Region

Corsica

Give Corsica 7 nights with a car; without one, pick a single coast base and skip the interior.

Plan your trip to France Plan a trip

More: share, save offline, report a correction

Key facts · France

Best months: Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: Euro (EUR, €)
Language: French
Plugs: C · E · 230 V
Time zone: CET, UTC+1

Month by month hereIn detail ↓

Rules in force · 8Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…

Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
France and Monaco ↗France has run temporary identity checks at its internal Schengen land borders since 2015; carry a passport or EU/EEA national ID on trains and buses from Italy, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
France and Monaco ↗Nights in France and Monaco draw on the same Schengen 90-in-180-day allowance as the rest of the area; Monaco does not reset or pause it.
France ↗France is in the Schengen area. Check the entry rules for your passport on official sources; the EU's Entry/Exit System registers non-EU visitors' fingerprints and photo at the first Schengen border, and further pre-travel authorisation rules are being introduced.
France ↗TGV (including the low-cost Ouigo) and Intercités night trains need a seat reservation: a rail pass alone does not let you board.
France ↗Paris, Lyon and other large cities run low-emission zones that require a Crit'Air sticker on cars; check before you drive a hire car or your own car into a city.
France ↗Carry your passport or national ID card: police can ask for identification, and hotels register foreign guests.

Corsica is a mountain range dropped into the Mediterranean: one island, but two different trips. With a car and 7 nights you can loop coast and interior. Without a car, trains and buses cover only Ajaccio–Corte–Bastia and a thin coastal strip, so choose one base and stay put. Ferries from Nice, Marseille and Toulon take 3–8 hours; flights land at four airports, none of which has public transport except Bastia.

Where to sleep

10 places in this region

Sleep base

AjaccioCity guide
West coast hub, museums, airport, train to Corte and Bastia.
Best May–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Ajaccio →
BonifacioCity guide
Cliff citadel and south-coast boat trips; Figari airport nearby.
Best May–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Bonifacio →
CalviCity guide
Northwest bay, ferry from Nice, train to L'Île-Rousse and Bastia.
Best May–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Calvi →
BastiaCity guide
Main ferry port, old harbour, airport bus.
Best May–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Bastia →
Porto-VecchioCity guide
South-east beaches and diving; bus link to Bastia and Ajaccio.
Best May–Jun, Sep
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Porto-Vecchio →

Day trip

CorteCity guide
Interior mountain town and GR 20 gateway; reachable by train.
Best May–Jun, Sep
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Corte →
Saint-FlorentCity guide
North coast base for Cap Corse and the Nebbio.
Best May–Jun, Sep
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Saint-Florent →
SartèneCity guide
Granite hill town in the south-west interior.
Best May–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Sartène →
CargèseCity guide
West coast village, start of the Mare e Monti trail.
Best May–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Cargèse →
AlériaCity guide
East coast Roman site and museum.
Open Aléria →

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags

Night sequences

7 nights: Ajaccio 2 + Porto/Calvi 2 + Bastia or Saint-Florent 2 + Bonifacio 1, by car
7 nights: No car: Ajaccio 3 + Corte 1 + Bastia 3 by train
4 nights: One base only — Calvi or Porto-Vecchio — with day trips

The GR 20 is a 17-day high-mountain route with summer storms and lightning risk; do not treat it as a day hike.
Petrol stations are sparse in the interior — fill up before long mountain drives.
Many coastal facilities close outside mid-June to August; the mountains cloud over outside May–October.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Corte	Ajaccio	130 min	check	Train about 2 h; the citadel and museum fill half a day.
L'Île-Rousse	Calvi	25 min	check	Short train ride along the coast; market in the morning.
Sartène	Ajaccio	90 min	check	Bus or car; pair with Propriano on the coast.
Aléria	Bastia	75 min	check	Roman site and museum on the east coast road.

