Trip to Corsica in May
 

I will be riding in Corsica for a week in the beginning of May. Which part of the Island would be more interesting for enjoyable riding?

I'm also planning on visiting corsica - i've not been there but reading guide books sound like there is lots of good riding and interesting places to see.

Cap Corse sounds good, as does the north western coastal roads from Calvi to Ajaccio and from Evisa to Corte although this is just what i have read as i have not been yet.

Are you planning to get the ferry from Nice? If not where are you planning to get ferry from and if you've booked how much is it costing and who are you using (which ferry company).

Hi Guys,

We have been traveling around Corsica in 2007 and did make some small movies to get a impression. You can see them on Life Is Joy - Home

Corsica
 

Hi Michael, thanks for your comments. I will be taking the ferry from Nice to Calvi. 5hs. I have booked for the 1st May and will be paying 185 euros with cancellation insurance. I am using Corsica Sardinia Ferries. (Hope they do not get on strike that day.....). As I am going to be in the Island for a week, I will actually be riding all over it.:funmeteryes:

Thanks for the info, Jopos. Nice site, by the way. COngratulations for the amount of miles with your bike.

been there last summer with my Honda CX500, tent and girlfriend.

the northern part of the isle is beautiful, rocky and solitaire.
the southern is turistic, sandy and full of attractions.

it's good manner to ALWAYS LOCK the motorbike especially if you are in touristic city, corsica is famous for bike steals.

go north if you love adventure, clean and deep sea and wild life.

and if you are a bit crazy, try the road to the Desert of Agriates to Saleccia.
i did it with my old CX and we were THE ONLY people on that beach with a motorbike.

always watch out for the road because it's REALLY SMALL, you can see burnt cars fallen from the high mountain roads to the valley, so don't go too fast!

ps: gas stations after 19pm only accept CREDIT CARDS, so no cash or debit cards!
we had to wait for a guy with credit card to exchange my 10€ note at 01am!

Thanks Ferro. Good tips. I will take them into consideration. I have plans to camp as well.

cheers,

Ricardo
12GS Adv

thanks for info on ferry and other info on corsica, very interesting.

i take it that price is a return ticket?

thanks

on sardinia-ferries website you can book a round trip from livorno starting just at 40€/each if you are in 2 plus motorbike.

last summer we paid 84€ for the whole travel (round trip livorno-bastia 2 persons+motorbike from 30 july-13 august).

There's great roads for riding all over the island, pretty much wherever you go. How much time are planning on spending there?

If you have little time and you can't explore several areas (which would be a real shame, because one attraction of corsica is the contrasts it offers on such little space, mediterranian and alpine climate/landscapes etc), I would choose the part where you like the landscape or the sights the most.

The best website about biking on corsica I know of is In Korsika mit dem Motorrad; Touren, Wanderungen und jede Menge Tipps It's sometimes a bit slow to load up, so have some patience. Also it's in German, which if you don't speak it, the Google translator will make most of the relevant information available to you: Language Tools (put in the url to the website halfway down the page)

The guy's been biking to corsica for over 20 years and knows a lot. Of most interest to you would probably be the following sections on the website:

Bikertouren - his 20 favourite tours, length duration, pics and highlights by the roadside
Wanderungen - short hikes, starting in places you can ride to, going through beautiful scenery in a terrain you can usually also manage with bike boots. Most around 35 - 90 min long
Technische Infos - has a directory of bike mechanics at the bottom
Parktische Tipps - lists of nice beaches, accomodation, nightlife. Accomodation info is a bit out of date, but the rest is fine.

Enjoy your trip!

A few more things came to mind from my last trip to corsica:

- really do lock the bike up inside at night, lots of reports of stolen bikes!
- more spectacular roads along the sea are on the west (kind of mini highway 1, particularly stretches of ajaccio, cargese, porto and a bit north of it)
- make sure to try the corsican sausages, coppa, lonzu
- take it easy on the roads, most are very narrow, may have rocks and sand on them and are often inhabited by wild pigs
- beaches arent everything, sometimes you can find really nice swimming spots in rivers. Sometimes just near/under a bridge, but also further inside the island, away from the main roads. I found a particularly beautiful spot in the Fango valley on the west side of the island. Rivers partially dry up during the summer leaving water in natural ponds along them. When the water doesnt flow so fast anymore, and the sun shines on the rocks all day, the water will be warmer than in the sea, even at night. Can also find nice spots if you're into (mini) cliff diving along those rivers, as some natural ponds can be quite deep.