Getting around — Corsica

Corsica is accessible by plane or ferry. Plane: 4 airports (Ajaccio-Napoleon AJA, Bastia-Poretta BIA, Calvi-Sainte-Catherine CLY, Figari-Sud Corse FSC). Daily flights from Paris (Air Corsica, Air France), Marseille, Nice, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux. 1h30-2h from Paris. Less frequent low-cost flights in summer (Volotea, Easyjet). Ferry: from Marseille (Corsica Linea, La Méridionale), Toulon or Nice (Corsica Ferries). Daily connections in high season to Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi, Porto-Vecchio, l'Île-Rousse. Duration: 5-12h depending on ports. Advantage: you take your car (essential to explore). Book very early (from January for July-August).

On site, a car is essential. Corsican roads are magnificent but winding: count 2-3 times more time than the distance suggests. Bastia-Bonifacio = 170 km but 3h drive. Ajaccio-Calvi = 160 km but 3h30. Bastia-Porto via Calanques de Piana = 130 km but 4h. Rental from €30-50/day in low season, €60-100/day in high season (book 6 months ahead for August). Main roads: T20 (Ajaccio-Bastia), T11 (Bastia-Calvi via Saint-Florent), T40 (Ajaccio-Bonifacio via Sartène).

The Corsican train (CFC, Chemins de Fer de la Corse) is a tourist experience in itself: Bastia-Ajaccio line (4h, exceptional landscapes crossing Corte and the central massif), Calvi-l'Île-Rousse line (the "Balagne Tramway", 1h, runs along the Balagne coast, ideal for beaches). Slow trains (50-60 km/h) but remarkable panoramas.

Boats serve isolated beaches (Lotu and Saleccia from Saint-Florent, Lavezzi Islands from Bonifacio, Scandola from Porto/Calvi/Sagone) and offer excursions to the most spectacular sites (Calanques de Piana, Girolata, Bonifacio from Porto-Vecchio).

In cities, walking suffices (Bonifacio, Calvi, Saint-Florent are compact). Ajaccio and Bastia have a bus network. No city has a metro or tram.