That’s it, you decided to stay in Corsica for the holidays, excellent choice. Corsica being an island, there are two ways you can reach it: by plane or by ferry. Which of the two best suits your needs? Is the car necessary in Corsica? How to get to Campo Vecchio? We answer these questions in this article in order for you to discover Corsica in the best possible way.
✈️ By plane
Corsica has 4 airports: in Haute-Corse (Northern Corsica) the airports Bastia Poretta and Calvi Sainte-Catherine, in Corse du Sud (Southern Corsica) the airports Ajaccio Napoléon Bonaparte and Figari.
Map of airports having direct access to corsican airports during summer
Other than the regular correspondences such as Paris Orly or Marseille Marignane, during summer, other regular direct lines from numerous airports are added with Corsica as a destination. Other than the airports situated at the four edges of the hexagon, in the summer, it’s possible to reach Corsica directly from Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.
This allows you to reach the island in around one hour and a half, perfect to not lose any time in case of a short stay. Taking the plane is the fastest way to reach Corsica, but it’s also the priciest one.
Prices vary depending on the dates of your trip, so it’s useful to compare the different offers of the different companies, Corsica is also accessible with low-cost flights, so take your time to explore your possibilities.
Pro-tip: delete your cookies from your browser or look for flights with incognito mode. Online reservation websites have the tendency to increase prices depending on the number of times that you visit the website to create an urgency effect, pushing travelers to book faster.
If you decide to book a low-cost flight such as Easy Jet or Volotea, you are prone to be the object of an overbooking without prior notice. When booking, it's possible to choose an option that allows you to choose and block your seat by paying a couple of euros more. Don't risk your holidays!
By which airport should you pass to arrive in Corsica?
Bastia Poretta’s airport is the closest one to all of our rentals (Bastia and Ghisonaccia) Anyway, if you chose to stay in one of our rentals in Ghisonaccia (Sole, Mare, Kamerops or Dracena), Figari’s airport is a good alternative at an almost equal distance from Campo Vecchio.
Once here, you should rent a car to be able to move freely on the island.
⛴ By ferry
It’s possible to reach Corsica coming from: Marseille, Toulon, Nice, Savone, Genova, Livorno, Piombino and Santa Teresa di Gallura. The ports of arrival in Corsica are in: Bastia, Île Rousse, Ajaccio, Propriano, Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio.
The companies serving Corsica are mostly: Corsica Ferries, Corsica Linea, La Méridionale, and Moby Lines.
Map of ports with lines in Corsica
The map above resumes all the corsican ports proposing crossings from and to France and Italy. Click on a line to obtain information on the crossing time, the companies, frequencies and the period of the crossing. These informations were completed with the help of an article of the Mare Nostrum Corsica website.
Taking a ferry allows you to take your car in Corsica, avoiding paying car renting fees and being able to move freely. However, ferry crossings are fairly long. By day, count between 4 and 10 hours, depending on the port where you leave from (cf. crossings details on the map). If you are interested in not wasting time, particularly in the case of a short trip, favor a night crossing.
Regarding the prices, the sooner you book, the better the offer you’ll find. The rates from one company to another are fairly similar, the price of one ticket varies in function of the number of travellers, the vehicle (its size), and the dates of the trip. Good to know: the crossings during the week are less pricy than on the weekend. Don’t hesitate to subscribe to the different companies’ newsletters to be informed about the eventual promotions.
By which port should you pass to arrive in Corsica?
It all depends on which rental you booked: if you chose to stay at La Pierre Noire for example, the port of Bastia is the closest one. If you chose one of our rentals in Ghisonaccia (Sole, Mare, Kamerops or Dracena), the closest port is Porto-Vecchio, if not Bastia.
💡 So, plane or ferry?
To reach Corsica, the plane or the ferry are the two only options. Each one of them has its advantages and its disadvantages.
The plane is the fastest option to get to Corsica. It’s also the most accessible one, since depending on your departure point, it’s possible that you are closer geographically to an airport able to reach Corsica than one of the ports in the south of France or Italy. Leaving with a plane it’s however, pricier, the prices of the tickets are generally higher than the prices of the ferries. Also, you will be almost forced to rent a car to be able to move freely, something that will considerably increase the budget for your holidays.
Leaving with a ferry is a cheaper alternative, but more laborious, particularly for the length of the crossing, even more if you live farther from the ports of the cities. Anyway, the prices of the ferries are cheaper than the airplane tickets ones (all the more if you book them sooner). You also have the significant opportunity of being able to travel on board with your own car. On top of that, you will be able to load your car with various souvenirs, which would be more complicated when traveling by plane.
You will then have to compare the effort and budget you are willing to dedicate to transportation for your stay in Corsica.
Generally speaking, the plane is a good compromise for a short stay (or week or less). This will allow you to travel quickly and to spend less money for car renting. Therefore, it is better to take the ferry if your stay is longer (one week or more).
🚗 Is a car necesarry in Corsica?
Yes, absolutely. Whether it’s your car or a rental, it’s the best way to enjoy your stay on the island. Although it is quite possible to take the train or the bus to reach the different cities, the car will allow you to explore the gems of the island such as the small remote villages, the pretty little coves, and reach your accommodation how and when you want.
⚡️ Electric car, not that great of an idea?
Some car rental companies in Corsica will encourage you to rent an electric car, choose a thermal car instead. As stated above, getting around with an electric car currently on the island is challenging. Additionally, if the rental company pushes you to rent an electric "city type" car, you will be limited by the tight autonomy of this type of vehicle.
If you are still up to drive electric in Corsica, you can check the available charging stations on chargemap.com.
🏝 Getting to Campo Vecchio
Perfect! You have finally reached the island, and you are ready to enjoy your stay in the sun. But how to get to your accommodation?
Campo Vecchio (Bastia)
If you stay in our apartment La Pierre Noire in Bastia, you are 5 minutes away from the commercial port of Bastia and 40 minutes away from the Bastia Poretta airport.
By clicking on one of the buttons below (choose your favorite GPS app), you can start the itinerary to La Pierre Noire in Bastia, no matter where you are, convenient isn’t it?
Campo Vecchio (Ghisonaccia)
If you have chosen to stay in one of our accommodations in Ghisonaccia (Sole, Mare, Kamerops ou Dracena), to reach Campo Vecchio by car you are 1 hour and 30 minutes away from the port of Porto-Vecchio and 1 hour and 40 minutes away from Bastia Poretta’s airport
By clicking on one of the buttons below (choose your favorite GPS app), you can start the itinerary to Campo Vecchio in Ghisonaccia, no matter where you are, convenient isn’t it?
To sum up
Let’s do it! Don’t hesitate to write a comment under this post if you need any further information. You can also get in touch with us via the instant messaging bubble on the bottom right of the page or with the contact page.
See you soon 🏝
Post’s picture by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
