I am going on a guided birding trip to France next May. It begins in Lyon and ends in Bastia, Corsica. We are responsible for getting ourselves from home to Lyon and from Bastia to home. I live in a U.S. city that has no direct flights to or from either city, and not all that many flights to France other than Paris. The tour company has added another trip that does the itinerary in reverse. My plan is to spend 2-3 weeks in France (before or) after with a rental car. I have until tomorrow (Oct 27) to decide if I want to switch to the Bastia-to-Lyon itinerary. I'm thinking that it might be more convenient to end up in Lyon, as then I will have more travel options, especially for getting and returning a rental car. (If I ended in Bastia, I'd originally thought of taking the ferry to Marseille and getting the car there). I was also going to try to talk a friend into going on a Viking cruise that begins in Lyon later on the day we'd finish there with the birding group. So...long story a bit shorter, it looks like I'd have to fly into Marseille, get myself from the airport to the ferry port, then take the ferry to Ajaccio and get from the ferry terminal to a rental car agency. This sounds complicated. I would have taken it in my stride in my 20s. Has anyone driven in Corsica? I was thinking maybe 3 days with a car. On the trip, we are only doing the Asco Valley. So what's there to do and see on Corsica? Looks like a paradise for a nature-and scenery-lover (which I am), but the roads all look exceedingly winding and high. Not that I particularly mind a dangerous drive, but getting anywhere could take much longer than I think. Beaches are out, because it'll be too early in the season. Has anyone done the Megaliths of Cauria, or the boat to Scandola and Les Calanches di Piana? The roads to and from Porto, to catch the boat, look very intimidating. Am I just barking up the wrong tree here? Should I just take the ferry from Marseille to Bastia and meet the group, without doing extra days in Corsica? (Or just do mainland France first, start the birding trip in Lyon, let the tour company get me to Corsica and get myself home from Bastia?). I've read the railway journey(s) in Corsica is/are very scenic, but I watched a Youtube video that didn't look all that enthralling. I love scenic train trips, so that might be the way to get around Corsica from Ajaccio to Bastia, but I do not pack lightly, so getting off and on the train for 2-3 days might be an issue. Sorry for the very lengthy post. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Posted by
Sweden
6470 posts
Ajaccio is a small town and ferries dock in the city centre, so getting from the port to a rental car agency and then drive to Bastia sounds too complicated in my opinion. It would be much easier to just walk from the ferry to the railway station (≈350 m) and take the train to Bastia. Or just take a ferry direct to Bastia from Marseille (or Nice, or Genoa).
Bastia also has an airport. In the summer there are direct flights between Bastia and many large European hubs, so you could also fly there. Even if May is considered low season, there are year round flights to Paris.
The train is a good way to explore the scenery on the island. Base yourself in Bastia and do day trips is my suggestion. And reconsider what you actually need to bring with you. This article might also be of interest: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20111215-corsica-by-breathtaking-and-bumpy-train
Posted by
OP
San Antonio, TX, USA
37 posts
Thanks! That's a good idea to base myself in Bastia and do day trips by train, if possible. I'd end up missing a lot of the detail (towns, attractions), but would see the scenery with minimal effort. I bring a lot of clothes on my trips because they tend to be long (this one will be 5-6 weeks total in France), I never know what the weather will be like at varying elevations and in different climatic zones (of which France has many), even in Apr-May, and I hate doing laundry on trips (bad experience in Honfleur, just as an example) or buying overpriced clothes while traveling.
Posted by
Portland, OR, USA
124 posts
I'm planning on doing Corsica myself and have received the advice not to do the ferry but to fly instead. There are easy quick flights between Marseille and Bastia or Ajaccio. I've heard ferry ride is 5+ hours which is a lot of time when time is limited and I'd rather be sight-seeing. This is the mode of transportation I'm planning on myself for getting there.
Posted by
Portland, OR, USA
124 posts
Forgot to add - regarding laundry - I am not a light packer either and struggle with this. For this reason, I work an AirBnB flat with a washing machine into my itinerary every 5 days or so. (We usually go for 3 weeks at a time.) I can run a load of laundry in the morning while we're eating breakfast and hang it to dry while we're out and about each day. I've done this in France and Italy and it works very well. Plus it's nice having a flat all to ourselves for a few days - saves money in preparing our own meals and nice for just relaxing in the evenings. In both France and Italy, though, it's hard to find a place with a dryer - lots of washing machines but few dryers. All have clotheslines though for air drying. You can find similar rental options through VRBO and other sites too.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10245 posts
Go to the website for Bastia airport ( aéroport in French). They have listed all their direct flight cities. There are dozens, including both Paris Orly and Paris Charles de Gaulle.
Only one airport outside of Paris has ever had direct flights from the US. That was a seasonal NY-Nice flight by Delta. It's the same for many, many of us: we have to take connecting flights (or a train) in both the US and France to reach our destinations, if the destination is outside the Paris region. This is normal.
Posted by
752 posts
My reply may come too late for your deadline, but from a birding point of view I’d take the earliest Bastia to Lyon itinerary. You will see a greater variety of migrating birds earlier, as they pause en route to different European countries.
Having taken the ferry from Marseille in the past, I’d definitely vote for flying. I also have driven most of the island: the east side is easy. The west side more convoluted, but spectacular. Corsica has some excellent wineries to visit, perhaps your tour will include this?