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| Corsica region | |||
| Capital | Ajaccio | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 338.554 (2018) | ||
| surface | 8,680 km² | ||
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | |||
| location | |||
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Corsica is the third largest island (8,778 km²) in the west Mediterranean Sea and belongs to France. The island offers space for a variety of holiday activities at compact distances - from beach holidays to demanding mountain hikes in the high mountains. In contrast to other Mediterranean regions, Koriska has not dealt with "great mass tourism" with its negative consequences, such as B. built-up coasts etc., on Corsica you can still discover a lot of intact, largely undeveloped Mediterranean coast and landscapes. The quieter off-season is ideal for active vacationers.
Regions
Officially, the island is in two departments 2ACorse-du-Sud with the capital Ajaccio and 2 BUpper Corsica with the capital Bastia divided.
For geographical reasons, a division into the following areas is advisable (clockwise from the north):
- The Cap Corse - the "finger" of Corsica is supposed to depict the island in its peculiarities.
- The East coast - a wide, flat and fertile area with endless sandy beaches.
- The region Porto-Vecchio - in which you can find many dream bathing bays separated by peninsulas.
- The south - with the city Bonifacio as a center, where there are also many well-known bathing bays.
- The Gulf of Valinco - with the small port city Propriano.
- The Gulf of Ajaccio - where the capital Ajaccio is the busy center.
- The Gulf of Sagone - the largest of the golfs with the cities Cargèse and Sagone located north of the Gulf of Ajaccio.
- The Gulf of Porto - framed by rocks, more difficult to reach but with a grandiose panorama.
- The Balagne - with the main places Calvi and L'Île-Rousse is partly flat and a bit drier and offers many wide and small beaches. The Gulf of Calvi is dominated by a magnificent mountain panorama.
- The Nebbio - Relatively green hill country on the west coast near Bastei. The main town of the small region is Saint Florent with port and its cathedral.
- The northern interior of the island - Here you can find the highest mountains on the island with some 2500 m. The center of the region is the old capital Cortewhich can be found in a long valley at an altitude of 450 m.
- The southern interior of the island - with almost high mountain ranges. The small mountain town is located here at an altitude of 300 m Sartène. The highlands of Levie can be found further east at an altitude of 600 to 700 m. The southern interior of the island is limited to the east by the rugged Bavella massif.
places
- Ajaccio - Administrative center of the southern part of the island with a nice old town and harbor located on the gulf of the same name. The citadel is used for military purposes.
- Bastia - Administrative center of the northern part of the island with a ferry port and an old town that is well worth seeing.
- Bonifacio - much-visited small town in the south of the island. Bonifacio has a rugged rocky bay as a natural harbor. The narrow, winding old town towers high on the chalk cliffs.
- Calvi - Seaside resort with citadel (freely accessible) in the northwest of the island. Calvi has a beautiful port in the old town.
- Corte - City located at an altitude of 450 m in the northern interior of the island. It has a small but attractive old town. The citadel is accessible with a visit to the Corsican History Museum. Here you can learn interesting facts about the island's history.
- Porto-Vecchio - small port town in the south of the island. There is an old town located on a hill.
- postage - A place popular with active tourists on the particularly rugged west coast.
- Sartène - small mountain town in the south of the island, is sometimes referred to in the travel literature as "the most Corsican of all towns" on the island.
Other goals
La Scandola, please referTourist Attractions
background
Corsica actually consists of several mountain groups in the sea. Corsica's highest mountain, Monte Cinto, is 2,707 m high. The largest cities are all on the coast, but nature lovers especially appreciate the mountains in the interior, where it can be very windy.
nature
Macchie, i.e. half-height vegetation rich in thorn bushes, grows near the coast and in the lower areas. Pine and pine trees are common on the beaches and on the high altitudes of the mountains. Sweet chestnuts, which used to have economic importance, grow at medium altitudes.
Corsica Regional Natural Park
The is found on the island 1 Corsica Regional Natural Park
(Parc naturel régional de Corse), which was founded in 1972. The 3,500 km² large park area extends over the high mountain massifs with the Lac de Nino to the Col de Bavella in southern Corsica, especially in the interior of the island.
language
As everywhere in France, it is the only official language French. But also that Corsican is widespread. Corsican is de facto a Italian dialect. Especially in the mountainous interior of Corsica, knowledge of Corsican or Italian can open doors.
getting there
The Corsica traveler can reach the island either by ship or by plane.
