A loop around the island from Bastia: Cap Corse, the Balagne, the Gulf of Porto and the Calanques de Piana, Ajaccio, Bonifacio, the beaches of Porto-Vecchio, then back via Bavella and Corte. Distances are short but the roads are slow: a mountain in the sea, limited to 80 km/h, where you share the bends with coaches, motorhomes, cows and pigs.
| Days | Stop | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Bastia | Start |
| Day 2 | Centuri (Cap Corse) | 55 km · 1h05 |
| Day 3 | Saint-Florent | 59 km · 1h05 |
| Day 4 | Calvi | 69 km · 1h20 |
| Days 5 to 6 | Porto | 76 km · 1h25 |
| Day 7 | Ajaccio | 80 km · 1h30 |
| Day 8 | Propriano | 67 km · 1h05 |
| Days 9 to 10 | Bonifacio | 64 km · 1h05 |
| Day 11 | Porto-Vecchio | 28 km · 35 min |
| Days 12 to 13 | Corte | 157 km · 2h45 |
| Day 14 | Back to Bastia | 70 km · 1h05 |
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
May to June and September to October: smoother traffic, car parks with space, sea still warm in early autumn. In July and August, coaches and full car parks slow everything down; in winter, snow means chains or winter tyres on the passes (Bavella, Vizzavona, Vergio) and the Restonica shuttle does not run.
🚗 55 km · 1h05 of driving from Bastia
D80 along the east coast of the Cape, via Erbalunga and Macinaggio, then the Col de la Serra. Narrow and winding; last fuel station in Macinaggio.
🚗 59 km · 1h05 of driving from Centuri
D80 corniche road along the west coast of the Cape, via Nonza. No fuel station between Centuri and Saint-Florent: set off with a full tank.
🚗 69 km · 1h20 of driving from Saint-Florent
D81 across the Agriates Desert, with no village or fuel station, then the T30 via L'Île-Rousse and the villages of the Balagne.
🚗 76 km · 1h25 of driving from Calvi
D81 over the Palmarella and Croix passes: narrow, winding corniche road. Passing coaches is tricky in summer.
🚗 80 km · 1h30 of driving from Porto
D81 through the Calanques de Piana, narrow and crowded with coaches in summer, then Cargèse, Sagone and the busy approach to Ajaccio.
🚗 67 km · 1h05 of driving from Ajaccio
T40 via Cauro, the Col Saint-Georges and Olmeto: wider and faster than the west coast.
🚗 64 km · 1h05 of driving from Propriano
T40 via Sartène, then the coast via Roccapina. The way into Bonifacio is jammed in summer: aim for the car parks early in the morning.
🚗 28 km · 35 min of driving from Bonifacio
T10 north, short. Detours along the beach roads to Rondinara, Santa Giulia and Palombaggia, narrow and packed in summer.
🚗 157 km · 2h45 of driving from Porto-Vecchio
D368 via L'Ospédale and Zonza, the Col de Bavella (D268), then the T10 and T50 via Aléria. A long day of bends: fill up in Porto-Vecchio.
🚗 70 km · 1h05 of driving from Corte
Keep to the north and centre: Bastia (1 night), Saint-Florent via the Cap Corse loop (1), Calvi (1), Porto (2), then Corte over the Col de Vergio (1) and back to Bastia on the T20. The south, from Bonifacio to Porto-Vecchio, needs another week.
| Small car, July | ≈ €52 a day in Bastia, €69 in Ajaccio |
|---|---|
| Small car, August | ≈ €51 a day (Bastia and Ajaccio) |
| February, the cheapest | ≈ €38 a day |
| Annual average | ≈ €51 to €54 a day (Skyscanner, Sept. 2026) |
| Ferry with your own car, August | From ≈ €289 one way Marseille-Ajaccio, 4 people in a cabin, booked early |
| Vehicle | City car or small compact: narrow roads, low walls, tight car parks. Avoid a large SUV on the D81. |
|---|---|
| With your own car | Ferry from Marseille (Corsica Linea, 13 hours overnight to Bastia), Toulon or Nice (Corsica Ferries). |
| Where to hire | Bastia-Poretta airport, south of the town. A loop, so no one-way fee. |
| Insurance | Excess of €1,400 to €4,000 depending on the company; deposit of about €1,150 on the card. |
| Age and card | Minimum age 21, young driver surcharge under 25. Credit card in the driver's name, often required. |
⚠️ Scratches, wheels and wing mirrors get damaged quickly on these narrow roads: photograph the car at pick-up, as the excess often exceeds €1,400.
