Travel Answers

Hello!
Id like to walk the famous gr20 track but I probably wont be able to spend 15 days for walking so I have to decide which part of it to take, northen or southen. I was thinking of walking the northen part from Calenzana to Vizzavona.
1. Has anyone taken it? How was it? Difficoulty in a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 is a walk on a beach and 10 is the hardest track one can imagine?
2. How many refuges were there? Can you camp on the track?
3. What about food? Is it best to take lyophilisated food or can you buy some food in small villages on the track
4. Im planning to go there in september, is it a good time?
5. How to get there the cheapest way? Plane/ferry/car/train? (excluding hitchhiking)
Thanks for your help! :)

I would like to spend a few days in Corsica, but will not have a car. Any suggestions as to what I should see, when is the best month to go, how long I should spend there etc.? Approximate times between destinations by bus would also be helpful. Should I take the ferry from Nice, and if so, where is the best place to arrive in Corsisca?

I looked for options to get from Nice ferry in Porto Vecchio. I found only in Marseille-Porto Vecchio.

I've just booked to camp in a campervan in Corsica (down the road from Aleria in what is a naturist campsite during the warmer months of the year, but is a regular campsite with the added bonus of an onsite spa this time of the year!). My questions are many, but mainly: 1. I want to swim. I keep hearing the water will be too cold, but will it really be cold, cold or just med cold? (I swim in the English Channel in December usually, as a barometer) 2. Has anyone else stayed at this campsite: reviews? 3. What is there to do in Corsica as a single female in November - is it safe to hike alone, etc? 4. Is it expensive to buy food (from supermarkets) in Corsica? I only ask this as I'm coming from mainland France and so have an opportunity to stock up before I set sail if necessary. Any other tips or advice would be greatfully appreciated! Thanks, Dee.

Is the tourist train active? When we were there in May 2011 it was not. Can someone update us on the status? Thank you.

I am having hard time finding car rental companies in Bonifacio. We would need to return the car in Bastia airport. It looks like there are some options in Figari aiport, but there is no bus service from Bonifacio to Figari. Ideally, would like to rent a car in Bonifacio after arriving on a ferry from Sardinia. Anybody knows of local companies? (looks like Europcar has an office there but they don't have a drop-off location in Bastia airport). Appreciate the info!

Am planning a 2-week vacation to Europe over X'mas to early Jan, inclusive of 5-6 day perhaps snowboarding in Les Arcs (France). Am thinking of going to Corsica to visit friends for a few days : - Any thing to do/see there over X'mas/winter? - Presumably I can fly there from either Paris or Milan airport? - What about Sardinia, easy to get there? Any point in going there over X'mas? Understandably some parts of Europe do get quite sleepy over winter/Xmas especially the non-touristy places/small towns. So just trying to figure out where we can go for 1 week over X'mas, before we hit the slopes.

Hi. I read that there are farm-inn accomodations throughout the island. Is there a website I can use to search them? I am not having much luck finding any information online. Thank you.

Hi A group of us will be arriving to Corsica on a ferry from Sardinia into Bonifacio in mid October. We will have about 2.5 days to make our way up to Bastia to fly back home. We are willing to rent a car. Do you have any suggestions on places to stay at in such limited time (and this time of the year)? We love outdoors, hiking, climbing, beaches... so as you can see it is hard to choose. We are not exactly focused on a city setting but want to make sure we get the proper Corsican experience. From what I read, some of the places I am considering are Porto-Vecchio, Corte, or Porto - but open to other recommendations and will have to choose since will have such short time... Thank you very much!

Recently some updates have been appeared on according to trains. I am not sure do if they offer two round trips Bastia - Ajaccio? Also, I am not sure do they offer Carte Zoom for 49 Euro, although they do not use it the name.

I found such a remark (on ) "Il existe un Pass de 49 € : « carte zoom », ce pass permet de parcourir le réseau corse pendant 7 jours, sans limitation.Le tarif est d’environ 10 euros pour les trajets à la journée." So carte zoom is a pass and you pay also for a ride or am I wrong?

I've already booked a hotel in Bastia, but breakfasts should be paid additionally. I'm wondering if it is worth doing. I may buy better ones, I mean more nutrious breakfasts, in restaurants in the town. I would be grateful to be informed on that issue. Thanks in advance. Piotr

Does anybody know how Carte Zoom works? I'm staying in Bastia since 30th June for a week and will be depended on the public transport, mostly trains. Is it good idea to buy Carte Zoom. Where can I buy it? Thanks, Piotr

Hello, I just booked a one week sailing cruise in Corsica with 5 friends on Salini thanks to Yacht & Culture :) Does anyone has any advice regarding places to go, things to do or even any other advice for cruisers newbies??? Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone, A friend and I (early 20s) are spending 4 days in Corsica. We arrive to Bastia from Livorno by ferry, and depart from Bastia airport. We are looking for a 4 day itinerary any one of you could suggest. The only thing is we have no car and are not going to rent one, so we shall have to rely on public transportation. Does anyone out there have any suggestions? I maybe thought that spending 2 days in Bastia and 2 days in Cap Corse would give us a good feeling/vibe of Corsica? Is that feasible or will we get bored very fast of the area? Thank you.