By boat
There are several ferry connections that connect the mainland with Corsica. Departure ports are located:
- on the Italian Mainland in Genoa, Savona, Livorno as well as on the island Sardinia and
- on the French Mainland in Marseille, Nice and Toulon.
The following Ferry companies drive to Corsica:
- Corsica Ferries: e.g. from Savona to Bastia & Calvi (3-6 hrs & night crossings); from Livorno to Bastia (4 hours & night crossings); from Nice to Bastia, Calvi & Ajaccio (4-5 hrs); from Toulon to Bastia & Ajaccio (5-6 hrs & night crossings)
- Moby Lines: in the high season from Genova and Livorno in the low season from Livorno to Bastia; via Sardinia (from Santa Teresa to Bonifacio)
More information in the topic article Ferries between Corsica and the mainland.
By train and ferry from Germany
From southwest Germany (Frankfurt am Main, Mannheim and Karlsruhe) you can quickly take the TGV express train Marseille can be reached by direct connection (arrival in Marseille in the evening). You can take the night ferry from here to Ajaccio to be crossed in Corsica. Depending on the travel time, an overnight stay in Marseille is required. Since the city was allowed to carry the title "European Capital of Culture" in 2013, the city center with its sights has been "spruced up" again and is popular with visitors. Therefore, a day of stay is advisable anyway.
By plane
The island has four airports: 1 Ajaccio
(IATA: AJA), 2 Bastia(IATA: BIA), 3 Calvi Airport(IATA: CLY) Calvi and 4 Figari airport(IATA: FSC) Figari (near Porto-Vecchio). In the season from April to September there are direct flights with Germanwings from Berlin, Dortmund, Cologne-Bonn and Stuttgart, with Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Bastia. Outside the season, you have to change trains in Paris or Lyon. However, there are only a few possibilities to get into the cities from there, except for bus, taxi or rental car.
For travelers from southwest Germany, the flight is with Volotea possible from Strasbourg.
An overview of various airlines that fly to the island is in the French Wikivoyage article to find.
mobility
In the street
Apart from the well-developed routes in the areas around Bastia and Ajaccio and the Bastia-Corte and Bastia-Bonifacio highways, the roads in Corsica are usually narrow and very winding, as they adapt closely to the mountainous landscape. The traffic is therefore much slower than one is used to from the mainland. An inexperienced driver should expect a maximum speed of 40 km / h in the hinterland away from the main roads, with average speeds of around 30 km / h.
In principle, traffic in Corsica is dominated by private cars. Anyone planning a lot of activities on the island, such as day hikes from changing starting points, will find it difficult to do without a rental car. Car rental companies (“locations des voitures”) can be found at all airports, in the larger cities and, in isolated cases, in the interior of the country. All major international chains are represented at the airports. The rental prices are comparatively high; Because of the difficult road conditions, the landlords charge a “Corsica surcharge” of 5 to 10 EUR per rental day and the insurance companies sometimes have higher deductibles than on the mainland. If you want to rent a car in Corsica, you should compare prices online in good time and book early.
Warning - animals on the road: In the area of the Col de Vergio it is z. B. possible that a wild domestic pig looks a little haphazardly into the headlights in the dark. Cows grazing freely on the edge of the railroad can be found across the island, especially on the smaller roads. In October 2017, cows were found grazing on a roundabout island near Bastia, despite heavy traffic. In the mountainous region it sometimes happens that a complete herd of goats settles on the asphalt, which is still warm from the day. The animals then leave their warm place only somewhat reluctantly. But there is usually time on vacation, and such an animal traffic experience brings some variety to the series of curves.
Keyword "Cycling holidays in Corsica": There is no infrastructure for cycling in Corsica. If you want to take a classic cycling holiday in Corsica, you have to use the road network. In the high season in the summer half of the year in particular, the national roads are heavily loaded with vehicle traffic. But even in the off-season, the large main roads "T XY" are still heavily used by motor vehicles. Only the subordinate road network is then reasonably suitable for cyclists in the off-season in terms of traffic. But in order to reach these streets with less traffic, you usually have to cover longer distances on the main roads. Neither Ajaccio nor Bastia have an inner-city cycling infrastructure. Against this background, Corsica is only recommended for road cyclists who have no problem with a lot of vehicle traffic for a cycling holiday. This target group finds an attractive training area on the winding mountain roads of the island in the off-season. If you are a cyclist who is used to mostly traffic-free, Central European cycle routes / river cycle paths, you will not find any real relaxation in Corsica.
