Getaway on the Island of Beauty

Start your 9-day Vacation with Friends and take a short flight from Paris (or another city from mainland France) to Ajaccio. Welcome at the airport and private transfer to your hotel. Installation at your hotel. 

Rest of time at leisure to relax and visit Ajaccio on your own. 

You will be enraptured by the Ajaccio "Dolce Vita" as soon as you land in the largest city of Corsica. At the bottom of its magnificent gulf, the city has managed to keep this sweet feeling of Mediterranean life and still provides all the advantages of a modern city.

Landing at Ajaccio means immersing yourself right away in holidays Corsican holidays: café terraces, shaded squares, white sand beaches, historical monuments, markets full of flavors, no doubt, you are on the island of beauty! Ajaccio was founded by the Genoese, at least in its modern form. They built the citadel that still shows today the entrance to the port of Ajaccio.

The history of the city took an unexpected turn on August 15, 1769 with the birth of baby Napoleon Bonaparte, who became the emperor of the French and whose fame is still very lively his hometown. Cours Napoléon, Rue du Roi de Rome, Avenue du Premier Consul, Place Austerlitz, are all names of places that remind everyone of the meaning of "imperial city".

After breakfast, pick up by your guide and his or her vehicle at your accommodation.

Half-day private tour with the Prunelli gorges, the lake of Tolla, with the visit of a local honey producer and an essential oils producer (private / approx. 5.5 hours). 

Your driver-guide picks you up at your hotel in the morning and you leave Ajaccio to the backcountry of the Island of Beauty. 

The hinterland begins just a stone’s throw from the beach with circuits that open up magnificent views to the mountains, valleys, and villages. The village itself is reason enough to leave the city: houses with slate roofs, cobbled streets and flowers, and always this breathtaking view over the wide expanse of water. Climb up the Prunelli valley and twenty minutes later you will find yourself in the heart of the deep chestnut tree forests of Bastelica, the fatherland of Sampiero Corso. Visit of a honey small factory and the essential oils factory of Ocana (entrance fees included).

You drive back to the sea at the end of the morning to have a lunch in a typical « paillotte » on the beach. 

The driver-guide brings you back to your hotel around 02:30 PM, after this wonderful half-day « in the heart » of Corsica.

Rest of the day at leisure. 

Your driver-guide picks you up at your hotel in the morning and you leave Ajaccio to the backcountry of the Island of Beauty. 

Start your Full-day private tour from Ajaccio to the Calanques of Piana, the Gulf of Porto, Aitone forest and the reserve of Scandola (private / approx. 10 hours). 

You will cross many isolated villages and stroll the sinuous roads of North-Western Corsica. 

Coming to Evisa, you will admire the beautiful Aitone forest whose immense umbrella pine trees hide wonderful rivers and natural pools. Have a swim or a short hike to admire the trees. Then head to the small harbor of Porto, northwest. Like a mountain that has been thrown into the sea, the hinterland of the Gulf of Porto is listed as UNESCO World Heritage and has remained enclosed for many years but retains its authenticity and the traditional warmth of its welcome. Overlooking the Gulf, Ota, a typical village clinging to the mountain is the starting point of the Spelunca gorge trail (optional). You will have your lunch there (not included, to be paid on-site) by a local family owned restaurant. 

In the afternoon, you will make a 3-hour cruise to the wonderful reserve of Scandola, which can be reached only by boat (no road, no paths).

The driver-guide brings you back to your hotel around 07:00 PM, after this wonderful day in the wild nature of Corsica.

After breakfast, pick up by your guide and his or her vehicle at your accommodation. 

Start your Full-day tour with a train ride from Bocognano to Corte, visite Corte and Restonica Gorges (private / approx. 9 hours).

Transfer to Bocognano train station (approx. 45 minutes). 

Experience a memorable train journey from Bocognano to Corte (approx. 2 hours). 

Don't miss the famous « trinichellu » train literally translates as « trembling », due to the old models’ unique motion in their shaky frames.

On arrival at the station, meet your driver-guide again and visit Corte, the historical heart and capital of Corsica. Blessed with a stunning natural setting, circled by jagged peaks at the confluence of several rivers, the mountain stronghold of Corte is as forbidding as it is spectacular. Centering on a towering pinnacle that’s been fortified for over 2000 years, it still stands at the heart of Corsican identity. 

You will explore the preserved Restonica Valley with its natural swimming pools and bathing spots in an idyllic environment throughout the D623 which follows the bed of the river. This area is also a paradise for hikers and trekkers. 

At the end of the day the driver guide brings you to Saint Florent, an hour away from Corte and a lovely harbor set by the pristine waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Day at leisure in Saint Florent. 

