• The spirit of Corsica. It is so interesting to observe the historical and sociological elements of island societies. Doing so on a bicycle gives you time to see the details, the murals, the bullet-pierced road signs… but mostly, to talk with people. Learn a few words of French and talk with someone who’s lived in Corsica for a while!
• The way this island smells. It is said that when far away in exile, Napoleon, who was born and raised in Corsica, craved the smell of the maquis—a dense, herby scrubland of rosemary, lavender and sage. The Corsican wind carries this smell along the entire journey.
• The track between Col de Teghime and Col de Santo Stefano is swoopy and wide, with ample climbing and fantastic views.
• French bakeries! Pain au chocolat and coffee for breakfast nearly every day, yes please!
• Riding good dirt through the Agriates Desert over the Piste de Malfalcu, potentially offering a quiet pitch by a remote cove.
• The rather mad but incredibly scenic 10-kilometer hike-a-bike through the Monte Cinto Massif. If you’re doing this in April, there’s a chance you won’t meet even one human in an entire day.
• The dirt track shortly after Col de Vergio until the Calaccucia Dam is a gem among unpaved tracks in southern Europe. Especially with snow-capped mountains around, it is not to be missed.
• Spending two nights in Corte to soak up the Corsican interior culture. This lovely town has a lot to offer in terms of gastronomy, history, and sightseeing, and is absolutely worth a pit stop.
• The natural beauty of Plateau du Coscione. With the snow just barely gone, this place felt very raw and quiet. The highest point of the route, and a far-away view of Sardinia can also be found here.
• A fun little surprise out on the high grounds of Terrain Militaire de Frasselli, an abandoned military area turned nature reserve. Refer to the POIs for more information.
• Corsican sunsets are something else entirely, especially in spring.

When to go

• April seems to be an excellent month to ride through Corsica since there’s virtually no tourism. The island awakes from a long winter, its residents relaxed and friendly rather than burned out by the huge numbers of tourists visiting all summer. Some accommodations aren’t open, which is good or bad depending on how self-sufficient you are. Overall, in spring, the island felt nearly empty half the time, and that’s a feeling worthy of the added supply and weather challenges you may encounter.

Logistics

• In general, the best way to get to Bastia is by ferry, considering it’s so easy to roll on and off the boat with your bike. You could drive to a port connecting to Bastia, take a flight into a bigger city on the European mainland and connect to a port by train, or drive there. I took the ferry from Livorno to Bastia, which was easy and fast. Other ports to connect from include Genova, Nice, and Marseille.

Dangers & Annoyances

• You need to very seriously consider whether or not you want to risk hike-a-biking the extremely challenging 10-kilometer marked section from kilometer 176.7 to 187. Depending on your skillset and comfort level, this could be a dangerous situation you want to avoid. The first climb is long and really steep, followed by a manageable downhill section. After the marked refugio, you’ll climb out of the valley on an extremely steep, difficult, and narrow track that is mostly positioned against a mountain’s ledge without ropes. Some parts require you to lift your bike above your shoulders. I spent the better part of 3 hours to cover the 2.2 kilometers to the top. Please make the right call for you, and good luck!
• Except for the challenging hike-a-bike, this route does not have a ton of steep sections. The sections I did find steep, or where I walked, are marked as POIs.
• Corsica is very mountainous, and so it has many microclimates. Circumstances can change quickly, and rain falls frequently. During the shoulder seasons, snowfall isn’t uncommon and may block certain sections of this route if you’re visiting too early or late in the year. A rain jacket and pants as well as a dry set of clothes should be all that’s necessary.
• The island is pretty pastoral, and whenever you touch unpaved surfaces, you’ll always encounter gates sooner or later. There are plenty of them on this route, and I’ve marked them as POIs.

What Bike and gear

• You should prioritize a light bike with a light kit if you’re attempting the treacherous 10-kilometer hike-a-bike. I rode my Tout Terrain Outback for the scouting trip, but a gravel bike would’ve also gotten the job done, albeit much less comfortably. As with most of my routes, bringing a rigid or hardtail MTB will make navigating the unpaved sections much more enjoyable.
• A gravel bike, rigid MTB, or a hardtail will work for this route.
• I’d always go tubeless and choose tires at least 45mm wide, though 55mm and up is my personal preference for comfort.
• Take a water filter, weatherproof clothing, and a cold-weather sleeping kit if you’re following my recommendation on when to go.

