Both! But if you have to choose and are having a tough time deciding between these two island paradises let me break it down for you here. 

Food 

You really can’t go wrong with either location for food choices but being different regions of Italy, they specialise in different variations of Italian cuisine. Sardinia is known for its seafood dishes, hearty roasted meats and pastas such as Malloreddus alla Campidanese and Culurgiones – a potato and mint filled pasta dumpling. As well as the (in) famous casu marzu cheese which is now only available on the cheese black market due to a recent banning by the European Union. If you fancy the sound of it, I’ll let you read all about casu marzu from a legit cheese expert.

Sicily is known for its seafood, caponata, pasta all norma and some of their more famous exports arancini (deep fried risotto balls) and cannoli (deep fried pastry tubes filled with ricotta).

It is hard to split the two on food so it comes down to personally preferences with this one, I loved the food at both destinations but being of Sicilian heritage, and quite the fan of anything deep fried, I lean towards the food of Sicily. 

Location 

Both islands are located off the coast of Italy, with Sicily located at the more southern end of the boot shaped country. Both locations are accessible by plane relatively easily from within Italy, with Sardinia being closer to Rome. Both are relatively close to Naples so if you’re planning on visiting the Amalfi Coast, they’re both easily accessible from there. 

Both islands have direct routes from other countries in the European Union as well so it shouldn’t be a hassle flying in from international destinations.

They’re both accessible by ferries, so it all depends on budget and time. Rome to Rio is a great resource to balance out cost and time with these two locations. 

Transportation 

Both Sardinia and Sicily have a public transport system but unless you are basing yourself in one of the main cities and not planning on moving around at all, hiring a small car for both areas is recommended.

Sicily felt a little easier to base yourself in a main holiday area, such as Palermo, without the need to move around too much. However, with the exception of Cagliari, Sardinia felt a touch more remote and you’ll definitely need a car to visit the beaches. Sicily is worth hiring a car too so you can visit Mt Etna and to move between beaches easily enough. 

Beaches 

Speaking of beaches, Sicily has some beautiful locations including Cefalu, Mondello and Tonnara di Scopello to name a few. We stayed at Cefalu and had access to a private beach with our hotel.

Sardinia on the other hand we divided our time between Cagliari and San Teodoro on the emerald coast. Meaning we had access to Northern beaches such as Spiaggia del Principe, La Pelosa Stintino as well as access to the Archipalego islands. Further down the coast near Cagliari we had the choice of Tuerredda, Villasimius as well as the Costa Rei coastline.

My personal favourite was Spiaggia Del Principe for it’s stunning beauty but Spiaggia Di Costa Rei is worth a mention as it was less busy than other areas meaning it is easy to rent an umbrella and makes for a very serene swimming location.

While both stunning I don’t think I’ll ever forget the piercing blue seas and striking emerald waters of Sardinia. Although you do have to hike down some rocky terrains and bring basically everything with you as it’s far more remote than Sicily, it’s still worth it. 

Accommodation options 

Both islands had a fair amount of choices in the main areas but depending on where you want to stay I felt Sardinia accommodation seemed to sell out faster than Sicily. However both are beach locations in Europe so if you’re planning on visiting in the European summer than you’ll need to book well in advance. In terms of the quality of the hotels we stayed in resort style and they were all high in quality. See a quick snapshot below of where we stayed:

• San Teodoro, Sardinia – Hotel Costa Caddu has views of the ocean, a villa style resort which has a large pool area and bar (and they make the best Aeperol Spritz’ here!), a function hall so there are weddings and we heard our fair share of drunken Despacito renditions, close proximity to city centre with dining and shopping options. The rooms were clean and had private balconies and there was a car park for guests. There is a fitness centre and spa available for ultimate relaxation
• Cagliari, Sardinia – The T Hotel in Cagliari was modern and comfortable, there was a great bar and outside restaurant and it was really close to the city centre. The rooms were contemporary and the hotel has undercover parking located across the road from the property.
• Cefalu, Sicily – Le callette felt like it was carved into the side of a cliff with two levels of private ocean access in a little protected cove – all with lounge, umbrella and bar service. They also had a pretty decent sized pool. It has four restaurants, a spa and fitness area, and car parking on site. The room options vary between suites, villas and rooms and our standard room was comfortable and great quality and located close to the swimming pool but it wasn’t noisy.

All of these options were on moderate to pricy side of the scale but if you are looking for resort style options in a beach destination I believe these were good value for money.

Things to do 

In Sardinia our primary focus was on exploring the beaches and surrounding islands. However their quaint city centres did offer the typical Italian Cathedrals, parks, museums and small boutique shopping.

In Sicily we split our time between beach hopping and site seeing. Mount Etna being one of their major drawcards, it’s actually one of the world’s most active volcanos. It is stunning in comparison to the coastal destinations with contrasting black volcanic ash. Sicily also offers up ruins and archaeological sites that rival Rome, steeped in Greek architecture. There’s plenty of cathedrals and museums to visit as well as a variety of shopping options.

I’d say if you are after more than just a beach than Sicily has the better range of things to do outside of swimming. 

Overall 

If you had to choose between the two it would largely depend on the type of holiday you are after. If you are looking for purely beach and relaxation Sardinia is beautiful and could be the place for you! But if you want a slight bit more variance between beach and activities, and the chance to see an active volcano – Sicily has it all!