Ajaccio petit train/vision bus

Hi all

I'm not having much luck finding info on the two bus tours which run from Ajaccio. They are the vision open top bus and the Petit train. It appears they both have town routes and an extended route out to the Sanguinaire point.

As hubby is keen to chill out on a beach that day, which isn't my "thing", I'm wondering:

Does anyone have any experience of using either bus?

Are they hop on hop off so I can stop off at a few stops en route?

I have seen in old searches here, that they used to only have 4 a day, which would suggest they aren't HOHO?

Any advice/views would be much appreciated.

We rode the train a few years ago. It is a little open set of cars pulled by a tractor. It had a short trip through the streets, but we took the long one which also included a ride to the point. There was narration along the way. We stopped at the point for about 10 minutes for pictures. When we returned to town, we strolled around, having a different type of beer at a couple of taverns. We also bought a couple of shirts, which was fun because very few people spoke English. It is a pretty place. I don't do beach days in Europe, except for Mykonos.

We rode the train a few years ago. It is a little open set of cars pulled by a tractor. It had a short trip through the streets, but we took the long one which also included a ride to the point. There was narration along the way. We stopped at the point for about 10 minutes for pictures. When we returned to town, we strolled around, having a different type of beer at a couple of taverns. We also bought a couple of shirts, which was fun because very few people spoke English. It is a pretty place. I don't do beach days in Europe, except for Mykonos.

Thank you - it sounds like a nice relaxing trip for me, if hubby wants to lie on the beach for a few hours :-)

We were in Ajaccio a few days ago. You will find both at the bottom of Place Foch.

The Le Petit train has two circuits. A lady in a booth sells tickets which are just big blue or pink stickers to “identify” you to the driver. It is the usual tourist "train" with three cars.

The 45 minute “Imperial City Tour” is 7 Euros and includes 11 sights in the heart of the city. You can actually do most of them on your own on foot. (And most of them are within a few minutes of Place Foch so there is no real need for HOHO). In my opinion the only reason to be on this train is to go to the Cave Napoleon on the hill for photos. The train makes a 15 minute stop (the only stop) on the Cave, and returns to the city. There is a recorded narration in three languages. The route includes the following:

Town Hall, Diamond Square, Anglican Church, Cave Napoleon (15 min stop), Statue of Modesty, St Francis Beach, Cathedral, Citadel, Napoleon’s House, and Paoli statue.

The same train also does a 90 minutes Sanguine Islands Circuit for 10 Euro and adds 4 sights to the above list: Greek’s Chapel, Beaches, Mediterranean Statue, and Sanguine Islands (Stop 10 minutes).

The train seems to be more popular and has more frequent departures.

The open top Bus Touristique is a yellow double-decker that departs at the same place that does pretty much the same thing.

90 minutes circuit for 10 Euros

55 minute circuit for 8 Euros

Departure is every 45 minutes. The problem I find with this bus is they may not operate if there is not enough people on the bus. (The refused to operate the 1:30 pm advertised tour because there were only 4 people, and asked us to return 2:15 pm). So beware.

Thanks for your detailed reply. I took the Petit Train out to the Sanguinaires which was really pleasant. On our day the yellow bus were not providing the longer route. Surprising as there were 3 ships in port.