"Hello, buddy! Sorry that I didn't write right away. You understand yourself, while you arrived, while you looked around, and then got carried away and forgot about everything! But now I had a minute, and I decided to chirp you a letter, and even with pictures."
I hope you remember how excited we were when we returned from Corsica last year? So, we boarded the Paris-Bastia plane in anticipation of the same delight!
Crap! And yet, some wise uncle (or aunt?) Correctly remarked: in order not to be disappointed, you should not be enchanted ahead of time!

So, my friend, the first disappointment befell us when we suddenly realized that the declared in the description of our hotel "not far" from the sea, was transformed into one and a half kilometers, and even, merde, uphill !!! Yes, in the heat! Estimate? By the time we crawled to the Best Western Bastia Center booked in Moscow, we lost a hundred pots! Once again, getting out of this hotel into the city is a real feat, you must admit it! This means that the mobility to which we are so accustomed will not be!

The second disappointment caught us when we visited the local tourist office, where we immediately appreciated the scarcity of excursion offers (there are no boat trips at all !!!), the limited local bus routes and their inconvenient schedule! You know, we are horseless, so it’s probably not in vain that you constantly scold me for not getting my license yet! Okay, let's tackle this issue. Later...

In short, the third disappointment was also not long in coming: we did not find any beaches in the center of Bastia! Is it okay, anyway? Only a huge port and that's it! Can you imagine how we ooh our condition? It was almost a shock! We did not understand what we were going to do here for nine whole days! Without a car! No beach!

Where in such a state? Of course, to the restaurant! Having drunk brandy, having recovered a bit from the disappointments that had fallen down, we tried to think constructively: since we arrived, we must adapt to the proposed conditions!

The first thing we did was walked around the city center, took a ride on a tourist train (a waste of money), somehow orientated ourselves on the terrain and, just in case, looked into a couple of small private hotels located really in the historical part of the city. And, lo and behold! There were free rooms everywhere!

In general, my friend, the very next day we moved to the amazingly conveniently located hotel "Univers". An ordinary average room with all amenities, air conditioning and a fat, fat, hospitable Corsican hostess (you would like it) at the reception cost 70 euros (by the way, cheaper than Best Western). Life began to improve! We read the guidebook, carefully studied the bus schedule, sketched out a plan of our trips ...

By the way, a beach was discovered within the city limits! In my opinion, it is called Toga. From Piazza San Nicolas, about 20 minutes walk. There is a lifeguard point, a shower. We did not notice the rental of sun loungers and umbrellas. The beach is rocky, like in Nice, the water is clear, like everywhere else in Corsica, but, alas, not azure (see the postcard enclosed in my letter).

What else was discovered? A free (count up!) Bus, which twice a day (morning and afternoon) takes those who wish (mainly local youth and, like us, horseless freaks) to the civilized one closest to Bastia sand beach Arinella, well, brings, accordingly, back to the city. We visited there once and never went there. No, it's not bad: huge, wide, there are already bars, restaurants, water activities, rental of sun loungers and more. The water, alas, is not azure, although it is clean.

Why didn't we go more? Agree, being tied to a bus that runs only twice a day (you can't walk to the city on foot) is not ice at all! So I had to choose the already paid regular bus number 4. It departs from the Tourist Office every half hour on weekdays and follows the coast, making stops (on demand) in coastal villages, and each of them has its own small beach, in some places even With azure water... Hooray!
Well, now I'll tell you a little about Bastia.

I read in the guidebook that the name of the city comes from the word bastiglia (bastille, watchtower). This tower was erected at the end of the 14th century. Around it, a settlement gradually arose, which grew into the most significant city of Corsica. I know that you do not really like history, so I will limit myself to this fact! All the same, you bastard, you will forget everything!

In general, Bastia's life revolves around several streets (shopping streets of Napoleon, Caesar (or Cesar, hell knows) Campinca and Boulevard Paoli) and several objects: Place Saint-Nicolas (there are restaurants on the edges), the Old Port (restaurants) and the Citadel ( not without restaurants). All together is history Center... By the way, it is quite large (much larger than Ajaccio) with a serious difference in elevation (the Citadel and the Upper Town are located on a cliff), so it was so hard for me personally to walk along Bastia! At my age!

