Car Rental Dilema in Corsica - Sept 2025

It sounds like this is part of a longer trip. Where will you be before and after Corsica? That will have an impact on what parts of Corsica are easiest to reach. And I really don't think that the difference in water temperature will be noticeable between the north and south part of the island, it's not that large after all. Local conditions will be more important. And what are your plans for the visit? What do you want to see and do apart from snorkelling?

And don't rent a SUV, an estate car will in general give you more interior space. And Bastia and Ajaccio can be good bases that are connected by train, but it also depends a bit on what your plans are.

Corsica is lovely (was there in September), but I think you have some non-trivial things that are working against your hopes & aspirations.

About that car. I would suggest you first do a reality check on how large a vehicle you are going to need for 5 adults and their luggage. I'm skeptical that any "small-ish" SUV will be adequate (I own a small-ish SUV and drive it every day; I also recently looked into getting a car for 4 adults and baggage for a trip to Europe next year; the other couple eventually bailed on the plan, which is good, because I was having trouble finding a car that would fit all 4 of us and our bags comfortably). Rather than an SUV (of any size) see if you can get an "estate car". I found locating one was not easy, though I did find one, but that was on the Italian mainland. It might be more iffy in Corsica, but I'd definitely try (I would stay away from any SUV, five of you will not be having fun in one of those). Also worth noting: you can try to reserve a car with auto transmission, but it's generally not something that is an iron-clad guarantee, you get what they have. It's also true that many (most?) rental cars do have auto transmission these days, but stick shifts do still exist.

There is no place in Europe (or the world) where your luggage is absolutely "safe" while in a parked car. We all struggle with this, everywhere we go. Do your best, but try very hard not to leave valuables that would be hard to replace in any parked car (includes the street in front of my home in Seattle).

About your itinerary. Trying to squeeze this all in (both "north and south") is going to be hard with just "9-10 nights total". How many full, usable days do you really have, not counting your arrival or departure days? Maybe 8? Be brutally honest with yourself. With the time you have, you are going to need to make some painful choices (you say "north and south" but honestly, I found the west coast utterly spectacular - look: Corsica's Beautiful West Coast). Personally, I don't think Corsica works well as a quickie side-trip, it deserves more time (at least 2 full weeks). But if you only have 8-9 days, then you have to make painful choices.

Water temps probably won't be very different wherever you go. In mid-September this year, we found the water "cool" for our tastes but not intolerable - a bit of a shock when first entering, OK for some limited swimming. We brought snorkel gear but never felt like it was worth bothering with. There were just too many scenic things to see and do, we had to make a point of just going swimming (and we are avid divers/snorkelers). YMMV.

About your bases: Bonifacio is the obvious choice for the south end. There is no single, equivalent, obvious base for "the north". We flew in to Bastia and flew out from Calvi. We based in Saint Florent, Calvi, Piana, Ajaccio, Porto Pollo, and Bonifacio. If you just need to pick someplace in the northern half of the island for a "base" we liked both Saint Florent and Calvi. You might also like Lille-Rousse, which we only stopped at briefly (but it seemed pleasant enough).

We typically enjoy a leisure pace taking in sights, sounds, tastes,
views, water and land outdoor experiences.

Respectfully, I'm not confident that your plan (both "north and south" with "9-10 nights total") is going to allow you the necessary time to enjoy the leisurely pace that you are hoping for. If you want that relaxed pace, I'd pick just one chunk of the island, not two at opposite ends. I suspect that for most visitors with limited time, Bonifacio would be the best place to base yourself. From there, if you really wanted to see more of Corsica, you could make a couple day trips up/down the west or east coasts or into the interior.

There is a LOT to see. The travelers' usual dilemma (the "iron triangle" of scope/speed/quality....you get to pick just two, or allow more time). Hope that helps.

I have been doing lots of research and thinking...We have decided to tour the north and west coast of Corsica with a car or SUV. The plan is to fly into Calvi for 5 nights, then make our way down the west coast(perhaps stay in Cargese, Porto, or Ota and finish in Ajaccio with a flight back to Mainland France from there. We are hoping to have 3 areas maximum as a home base with our 9-10 night stay.
As much as possible we plan to do day trips from our base, thereby having our luggage at the accommodation and freeing up space in the vehicle. Hopefully we do not have to travel much with luggage on our laps! We do not want to get a large vehicle.