By bus
Because of the narrow streets, buses rarely run into the hinterland. In metropolitan areas such as Bastia or Ajaccio, however, the network is dense and buses run frequently. Bastia Airport is connected to the city center and various suburban stops by the “Les Rapides Bleus” shuttle line, and Ajaccio has a city bus network that extends far into the suburbs. Timetables for other buses are often difficult to come by. The only cross-Corsica information site Corsica bus is operated privately. Those arriving in Bastia can find out more at the tourist information office (coming from the ferry, on the right-hand side on the large square - Place St. Nicolas).
By train
There is a small narrow-gauge railway network on the island, operated by the Chemins de Fer de la Corse across the island's interior. It connects Bastia well with Ajaccio, Ile Rousse and Calvi. The two routes Calvi-Bastia and Ajaccio-Bastia meet inland in Ponte Leccia. There are transfer options there. All routes are only single-track, so that relatively few trains can run. On the long-haul routes beyond the suburbs of Bastia, one can expect a train about every 90 minutes. Since there is no strict clock, travelers definitely need an up-to-date one Timetable. It is available either in all train stations (practically all of which are staffed) or online. The route leads through apparently untouched areas and offers views that are not available to the car traveler. This alone makes it interesting as a purely tourist train. But it should not be underestimated as a means of transport either: the train offers an inexpensive weekly ticket ("Carte Zoom") that allows unlimited travel for a week for 50 EUR. This allows you to plan a hiking holiday without a car by taking the train from village to village and taking day trips from there.
Tourist Attractions
The 2 Cap Corse (also as the finger of Corsica known) has wonderful cliffs and is known as "Corsica en miniature". Especially beautiful by bike (the east side at Bastia is very busy), motorcyclists also get their money's worth thanks to the many winding roads along the coast. Hotels: make a reservation or register beforehand. Nice is, among other things. also 3 Nonza with its Genoese tower enthroned on a mountain spur.
Calvi: Citadel, old town with port and a long sandy beach. Camping in the pine forest just behind this beach.
This is on the west coast 4 La Scandola nature reserve, one of the most beautiful coastal strips in Europe. In the nature reserve, which extends over large parts of the bay, many sea birds such as seagulls, cormorants and the now rare sea eagle find an ideal nesting and breeding area. Large parts of the peninsula La Girolata are covered by natural forests. Eucalyptus forests line the beaches. Around the bays and caves of the rugged coasts there is an underwater animal world that can hardly be found anywhere else. The protected area itself is not accessible in the country, but the nearby village of Girolata is a nice hiking / excursion destination. The particularly winding one West coast road between Calvi and Ajaccio opens up this partly steep but simply breathtaking landscape. This is especially true for the Gulf of Porto (For more on Girolata see also here in the article).
The one between Levie and Sainte Lucie de Tallano 5 Castellu di Cucuruzzu is a Torrean complex from the Iron and Bronze Ages. The facility is located around 700 m above sea level on the Levie highlands, which can be found in the south of Corsica. The building was built between the 9th and 4th centuries BC. Used. The approximately 1200 square meter complex was discovered during aerial photography in 1959 and is open to visitors today. You can explore the facility on a themed circular route with a laminated rental guide (admission € 4, duration of the short circular hike from two to a maximum of three kilometers, around two to a maximum of three hours, guides also available in German at the entrance). The excavation site 6 Castellu d’Arraggiu north of Porto-Vecchio is after the Castellu di Cucuruzzu the best preserved site of the Torre culture In Corsica.
In the south of the island is the 7 Bavella Pass (1218 m) definitely worth a crossing. A rugged mountain range, also known as the "Korische Dolomites", towers over the pass. Hiking opportunities from the top of the pass. The pass is very busy in the high season (there is a larger car park; parking fee for the season is € 4, it is not known whether there will be enough space). For a shorter hike of 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours (maximum 4 hours) you can head south to the 8 "Cumpuleddu" rock gate ascend at the 1407 m high Calanca Murata. A little to the south there are also lookout points with a view of the east coast.
