Corsica Getting there & around

Getting around

Bus & tram

Bus

Corsica’s slow, infrequent buses are handled by several independent companies. On longer routes, which are mostly operated by Eurocorse (Ajaccio 04 95 21 06 30, Porto Vecchio 04 95 70 13 83), there are one, two or, at most, four runs daily. Except in high summer, buses very rarely run on Sunday and holidays.

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Car & motorcycle

Driving is the most convenient way to explore Corsica, but navigating its narrow, twisting roads is not easy. A good road map (such as Michelin’s yellow-jacketed 1:200, 000 map No 90) is indispensable.

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Train

Corsica’s single-track railway Chemins de Fer de Corse (CFC; Bastia 04 95 32 80 61; www.ter-sncf.com/trains_touristiques/corse_anglais.htm) is a great (if bone-shattering) way for visitors to explore the island. In Corsica, trains are known as U Trinighellu (‘the trembler’), and you only have to spend five minutes on one to understand why. The tiny trains screech and judder their way through the mountains, stopping at rural stations and, when necessary, for sheep, goats and cows.

The network’s two lines meet at Ponte Leccia. Between September and July, the Ajaccio–Corte–Bastia line is served by four daily trains (two on Sunday and holidays). Two daily trains (coordinated with the Ajaccio–Corte–Bastia service) link Bastia with Ponte Leccia, Île Rousse and Calvi. Services are reduced in winter and increased in August.

Fares for train travel range from €9.70 (Bastia–Corte) to €24.50 (Ajaccio–Calvi). Children under 12 travel half-price; under fours travel free. Transporting a bicycle costs €18.

For return journeys of less than 200km within 48 hours, the billet touristique (tourist ticket) is 25% cheaper than a regular ticket (for example a Bastia–Ajaccio return ticket costs €31), but is unavailable from July to September.

Holders of InterRail passes get 50% off normal fares. The CFC sells its own rail pass – the Carte Zoom – which costs €47 for seven days’ unlimited train travel.

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