Ajaccio

[nonna5]

I will be taking a cruise that stops in Ajaccio in November. I could use some help from anyone that has been there.

 

Is this a good port to do on your own or would a tour be better? We are okay with walking and doing hoho buses. Does the ship dock close to town (can you walk to town from the port) or would a taxi be necessary to get into town? Also is there a lot to see and do in town that would fill most of our day. We will be docked from 8-4.

 

Thanks you for help.

[Hlitner]

Corsica is a very interesting place and we have wondered why more cruises do not stop at Ajaccio. Assuming that your ship will tender (the ferry pier can handle some cruise ships but is not normally available) this means you tender to a pier only a few blocks from the heart of the city. Ajaccio is a pretty walkable city and also has an excellent sandy beach right in town. If you want to see more of Corsica then Ajaccio you are going to need a tour or a rental car. The island is very mountainous and is primarily a rural place with small villages. On our last visit we took a cruise line excursion (its rare for us to ever take excursions) to the "Calanches" which is an area of interesting rock formations. The best part of the excursion was the long ride through Corsica which gave us a chance to see lots of the countryside. If we ever return there and have a full port day I think we would rent a car and do some of our own exploration.

 

Hank

[nonna5]

Hank -

 

Thanks for the info. I will look at some tours. I do not usually take ship tours either but will research both.

 

Thanks again.

[nonna5]

Anyone else have any ideas on this port. Thanks for the help.

[cottonball511]

hi nonna5,

 

http://www.**************.com has lots of info and maps on ajacio and other cruise ports of med countries. have a look.

[nonna5]

hi nonna5,

 

www.**************.com has lots of info and maps on ajacio and other cruise ports of med countries. have a look.

 

 

Sorry to say your link was not given.

 

I do appreciate anything anyone can tell me as this is our first time to any of the ports we will be visiting.

[jennywren46]

We were in Ajaccio in May on |Indy. The ship docked right in the town,it was only a minutes walk to the open air market . There was a little white train that went around the streets ,We really enjoyed just walking the little streets of the old townand sitting in pavement cafe on the harbour front watching the world go by, it really was a pleasant surprise as we didnt know what to expect.

[cottonball511]

hi nonna,

think they blanked out the link as advertising is not allowed. it's toms port guides dot com. all joined together.

[KirkNC]

Ah, birthplace of Napoleon and there is lots about his life including his house:

 

http://www.musees-nationaux-napoleoniens.org/en//homes/home_id25137_u1l2.htm

[nonna5]

hi nonna,

think they blanked out the link as advertising is not allowed. it's toms port guides dot com. all joined together.

 

 

Thanks for the link.

 

I love the people here on cruise critic. They are so willing to go out of their way to help others out. :D

[Andym]

We docked right in town. If you look on Google Maps, you can see a cruise ship docked. There are some good shops just 1 block off the docking area. Napoleons birthplace is close by, there is a nice small beach just up by the cathedral, and an active military fort.(Its blanked out on the map). When we were there, we were lucky enough to be able to see some comando training on the beach.

 

let me know anything else I can help with.

[nonna5]

We docked right in town. If you look on Google Maps, you can see a cruise ship docked. There are some good shops just 1 block off the docking area. Napoleons birthplace is close by, there is a nice small beach just up by the cathedral, and an active military fort.(Its blanked out on the map). When we were there, we were lucky enough to be able to see some comando training on the beach.

 

let me know anything else I can help with.

 

Thanks for your help. I think we are going to do Ajaccio on our own. If anyone has any must sees/dos let me know.

[Azulann]

We had a wonderful relaxing day in Ajaccio,

We started walking to the left up to the fort and then along the street overlookng the beach. You can do this for quite a ways. Then went back to the street that does not allow cars, explored the shops, the park with the fountain. We had a great lunch off the main throughfare and way up a street. We sat outside at table and they only had one english menu. My friend order a Chardonney wine. The waitress said in a loud voice,NO,NO Corsica vino blanco! So we had a delious Crosica white wine, a cheese and meat platter with wonderful cured meats, assortment of cheeses , bread and the best fig spead I have ever had to eat with the cheese. We bought jars of this in a food shop on the way back to the ship.

 

Have a wonderful day exploring and enjoying this interesting town.

[nonna5]

We had a wonderful relaxing day in Ajaccio,

We started walking to the left up to the fort and then along the street overlookng the beach. You can do this for quite a ways. Then went back to the street that does not allow cars, explored the shops, the park with the fountain. We had a great lunch off the main throughfare and way up a street. We sat outside at table and they only had one english menu. My friend order a Chardonney wine. The waitress said in a loud voice,NO,NO Corsica vino blanco! So we had a delious Crosica white wine, a cheese and meat platter with wonderful cured meats, assortment of cheeses , bread and the best fig spead I have ever had to eat with the cheese. We bought jars of this in a food shop on the way back to the ship.

 

Have a wonderful day exploring and enjoying this interesting town.

 

Sounds like white wine it will be. Do you remember the name of the restaurant you ate at. Thanks for your review. I am sure we will have a great town exploring.

[Hlitner]

Sounds like white wine it will be. Do you remember the name of the restaurant you ate at. Thanks for your review. I am sure we will have a great town exploring.

