Ferry from Nice to Corsica - our experience with Corsica Ferries

Writer: Helena Bergström

We have now travelled by ferry from Nice to Corsica, with our motorhome. We travelled with Corsica Ferries and the crossing took around six hours. Here we tell you about a nice ferry trip and about the first winding tours in Corsica ...

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Taking the ferry from Nice to Corsica

If you want to travel to Corsica, one option is to take a ferry from Nice to Corsica. Then you travel with Corsica Ferries, which is the main operator for travelling by water to Corsica. It also operates from several other centres in France and Italy, such as Toulon and Livorno. In addition, there are other shipping companies, such as Italian Moby Lines.

We booked the Nice-Corsica trip for two adults and a motorhome (7.3 metres long), a crossing that takes about 6 hours. For this we had to pay 170 euros, but please note that prices vary quite widely on different departures.

To Antibes and Nice - to travel to Corsica

To prepare for the trip, we drove in the direction of Niceand the last two nights before departure we stayed at the simple little campsite Les Treilles in Antibes. From here we could walk down to a beach, and when it was time to leave by ferry from Nice to Corsica - we only had a 45 minute drive ahead of us.

To the ferry terminal in Nice - time to go

Driving on the palm-lined road into Nice is really nice, and travelling by motorhome is also easy here.

The last stretch to the ferry berth was even more crowded, but it went well. Corsica Ferries departs from the eastern side of the port of Nice, which can also be called Port Lympia. There were many cars (and also quite a few motorhomes and caravans!) to be boarded and it took a little time, but went quite smoothly.

As soon as we boarded the motorhome, we packed a backpack and went on deck, where we could look out over the harbour of Nice. At 14:45 it was time to leave!

On board Corsica Ferries

The ship we travelled on, M/S Pascal Lota, turned out to be a very nice ferry. On deck there are plenty of benches, sunbeds and nice viewpoints.

You can move around a bit, depending on whether you want sun, shade, or blowing winds. At one point we were able to look out over dolphins jumping in the wake of the ship - although they were too far away for me to catch them on camera.

There is a shop on board, as well as several cafés, bars and restaurants. There is also a small swimming pool on deck, which was very popular with younger travellers.

However, it turned out that the restaurants did not open until 19:00, i.e. two hours before we were due to arrive. If you wanted to eat something before then, you could order a hot sandwich or ciabatta or similar in the cafés and bars that were open.

We had planned to eat something relatively simple, for example in the hamburger restaurant or the buffet restaurant, but at exactly seven o'clock, when these restaurants opened, the queues were miles long and all the tables were quickly taken. How would you manage to both queue and try to grab a table, while not seeing what was available to order up front ...?

We found the situation quite stressful, and made a quick decision to book a table in the "fine dining" restaurant Dolce Vita. It was a little more expensive than expected, but even here you can order dishes with a reasonable price tag, such as pasta. The advantage was that we had a quiet and peaceful dinner time until it was time to dock in Bastia in Corsica!

Arriving in Corsica

Just before 9 pm we arrived in Bastia on the north-eastern side of Corsica. The sun was setting over the mountains and the picturesque little town sparkled in the evening light.

We pulled off and set the GPS for Saint-Florent on the west side of the island. Winding mountain roads took us across the island, on a 45-minute journey as the sun sank lower and bathed the road in an almost magical glow.

When we arrived, the campsites were closed and we parked in a car park, to sleep for a few hours in the heat until it was time for another day...

Have you travelled by ferry from Nice to Corsica?

Have you travelled by ferry from Nice to Corsica? Or have you travelled to Corsica by any other means? Please tell us!