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DISCOVER CORSICA IN A CUSTOMISED VAN

ROADTRIPS

How about a Corsican road trip?

The customised van is the ultimate way to fully appreciate the l’île de beauté in all its radiant splendour. No hassles, you are completely independent in your van. The crowded roads on this much-loved island can be taken at your own pace. Too much traffic on a main road? Slip off and find a smaller one. We suggest a 10-day circuit that leaves from Bastia and allows you to fully explore (and adore) this heavenly island.
A road trip VAN-AWAY style, of Corsica! Let’s go!!

Sounds good ? Contact your agent who will give you plenty of tips on where to park for the night and what to do during the day throughout your island road trip.


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550 Kms

10 days

France




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Day 1 – Bastia-Patrimonio-St Florent D81

For a Departure from Nice or Marseille with Corsica Ferry, you will arrive 5H30 later at the port of Bastia. After your disembarkation, direction Saint Florent by the road D81 which crosses very pretty small villages through the mountains.
Photo break at the Teghime pass mandatory !!
Enjoy a stopover in Patrimonio to taste excellent wines at Vignobles Gentille, Leccia and clos Bernardi.
In Saint Florent, you can spend 1 or 2 nights at the U Pezzo [3] campsite which is located at the exit of the village (very cheap – 12€ per night).

Day 2 – St Florent – Iles Agriates

You can park for free along the road in Saint Florent and take a taxi boat to the Agriates islands and the heavenly beaches of Lotu and Seleccia. Le Popeye [4] offers hourly shuttles from 9am, the crossing takes about 20 minutes. It costs 16 to 30 € for an adult depending on the season.

The protected and wild beaches of Lotu and Seleccia are connected by a coastal footpath, it takes about 40 minutes to walk.

In the evening, don’t hesitate to eat at the Grill, a small typical restaurant with Corsican flavours.

Day 3 – Saint Florent –Ostriconi- L’île Rousse – Algojola

Between Saint Florent and the mouth of the Ostriconi, you will discover the Agriates desert. In this arid and grandiose landscape made up of maquis, you will observe magnificent rocky escarpments! Don’t hesitate to stop from time to time on this magnificent D81 to immortalize your passage and take magnificent pictures.
Then enjoy a little swim on the beach of fine sand and lined with dunes at the Ostriconi. You can reach it by the old road which extends the campsite of the village. You can park your van on a huge car park and even spend the night there. The access to the beach is then by a shallow channel, a little more than 1 kilometer long.

After swimming, you can take the direction of l’île Rousse by N197 and walk through the streets of the old town.
After having a drink on the terrace on the plane tree square, you can take the road again in the direction of the charming little village of Algojola.  You can finish your evening there by strolling along the beaches which offer a plethora of restaurants and ice-cream parlours. To sleep, you can easily find a place to sleep by taking the land road on the D551, in a small corner of the scrubland on the small fields behind the trees.

Day 4 – Algajola-Sant Antonio-Lumio-Calvi-Galeria-Porto

Morning departure from Algajola to visit a small village in the hinterland “Sant Antonio“, a village perched at an altitude of 490 meters on a rocky peak that dominates the landscape, among the beautiful villages of Corsica. Parking is not free (2€ per day) but the splendid panorama is worth the detour! Then you can go back down towards the village of Lumio, then take the N197 towards Calvi.
You can park on the free car park of the beach of les Pinèdes and from there, walk to the citadel for a good 3 hours of visit through its port and alleys. On the beach, you can relax for a refreshing swim.

In the afternoon, you can reach Galéria by the D81b route, it is not the shortest way, but it has the advantage of skirting the magnificent narrow and serpentine coastline. The view is magnificent and you will be able to admire the sublime landscapes of “la pointe de Revellata” with its turquoise waters and the bay of Nichiareto .
After Galéria and the Fango valley, the D81 continues towards the pass of Palmarella then the “le col de la Croix” . Then the road continues towards Porto with its magnificent mountainous landscapes and the famous creeks of Piana. Shortly before the arrival don’t miss the superb view of the port and its square tower.

Day 5 – Porto

You will be able to stay with your van at the camping Le porto located at the exit of the village or at the car park of Ota [5], 2 min walk from the beach where you will find a shower and 2 min from the Port.

From Porto you can make several unmistakable sites :
 A dive in the gulf of Porto
 Visit of Porto and its square tower, the starting point of many sea outings
 There are wonderful and easy hikes from Porto to Ota on the D124, for example, a superb excursion of about an hour in the Spelunca Gorges to the Genois bridge, the Vecchju point and then the Laglia point.
 Obviously the famous Scandola reserve, to be done by fast boat for a new sensation with the companies Porto Linea or Corse Adrénaline. It is really a magnificent circuit especially at the end of the afternoon with the sunset.
 And to finish the very beautiful creeks of Piana, to be done either at sunset or on the road between Porto and Ajaccio to take pictures along the many viewpoints.
If you haven’t found a place at camping Le Porto, there is another, municipal, at the exit of the city on the left bank. You can also park on the large car park on the left bank beach as long as you sleep downstairs and don’t get spotted. There is also a bivouac for small van at the exit of the town of Piana coming from Porto.

Day 6 – Sagone – Ajaccio

On the road to Ajaccio, a short stop at Sagone is a must. Although the town is not very attractive, it offers beautiful and long beaches on the way with large car parks.
After having visited the city center of Ajaccio: the cathedral Notre Dame-de-l’Assomption, the Bonaparte house, and done some shopping to fill your fridge at the market of the Producers of the country, you can settle down for the night in front of the sea on a parking validated by the users of Park4night in Grosseto-Prugna, at Grosseto-Prugna, au 345 sur la Route Départementale 55.

 

Day 7 – Iles Sanguinaires – Propriano – Camporomo

Departure in the morning for the visit of “les îles sanguinaires” and its point of Parata. On the way, you will be able to stop for a short swim on the beaches which are not always signposted but which are all extremely beautiful. In some places you can even park there for the night. In the evening, head in the direction of Propriano and then the small perched village of Camporomo and its beach to spend the night there peacefully.

Day 8 – Sartène – Bonifacio

Before arriving in Bonifacio, a small stop in the town of Sartène where parking is very difficult and expensive, but if you like walking you can park very well on the road to Bonifacio near the cemetery.

In the afternoon in Bonifacio, there again the parking lots are paying. You can park on the road to Porto Vecchio and walk to visit the town. To sleep one can bivouac on the many beaches outside the city. A small preference for those of Cara Lunga or Morea where you will be far from the crowds and quiet for a quiet aperitif with your feet in the sand! From there you can easily visit the town of Bonifacio and its surroundings.

Day 9 – Bonifacio – Iles Lavezzi – plage de Rondinera

To your masks and snorkels! It would be a shame to miss a day’s visit to the Lavezzi Islands and Cavallo Island: a real little corner of Paradise for nature lovers and lovers of shades of blue!

At the end of the day, you can take advantage of the drop in temperature to climb the alleys of the magnificent citadel of Bonifacio.

To spend the night, we recommend the camping de la Rondinara [6] (11,20€ per night in a van) where you can find one of the most beautiful beaches of the island at only 10 min walking distance, because again the car parks are very expensive at this place of the island.

Day 10 – Plage Palombaggia – Porto Vecchio –Bastia

After a stop on the unmissable Palombaggia beach, a short visit to the town of Porto Vecchio and its old centre is a must. From the city, many water sports activities are offered: diving, water skiing, sailing…

A return to Bastia via the main road will complete this little Corsican journey before boarding the ferry back to the continent!

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