Hello all,
I'm in the preliminary stages of planning a 3 week trip flying into Paris and out of Nice in October 2023 for my husband and I. This will be my 4th trip to Paris, his second. We went to Nice together for the first time in October 2021 and loved it. We want to focus the bulk of our time on this trip on Corsica (neither of us have been there yet), our trip in 2021 was focused on the Provence and Cote d'Azur areas. We are both active in our 30s-40s and enjoy history, the outdoors (hiking, swimming, boating), and especially great wine, food and cooking. I am not a fan of 1-2 night stays, I prefer to use a place as a homebase and day trip from there. I was able to do that easily in Provence using St Remy de Provence as our homebase, but it seems a little more challenging to do that on Corsica based on maps that I'm looking at and feedback I've read on roads and driving in Corsica. As for places to stay, I love B&B's because they're typically cozier and more personalized but hotels are good too and with this length of trip I will typically look for a stay or two at a B&B or self-accomodating flat (e.g., AirBnB) that has a laundry option. So recommendations are welcome.
Here is the itinerary that I've put together so far and I would love some feedback, especially where I might be able to use a place as a homebase to explore nearby areas.
4 nights - Paris
2 nights - Bastia - planning to fly from Orly to Bastia and spend 2 nights here so that we have 1 full day to explore the town
1 night - Macinnagio or nearby - We'd like to drive Cap Corse as it's supposed to be one of the most beautiful drives in the world. I like to stop frequently along the way to see sites, check out towns, walk on the beach, etc. So my thought it to pickup a car and do 1/2 the drive the first day, spending the night about midway. I'm thinking Macinnagio because we could possibly hike the customs officer trail from there to Barcaggio and take the boat back to Macinnagio for the evening, assuming boats are running this time of year.
3 nights - Saint Florent - we will complete the west side of the Cap Corse drive and stop at the viewpoint of the Mattei Mill, Centuri, Pino to visit the Marina di Scalo, the Minerviu hamlet and its mausoleum, Canari and its breathtaking view from the Belvedere or clock tower, Nonza, Farinole (good place for swim break), and Patrimonio. My thought is Saint Florent as the stopping point here for a few nights but maybe Patrimonio would be better? I would like to do a wine tour of the Patrimonio wine region while here.
3 nights - Ajaccio - From Saint Florent we'll drive to Ajaccio and spend 3 nights. I'd like to do a cruise to the Sanguinaires Islands from here if they're running.
3 nights - Bonifacio - We'll drive from Ajaccio to Bonifacio stopping at Filitosa enroute as a sort of day trip.
2 nights - Corte - We'll drive from Bonifacio to Corte stopping enroute at either (1) Bergeries de Grotelle and hike to Lac de Melo and Lac de Capitello (almost 2 miles 1 way) or (2) Park near Col de Vizzavona and hike to ruins of Fort de Vizzavona and on to Cascade des Anglais (waterfall and pools) 1.9 mile loop trail. We could skip Corte and instead go up the east coast of Corsica through Porto Vecchio and up to Aleria for 2 nights instead. I just thought that it might be nice to see some of the mountainous interior while we're there since the rest of the time we're on the coast.
4 nights - Nice - We'll leave Corte in the morning and drive to Bastia where we'll drop the car and fly to Nice. After 4 nights in Nice we'll fly home to Portland, OR.
That's what I have put together so far. And yes I realize Sardinia is an easy ferry from Bonifacio but I feel like there's not enough time to do both justice on this trip. I'd like to save Sardinia for another trip focusing on that island.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions!