Getting to Corsica by Ferry

Ferries to Corsica depart from French ports Marseille, Toulon and Nice, and from Italian ports in Savona, Genova and Livorno. Corsican harbours are in L'ille Rousse, Calvi, Ajaccio, Propriano, Porto Vecchio and Bastia. The shortest routes -- less than four hours by a fast boat -- connect Nice with Calvi and Livorno with Bastia. These two lines are also the cheapest ones.

Routes

The map below shows the main ferry routes connecting Corsica with France and Italy. You can click on any marker to display the port's name, the directions from it, and the companies operating ferries in that port.

All routes displayed on the map above are also listed in the following table:

Another routes lead from Northern Sardinian ports Porto Torres, Sta Teresa di Gallura and Palau to the ports Propriano, Bonifacio and Porto Vecchio in Southern Corsica. Additionally, Medmar sails between Naples (Napoli) and Porto-Vecchio, but it offers only one crossing a week and the sailing takes almost 18 hours.

Ferry operators

Four companies operate ferries between the island and France or Italy:

• Corsica Ferries
• SNCM
• La Méridionale (CMN)
• Moby

I used Corsica Ferries and was satisfied with them. Their website offers an English version with a timetable and a useful ferry booking wizard. The shortest crossings are between Nice and Calvi or Livorno and Bastia. The journey in these two routes takes about four hours and the ferries go at least twice a day even during the low season.

Rates

Please, visit the ferry operators' web sites for up to date rates. Price depends on season, number of people going together, your car's length etc. In addition, ferry operators offer various special discounts. Return tickets may be purchased for different routes there and back. For instance we arrived to Calvi from Nice, departed from Bastia to Livorno, and paid about 350 EUR for four people and a car.

I recommend to book a ferry through Internet in advance, because the ferries are quite full and the tickets may not be available right before your journey. If you haven't booked your journey in advance though, try come to the port early in the morning and look for a yellow Corsica Ferries office or a blue SNCM one.

Which port should you depart from

When choosing the best route, you should consider:

1. Your final destination in Corsica.
2. Which port in the continent is your closest one.

If you are going to stay in the Western coast of Corsica, ferries from Nice to Calvi, Ajaccio or Propriano seem to be the best option. If you come from Spain or Western France, departing from Marseille or Toulon will save you some drive, but the ferries are more expensive there. If you go to Bastia, Corte or Eastern coast of Corsica, Livorno is the best starting point followed by Savona and Nice.

The closest port from your home is another question. The table below gives some distances (just the shortest ones for every place of departure):

I recommend ViaMichelin route planner for finding the best driving directions. Example route: from Wien to Calvi.