Getting to Corsica

Basically there are two ways to get to Corsica: by air and by sea. The former is more comfortable yet more expensive (with minor exceptions), while the latter gives you more freedom for less money, if you take your own car and needn’t drive across half of the world.

By air

Corsica is not on any of the major air routes and almost all direct flights depart from continental France (most often from Nice, Marseille, Lyon or Paris). The main operators are Air France and CCM Airlines (Compagnie Corse Mediteranée). Look for charter flights in summer — they are cheap and fly non-stop even from UK and some other countries.

Read more about flights to Corsica and about four airports in Corsica: Bastia, Calvi, Ajaccio and Figari.

By sea

If your home is not too far from Corsica, you may prefer getting there by sea, what is usually less expensive. Ferries operate from both France and Italy. The fastest routs, under 3 hours, are from Nice (France) to Calvi and from Livorno (Italy) to Bastia. Nice is a good option for travellers from Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, UK, Germany and Switzerland. Travellers from Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Southeastern Europe will more likely chose Livorno.

Read more details on Corsica ferries, including the map of all ports and routes.

OK, so how should I get to Corsica?

Still undecided? Before you make a decision, you should consider:

• Where will you go from. You probably won’t fly from Italy and won’t drive and sale from Canada. If you are going from Germany or Hungary though, both plain and ferry (likely combined with your car) are viable options.
• What are you planning to do in Corsica. Hardcore walkers going for the GR 20 trek or other long distance route needn’t bother with transportation around the island and can chose the air as the fastest and most comfortable option. The same if you prefer to spend your holidays on just one beach near an airport.
• How will you get around Corsica. If you want to learn as much as possible about Corsica, you will need a car, because public transportation is very poor there. You can rent a car on all Corsican airports, but it makes the trip more expensive.
• What’s your budget. For travellers from Southern, Western and even Eastern Europe is the combination of one’s own car and a ferry usually cheaper than air-tickets and car rental. For more people in a party is the difference even bigger.
• When will you go. In the high summer season there are direct cheap charter flights from UK and some other European countries. Off-season flights are indirect, with at least one stop in continental France.