Let me use stamp number 555, something about colorful seaside cities! So, my friend, Bastia, very colorful. In places, even some kind of dilapidated and even neglected, but this is what the so-called flavor consists in?
I have enclosed many, many postcards in the letter. Check them out. In some places on the reverse side, I made explanatory notes. Read it, don't be lazy, you devil! I tried for you!

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This is a piece of the Old Port and the New Port. It is to the New Port that numerous ferries arrive. Just imagine, they bring here about two million French passengers a year and up to 30 thousand cars a day!

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An automobile tunnel has been laid under the Old Port. Traffic there hoo! The photo shows this tunnel. In any case, it seems to me that it is he. Take a closer look!

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Bastia, of course, is dilapidated! And so that the Corsicans are more likely to engage in sekas, the feelings of local residents do not decay, like their city, there is a real sekas shop here!

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Did you know there was a vendetta in Corsica? Wah! Proud Corsicans!

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Is it the Upper Town or New earth.

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This is a small square on the territory of the Citadel ... the entrance there is free ...

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View from the Citadel to the modern sleeping areas of Bastia ...

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And this is the lower road, which then dives into the tunnel under the Citadel, and emerges already in the area of ​​the New Port ...

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Cathedral of Saint Lourdes in the New Port area in the Lower Town (Old Land). Confused you? Okay, I'll try not to do that anymore.

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The city has a lot of greenery ...

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Church of Saint Charles ...

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And this is a pier of the Dragon!

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City Hall Square ...

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Place Saint-Nicolas ...

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And this is a street in the Old Town and a Corsican woman weary from the heat. I wonder if the locals are used to the heat? What do you think?

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Old port ...

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The old port and the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste ...

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Mountain views ...

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Upper town and church of Sainte-Marie ...

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And this is already inside the Citadel itself ...

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View of the New Port (on city maps it is designated as Commercial) ...

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Classic panorama of Bastia ...

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Corsican? Moor?

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City Hall Square ...

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Monument to Napoleon in St. Nicholas Square ...

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View of the Upper Town from the Old Port ...

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I hope you understand that visiting the vicinity of Bastia or the "Corsican finger" (Cape of Corsica) is difficult without a car. Buses do not go to all places, and in some of them they go very rarely and according to not so good a convenient schedule. We had one hope! Bus number 4! He walks regularly and quite often! Here, I took a picture of the tickets. Girls, inexpensive!

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I don’t know ... "Quartet", apparently, principally leaves for the flight with a broken air conditioner (or maybe it doesn’t exist at all? Fig knows it.), But during the movement it is tolerable. The road goes along the sea, up and down. The views are amazing, but there are a million turns per kilometer of the path, and the locals are driving them hoo! Rock sick - mom, do not cry!

There are a lot of villages along the way, but I'll tell you a secret: they are all approximately similar to each other: ordinary seaside villages with beaches. Only a few are of any interest. We visited Erbalunga, Lavazina, Machinaggio (you have to go here by a special minibus, not the "four") and Pietra Corbara. The last two villages are worth visiting only for the sake of luxurious sandy beaches with clear azure waters.

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The beach at Macinaggio ...

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There are many diving schools in Machinajo ...

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There is nothing else to look at ... Except perhaps this little church ...

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The water is clean!

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And this is Pietra Corbara ... An ordinary village with a good sandy beach ...

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Nice Lavazin has a nice azure but rocky beach. You want to get out of the sea with a beautiful and tanned gait of a fashion model, and as a result you go out into a raskoryak. Well, you understand! No effect!
But it is close to Bastia.

Considering that Corsica is an island, there are two ways to get to it - by air or by water.

The fastest of them, of course, will be a flight to by plane... There are four airports on the island at once, receiving flights from different parts of Europe. True, there are no direct flights from Russia as such (except for special, summer ones, going, as a rule, with tours under the auspices of a certain tour operator). So if you are going to fly to Corsica on your own, you will have to count on connecting in one of such large French cities as Nice, Marseille, Paris and so on. True, you need to be careful with Paris. When booking a ticket, pay attention to which airport you are arriving at on a flight from Russia and from which airport the plane will be to Corsica. Most likely, these will be two different airports and you will have to move from one to the other. And this takes time and certain funds. You can choose a suitable flight and book tickets (and most conveniently) via the Internet by going to the website of the airline you are interested in. Among airlines with regular flights to Corsica, the most common are AIR FRANCE (www.airfrance.com), BRITISH AIRWAYS (London - Gatwick / Ajaccio & Bastia: www.ba.com), CCM AIRLINES (www.aircorsica.com) and LUXAIR ( www.luxair.ru).