 

Interesting subject. They take their wine very seriously in this part of the world and do not generally speak of wines by the name of the grape. Everything is pretty much by geopraphy such as asking for a Vin Rouge from Burgundy as opposed to ordering a Pinot Noir like we often do in the states. You could do what many locals do and simply order the Vin de Maison (wine of the house) which is usually inexpensive and often quite drinkable.

 

Hank

[mygreyhound66]

We had a stop in Corsica prior to a TA crossing. We did not plan ahead, we should have rented a car (good reason to return). We did, however immensely enjoy it, we strolled the town, headed through the square, had coffees/pastries etc. We then just hopped on a local bus for a 'ride'......we got off after about 45 mins in an area where we found an old aquaduct - yes we just went tromping around and totally loved it, and then strolled further and found the large french chain store (just had a senior moment, can't remember the name, but it is big and famous) did some shopping for food items that I can't get here, along with some really nice wines, then found a lovely cafe/restaurant and had a fabulous meal. Really wish I could help you with the name of the village, but ..... Anyway, needless to say we really enjoyed our day there, and look forward to another visit........

[Azulann]

nonna5,

Sorry i don't remember the name. It was at the top of a narrow side street ,inland,from the pedestrian only main street. it was the last of three cafes. This one had a very nice inside dining room and nice bathrooms. It was very boutique type cafe inside. We sat outside.

Where ever you stop and eat, enjoy, wine cheese, meats and fig spread. It does not get any better than that in Ajaccio. :)

[doublebzz]

 

let me know anything else I can help with.

 

I'm a train buff. Understand there is a nice train ride up into the mountains. Anyone familiar with the train service?

[nonna5]

nonna5,

Sorry i don't remember the name. It was at the top of a narrow side street ,inland,from the pedestrian only main street. it was the last of three cafes. This one had a very nice inside dining room and nice bathrooms. It was very boutique type cafe inside. We sat outside.

Where ever you stop and eat, enjoy, wine cheese, meats and fig spread. It does not get any better than that in Ajaccio. :)

 

Thanks, I am sure we will enjoy the food and wine.

[ollienbertsmum]

We had a wonderful relaxing day in Ajaccio,

We started walking to the left up to the fort and then along the street overlookng the beach. You can do this for quite a ways. Then went back to the street that does not allow cars, explored the shops, the park with the fountain. We had a great lunch off the main throughfare and way up a street. We sat outside at table and they only had one english menu. My friend order a Chardonney wine. The waitress said in a loud voice,NO,NO Corsica vino blanco! So we had a delious Crosica white wine, a cheese and meat platter with wonderful cured meats, assortment of cheeses , bread and the best fig spead I have ever had to eat with the cheese. We bought jars of this in a food shop on the way back to the ship.

 

Have a wonderful day exploring and enjoying this interesting town.

 

We went 2 years ago and are due to call in again this year.

 

We did it DIY, wandering around the market along the sea front (I had forgotten about the wonderful fig jam I will buy that again this year). We saw Napoleon's birthplace - but it was closed for lunch, statues of him and his brothers in a square and then DH had a swim. The beach was really quite near to the port, I think we could have wandered further and found some more beaches, but heck it was hot and we were on holiday. A couple of families came by and the kids were upset that parents had not got swimwear. It surprised me that in the middle of the summer people can go to a beach location without expecting the beach.

 

Another surprise for me was the reaction to the Corsican wine. They clearly were expecting a lot of people to purchase it, security were scanning bags carefully and the 2 bottles of wine that we bought were stored for us. This had not happened at the previous stop in Cagliari, Sardinia (so our wine stayed with us, not that we had a corkscrew). Somehow Sardinian wines must not be as 'special'.

 

This year I think that I will go on a tour inland just to see a little more of Corsica. I am not a fan of ship tours, but I cannot see how public transport will work and I am just not that fond of driving because I want to see the scenery.

[happy cruzer]

Ah, birthplace of Napoleon and there is lots about his life including his house:

 

http://www.musees-nationaux-napoleoniens.org/en//homes/home_id25137_u1l2.htm

 

This site is wonderful, it says the museum is closed on Monday, our day to be there.

 

Is there any thing else Napoleon related to see in Ajaccio? What about the outside of the museum are there grounds open?

 

Thanks.

[jennywren46]

Here are some photos of Ajaccio when we were there on Indy.

[Ned11]

I'm thinking of going on an excursion around the island with RCI but not that great on coaches.

Has anyone been on this or something similar and think it's worth it??

Thanks in advance!

[Hlitner]

Ned, We have been to Ajaccio on two ocassions. On one visit we did a cruise line excursion (rare for us) to the Calanches. It was in large buses and the long ride did give us a nice view of some parts of the island (quite beautiful). On our 2nd visit we decided to turn it into a beach day. Ajaccio has a pretty nice sandy beach right in town (easy walking distance) and we just enjoyed relaxing and having a nice lunch at one of the adjacent cafes (plenty of eating places in that neighborhood). If you enjoy scenery you might want to consider the tour since the island is quite attractive with lots of mountains, valleys, etc.

 

Hank

[Ned11]

Do you think it would make me feel sick in a coach going up twisty roads? Thanks for the info by the way. :)