Easiest Way to Corsica from Italy...
 

Hi all..

Going to Italy/France for 3 week Honeymoon in late August, we've never been to either. Been doing research in travel books and getting advice from a travel agent, but skeptical of her advice given a past experience.

Flying into Rome for 4 days

Next step is the question... so we've picked Cinque Terre, and Florence as our next stops, followed by Corsica then Nice end in Paris... I know its alot...

Any insight as to getting from Corsica from either Florence or Cinque? Either way requires train to Livomo. Hoping to get an early ferry over to Corsica, looks like a train from Florence over to Livomo might be easier, than going from Cinque south. Either way looks like 1-2 hour train ride to the ferry. Looks like the train from Florence might be alittle easier?

So I guess the question would be, what makes more sense?

Rome/Florence/Cinque/Corsica (starting south heading north the whole way)

Or

Rome/Cinque/Florence/Corsica (starting south, going north, then south again? )


Thanks for your thoughts...

KT

How many days in Paris? Florence?

It's your honeymoon/trip, but I think the pace would be more enjoyable if you dropped either the Cinque Terre or Corsica.

There is also a ferry from Genoa to Bastia. You can reach Genoa in about an hour by train from le Cinque Terre, it might make sense to go first to Florence from Rome, than le Cinque Terre, then get the boat for Corsica.

By the way, if you were going to drop anything from your trip, I suggest you consider dropping Nice unless you have a special destination inside Nice you've been dreaming of one day seeing. Instead, consider flying directly to Paris or taking the ferry to Marseilles to get the TGV to Paris.

in late August, traveling to and on the sea requires booking everything well in advance.

Sorry if my first post wasn't clear. I was suggesting:

Rome-Florence-le Cinque Terre-Genoa port to catch ferry to Bastia.

But it might be just as fast to move from le Cinque Terre to Livorno, and ferry departure times from Livorno (and ferry travel times) might be better from one port as opposed to the other. You can crunch the numbers using the Trenitalia website and the Direct Ferries website.

I suggest Rome-Florence-le Cinque Terre-Livorno port to catch ferry to Bastia. There is a direct train from Monterosso to Livorno which takes 1 hour 48. When in Bastia hire a car as this will enable you to appreciate the island better. Best area to stay is around Porto Vecchio in my opinion.
You can return car to Bastia and fly directly to Paris or Nice if you specifically want to visit the area. Since it is your honeymoon I can suggest two romantic hotels - one in Saint Paul de Vence - http://www.la-colombe-dor.com/indexEN.html and one in Eze - http://www.chevredor.com/uk/index.php#index.php

Auguri!

Thank you for all the advice...

Jean/Zeppole- I know we're are taking on too much (and will probably regret it), but we wanted to try and see as much as possible and we do have just under 20 days. Right now we have 4 nights in Rome, 3 nights in each Florence, Cinque, Corsica, and 4 in Paris. Nice we could skip, nothing in particular we want to do/see here. It does look amazing tho... we figure to only have 2 days and 1 night. Its looks to be the main port from Corsica going into France, easiest to travel to from the island etc... Its mainly about cost... flight from corsica to paris is 500-700 each, or more. For less than amount we could enjoy a few days in a new city. Finally the train from either Corisca or Marseilles look like they take 10+ hours to get to Paris. Seems like a wasted day, the flights from Nice to Paris are cheap... I'm sure this is a rookie mistake... please post your thoughts, trying to figure out what makes sense and what doesn't. But spending 1200-1500 to get from Corisa to Paris, seems excessive to me, but again we're both rookies.

Nochbald- Thank you for the route advice, that seems to make the most sense to me. Also the car idea is great. A friend suggested renting a motorcycle or taking the train on a half day trip, to see some of the mountain region. I'll look into those hotels as well, they look beautiful.

Thanks again...

I have researched going to Corsica (maybe next year), and I advise against going for only 3 days. Make it an anniversary trip instead, when you can explore the whole island, and enjoy the parts of Italy and France you have selected for your honeymoon. Just my two cents--best wishes!

To experience Corsica you have to visit both the shore and the mountains.

Regarding cost of flights I am very surprised at the prices you quote. Have a look at kayak.com You should register so you can ask for prices of up to three days plus or minus. Taking Wednesday August 25 as an example I found a flight leaving Bastia at 11.35 to Paris Orly at 60 Euros.

Also, I bookmarked whichbudget.com for myself, as it lists all of the budget airlines that fly to Corsica. The island reportedly gets really crowded in August, so that might be another reason to postpone a visit. I know, everywhere does, but in a place of natural beauty I find it harder to tolerate crowds than in a city where there are always crowds.