Hi guys, does anyone know of any good campsites in Corsica. Me and my friends are planning to go there this June. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated :)

Hey, looking into visiting corsica with a group of friends, all in our early 20's this May. It looks beautiful but havnt been able to find any info on nightlife. Could anyone tell me if there is much to do by ways of partying in corsica? Thanx

Hi everyone, My wife and I will be in Calvi Corsica this May, but we only have one day (walking) to see the sights. What are the "must see" items? Thanks as always! Jim

As I can read the train timetable -but it’s only for the winter period – trains are not frequent. Are there more connections in summer? How about transportation from and to the airport (Bastia)? Is there any shuttle bus to the town?

Hi! I've just made a reservation for a plane to Bastia for a week, 30th June till 7th July. I will be on budget and don't have a driving license, so won't rent a car. Where is the best place to settle down to be on the go, to have an easy access everywhere, to a beach, mountains ( love hiking), the airport and other attractions. I would be grateful for a piece of advice. Piotr Sk.

My husband and I are Canadians from Ottawa and will be travelling to Corsica from approximately October 28 - November 20. We will be selecting 3 destinations on the island to stay for a period of 7 days each. Calvi will be one of the locations as it allows for use of public transportation in visiting nearby towns. We like a sufficiently large centre in order to have a variety of things to do. Our main love is the ocean so will want to select a self-catering option which allows us to be near the sea. Some questions: 1. where do you suggest we make our other two destinations which will allow us to take day trips. We do intend to rent a car for the other 1-2 destinations, if necessary. 2. do you have recommendations for car rental companies? 3. regarding our arrival and departure, we are not certain whether we should go from Nice to Corsica by ferry; return to Nice by ferry; take the train from Paris one-way, either coming or going. We would like to mix up our choice of transportation to and from the island in the way that makes the most sense and not duplicate our steps. This will be our first visit. We speak Canadian French and hope to have little or no difficulty understanding the French spoken on the island. Corsican language is another thing! We appreciate any guidance or advice which you can provide regarding our upcoming trip. We have read all of the excellent postings on this forum. Regards, Fran & Pierre goodie74@VTmail.com

Hi all, I've heard amazing things about the Corsican countryside and since we've already planned to do a lot of hiking during our trip, I thought a half day horseback riding might be a nice change. However, I've not been able to find any references to riding stables in or near Bonifacio where we will be based. I've found lots of references to nearby stables, but not any names or contact details. The tourism website is similarly unhelpful. Any suggestions?

We are planning travel to Corsica 16-22 September 2011. No ideas yet but all options open. We are searching for something suitable for a couple, maybe in an old town/harboor setting, walk to restuarants/bars, views. Suggestions welcome to narrow our search!

thinking of heading to corsica in september, wondering if there are any festivals or special events going on that month? or if there is a website with such info anyone can recommend? thanks

Hi all, We'll be going to Corsica in September this year. We have 1 week to spend there, and these are the two itinerary options we are considering: 1. fly into Bastia. Rent a car, and stay in the North of the island, as in this option we would have to return the car in Bastia and fly back into Switzerland from there. 2. Fly into Olbia. Stay in the area 1-2 days. Ferry from Santa Teresa to Bonifacio. Rent a car, and drive to Ajaccio, stopping in the way. Fly back to Switzerland from Ajaccio (would driving into Bastia airport be too long a way?). I've read the beaches in the South of the island are incredibly beautiful, and hence Option 2. However, we believe this could maybe be a bit too rushed for 7 days? Would we be spending too much time driving in Option 2? (sorry, we are not familiar with Corsica distances and roads). If you believe we should stick to Bastia and around, what beaches would you recommend in the area? we'd like something with not many people, crystal clear waters and as scenic as possible. Maybe we are asking too much! Thank you in advance for your help, really appreciate it.

Hi all, We are plannning a 1-week trip to Corsica, and thought of going in September as we believe it'll be cheaper than August. However, being from Valencia (Spain), that also has Mediterranean weather, I am a bit concerned that September might not be warm enough to go swimming or that we might get late-summer storms. Any advice on September weather in Corsica will be much appreciated!

We are planning to spend a week in Corsica, travelling with a camper van so we can spend our time in two or three different locations. It could be the first week of June or the first week in September. Will it be possible to find a place in camping sites without making reservations in advance? Would it be easier in June or in September? Any advice about camping sites in Corsica will be welcome, as we have never been there before.

I'm going with wife and 2 friendds to Corsica for two weeks starting end of august and would appreciate recommendations on where to hike and bike, where to rent the best MTB's and road bikes there are. Also if someone could recommend a nice house close to the beach and the mountains that would be much appreciated as well.

Hello, we are planning to stay about 10 days in Corsika in June (probaply second half) We come with our car and ferry and stay 1-2 days in different locations. 1.)Do you know, if it is necessary to reserve accomodations in advance or is it no problem to find free places at that time of the year? Thanks Anton

We are thinking about visiting Corsica for a week or ten days and stay with our tent in two-three camping sites in different parts of the island. How busy the campings on Corsica are? Should we book the camping place for tent in advance or will we find a place to stay without problem? Time in question is the very end of August, start of September. Another question. Is it possible to visit any vineyards on Corsica?