Bastia, Corsica. FR

Bastia is a town and commune of northern Corsica, in France. It is also an important Corsican port and is famous for its wines.

Bastia is a charming place with its narrow streets flanked by tall buildings with painted shutters. Place Saint Nicolas and the Place du Marché are both favourites and a tour round the old port will take you past shops and beautiful boutiques.

A visit to the Mattei buildings, creators of the famous Cap Corse aperitif, is a must. Other sights to see include the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Corsica's largest church, and the churches of Sainte-Marie and the Chappelle Sainte Croix.

There are beaches not far from the entrance to the town. Pebble beaches to the north, sandy beaches to the south, with the superb Mariana beach that borders the ornithological reserve of the Pond of Biguglia.

Things to See & Do

* Old Port area
* Old Town
* Citadel
* Place des Portes
* Mattei buildings

General Information

Cruise Season - Feb to Dec
Currency - Euro (€)
Language - French
Land Area - 19.38 km²
Population - 40,000 approx.
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC plus one hour
International Country Telephone Code - + 33

Port Location - The port is located in the centre of the town of Bastia.

Travel Links - Bastia Poretta airport is situated 20 km south of the town-centre and every year sees more than 800,000 passengers. Flights link Poretta airport to the main French towns and cities as well as to Germany, England, Morocco, Sweden, Luxembourg and Italy.

From France, the simplest and fastest solution is the NGV (High Speed Boat, Navire à Grande Vitesse): it takes 2:45 to 3:30 to go from Nice to Calvi, l'Ile-Rousse, Ajaccio and Bastia, and you can enjoy the view of the Corsican seashore and arrive practically downtown.

There are several national and international ferry routes from Bastia, to Ajaccio (Corsica), Genoa (Italy), Marseille, Nice, Livorno (Italy) and Savona.