Arrival, information and accommodation
France > Corsica > Ajaccio > Arrival

Panoramic view

Ajaccio's Campo dell'Oro airport (tel 04.95.23.56.56) is 6km south of town; shuttle buses (three per hour 6.30am–10.45pm; tel 04.95.23.29.41) provide an inexpensive link with the centre, stopping on cours Napoléon, the main street – tickets cost €5, and the journey takes around fifteen minutes. Heading in the other direction, the best place to pick up buses to the airport is the parking Lot adjacent to the main bus station (terminal routière), a five-minute walk north of the centre (tel 04.95.21.28.01). Ferries also dock nearby, and the SNCM office is directly opposite at quai l'Herminier (tel 04.95.29.66.88). The gare SNCF lies almost a kilometre north along boulevard Sampiero (tel 04.95.23.11.03), a continuation of the quai l'Herminier. The tourist office on boulevard du Roi Jérôme (April–June & Sept Mon–Sat 8am–7pm, Sun 9am–1pm; July & Aug Mon–Sat 8am–8.30pm, Sun 9am–1pm & 4–7pm; Oct–March Mon–Fri 8.30am–6pm, Sat 8.30am–noon; tel 04.95.51.53.03, www.tourisme.fr/ajaccio) hands out large free glossy maps and posts transport timetables for checking departure times. Anyone planning a long-distance hike should head for the office of the national parks association, the Parc Naturel Régional de Corse, 2 rue Sergeant-Casalonga, around the corner from the Préfecture on cours Napoléon (Mon–Fri 8am–noon & 2–6pm; tel 04.95.51.79.00), where you can buy Topo guides, maps, guidebooks and leaflets. Cars can be rented from Rent-a-Car, at the Hôtel Kallisté, 51 cours Napoléon (tel 04.95.51.34.45) and the airport (tel 04.95.23.56.36); Aloha, at the airport only (tel 04.95.23.57.19); Avis-Ollandini, 1 route d'Alata (tel 04.95.23.92.50) and the airport (tel 04.95.21.28.01); and Hertz-Locasud, 8 cours Grandval (tel 04.95.21.70.94) and the airport (tel 04.95.22.14.84).

Ajaccio suffers from a dearth of inexpensive accommodation, but there are a fair number of mid- and upscale places. Whatever your budget, it's essential to book ahead, especially for weekends between late May and September, when beds are virtually impossible to come by at short notice.