Corsica – La Corse – France

Hector decided upon Corsica and Sardinia as the summer destinations for 2019. Having been in touch with the Tourist Board (Ajaccio) at the start of the year, they were most unhelpful. Summer timetables were not available online, when asking specifically for a copy of last year’s they simply referred me to the website without the required information. Not a good start. A former colleague dismissed all transport problems with – hire a car. 

Hector does not worship the Krill god – Avis. If there’s public transport, then let’s use it.

Corsica to Sardinia is not easy in the summer months. The ferry from Porto Vecchio to Olbia leaves early evening, a day wasted. The Ajaccio to Porto Torres (handy for Sassari) stops at the start of the summer. That leaves Bonifacio, on the southern tip of Corsica, to Santa Teresa Gallura, on the very north of Sardinia. How does one get to Bonifacio, without hiring a car? The Ajaccio Tourist Information chap said – go the day before. However, accommodation in Bonifacio is outrageously expensive. There are three buses a day from Ajaccio to Bonifacio, the first cuts it too fine to catch the noon ferry, this means an early rise in Ajaccio and a three hour wait at Bonifacio.

Conclusion

It is far easier to arrive and leave Corsica by ‘plane. It may well be more straightforward to sail to Italia-mainland, then back to Sardinia.

Corsica is not France, so many t-shirts say. They have their own language which has its roots in Italian, I was told by Mein Host at Microbrasserie Imperiale (Ajaccio). Attempting to speak French somehow therefore feels insulting. Everyone encountered had some English, most were fluent.

One cannot help be reminded that Corsica was the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, also of Italian descent.  More on this in Ajaccio.

Ajaccio to Bastia by train

The timetable changed on July 1st as was shown online. The 11.00 train to Bastia did not exist despite the website information claiming so. The published paper and poster timetable is what one needs to refer to. How does one get this before arriving in Corsica? You don’t. Google Maps have no Corsica train information.

The narrow gauge railway has modern, full sized,  rolling stock with air conditioning and power sockets for every window seat. The narrowness of the gauge makes the entire journey comparable to a roller-coaster.

€21.60 is the fare each way. Despite online sources suggesting one should buy train tickets early, one cannot purchase a train ticket until the day of travel, though purchasing an Aller Retour (valid for five days) contradicts this. There is no discount for a return ticket.

There is a €50.00 rover ticket, valid for seven days, which is good value, especially if one wishes to stop off en route, or cover the three apex destinations: Ajaccio, Bastia and Calvi.

Bierra

Pietra (Furiani, outside Bastia) is the main brewer. Ambree (6.0%) an Amber Lager, is suitably dry, drinkable. Bionda (5.5%), the Blond, is quite simply too sweet. Not for the Hector palate.  Both are way over-priced, and typically dearer than imported Lagers. The Rossa (6.5%) was discovered at a Brasserie some 50m from Furiani train station and the brewery itself.  This is an attempt at Kriek and thankfully not a sweet one.  Rossa drinks easily, as if at a lower abv. This half litre was the cheapest Pietra encountered in Corsica.

The towns visited:

Ajaccio

Bastia

Furiani

Bonifacio

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