43.5 € – minimum budget for a day in Corsica 🇫🇷. This is enough for a decent budget hostel, two rides on public transport and food (the sum is equal to two lunches in inexpensive cafes).

The budget is shown excluding flight and insurance costs. A round-trip ticket from Moscow can be found for 28-30 thousand rubles. Insurance can be picked up on services or, prices start from 1 € per day.

Corsica has five airports: in the north (Bastia), south (Figari Sud) and three more in the west (Calvi-Sainte-Catherine, Propriano and Ajaccio). You can get from Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport to the city center in the following ways:

• The bus will take you to the main railway station in about 25 minutes. The ticket costs 4.5 €.
• A taxi to the center of Ajaccio will cost about 12-15 € during the day and about 20-25 € at night and on holidays.

How to get around the city?

How much does public transport cost?

Basic public transport Ajaccio - buses. One ride costs 1 €, and a 10-ride pass costs 8 €. You can get between the cities of Corsica by bus or train, ticket prices depend on the distance (from 5 to 25.1 €).

How much does a taxi cost?

Taxi fares in Ajaccio depend on the company, time of day and day of the week. On average, the landing price will be 2.5 € during the day and about 3 € at night, as well as on Sundays and holidays. A kilometer of travel will cost approximately 1.9 € and 2.5 € respectively.

How much does gas and parking cost?

A liter of gasoline in Ajaccio costs 1.4 € on average. An hour in organized parking will cost 1.5 € -2 €. In other Corsican cities, parking is slightly cheaper: about 1 € per hour.

How much is housing in Corsica?

Hotels: in off-season prices for double rooms in hotels and guest houses on the island start from 40 €, and in Ajaccio itself from 50 € (for example, ibis budget Ajaccio). Summer prices in small towns for housing grow by about 15%, in larger ones by at least 25%.

Hostels: There are few opportunities to stay in a shared room in Corsica, with rare exceptions such as the “Gites d'Etapes U San Pé” north of Bastia. A place in a dormitory room is offered there for 17.5 €.

Airbnb: Apartments throughout the island are rented for about 60 €, but in general there are few such options in every city. There are even fewer rooms for rent and not in all cities, most of them are comparable in prices to apartments.

If you don't have an AirBnb account, you can get 1,500 rubles. for the first booking by registering using the link.

Thus, a good budget accommodation in Corsica will cost you 20-25 € per night per person.

How much does communication cost?

When to come to Corsica?

It is worth coming to Corsica for four to five days. In the summer in Corsica, the flow of tourists and housing prices increase, but more tourist services are provided. For example, many museums work longer in summer or generally only work in summer, and some tours are only held from April to October. During this period, music festivals, rural holidays and fairs, and on August 15, for example, Napoleon's birthday is celebrated on a grand scale. Full list activities can be found on this website.

Total. So how much will I spend?

So the minimum is:

• 17.5-25 € for accommodation
• 2 - 10 € for transport
• 24-30 € for food

useful links

• Prices in Ajaccio on Numbeo
• Wikitravel on Corsica (in English)
• Corsica travel guide: LonelyPlanet
• Current euro rate: 1 EUR = 71.0 RUB

Flights Moscow - Ajaccio:

The article is constantly updated.

Taxis are not very popular in France, as public transport is excellent here. By bus or metro, you are more likely to get to your destination cheaper and faster.

There is no uniform color for taxis in France. They will feature a plastic roof light with the word "Taxi" on it. If the lamp is illuminated, the car is free, if it is lit orange, it is busy, if it is off, it is not servicing.

How to get a taxi in France

In France, it is not customary to catch a taxi with a wave of the hand, so stopping a car on the street is practically useless. Taxis can be taken at special stands located near airports, at bus stops, at major intersections and near metro stations. Get into the first car in the queue. You can only occupy the back seat of the car.

You can also take the seat of a passenger who has just got off the taxi. The third option is to call a taxi by phone. Typically, a car will arrive within 15 minutes. Taxi drivers usually do not agree to carry more than three passengers.

