I will be headed to Corsica from Nice. Does anyone have a suggestion on where to base ourselves. We will be flying. In my research, it seems there are more options in Ajaccio, but I could have it wrong. We do not plan to rent a car and it seems that public transportation is limited on the island. Does anyone have driver/guide/agency to recommend for getting around the island?
We will be traveling next May so lots of time to work this out.
Thanks to all for your recommendations and thoughts.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
13 posts
Hi Lin — We just returned from 10 fantastic days in Corsica without a rental car. We also traveled from Nice and had a smooth travel experience with Air Corsica.
We started in Ajaccio and then took the train to Corte. From there, we hired a taxi to take us to Bonifacio. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend our specific driver, but I do know it will cost you about €380 for that drive no matter who you choose and then it cost us another €80 from the port of Bonifacio to the airport. (We hate driving so we tend to budget for a driver!)
We absolutely loved our time there and felt like it was three distinct holidays because the bases were so different from each other. We also could have continued north from Corte — that would have been easier to do with the train. Next time…
I will say we heard a lot less English on this trip than on mainland France and relied heavily on my husband’s language skills. Also — cash is still king in Corsica. Happy to answer any other questions you have; we used the Eye Witness Corsica book for planning and read lots of restaurant/hotel reviews on google maps.
Posted by
Le Parc, Cavalaire-Sur-Mer. & Granville
16 posts
I've been visiting Corsica for the past 30 years, and I've changed bases many of these times. I think without a car it's best to stick to Ajaccio or even Bastia, as they have the best links around the island, especially since you are travelling out of season so many tourist oriented shuttles won't be in operation. Both are wonderful places, I think it's up to personal preference. A quick google can help choosing which one seems more for you. I personally preferred Bastia, but Ajaccio feels smaller.
Posted by
OP
Hill Country
55 posts
Many many thanks for your thoughts/suggestions. Neither of us speak French so we would be relying on the google translator. I do not know if we are biting off more than we can chew in this situation. Do you have any cruise operators out of Ajaccio that have English speaking narrations that you could recommend? I have spent a lot of time researching this point and it seems difficult to find. I guess we could just go and enjoy the visuals without knowing specifics.
Again, many thanks.
Posted by
Le Parc, Cavalaire-Sur-Mer. & Granville
16 posts
I have done many excursions from both, but I'm a native frenchman so don't need any translations. However, some were excellent and I'll still check if any have english options :).