I am looking for some advice. I am hoping to visit Corsica alone with my 6 year old son later this month for the first time. Ideally we would like to stay in a small town with a beach, not too much nightlife but some nice cafes, shops etc. I don%26#39;t drive so we will probably spend the week in the town and would like a short transfer from the airport (30 mins?). I have found an apartment in the old town in Ile Rousse but also have read some lovely reviews for Calvi. Can anyone advise which would be the better location for what we are looking for? Or if there are any other areas of the island we can try.
I apprecite it will be very busy but obviously our holiday dates are based around the school holidays.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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I think you%26#39;d like them both - and I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll visit them both wherever you decide to stay.
To summarise, Calvi is much older, more Corsican and has a citadel. Ile Rousse is more French and (in my opinion) has nicer restaurants, shops and bars. Both offer good supermarkets near the town centre and a little train connects the two centres. Both have excellent beaches.
Presuming you are arriving at Catalina (Calvi) airport, obviously Calvi is a little nearer but Ile Rousse is only 20 km or so away. Ile Rousse is nearer to Bastia airport than is Calvi.
Here%26#39;s one other possibility to confuse you...! Had you thought of Algajola? It%26#39;s between the two on the same train line. It%26#39;s a tiny walled town (or should I say village). It is smaller, quieter than the other two and and again offers good facilities. DTR
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I would go to Calvi. The sea at Algajola gets deep very quickly and the beach at Ile Rousse is not as long as Calvi which slopes very gently and which was more reassuring when my boy was 6. There are also plenty of cafes on the beach for snacks (and loos).I agree that Ile Rousse probably has nicer restaurants but maybe you could take the little train there and to Algola for lunch?
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I%26#39;m a Calvi girl through and through but I would be perfectly happy with a week in Ille Rousse too. I%26#39;d say the beach at Clavi was nicer.
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If I were going back to Corsica i would use the Calvi airport for both Ill Rousse and Calvi, the journey by coach over to Bastia will be quite an ordeal for a six year old, {sick bags were out on Sunday for a few people on our coach} also the %26quot;quaint%26quot; little train isn%26#39;t nearly as quaint when it%26#39;s up in 80%26#39;s and you are packed in like sardines, if i were taking a six year old on it, then i would take the earliest possible, certainly before nine in the morning, then return before two oclock, the ten oclock train is one you need to avoid, unless you enjoy being stuffed in an airless steel tube. I agree with %26quot;DTR%26quot; when he says of Ill Rousse being more French, it really is lovely, with a much better %26quot;and cheaper%26quot; selection of cafes and restaurants,with a beautiful old square shaded by mature trees. If i were taking a six year old then Ill Rousse it would be for me. The main road into, and around Calvi is very busy, with traffic nose to tail all morning.
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Thank you for all the advice. I am glad I have found out about the journey from Bastia as I have already discounted quite a few resorts in other countries because I don%26#39;t want to do any stressful transfers! Does anyone know how long/smooth a journey it is from Calvi to Ile Rousse?
We just want a really quiet and easy week away so are unlikely to travel around once we reach our destination.
Nikki
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We did some trips last week from calvi to Ill Rousse, the road is a good one, winding along the coast road, and i%26#39;m sure your six year old will be ok, looking out at the beautiful turquoise sea, I%26#39;m certainly no expert on Corsica, but i would think 30 to 40 minutes on a coach.
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It is indeed a beautiful coastal journey - about 30 mins usually. Ille Rousse is more French I agree but Calvi is fantastic- and more Corsican. The view of the Genoese citadel from the beach is amazing and when you sit in a bar on the port in the edarly evening, the mountains across the bay turn pink and look almost like cardboard cut outs. Calvi is unique whereas I have been to many a town in France which looks like Ille Rousse. The beach is also disappointing.
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