Taxi cost in France

In the city, all tariffs are the same and travel is paid according to the meter, so there is no point in bargaining. The path of the car to the place of the call is also reflected in the meter readings.

* It is customary for the taxi driver to leave a 10% tip.

Hello everyone, my dears! Today we will talk about how to get from Ajaccio airport to the city and other parts of the island.

Ajaccio Corsican Airport Napoleon Bonaparte is the largest on the island of Corsica. It is used by tourists from many countries of the world.
The convenient location of this air harbor is also popular with tourists. The center of the nearby town of Ajaccio is just 5 kilometers from the airport.

You can get to the city around the clock and in several different ways.

In this article:

Most comfortable night and day

The easiest way to leave the airport is by taxi. And at night there is also the only one: unlike public transport, taxis are at the airport around the clock.

The parking lots are located almost opposite the exit from passenger terminal airport terminal.

Do not use unlicensed taxi drivers. Such a trip will not be cheaper, but may end in various troubles.

The cost of a taxi ride in Corsica at night is 30-40% more expensive than the daily rate. During the day, you can get from the airport to the city for 10-12 euros.

Travel time from Ajaccio airport to the city center is about 15 minutes.

By public transport

1. Bus

All bus lines in Corsica are owned by private carriers. Therefore, there is no exact timetable for buses at all. In fact, every day you need to find out the amendments to the base schedule at the airport information desk.

However, you can leave Ajaccio airport by bus only in summer: in July and August. The rest of the time there are no regular flights between the airport and the city.

The bus departure interval is about 60 minutes. The cost of the trip is 5 euros.

The bus stops:

• near the bus station Ajaccio (Gare Routiere),
• at railway station (Gare SNCF).

The bus stop at the airport is located on the right side of the exit from the passenger terminal, near parking lots and taxi ranks at the station square.

You can buy a ticket at automatic ticket offices or at the airport ticket office.

The machines accept:

• coins,
• bank cards with a chip.

At the checkout, you can pay in any convenient way.

2. Train

Trains to Ajaccio airport do not run. But if you are planning to continue your journey by rail, you can take a taxi or regular bus to the city railway station.

Timetables of trains going through it, as well as information on the rules of railway transportation, you can get at the information desk of the station or on the website French railways .

These data are seasonally dependent and quickly become irrelevant. Therefore, it is better to find out everything as needed.

The railway network does not cover the entire island, but runs through its center and connects major cities.

If you want to go around the whole island

As you already understood, the island's public transport cannot boast of constancy, it runs quite rarely. It makes you adapt to yourself and takes a lot of time, which makes traveling around the island quite problematic.

The only way out in this case is to rent a car. If you like to drive a car and have reached the age of 21, then this method is optimal for you!

All you need to rent a car is:

• driving experience for three years or more,
• international driving license.

By renting a car, you will feel the true freedom of a traveler. After all, you no longer have to depend on public transport schedules.

You can rent a car right at the airport, in the arrivals sector. There are several agency desks where you can slowly choose the car you need and complete the lease agreement.

But if you are arriving in Corsica at night, it is better to book a car in advance on the company's website... The fact is that the representative counters are closed from 23.00 to 07.00.

When ordering a car online, you will need to draw up a pre-booking agreement. The agent will deliver the car to the airport by the time of your arrival.

To complete the transaction, you will need to show him your passport, driver's license and a printout of the preliminary contract.

Traveling in a rented car has many benefits:

• complete independence from public transport with its schedules and transfers,
• the cost of rent and fuel, comparable to the price of a bus or train ticket,
• maximum convenience for the elderly or low-mobility travelers,
• you can take a minivan and travel with a large company of 4 people or with a family,
• convenient to transport animals,
• minimum hassle when traveling with a child,
• plan your travel schedule yourself,
• you can carry any oversized baggage,
• it is convenient to return to the airport of departure at the end of the trip,
• you can visit places. Remote from public transport highways.

To get to Ajaccio from the airport, take the N193 road.

Ready route:

Tourists from all over the world come to Corsica every year. This Paradise Island famous for its nature and has a developed infrastructure for recreation. I am sure that the experience of visiting Corsica will be unforgettable.

Enjoy your holiday, dear friends! Until next time!