Bonifacio - Porto Vecchio. Today we head to the clifftop town of Bonifacio, home to a well-preserved medieval citadel and offering sweeping views of the coast. On an included city tour, we ride the tourist train through the upper town and you can find a local restaurant to enjoy lunch at leisure. We also take an included boat ride to discover the rugged cliffs of Fazio and Paraguano and some of the sea caves that dot the coast. We also admire the old town of Bonifacio from the water and see the King of Aragon's staircase before returning to Porto Vecchio.

Porto Vecchio - Sartene - Ajaccio. Departing Porto Vecchio after breakfast, we visit Sartene, a typically Corsican town home to beautiful stone houses. Along the way we pass the Gulf of Valinco and Olmeto, the village where the heroine of Prosper Merimee, lived. We arrive in Ajaccio, capital of the French island, and can take in the Genoese Quarter and the Renaissance cathedral where Napoleon was baptized. We enjoy an included lunch today and then continue to Cours Grandval, Place Austerlitz, and the Pointe de la Parata, which offers a view of the famous Sanguinaires Islands. Returning to Ajaccio, we check into our hotel and the rest of the day is at leisure.

Ajaccio - Piana - Gulf of Porto - Ajaccio. On today's day trip we head first to the village of Cargese, founded in 1770 as a colony for Greeks from the Peloponnese. We also visit the pretty village of Piana, famous for its numerous coastal calanques (narrow inlets), sculpted by erosion. We take in the Gulf of Porto and enjoy a boat tour (weather conditions permitting) to see some of these beautiful calanques and to admire the coastline and turquoise waters of the Gulf of Porto. We return to Ajaccio for the night.

Ajaccio - Corte - Bastia. Our first stop today is the former Corsican capital of Corte, today a thriving university town. We can see the town's citadel, perched high above the town on a precarious clifftop. We explore Corte aboard the tourist train and enjoy an included lunch before continuing to the town of Bastia. There's free time here to head out and explore at your own pace, and dinner tonight is included at the hotel.

Bastia - Calvi - Bastia. We explore Calvi today, widely believed to have been the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. This town was loyal to the Genoese for many centuries. We enjoy included wine tasting at a local winery and there is free time for lunch before we continue our excursion to some of the villages of Balagne. These coastal clifftop villages are Corsica at its prettiest. We'll see Lumio, Cateri, San-Antonio, Pigna and Corbara before returning to Bastia for the night.

You didn't think we would spend three nights in Bastia without taking in the sights, did you? The capital of upper Corsica, we have time to take in the historic old port, cobbled streets and Place St Nicholas. Next, we're exploring the Cap Corse Peninsula. Highlights of this pretty strip of land include the village of Erbalunga and the renowned pilgrimage site of Lavasina. We will enjoy free time for lunch before continuing our excursion to Sisco, Luri and Nonza with its pretty main square and tower. After our guided excursion of the peninsula, we return to Bastia for our final night.

Tuck into a final breakfast at the hotel before our touring arrangements come to an end.