They are spread across the island historical Genoese bridges. Well-known is the particularly attractive landscape (9 Genoese bridge near Ota. Worth seeing in the south of the island is z. B. also the "sharp" Genoese viaduct 10 Pont Génois de Spina Cavallu. In the northern interior of the island, in the valley of the Tavignano, this is found 11 Pont d'Altiani (directly at the T 50).
activities
Dynamic cardshike
Corsica is a hiking and climbing paradise. In addition to the famous GR 20, a demanding long-distance hiking trail that crosses the island in a north-south axis and follows the main ridge of the mountains, there are countless hiking trails to important and less important destinations. The numerous 2000s also offer alpine skiers the opportunity to practice their sport at three smaller stations (Ghisoni-Capanelle, Col de Vergio, Val d´Ese).
If you want to sniff the mountain air on a day hike, you can take the GR 20 from the Col de Vergio to the 12 Lac de Ninohike. The mountain lake is located at an altitude of 1750 m in a wide high valley in the middle of the "Corsican Alps". The Col de Vergio is the highest road pass on the island at 1470 m.
The mountain hike from 13 Head of the Restonica valley up to the two mountain lakes Lac de Capitello and Lac de Melo. For more information, see Article Corte
Swimming
On Corsica's coasts you can actually still find the lonely beaches that you would only suspect on postcards. In the east there are mostly endless sandy beaches that slope gently into the water. The further south you drive the east coast, the steeper the coast, which now increasingly consists of separate bays. Many aquatic creatures settle in the rocks that surround the sandy bays, so here is the case with the Snorkeling and diving There is a lot to see. The west coast is very steep, here you will find small bays, some with gravel, some with sandy beaches, some can only be reached by boat. Departure of such boats for example in Saint Florent in the north-west.
sailing
Corsica offers a number of marinas that invite you to tour the island, e.g. 5 Bonifacio,6 Port Abri De Pianottoli harbor,7 Port of Tizzano,8 Port of Propriano,9 Porto Pollo10 Pietrosella harbor (Mooring)],11 Ajaccio, 12 Port of Cargese, 13 postage, 14 Girolata
,15 Calvi ,16 Port of Sant'Ambroggio,17 Port of L'ile Rousse,18 Staint-Florent Harbor, 19 Macinaggio,20 Bastia,21 Taverna harbor,22 Port of Solenzara,23 Porto-Vecchio, 24 Port of Lavezzi
beaches
Swimming is possible on the following beaches, among others:
- 1 Saleccia
- 2 Calvi
- 3 postage (Pebble beach)
- 4 Mignataja
- 5 Plage d'Ostriconi
- 6 Porticcio, best known is La Viva
- 7 Tonnara, for windsurfers and kitesurfers
- 8 Illes Lavezzito reach from Bonifacio by boat
- 9 Rondinara, with campsite and restaurant
- 10 Santa Giulia offers dunes and water sports
- 11 Palombaggia
- 12 Aléria
kitchen
On an island that combines French and Italian influences with a cuisine of its own, good food and drink play an important role. Even the simplest restaurants usually offer convincing plats du jour (daily specials) that are also quite inexpensive. The highly aromatic cheese, which is mostly made by hand in the mountains, is already famous from Asterix. The Corsican red wines are usually quite strong, you can try them on the numerous wineries. The best restaurants can usually be found in small mountain towns away from the major tourist centers
- Beer has been brewed on the freedom-loving island since 1995. The brewery Pietra brews beer to which chestnut flour is added before fermentation. If you want chestnut beer, you should Pietra ambrée to order, Colomba is a wheat beer with Maccia herbs and Serena a blond beer.
- The soft drink Corsica Cola allegedly based on a centuries-old recipe that the Coca Cola Company is said to have used for their drink. After all, Corsica Cola is bottled by its supposed imitator.
- In the supermarkets you can find pastries baked with chestnut flour. A jam-like, sweet spreadable cream can also be purchased, which is also partly made of chestnut concentrate.
- Charcuterie Corse (slaughtered meat and sausage products): Well-known are smoked hams that are refined with wild herbs, such as the lean Lonzu and the mixed coppa.
