Cruising to Malta, Sardinia and Corsica

MY HUSBAND AND I ARE CRUISING IN AND OUT OF VENICE IN MAY AND WOULD LIKE TO VISIT MALTA, SARDINIA AND CORSICA. IS THERE A CRUISE OR A TOUR, OR IS IT EASY TO TRAVEL INDEPENDENTLY TO ALL THREE?

P. HOWES, NORTH AVOCA

The only tour I can find to these three islands is from US-based Academy Travel but only one tour is scheduled for this year, in September, and it seems unlikely that any tour in 2017 would fit with your cruise. It's also expensive at $US$8450 per person for the 16-day trip. I can't find a cruise that will take you to just these islands and no other ports but it's not too difficult to hop between the three. If you were to do this at the end of your cruise, you could fly from Venice to Malta with Alitalia. This is a one-stop flight via Rome but at 3 hours 40 minutes it's not too painful. After exploring Malta you could fly via Rome to Cagliari, at the southern end of Sardinia, hire a car and drive slowly north, then return the vehicle in Santa Teresa Galiura Torres in the north of Sardinia and take the ferry to Bonifacio in the south of Corsica and continue your northward journey.

If you'd prefer to take a tour there are several British-based tour operators that combine Sardinia and Corsica. The list includes Saga Holidays travel.saga.co.uk, Leger Holidays leger.co.uk, Great Rail Journeys greatrail.com and Travelsphere travelsphere.co.uk.