Traveling: Unlocking Corsica, the Island of Beauty

Almost half a year later, I will have to share the amazing time that I spent in an exotic place from the heart of Europe, the Island of Corsica.

Traveling to the south of France was always a dream of mine, surrounded by the elegance and aspirational living standard of the rich French people, I made it my objective for the fall of 2022.

One thing that I didn’t expect was for my flight to be changed from 5 days on the French Riviera, to 11 days. Given that I believe that when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, I decided to book a ferry from Nice to Bastia and spend 5 extra days on the island where Napoleon Bonaparte was born.

Although it’s a long 6 hours ride on the ferry, the overall experience was nice. I enjoyed spending the time on the boat and I am thinking that it might be time to book that cruise afterward. We shall see if that will happen in the upcoming years, but I do recommend the ferry to anyone who is up for a new adventure.

Not the best decision, yet we decided to stay in Bastia, and after just one day, we realized that we needed a car to get around. Public transport is present, but it can be hard to follow if you want to see as much as possible from the island.

The west and the south parts are best known for the beautiful sandy beaches and clear water, while the north has a rocky landscape. If I was to choose again, I would stay in the south.

Even if the island looks small, the roads are not that great, and getting from one point to another can take a very long time, even by car.

We realized that we needed to have flexibility, so we decided to rent a small car for 3 days. It was one of the best decisions.

During our time in Corsica, we decided we wanted to combine the beach days with visiting some citadels and picturesque villages.

I’ve been to many exotic places, but Calvi Beach and Palombaggia Beach are probably one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. The white sand from Calvi makes the water look like it’s made of crystal. As for the Palombaggia beach, you can easily mistake this for one of the beaches from Seychelle.

To make things even better, overlooking the Calvi beach stands the Citadel. The photos of these places will never do them justice.

Bonifacio, the medieval clifftop citadel that dates back to the 13th century, was the place where we’ve eaten the best French steak. The view from the top of the citadel is breathtaking and we were very lucky to visit this during fall when there aren’t so many tourists.

The overall experience in Corsica was a great one and I do recommend visiting the island at least once in a lifetime. 

Yet one thing I do want to mention are the prices. Be prepared to spend twice as much as in any other place in Europe.

I cannot say that I have the intention of ever returning to Corsica, but I do plan on visiting its sister island, Sardinia in the future.

Do you have Corsica on your list?