- Cheese: There are countless types of cheese made from goat's or sheep's milk. Goat cheese often tastes and smells stronger, sheep cheese is usually milder. Pieces of cheese that are still soft and shrink-wrapped are often very salty. There is also brocciu, a semi-hard cream cheese that is best enjoyed in the morning.
- Honey: Hundreds of types of honey of all flavors are obtained from the flower nectar of the herbs and trees of the scrubland (macchia). A special experience is a honey tasting at a relevant weekly market stall in the larger cities.
- Fruit: A tasty liqueur is made from the fruit of the strawberry tree (arbutus unedo), a macchia wood.
nightlife
There is a lot going on in Corsica when it comes to parties. From bars to clubs, the vibrant nightlife on the island doesn't have to hide from its big brother Ibiza. And otherwise there is also the zaza.
security
The Corsican separatist underground organization FLNC (Frontu di Liberazione Naziunalista Corsu) carried out attacks until a few years ago, but these only affected government institutions. The last major attack was the assassination attempt on the then Corsican prefect Claude Erignac on February 6, 1998 by Yvan Colonna (2014 announcement of the laying down of arms). In 2019, however, there were again explosive attacks against buildings and explosive devices as part of the Corsica conflict found. The security situation is nevertheless comparable to that in Germany / Central Europe.
climate
The island's climate is typically Mediterranean, with warm, dry summers and cool, humid winters. The mean temperature of the year in Bastia is 14.9 ° C, in July 23.0 ° C, in January 7.9 ° C, and even if temperatures below zero do occur, they do not last and snow rarely falls. But the mountains are covered with snow for half of the year. It rains abundantly enough, 630 mm per year, and only the summer has little rain. In the mountains, however, you can expect heat thunderstorms and heavy precipitation from midday onwards, even in high and late summer. Even smaller streams can then suddenly swell strongly.
literature
- Outdoor - Corsica: Mare a Mare & Sentier de la Transhumance, Author Véronique Kämper, Conrad Stein Verlag, ISBN 978-3-86686-392-7 , Price: € 16.90. With the three "Mare a Mare" trails (north, center, south) and the Sentier de la Transhumance, this hiking guide describes four multi-day tours through the Corsican mountains. It first gives general tips for the hike (on requirements, travel time and risk of forest fire) and then provides detailed directions with maps at a scale of 1: 115,000. For each stage you receive information about the nature of the path and sections without shadow, about accommodation at the destination and information about alternative routes and sights along the way.
- Outdoor - Corsica: Mare e Monti & Mare e Monti Sud, Author Erik Van de Perre, Conrad Stein Verlag, ISBN 978-3-86686-317-0 , Price: € 14.90. The Mare e Monti Nord stretches in 11 stages over 128 kilometers through the mountainous northwest. The highlights also include crossing the Spelunca Gorge with its well-preserved Genoese bridges and encountering the enchanted ghost town of U Tassu. Like its counterpart in the north, the Mare e Monti Sud commutes back and forth between the mountains and the sea. The 66.2 km long hiking trail is divided into 5 stages. It offers spectacular views of the highest peaks on the island and the sea. In addition to precise directions, the author provides important information on preparing and carrying out the trip, as well as detailed information on overnight accommodations and sights along the hiking trails.
- Outdoor - Trans-Corsica GR20, Author Erik Van de Perre, Conrad Stein Verlag, ISBN 978-3-86686-397-2 , Price: € 14.90. The fascinating mountains of Corsica make the GR 20 long-distance hiking trail one of the most exciting trekking routes in Europe. This hiking guide provides all the important information about the almost 200 km long path. The author presents both the northern GR20 section from Calenzana to Vizzavona (9 stages) and the southern part from Vizzavona to Conca (7 stages). Its detailed descriptions provide important information about the route. Information on accommodation and catering options, map sketches and elevation profiles complete the description.
- Instructions for use for Corsica, Author Jenny Hoch, Piper Verlag, ISBN 978-3-49227-640-5 , Price: € 14.99. The author has been traveling in Corsica for 33 years and reports in her book about her experiences with the Corsicans, their history, traditions and culinary specialties.
Web links
- https://www.corse.fr/ (fr) - Official website of Corsica
