Cycling in Corsica: Ajaccio - Calvi
Red cliffs, mountain villages and swimming coves along the wild west coast
6 - 8 dagar
Cykling Self-Guided trip
01/04/2027 - 30/10/2027
Level 4
7 Breakfasts
The French affectionately call Corsica L'Île de Beauté, the island of beauty. Nowhere is this more evident than on the wild west coast. You cycle from Ajaccio, Napoleon's colourful birthplace, northward to the citadel town of Calvi. The road winds through fragrant maquis, past Cargèse and Piana – listed among France's most beautiful villages – and straight through the Calanques de Piana, where red granite cliffs plunge into the azure sea. You can choose to cycle directly from town to town, or one of the longer programmes that also includes a couple of detours up into the mountains: Evisa and Col de Vergio with a dip in the clear waters of the Spelunca Gorge, and Calenzana with the surrounding 2000-metre peaks. Every day offers new views of the Mediterranean and perhaps its most beautiful island - at least if you ask the Corsicans themselves.
Tour Highlights
The coastal road through the Calanques de Piana's red granite cliffs
The fishing village of Porto and its dramatic bay
A detour up to the mountain village of Evisa and Col de Vergio
Swimming at secluded beaches along the wild west coast
Calvi with its Genoese citadel and long sandy beaches
Program
Select Your Program Variation:
7 Breakfasts included
You make your own way to Ajaccio, Corsica's capital and the city where Napoleon Bonaparte was born. Leave your bags at the hotel and head out into the old town. Visit the citadel and stroll through the narrow alleys, where restaurants and bars fill up as the balmy Mediterranean evening approaches. Ajaccio is lively but never stressful – a great place to adjust to the island's pace before the week in the saddle begins.
Level and standard
Short but hilly stages averaging just over 40 km and 700 metres of elevation gain per day, with short sections of up to 12 percent on the first cycling day. You cycle on paved, often narrow coastal and mountain roads and share the road with car traffic, mainly in and out of the towns. Suitable for those with good fitness and experience with hills. Choose between an easy-rolling road bike and an e-bike - with the e-bike the trip becomes considerably easier, and most people can enjoy Corsica's magnificent cycling environment.
You choose between two accommodation standards. Standard: small, personal hotels, mostly two-star and centrally located in the villages, with one night at a three-star hotel in Galéria. Charm: a clear step up, with four-star hotels in Ajaccio and Galéria and carefully selected three-star hotels in between. Breakfast is included every morning.
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