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Travel Information for Porto-Vecchio Corsica |
It is advisable to hire a car in order to make the most of your holiday as the area surrounding Port-Vecchio (both on the coast and further inland) simply cries out to be explored.
Most package deals include car hire that can be collected from the airport.
Road access to Porto-Vecchio is generally very good along the main artery roads, i.e. the N198 running from Bonifacio-Porto Vecchio-towards Bastia, and the adjoining N196 running from Bonifacio-Sartene. Bear in mind however that inland roads tend to be mountainous, winding and at times narrow and badly maintained, so journeys can take a very long time, however the views are often spectacular to compensate!
There are no train services as far south as Porto-Vecchio. The Bastia to Porto-Vecchio railway line was destroyed by German bombing raids in the Second World War and has not been restored.
Figari Airport (FSC)
Flights from UK
Thomsonfly is the main company that runs tour/charter direct flights from the UK. There is a weekly service operating from London Gatwick every Saturday between 07/05/2011 and 01/10/2011.Easyjet provide a good choice of flights to Corsica however they do not fly to Figari at present. The current services are Bristol, Manchester and London Gatwick to Bastia and London Gatwick only to Ajaccio.
The regular service operated by Ryanair from London Stansted has now been withdrawn as of 2011.
An alternative option is to use one of the airlines that fly to Nice, Marseille, Paris or Lyon then take a connecting flight with Air France or CCM (Air Corsica) to Figari or any other Corsican airport.
Facilities
Figari (like most airports in Corsica) is a fairly basic airport, with limited facilities. Note for your return journey home that once you have passed through passport control there is nowhere to buy drinks or food. Seating in the waiting area is also quite limited.Car Hire
There are several hire car companies based at the airport, located directly across the car park in front of the main terminal. Processing of paperwork is however notoriously slow, so try to join the queue as quickly as possible (there is also only limited shade to wait in).The following car rentals have offices at the airport: Europcar (04 95 71 01 41); Avis (04 95 71 00 01); Hertz (04 95 71 04 16); ADA (04 95 71 05 05); National Citer (04 95 71 02 00).
Easycar.com hire cars from Figari airport, as well as Bastia, Ajaccio and Calvi airports.
Parking
Parking up to 20 minutes is free, allowing for dropping off/picking up passengers. Collect a ticket from the machines on the way in (show on exit). There are 100 free parking spaces and 200 paying spaces.
Transfer Times: Figari Airport to Porto-Vecchio
By Car
Approximately 20-25 minutes. The journey is very straight forward - mostly along the D859 which is a quick, flat road.By Taxi
Approximately 20-25 minutes. Taxis are stationed outside the airport and charge around 45 Euros during the day and 60 Euros at night. Telephone numbers for taxis can be found on the Figari Airport website www.figari.aeroport.fr (in "Traveller's Guide" section).By Bus
Approximately 30 minutes. There are intermittent buses from the airport to Porto-Vecchio. These run from 11:00 to 16:00 most weekdays and 08:15 to 17:00 at weekends in peak season. Transport Rossi (04 95 71 00 11) runs a shuttle service 5 times a day in July and August only. Check up to date times with Porto-Vecchio tourist office or Figari Airport prior to travelling.Note, however, that Corsica is not renowned for its bus services, and these tend to be geared towards locals rather than tourists. There is no bus station in Porto-Vecchio instead buses arrive and depart outside their agent's offices on the edge of the Old Town.
By Train
No train services operate in the Porto-Vecchio area.
Other Airports in Corsica
Bastia Poretta Airport (BIA)
143 km from Porto-Vecchio. Transfer time approximately 2 hours 20 minutes by car/taxi. Taxi costs around 220 Euros in the day and 300 Euros at night. Buses also run between Bastia and Porto-Vecchio (2 daily in summer), taking approximately 3 hours.Ajaccio Campo dell'Oro Airport (AJA)
131 km from Porto-Vecchio. The roads along the west coast near Ajaccio are in places very winding, adding to the journey time from Ajaccio to Porto-Vecchio. Buses take around 3 hours 30 minutes, 2-4 daily in summer.Calvi Ste Catherine Airport (CLY)
217 km from Porto-Vecchio. No direct buses. As this is the furthest airport, taking over a 2-4 hours' drive, it is not recommended for Porto-Vecchio.
Travel by Ferry
Porto-Vecchio is a flourishing harbour (the second largest in Southern Corsica after Ajaccio) so many international tourists arrive by ferry from France and Italy (including Sardinia). The overnight ferry from Marseilles, France takes 13 hours 30 minutes.SNCM (www.sncm.fr) run ferries from Marseille to Porto-Vecchio three to four times a week.