Corsica

Hi,

Going from France to Corsica can be done by ferry from Toulon. It's the same route Napoleon and his family had to take when they were compelled to leave the island. I would recommend seeing, obviously, Ajaccio.

The Michelin Green Guide for Corsica only comes in French, but you can get some abbreviated info online in English. I would get one of their driving maps (whether in advance or buy it there).

Lonely Planet doesn't have separate guidebook for Corsica but you can buy just that chapter as a PDF for $4.50.

Also, should we focus on the north or south or could we visit both areas in 6-7 days? Thanks.

Last fall I spent time on Sardinia and ferried to Corsica for five days. I arrived at the port in Bonifaccio and drove up the east coast of the island through Porto Vecchio, Lecci and Aleria where I turned inland to Corte. The southeast coast was not very interesting to me. Corte was really the start of my visit. That night I arrived at my hotel (Best Western which was charmless but,convenient) in Bastia. Had a great meal of moules and frites at the Café de la Paix on the blvd. Charles de Gaulle overlooking the port.

Next day was spent driving anti clockwise around Cap Corse. A spectacular drive. Again, the east coast was not as challenging or interesting as the west side of the island. I drove all the way out to the extreme northern tip, to the small town of Barcaggio. If you elect to go there be aware that the road is two way and barely one lane wide with lots of turns and elevation changes. You would be on the D80 and just before Botticella you'd turn onto the D253. It's an exhilarating ride. I then went west thru town and took the D153 back to the D80. Then it's further west, visiting the Moulin Mattie, slowly heading south with the fantastic views as you round every curve. I stopped for a good pizza in Marine d'Albo at the Bar de la Marine. Very small town with a beautiful beach. Then south through Nona to Saint Florent and then back to Bastia via Patrimonio. It was a leisurely and satisfying one day drive. That night I had a great Moroccan resto called La Medina in Bastia.

Next day was the southwest trip through the mountains to Porto on the west coast - a beautiful marine sanctuary with water activities, rock climbing and another nice beach. The center of town is very touristy. My hotel, Logis la Lonca, was out of the crowds but near everything and provided free parking. For a quick lunch check Le Cigale across the road from the two supermarkets. For a wonderful dinner experience, try the authentic Sardinian food at Restaurant Le Moulin a little southeast of town on the D84. The trip across the island on the D84 takes you from sea level up through the magnificent mountains, through ever changing forests and then back down to sea level. Just before getting to Porto, you'll go through the pretty town of Evisa (worth a stop) and if you enjoyed the road to Barcaggio, detour off to the D124 to go through Coa and then into Porto. Or drive straight thru to
Porto and then take a day trip to visit Coa and Elisa and visit the calanques.

Leaving early the next morning, I drove through Piana where you can marvel at some of the calanques from the roadway. Then, driving the D81, you'll arrive in Ajaccio. I arrived on a Wednesday and the market was in full swing. How I wish I could shop there once a week! After a few hours, I headed south again through Propriano and Sartene and back to the port at Bonifacio. There are a multitude of restaurants on the quay and all seemed busy with great food and reasonable prices. Bonifacio is a great town to walk from the quay up to the fortress make sure you take one of the boat trips that leave from its busy harbor. The view from the sea is outstanding. I stayed at the the Hotel Residence du Centre Nautique and had a spacious two bed, two bath suite with living room on the floor below. No a/c when I visited but it was cool and didn't need any.

Corsica is a small island but driving times are deceptive because of the winding roads and elevation changes. I used my iPhone for mapping and downloaded the Corsica map in Google Maps because cell reception can be sporadic in some remote areas. I wish I had spent one more day there but I had a great time. There are some guides offered on Amazon. I pulled everything I could out of the library and extrapolated what I wanted. You can also Google for on line sites and info. The only guide I took was the Corsica section of Lonely Planet France which you can download on line.

PM me if you you have any questions. Bon voyage!

Philip,

Thanks for our incredibly thorough reply. Greatly appreciated. It's exactly the type of information we were looking for.

Philip,

How many days were you there in all? Thanks.

André

Thinking about the following itinerary for 7 days:
Fly into Bastia
Bastia and Cap Corse
Saint Florent and Désert des Agriates
Ile Rousse/ Sant Antonio / Pigna
Calvi
Piana/ Porto / Réserve de Scandola
Ajaccio
Fly back to Paris
Does this sound like too much? If so, what would you cut out?
Thanks

We would also love to go kayaking on this trip. Any favorite spot(s)?

I arrived on the 7 AM ferry from Santa Teresa di Gallura on Sunday, October 25th (spectacular sunrise) and returned from Bonifacio to Santa Teresa on the 5 PM ferry on Thursday October 29th. So I had basically 5 full days on Corsica.

I remember kayaking trips available in Bonifacio and St. Florent. I'm sure there are other areas as well. The area around Porto seemed to have a lot of tours and water-related activities. If you check with your hotels before hand or with local TI's, I'm sure you'll locate some.

Regarding your itinerary, realize that Corsica is a small island with small cities. You list the following:

Saint Florent and Désert des Agriates,
Ile Rousse/ Sant Antonio / Pigna,
Calvi

I think devoting less time to this area and visiting Corte in the middle of the island and Bonifacio and its chalk cliffs, fortress and beautiful harbor at the southern tip would be my choice. I would drive from Bastia to Corte (1 hr 15 min) spend a few hours and then head to Bonifacio for the night. Arriving there in late afternoon, you'd be able to take a boat tour, visit the fortress and perhaps go kayaking the next morning. I would then drive north to Ajacio and complete your journey by going clockwise back to Bastia for your return to Paris.

Philipp, thanks again for your recommendations.