The French highway code applies unchanged; nothing else to arrange. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required.
On blind bends, keep to the right: coaches and motorhomes cut into your lane.
Corsica has stayed at 80, with no motorway; 50 in town. Exceeding the limit by 50 km/h has been a criminal offence since December 2025.
0.2 g/l on a probationary licence (3 years, or 2 years after accompanied driving).
Constant bends, villages, coaches and motorhomes in summer: on the west coast, add plenty of time to the GPS estimate.
Especially in the mountains and at night. Slow down before bends: the animals do not move aside.
Bonifacio: €0.70 per quarter of an hour, €25.20 for the day. Paid parking at Porto-Vecchio beaches. Arrive early.
Required on the passes (Bavella, Vizzavona, Vergio) as soon as it snows; road conditions on inforoutes.isula.corsica.
≈ €2.17 a litre of SP95 unleaded, €2.34 for diesel (24 September 2026)
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: prix-carburants.gouv.fr →
⛽ 725 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €110 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
No SP95-E10 in Corsica. No pumps on the west coast of the Cape or in the Agriates: fill up in Bastia or Saint-Florent.
| Motorways and tolls | None: Corsica has no motorway and no toll road |
|---|---|
| Marseille-Ajaccio ferry with car (La Méridionale) | From €288.70 one way for 2 adults, 2 children, cabin and car, plus €15 in fees |
| Marina car parks in Bonifacio (P1, P2, P3, P5) | 10 min free, then €0.70 per quarter of an hour, €25.20 from 09:00 |
| Valli car park in Bonifacio | €10 a day, shuttle to the harbour from 16 June to 12 September |
| Col de Bavella | Paid parking from 1 July to 31 August |
| Palombaggia and Santa Giulia beaches | Paid parking in season, car parks full by mid-morning |
| Restonica shuttle (C13) | €4 return, booking required on the Via Corsica app |
| Restonica Valley (D623) | Closed beyond Tuani from 15 November to 30 March |
|---|---|
| Restonica, Grotelle sheepfolds | Road cut since 2023; summer shuttle as far as La Frassetta |
| Bavella, Vizzavona and Vergio passes | Snow possible from November to March; equipment required |
| Toulon-Bastia ferry | From 1 January to 7 September in 2026 |
| Ferries from Nice or Toulon to L'Île-Rousse | Only from April to 31 August in 2026 |
Allow 10 to 14 days for this loop of 10 stages and 13 nights from Bastia, via Cap Corse, the Balagne, Porto, Ajaccio, Bonifacio, Porto-Vecchio and Corte. In one week, choose the north and centre, or the south: the roads are too slow to see everything.
Hiring locally in August: about €660 for the car over 13 days (€51 a day, Skyscanner average), around a hundred euros of petrol at September 2026 prices for about 700 km at €2.17 a litre, plus parking, up to €25 a day in Bonifacio. Accommodation and meals extra.
For a family staying two weeks, the ferry makes sense: a full boot, no €1,400 to €4,000 excess, and from €289 one way Marseille-Ajaccio for four in a cabin with the car, booked early. For a couple, flying and hiring from €38 a day out of season can cost less: compare.
Above all they are slow: narrow roads, blind bends, coaches and motorhomes in summer, cows and pigs roaming free. The speed limit is 80 km/h outside built-up areas. Drive by day, keep right on bends and add a good margin to the GPS time on the west coast.
In the marina car parks (P1, P2, P3, P5): 10 minutes free, then €0.70 per quarter of an hour, €25.20 from 09:00. Cheaper: the Valli car park at the entrance to the town, €10 a day, with a shuttle to the harbour from 16 June to 12 September 2026.
No. Since the storms of November 2023, the road to the Grotelle sheepfolds has been cut. From May to September, cars stop at Tuani (6 km); the C13 shuttle leaves from Corte station (€4 return, booking on the Via Corsica app). Allow 6 to 7 hours' return walk from La Frassetta.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/corsica · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
