By Air

Corsica has four airports: Ajaccio and Bastia handle most of the island’s air traffic, while Calvi and Figari are smaller airports that handle the rest of the island’s flights. Air service to the island is limited to Air France and its Corsican subsidiary CCM Airlines, but travellers can fly on a number of major and low-cost carriers to Sardinia and then take the ferry from there. All airports are located within a few kilometres of urban centres and getting into town is easy using road transport options, which are available from the terminal.

By Ferry

More than half of all visitors to Corsica arrive by boat on both passenger and car ferries from Italy and France. SNCM’s Ferryterranée handles most of the travel to Corsica from Marseille, Nice and Toulon. Corsica Ferries also offers travel from Nice. Ticket costs vary with the seasons, with the lowest rates available from October to May. Fares can triple in July and August, when advance reservation is a must for all ferry journeys; berths and car spaces can be completely booked up by early February.

Nearest to Italy, Bastia handles about two-thirds of the island's maritime traffic, with the bulk of the remaining ferry traffic arriving at Ajaccio. Other ports on the island include Calvi, Ile-Rousse, Bonifacio and Propriano.

Taking a hydrofoil, the fastest trip is Nice to Calvi, which take less than 3 hours, while the Nice to Ajaccio journey takes 4 hours. On normal ferries, the Nice to Bastia trip takes six hours and it takes 12 hours from Marseille to Porto Vecchio.

Four ferries run week per week from Marseilles to Ajaccio and Bastia, and there is one weekly trip to L'Île Rousse and Propriano. Four other ferries run per week from Toulon to Ajaccio, Bastia and Propriano, with many more services sailing from Nice to Ajaccio and Bastia. The Nice to Calvi or L'Île Rousse trips run five times a week.

Les Calanques de Piana

One of the most spectacular natural landscapes in Corsica, here cliffs of red granite, worn over the years by wind and water, have been carved into bizarre and spiky shapes. With the deep blue sea below, these natural, multi-coloured minarets stand 300 metres tall.

Parc Naturel

Spanning 3,300 square kilometres, Parc Naturel Régional de Corse, situated in the heart of the island, near Corse city, holds hundreds of walking and hiking trails. The park is home to the main mountain peaks in Corsica, reaching up to 2,710 metres high. In some places, the mountains overlook glacial lakes including Mount Retondo. GR20 is the most famous trail, a beautiful 210km long path that can take up to two weeks to walk from end to end. Of course, shorter trails weave all across the park and refuges are well-placed for the weary.

Filitosa

This landmark area is home to some of the earliest evidence of man in Europe and a stroll in its grounds will put you back in time. The statues standing here date back as far as 6600 BC, the early neolithic era, but the prehistoric site also holds impressive granite statues of armed men from the megalithic era as well as torri, circular structures erected by the seafarers who invaded Corsica around 110 BC.

Citadel of Bonifacio

Overlooking the Mediterranean from 70 metres high atop a rock promontory, the citadel of Bonifacio offers sweeping views of the sea. Below this fortress town, white limestone cliffs plunge down into the sea. On clear days, the south side gives a view of Sardinia, 12kms away.

Col de Bavella

The road runs northeast through fine scenery (remains of a Roman road) to the pass (1,243 m/4,078ft), from which there are breathtaking views of the extensive forests and fertile plains, the sea to the east and the mountains to the north and west.

Information not available

January - February -> 3(°C) - Winter
July - August -> 28(°C) - Summer

Advertisement