Exploring Saint Florent:

The location, on a small promontory in a natural bay on the Mediterranean with a backdrop of mountains, the climate and the nearby beaches and scenery all together make Saint Florent a popular resort and tourist destination. Saint Florent is a small town on the coast of northern Corsica, needing only a morning to explore unless you get waylaid - as you will! – by the attractive harbor and cafes around the Place des Portes, or pass a long time wishing that you too could pass the summer on one of the expensive yachts moored in the marina.

The streets of the town are active and very pleasant to explore, as much in the evening as the daytime, and there are plenty of places to stop and eat or drink.

Like many of the Corsican Towns Saint Florent has a Genoise citadel, built in the 15th century (the town quickly started to develop around the citadel). The citadel is a sturdy round monument that looks out across the gulf below, giving us some lovely views.

The Cathedral of the Nebbio is the other important historical monument in Saint Florent. It was built in the 12th-century on the site of the original Roman town that existed close to where Saint Florent now stands.

After breakfast, pick up by your guide and his or her vehicle at your accommodation. 

Start your Full day excursion in 4x4 to Agriates beaches and Patrimonio vineyards (private / approx. 8 hours). 

You head to the beautiful Desert des Agriates, a barren, wild and beautiful wilderness-based west of Saint-Florent. It’s the only 'official' desert in Europe. It is more of a dry, scrub-covered landscape than the 'typical' type of desert that you might imagine. At 40 km long, it also contains the longest stretch of protected coastline in Europe. There is no tarmac road in the Desert des Agriates and traffic is limited to only authorized 4x4 of local transport companies.

After a couple of hours’ drive, stop for a picnic lunch (a « spuntinu » in Corsican dialect) by a lovely beach of the Desert des Agriate. After lunch, time at leisure to have a swim in the pristine waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Be aware that, despite the traffic limitation, this area is very touristic during the summer season (July and August). Better go in June and September, until mid-October.

Early afternoon, you hit the road again to go to Saint Florent and visit the famous vineyards of Patrimonio, one of the most famous AOC Label in Corsica.

Your driver-guide brings you back to your hotel at the end of the day. This day with your friends will be definitely memorable and fun.

After breakfast, pick up by your guide and his or her vehicle at your accommodation. 

Start your Full-day Scenic roads and perched villages of Cap Corse (private / approx. 9 hours). 

Situated to the north of Bastia and Saint-Florent, Cap Corse is a 40-kilometer-long and 10 km wide promontory, with several attractive fishing villages, a much attractive coastline and a couple of good beaches. A ridge of mountains runs down the center of Cap Corse, with Mont Stello, in the center of the peninsula, the highest peak at 1307 meters.

The usual way to visit Cap Corse is simply to follow around the coast - up to one side and down the other, with occasional excursions a little way inland to visit the wine-producing villages in the hills. 

This itinerary provides the best way to enjoy the coast, beaches, and small villages, and repeated crossing from side to side is not possible because of the mountains.

The two sides, east and west, are quite different in character - to the west of Cap Corse the mountains reach right to the sea in a much more dramatic fashion than on the gentler east side.

There are numerous scenic highlights and small villages to see en-route around the coast.

The driver-guide drops you off in your hotel in Bastia, at the eastern side of the loop, at the end of the day.

Your journey now brings you to the end of your vacation with a day at leisure to explore Bastia on your own and rest on the beaches.

Much has been said, written, sung to Bastia. Just flick through a guide, a tourist brochure to contemplate the riches of the city: baroque oratories, majestic churches, Old Harbor and Citadel proudly perched on its rocky promontory. City of Art and History, enigmatic, indifferent to time, modern and creative Bastia shows visitors its many facets. But beyond gilding, beyond the stones, beyond the palace ... what secret really lies in Bastia?

To answer this intriguing question, simply plunge in its old center; for it is in the life of its neighborhoods, in the meeting with its inhabitants, that the soul of Bastia is best expressed. To discover the authentic Bastia, indulge in a stroll through the narrow streets of Terra Vecchia, take the time to taste the many regional products on the market or in the Corsican specialties shops. 

Learn the art of the « macagna », a very local form of humor that combines self-mockery and witticism. This is like a local sport in Bastia, spontaneously practiced in vibrant and typical cafes! 

What a great way to end your 9-day vacation with friends in Corsica.

Pick up at your hotel in the morning and transfer to the airport of Bastia (35km / approx. 30 minute drive south from Bastia). You take a short flight back to Paris Roissy CDG or other international airports from mainland France. 

Connection with a flight to the US (we recommend at least 4 hours of connection time between the two flights or a night at the airport on the mainland).

Home sweet home!