de Paris, a Ajaccio
June 8, 2010 9:37 AM Subscribe
Help me get from Paris to Corsica in two days.
I'll be leaving Paris the morning of Saturday, June 19, and I need to arrive in Ajaccio on Corsica by 17:00 on Monday June 21.
I like to rock climb (mostly bouldering, esp. because I don't really want to lug a bunch of gear); but I'm up for anything adventurous/pretty/interesting. I can read French okay but speak only haltingly. I am happy taking a train, a ferry, whatever, but I'd prefer not to fly.
How should I get there, where should I stay on the way, and is there any hope of getting a little climbing in while I'm at it?
I'll be leaving Paris the morning of Saturday, June 19, and I need to arrive in Ajaccio on Corsica by 17:00 on Monday June 21.
I like to rock climb (mostly bouldering, esp. because I don't really want to lug a bunch of gear); but I'm up for anything adventurous/pretty/interesting. I can read French okay but speak only haltingly. I am happy taking a train, a ferry, whatever, but I'd prefer not to fly.
How should I get there, where should I stay on the way, and is there any hope of getting a little climbing in while I'm at it?
Dittoing the TGV from Paris to Marseille. There are fast boats now, called NGVs, that only take about 3 hours to get to Corsica. I've always taken SNCM ferries (I live in Nice), but Corsica Ferries is good too. That said, their website only shows departures from Toulon, not Marseille. They're the two main companies; Google searches can show you others. The SNCM's fast boat is the Liamone, which helps when looking through their timetables (though the choice between 12-hour overnight trips and 3-hour trips is pretty obvious, heh).
For climbing near Marseille, there are the calanques, but not much else nearby. If you took the train to Nice you'd have a wide array of climbing opportunities! We're surrounded by rocky mountains, aka the Alps, and river gorges, all beautiful. But the TGV doesn't yet run full speed on the Marseille-Nice stretch, so you'd add a few more hours to your train ride. Kind of a shame you rule out flying, since there are very cheap, direct Paris-Nice flights that only take an hour and a half, but I can understand the pain in the behind that is getting to and around Paris Orly. Nice's airport is very close to city center though, and we have cheap public transportation (only a single euro for a regular bus to city center, which takes 30-45 minutes, or 4 euros for a day pass on the entire public transportation system that will also allow you on the express bus, which takes 15-20 minutes to get to city center). Also, from what I can tell from the ferry schedules, you'd have a few more fast boat options from Nice than from Marseille. (There is a huge community of Corsicans here.)
Just ran across this while randomly Googling climbing in this area: Climbing in the South of France.
posted by fraula at 1:20 PM on June 8, 2010
For climbing near Marseille, there are the calanques, but not much else nearby. If you took the train to Nice you'd have a wide array of climbing opportunities! We're surrounded by rocky mountains, aka the Alps, and river gorges, all beautiful. But the TGV doesn't yet run full speed on the Marseille-Nice stretch, so you'd add a few more hours to your train ride. Kind of a shame you rule out flying, since there are very cheap, direct Paris-Nice flights that only take an hour and a half, but I can understand the pain in the behind that is getting to and around Paris Orly. Nice's airport is very close to city center though, and we have cheap public transportation (only a single euro for a regular bus to city center, which takes 30-45 minutes, or 4 euros for a day pass on the entire public transportation system that will also allow you on the express bus, which takes 15-20 minutes to get to city center). Also, from what I can tell from the ferry schedules, you'd have a few more fast boat options from Nice than from Marseille. (There is a huge community of Corsicans here.)
Just ran across this while randomly Googling climbing in this area: Climbing in the South of France.
posted by fraula at 1:20 PM on June 8, 2010
Thought of something else - if by chance your preference for train/ferry is for better sightseeing, know that you won't see much of anything other than farms (lovely farms, granted, but not much else) and dirtier parts of Lyon and Marseille in the TGV, whereas the flight from Paris to Marseille (or Ajaccio, or Nice) is absolutely gorgeous. The Paris-Nice flight is one of my favorites, since on approach to Nice, you go over the Alps from about Geneva all the way down. (I took these photos on a Nice-Geneva flight.) Then, since planes aren't allowed to fly over the cities, you detour over the Mediterranean and follow the coastline, either from Italy or from around Marseille. It's utterly breathtaking; train rides come nowhere near.
I've never taken a plane to Corsica, though, because seeing the Corsican coast on approach from the ferry is another awe-inspiring experience. Going to Ajaccio, you'll get amazing vistas down the western coast. It's one of the most beautiful in the world. UNESCO agrees!
posted by fraula at 1:34 PM on June 8, 2010
I've never taken a plane to Corsica, though, because seeing the Corsican coast on approach from the ferry is another awe-inspiring experience. Going to Ajaccio, you'll get amazing vistas down the western coast. It's one of the most beautiful in the world. UNESCO agrees!
posted by fraula at 1:34 PM on June 8, 2010
Yes, the calanques are pretty cool. I went up and down one when I was around Marseille, and it was well worth while, despite the heat! However, I think where I went was a bit out of town (I had rented a car), and I don't know if that's a trip you'd take by taxi. Great news about the fast ferry!
I am very jealous; I was in Corsica in 2007 I think, and did a lot of hiking there. It was really lovely. (Again, Cap Corse! So delightful.)
posted by Admiral Haddock at 5:18 PM on June 8, 2010
I am very jealous; I was in Corsica in 2007 I think, and did a lot of hiking there. It was really lovely. (Again, Cap Corse! So delightful.)
posted by Admiral Haddock at 5:18 PM on June 8, 2010
The calanques are out of town, yes, but public transportation goes there. Marseille's public transportation site.
posted by fraula at 1:30 AM on June 9, 2010
posted by fraula at 1:30 AM on June 9, 2010
Response by poster: Alright, I'll try some Cap Corse already. Thanks for the hints, everyone; it looks like I will take the train (it is actually slightly cheaper than flying for the route+days I'd have to do). But I'm glad to know the flight back from Corsica to Orly might be pretty. Now if only I didn't have to get from Orly to CDG..
posted by nat at 10:55 PM on June 10, 2010
posted by nat at 10:55 PM on June 10, 2010
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From Marseille to Ajaccio, you take the ferry, but it's an overnight crossing, if I recall, so you'd have to leave on Sunday night to get to Corsica for Monday. The ferry is very nice, though; sort of a luxury liner.
So, your preferences may differ, but personally, I'd rather just get to Marseille, walk around, have a nice meal, see the museums and churches, etc. Getting off the route for a diversion when there is only one ferry that's going to work would stress me out.
Also: the Corsican national drink is the Cap Corse, which is sort of a more herbal Campari. It is delicious!
posted by Admiral Haddock at 9:54 AM on June 8, 2010