My wife-to-be and I are seriously considering Corsica as a honeymoon destination this September, so I’d appreciate the thoughts of the STW collective on its general suitability and any other advice/recommendations you can supply!

Our limited research so far (a couple of guidebooks from the library) suggests a nice combination of quiet beaches, good food and pretty towns to wander round in the loved-up/post-wedding relaxing first week, plus options for more interesting walking and outdoorsy stuff in week two – does that sound about right?

We’ll probably hire a car at least part of the time – how does driving there compare to mainland France? We quite fancy going canoeing so any suggestions of good places for that would be appreciated too.

Thanks in advance

If you do a search on the forum Im pretty sure Ive given advice a few times on this question.

I go there 2 or 3 times a year (my wife is from Corsica)

If I only had one holiday left in my life Corsica is where I would chose to go.

Great mountains, brilliant forests and lakes, foot hills full of little villages and olive groves. Amazing coast with incredible beaches. Great food and drink, real culture. Good things to do like cannoning, biking, diving, climbing, rambling, sailing, walking etc.

Hire a car and go and explore, anywhere will do, its all great and pretty small. You can be on top of the mountain for breakfast, lunch at the beach and eveing in a little village high up with a view.

Don’t go in August – too hot and too full of French / Italian tourists. Best time is late Sept.

Email me if you want more specific info. Oh, and there is some mountain biking too.

that’s exactly what me and the wife did on our honeymoon. Flew into bastia hired a car and just got hotels as we needed them.

Thanks, will have a search

We’ll be going in mid-September so hopefully still good weather and fewer tourists. Would it be feasible to get hotels night-by-night at that time of year or is it still busy enough for that to be a bit risky? (We’ll definitely be booking somewhere nice for the first few days at least)

Great scenery and outdoor stuff – but its your honeymoon?

^ apart there are sections of the G20 and plenty of other walks including some great cliff scenery

Local wine is pretty nice as is the food

Roads are fun to drive especially the coastal roads

And like the Brits, the locals hate the French 😉

smelly cheese

I think you’ll love it. It will be a great destination for honeymoon.

I proposed to my wife there – and (obviously!!!) she said yes!

Have been a few times and, as above, September will be fantastic – fairly quiet, great weather and brilliant sunsets.

I imagine it will be fairly easy to pick up rooms on a night by night basis at that time of year. Although, there are probably more self-catering options than hotels.

Les Roches Rouge is an experience not to miss. It has an amazing setting, and great to stay, but if not staying definitely go for dinner or drinks on the terrace. Sunset is incredible. Les Roches Rouges Hotel

Otherwise, only advice is to just get a car and go explore.

Driving is OK, but there are some very rough roads around, so check your car when you collect for damage, and take it easy.

Depuis que le système d’immatriculation des véhicules a changé on peut choisir le département qui apparait. Il ne fait plus parti du numéro mais apparait sur la partie droite de la plaque. J’habite en 64, logiquement donc la plupart des bagnoles sont siglées 64. Sauf que, il y a pas mal de 2a/2b accompagnés de la tête de Maure Corse, surtout les gros 4x4s et les grosses cylindrées allemandes et autres. Je comprenais rien jusqu’a quelqu’un à la radio explique: c’est pour faire peur aux gens et ainsi éviter les dégradations, coups de clés etc.. Eh oui, les Corses font peur à ce point là.

I realised you were a brave man when you explained your passion for diving Trimix, I now realise that you are even braver than I thought. 😉

Honeymooned there in 95, always wanted to go back but kids arrived before I could afford it.

Stayed at the ‘arcu de soleil’ near propriano.was grand – deserted 20′ beaches in walking distance, town in reach on foot the other direction – fabulous.

Plus one from everything Trimix says. We go every year and it’s spectacular and mystifying in equal measures.

I got married in Sartene – had to be ‘approved’ by the Mayor first. Luckily my wife’s maiden name carries some clout on the island. So I get treated with some respect.

You dont mess with the locals there.

If it’s the honeymoon rent a fancy villa with a pool in the hills above Calvi. Porto Vecchio is a bit too chic for me but it has amazing beaches and good hotels e.t.c. Bastia is slightly rustic but very interesting and a good look at the real Corsica. Corte is a must for a visit and a hike in the mountains.

6 months before taking our baccalaureat , a corsican family moved into my town .

the son never studied and had terrible grades .

he was quite shocked to learn that we would not be getting the exams questions in advance . common practice in Corsica to keep locals happy .

Married in Sartene? don’t upset the in-laws…..

Well, luckily for me the in-laws dont speak English and I dont speak French. Since the wife translates they think Im perfect 🙂

I will probably be there in Sept – not wanting to gate crash your honeymoon but let me know if you fancy a spin round the coast. I have a boat that needs little excuse for fun.

The best bits are only accessible via the sea.

Because the locals don’t respect “la loi du littoral” and put up barbed wire to stop foot access along the coast (report on France2/3).

I met a lot of Corsicans in Marseilles (2007 rwc qf) we had a lot of fun being shown round “their” bars and restaurants, very distinct feel. OP if you are there on your honeymoon remember “eyes front” 😉

Not sure that Trimix’s experience of Corsican food is quite the same as ours 😕 but

If I only had one holiday left in my life Corsica is where I would chose to go.

+1 for sure.

If you get the chance I’d recommend the walk from Corte on the mare a mare nord up to the Refuge de la Sega, beyond stunning.

We’ve walked both north & south, coast to coast paths, road biked the full perimeter of the island, sailed down the west coast & stayed there as a full family holiday. But it looks like the in laws to be are selling their place next easter 🙁 so we are off the Figari for the last week of Sept for the last time but taking our mountain bikes for a bit of gravel / double track exploring.

We had a bad experience in Calvi; we climbed up to the old citadel where the Foreign Legion had an exhibition on with lots of pictures of guys doing parachuting, climbing, kayaking, abseiling and all kinds of stuff. We though it looked cool so we asked a bloke wearing a képi how we could join up but for some reason he wasn’t very pleased and he told us to go away. I don’t think the French Foreign Legion is very popular in Corsica, so not many people ask to join.

A few years ago, a young couple walk into a wee, scruffy winery up near Patrimonio. Two lads are busy bottling and labelling by hand.
In a semi-sociable way, one asks:

‘Etes vous etudants Allemagnese..?’ (German students)
‘Non, nous sommes Ecossaise..’

In English:
‘Ah, when will Scotland become independent from London?’

It must have taken us over an hour to get out of there, we tasted many of their wines and left with a large clinking box as a gift, plus instructions to come back for more when it was finished!

I love the place.