Arrival and getting around Corsica
Arrival and getting around Corsica, to prepare his stay in Corsica
– HOW TO ARRIVAL IN CORSICA ?
It's not an easy place to get to because : windy weather and from the first sunny days there are hordes of tourists, prices are high (but falling) and despite all this, Corsica is still worth a trip.The easiest and certainly the cheapest way to travel from the mainland and Italy is to sail by day.
You can see the magnificent Corsican coastline and that you arrive practically in the town centre.
Ferries :
At present there are shipping companies to choose from : CORSICA Linea or Corsica Ferries, Moby Lines.
La Méridionale, Marseille's historic shipping company, also provides a daily ferry service between Marseille and Corsica.
Its mixed fleet of manageably-sized ships (Piana, Kalliste, Girolata) serves Ajaccio and Porto-Vecchio.
Since 2017, La Méridionale has been award the prestigious Travellers' Choice label by Tripadvisor for the high quality of its services…
See our detailed maps of ferries en Corse.
Air transport :
Except for LowCost Compagnies if you book early, flights are still quite expensive, and from most airports there is practically no other way to get into town apart from renting a car..
Moreover, few transports, but Car Rentals, are planed in the airports to link up the big towns.
4 airports serve it :
– Bastia-Poretta
РAjaccio-Napol̩on Bonaparte
– Calvi Sainte Catherine
– Figari Sud Corse
-WHEN TO GO?
That is easy: the most agreeable periods (the least crowded and least expensive) are from May to June and September to October.
In July/August, on the other hand, accommodation is up to 5 times more expensive and means of transport are crowded; as almost 75% of all tourists come during this period, many places are as overrun as the Cote d'Azur.
But if this is the only time you can come, take a cruise around (if you can afford it): to go round Corsica by boat for motor boat or in Sailing Boat: no accommodation problems, no overcrowded beaches; instead, secluded coves and breathtaking landscapes.
During the winter season, the crowds are gone, but so are the hoteliers! So outside the bigger towns, it is quite difficult to find any accommodation.
– ARRIVAL IN CORSICA
The best way to travel on a first visit is by car. Even if the Corsican roads are, to say the least, full of curves, the distances are short and you can discover many different régions.
If you want to have a “folkloristic” adventure, take a trip on the “Trinichellu” train . This is certainly not a TGV (high-speed train): the trip from Ajaccio to Bastia and from Calvi to Bastia takes about 3 hrs, and from Calvi to Ajaccio about 6 hrs. This gives you plenty of time to admire the marvellous scenery of the interior of the island, and discover Ponte-Leccia, the main «railway junction» of Corsica, where at times you might be delayed for several hours.
Unfortunately there is no longer a train to Bonifacio and Porto Vecchio. Since the 2nd World War, when the western railway line was destroyed, the southern most part of the island is no longer connected to the Corsican railway system. There have been plans to reopen it, but that could take some time…