Bags between cities

No luggage-forwarding culture here; travel with your bags and pack light for the mountain roads.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go2 partsSeasons · Climate

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Ajaccio	×	×	×	ok	go	go	×	×	go	go	×	×
Bonifacio	×	×	×	ok	go	go	×	×	go	go	×	×
Calvi	ok	ok	ok	ok	go	go	×	×	go	go	ok	ok
Bastia	×	×	×	ok	go	go	×	×	go	go	×	×
Porto-Vecchio	×	×	×	ok	go	go	×	×	go	ok	×	×
Corte	ok	ok	ok	ok	go	go	×	×	go	ok	ok	ok
Saint-Florent	ok	ok	ok	ok	go	go	×	×	go	ok	ok	ok
Sartène	ok	ok	ok	ok	go	go	×	×	go	go	ok	ok
Cargèse	ok	ok	ok	ok	go	go	×	×	go	go	ok	ok
France (country-wide)	ok	ok	ok	go	go	go	ok	ok	go	go	ok	ok

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month

Zone	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Coastal CorsicaAjaccio, Calvi, Bastia, Bonifacio	cool	cool	ok	best	best	best	hot	hot	best	best	ok	cool
Interior mountainsCorte, GR 20, Bavella	cold	cold	cool	ok	best	best	ok	ok	best	ok	cool	cold

best: dry, mildok: workablecool: jacket, greyhot: short walking windows

Coastal Corsica: Warm and sunny May–October; July–August is peak and booking is essential.
Interior mountains: Cooler and wetter than the coast; snow and closed passes in winter, storms in summer.

Best months are May–June and September: warm sea, open facilities, fewer people than August.

Getting in and passes

Arrival times and regional passes

Open Getting in and passesClose Getting in and passes2 partsGet in · Passes

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate

From	To	How	p50	Note
Nice	Calvi, L'Île-Rousse, Ajaccio, Bastia	High-speed ferry (NGV)	~3 h	Fastest sea route from the mainland; check the 2026 timetable.
Marseille, Nice, Toulon	Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi	Car ferry	6–8 h	Bring your own car; overnight sailings save a hotel night.
Genoa, Livorno, Savona, Naples	Bastia, Ajaccio	Ferry	check	Italian mainland routes; Sardinia link from Santa Teresa Gallura.
Paris CDG or mainland France	AJA, BIA, CLY, FSC	Air Corsica, Air France year-round; easyJet and Eurowings June–September	check	Outside summer, flying from outside France usually means a connection via Paris or a flight to Nice plus ferry.

Regional passes

Verdict first

Pass Libertà (CF-Corse)

check

€50 for 7 consecutive days of unlimited rail; only pays if you cover most of the network and return to your start.

SNCF passes and reductions

skip

Not valid on Corsican trains.

Rental car

buy

The single most useful purchase on the island; book ahead for summer.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on2 partsFood · Go next

Regional food

Where and when it works

Dish	Where	Timing / trap
Charcuterie (lonzu, coppa, figatellu)	Village shops and markets island-wide	Semi-wild pigs give the flavour; buy vacuum-packed for the flight home.
Chestnut dishes and desserts	Interior villages, especially around Corte	A mainland staple used in savoury and sweet cooking.
Canistrelli biscuits	Bakeries island-wide	Easy souvenir; several flavours.
Corsican olive oil	Markets and producers	Made from ripe fruit collected under the trees.
Local beer (Colomba, Pietra, Torre)	Bars island-wide	Brewed with chestnut or local malt; distinct from mainland beer.
Corsica Cola	Cafés island-wide	You may be asked 'Américain ou corse?' — either answer works.

Go next

Sardinia (Santa Teresa Gallura)

planned

Ferry from Bonifacio

Opens a mid-Mediterranean route south to Cagliari, Palermo and beyond.

Nice

planned

Ferry to Nice, or flight

Mainland gateway; continue by train along the Riviera.

Marseille

planned

Ferry

Car ferry route; TGV onward from Marseille.

Paris

Flight to CDG or Orly

Year-round connections via mainland France.

Lyon

Flight via mainland France

Food city and TGV hub for onward travel.

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids2 partsIn numbers · Going in…

Region in numbers

Where to sleep: 5 bases
Day trips: 4, 25 min to 2 h 10
Nights suggested: 4–7 nights
Ways in: 4 listed
Best months: May, Jun, Sep (all zones)

Going in…

Pick a month for the weather in each zone of the region, plus the country-wide rating and holidays.

Pick a month.

Plan your trip to France Up to France

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Open Deep diveClose Deep dive1 partSources

Sources

officialVisit Corsica — official tourism site
officialCF-Corse — Corsican railways
officialCollectivité de Corse
officialCorsica Sardinia Ferries
secondaryWikivoyage: Corsica, revision 5321991 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ask about Corsica

Loading…

Was this useful?