If you dream of a Mediterranean escape with perfect beaches, remote mountain villages, boating experiences and incredible food – Corsica is your destination! Let us introduce you to the island.
(Last update: February 27, 2020)
What to do in Corsica
THE must do
Rent a boat and discover the island’s remote sandy beaches, rocky coastlines, grottoes and wildlife. If you don’t have a boating license you’ll have to go with a skipper, but starting at 250 Euros you’ll have your own private boat for a couple of hours.
Costs:
500 Euros for a 3 hour sunset boat ride with skipper starting from the port in Bonifacio with Nautic Aventures.
Other things to do when in Corsica:
- Get up early to enjoy one of the (amazing!) beaches alone.
- Eat the local specialty of Bonifacio – “Aubergines bonifacienne”, that’s eggplants stuffed with goat cheese and baked in the oven. Pure perfection!
- Take the car and drive from Porto Vecchio to the West coast via the mountain roads. Stop in Sartène and enjoy the afternoon in this remote mountain village.
How to travel around when on the island
There’s no way around a car (or a motorbike). You can easily rent a car at the airport (be aware: the car standards are not as high as in the US or Germany, you’ll probably get an older model of a French car). Therefore I’d recommend to upgrade to a higher category like a SUV. Especially since roads are rocky in many parts of Corsica (think small paths to remote beaches) you’re going to feel safer in a better car.
Costs:
Depends on the model, at least around 400 Euros for a week. We always book via this (German) price comparison website.
Alternative:
Bring your own car with the ferry! That saves some money, but make sure you got your tyres checked before the trip and bring a spare tyre in your trunk (we had a flat tyre after 3 days on the rocky streets of Corsica).
How many days to stay
That’s a tough one! We had a whole week in Southern Corsica and stayed at one location (Porto Vecchio) the full 7 nights. In hindsight we think it would’ve been wiser to move into another apartment or hotel after 3 or 4 nights to mix it up a little and change the surroundings (think Northwestern part of the island).
Minimum stay:
3 nights if you only want a short getaway to enjoy the beaches. 7 nights if you also want to get around a little by car and enjoy the different landscapes and areas of the island.
Where to stay
Porto Vecchio is a quaint little city in the South of Corsica and we really enjoyed living in an Interhome apartment there. We could prepare our own breakfast with the food we bought at the local market (think baguette, goat cheese, fresh heirloom tomatoes, fleur de sel, croissants, beignets, etc.).
Next time we would probably also stay a few nights in the Northern parts of the island to be able to discover a different part of Corsica.
Costs:
Starting at 328 Euros for 7 nights via Interhome.
How to get there
There are direct flight connections from many European cities – from our hometown Vienna Eurowings used to offer direct flights to Bastia (Northern Corsica), but has now changed the schedule and you’ll have to go there via a stopover in Cologne. We always research flight options via Google Flights or Skyscanner and then book directly with the airline.
Costs:
About 200 Euros per person.
Alternative:
Drive to Italy or the south of France and take a ferry. You can compare routes and prices here.
Travel video of Corsica