There are many ferries to Corsica and they go to a number of cities around the island. We chose to get one from Nice to Bastia which took about 7 hours duration and was running about 30 minutes late (we took the afternoon ferry at 2:25pm). Many of those on this ferry then make a dash for the local campsite which is a 15 minute drive and closes at 11pm.
The ferry was nice enough although the boarding was unclear and the loading well executed but chaotic if that makes sense. You have to travel down the east side of the port at Nice and turn into the port, go past a small car park and follow a road all the way around to the west side of the port. We almost went in to the cruise terminal. We may have missed signs as were looking for parking earlier in the day and happened to park along the east side of the port anyway. The parking was expensive but we’d heard reviews of vans being broken into further along the coast so decided to swallow the cost to avoid the risk (the charge was 60c and 30c after 12 noon for a few hours).
The unloading was more chaotic, the staff did a great job but as the ferry loaded and unloaded from the back, if you got shoved to the front as we did, some people did not like those ‘behind’ them on loading being able to disembark first so we watched as the drivers and the staff played a bit of a game of chicken in trying to reverse themselves into other cars and people.
The signage leaving the port wasn’t great, ideally follow everyone else, you have to turn right then left to hit a little roundabout to get to the main road but that part isn’t clear as the ‘sortie’ sign points in a generic direction which can also take you back along the port.
We decided to spend the morning exploring Bastia since we were here although looking on the usual tourist sites I couldn’t find much to make it stand out as a place to visit. However we did spend a few enjoyable hours once we arrived. Finding parking (morning on a Sunday) was a nightmare and the roads are not designed for cars never mind vans so that was quite stressful but there is free parking if you’re willing to go up the hill out of the town and it’s only about a 10 minute walk back down into the centre.
We happened upon a little market in Market Square (place de la marsh) which was heaving and selling all sorts of foods, fruit and veg and honey. We bought a pot of local honey and toured the market a little, it was very popular so worth a look if you go. We were vaguely aiming for the flea market at St Nicholas Square but never made it so can’t advise on whether it’s worth visiting!
Walking downhill through a few streets you come to the old port and you can sit on the harbour edge for a while as we did with pastries secured from a local boulangerie which was very relaxing.
If you head West, you can walk along the pier front to the small lighthouse and look at the manmade harbour water breaks, although it’s not clear if this is permissible as it was sealed off at one point but the barriers have somewhat been sheared off (and they are metal so not easily done). Further West and you walk around the front along a promenade which ties together the old fortress and the new walkway.
Keep going and you hit a concrete tunnel and steps opening onto a defensive position and views over the sea and back across town. It’s an interesting area to explore.
Doing a little loop around here you can see an old cathedral, the museum and there are loads of little cafes, some with magnificant views across to the sea. Definitely worth a visit. You’ve also gained some height this way so the journey back to the car isn’t too bad!