What to do in Corsica?

Any suggestions on what to see and do for a day in Corsica?

We're docking there for the day whilst we're on Celebrity Century...........Any info about how easy it is to get around etc would be great.

Suzy:D

In catching up with my Sunday N.Y. Times after returning from Europe and the Carnival Freedom, they featured, Corsica in a recent Travel Section.

Have fun-

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/travel/31corsica.html

Why the thumbs down? Don't you want to visit Corsica??

We tooks a ship tour that was really interesting. Saw all kinds of statues in parks of Napolean since he grew up in Ajaccio (the port where cruises stop), and also saw the signal tours along the coast. Even had the chance to climb up to one. The market area was very interesting as well and they had some very inexpensive wine for purchase there that we liked very much. :D

Why the thumbs down? Don't you want to visit Corsica??

Those "thumbs down" icons can look very much like a question mark when you are creating a new thread. I've seen this happen literally dozens of times on this board - someone posts a question and checks that little icon, thinking it's a question mark, and then everyone wonders why they were being so negative, when all they were doing was asking a question. I would bet money that's what happened here.

To the OP - Corsica is a beautiful island, and it's worth getting out of Ajaccio (where I assume you'll be docking) to see some of the natural beauty and small villages. We spent a week there a few years ago, and drove all over the island. You could rent a car in Ajaccio, but one concern is that the roads are REALLY windy and it takes a while to get anywhere if you don't know exactly where you're going, and aren't used to those seriously windy roads. Celebrity has a couple of good excursions - the ones that I would consider the most appealing would be the Scenic River Sud tour, which is an all-day tour that would give you a nice overview of the island, or the Prunelli Gorges tour, which is only 4 hours but takes you to a stunningly beautiful area in the mountains (we went there ourselves and LOVED it).

If you're interested in a private guide (always my preference), unfortunately I haven't been there on a cruise myself, so I don't have any knowledge of private guides to recommend. Maybe some other members out there will chime in to recommend guides.

If you'd prefer to go the rental car route, there's a Europcar rental office only 2 km from the port.

We tooks a ship tour that was really interesting. Saw all kinds of statues in parks of Napolean since he grew up in Ajaccio (the port where cruises stop), and also saw the signal tours along the coast. Even had the chance to climb up to one. The market area was very interesting as well and they had some very inexpensive wine for purchase there that we liked very much. :D

That sounds like the Scenic River Sud tour that I mentioned above. The signal towers dotting the coast of the island are ancient watchtowers built by the Genoese during the period when they had possession of the island; one of them is famous for providing refuge to Napolean during an attack on the island in the 18th century.

We also did some winery touring while on the island, and they have some very nice regional wines. :) If you're interested in wines, there is a "Tastes of Corsica" Celebrity excursion that includes a visit to a vineyard and some wine tasting.

Those "thumbs down" icons can look very much like a question mark when you are creating a new thread. I've seen this happen literally dozens of times on this board - someone posts a question and checks that little icon, thinking it's a question mark, and then everyone wonders why they were being so negative, when all they were doing was asking a question. I would bet money that's what happened here.

I never even noticed that before! You are probably right.

Why the thumbs down? Don't you want to visit Corsica??

Sorry..................I thought it was a pointer LOL

And YES I am looking forward to visiting Corsica:D

If you hire a car you might enjoy visiting SARTENE in the interior - a hill village with lots of narrow streets and not that many tourists. There are great wines worth sampling in Corsica, especially the reds. You should also try locally-produced beers and Brucchio (sp) - pronounced Brutch - cheese. If you want to look at very old remains, you might head to Filitosa - prehistoric stones - you'd need to google it!

Be aware that the roads in Corsica are generally very slow and winding in the mountains so make sure you allow plenty of time for your journeys.

We took a Celebrity tour that went out to the large rocks-, stopped at a cemetery for a very long time & also stopped at all the Naploeon sites... The guide was too wordy & focused on a group within the group that spoke another language-- we & about half the group ended up leaving the tour since she would not move along or stop talking to the little group!

This port can easily be done on your own--walking--nice shops & the Napoleon sites are easy to locate..Hope you get a nice sunny day like we did!

We were there last September on Century. We walked about 5 minutes to town center, and then took the "Petit Train" tour. Take the one that lasts about 90 minutes. It did sites in the town and then went out the coast highway for awhile. Very pretty place. We then walked around town, stopped at a sidewalk cafe for lunch, shopped for souvenirs (fun because both places spoke only French), had a relaxing beer on the waterfront. Very nice relaxing day. Enjoy.

Ajaccio or Bonifacio? One is way north and the other way south. Bonifacio is fun to just wander around in.