• Depending on where you are along the route, wild camping is not difficult. A few suitable spots are marked as POIs. Obviously, you should do this responsibly and follow LNT principles.
• As for lodging, except for proper hotels in Bastia, Corte, and Bonifacio, you can rely on the French B&B network “Gîte de France” or sites like Airbnb and Booking. A nice detail of French law is that every hotel needs to state their seasonal prices by the reception, so you’re never paying more than you should. I’ve marked a few places I’ve stayed at as POIs.

Trail Notes

• Arrival in Bastia: Considering you’ll arrive by ferry, your arrival time will decide whether or not you’ll be able to complete the first climb of the route with enough daylight. After arriving a little late myself, I took the opportunity to see Bastia, which is rather pretty, and to stay at Sud Hotel (marked), a little south of the city. There’s a supermarket, a great pizzeria, and a bakery nearby, so you can get set up, sleep well, and start fresh on day one.
• For those wanting to skip the treacherous 10-kilometer hike-a-bike, you could simply follow the GT20 route through Porto and Évisa by road as shown in this connector route.
• If you want to connect the Corsica Crossing and the TranSardinia, you could opt to skip the last part of the route and ride down to Porto Vecchio, where you can take a ferry straight to Olbia.

Suggested Itinerary

locationBastia – Piste de Malfalcu

Day 1 (63 km +1,400 m)

Following a mix of roads and paths out of Bastia, you’ll climb over the first peak of the route on a gorgeous dirt track and descend onto Col de Santo Stefano. From there, more dirt tracks with a few gates may present some challenges, but nothing too serious. You can find some marked wild camping suggestions along the way or continue to reach a long paved section that includes a few restaurants. Getting to kilometer 63.2 on the route will afford you a ride down Piste de Malfalcu through the Agriates desert and a potential sunset by the beach.

locationPiste de Malfalcu – Lumio

Day 2 (57 km +934 m)

After Piste de Malfalcu, you’ll be on a short stretch of road, riding by an easy breakfast and resupply point and briefly touching the beach. From here on out, you’ll ride through the northern countryside, encountering villages in the hills just off the coast. Just before Lumio, some wild camping options are marked, though you could find accommodation in town as well. Continuing your way south, you’ll mostly be on asphalt, with a couple of gentle climbs, which means you could push on to get closer to Vallee du Fango.

locationLumio – Manso

Day 3 (47 km +706 m)

Assuming you slept near Lumio, your third day would mostly be on paved roads, allowing for a more relaxed rhythm or catching up on kilometers you missed in previous days. Entering the Vallee du Fango and finishing this day in Manso would allow you to stay in a chambre d’hôte located there, and approach the upcoming hike-a-bike with a good night’s rest.

locationManso – Bocca di Cuccavera

Day 4 (17.5 km +1,369 m)

Having entered Vallee du Fango, be aware that you’re headed for the HAB that defines this route and need sufficient time to cross the valley it leads you through. Kilometer 176.7 marks the start, so if you stayed in Manso, you’ll have more chances of not rushing the hike-a-bike. If you arrive late or get delayed by all the pushing, your only accommodation option is the Refuge du Puscaghja (open from May to September). If you push through to Bocca di Cuccavera, the POIs may guide you to a pitch.

locationBocca di Cuccavera – Corte

Day 5 (78.8 km +1,280 m)

Assuming you’ve either stayed at Refuge du Puscaghja, managed to push through the hike, or taken the road leading you around the hike-a-bike altogether, I’d suggest making your way over Col de Vergio, following the gravel track leading to Lac du Calacuccia and completing the road to Corte. Here, there’s sufficient accommodation available to call for a rest day, sightseeing, and fueling back up for your ride southbound.

locationCorte – Ghosoni

Day 6 (40 km +1,355 m)

From Corte, the route dynamic changes slightly, as you’ll be riding long sections of asphalt and dirt one after another, with fairly consistent climbing and descending. Between Corte and Ghisoni the ride is, for the most part, fast and snappy, allowing for a late start from Corte if desired. Ghisoni marks the first of a few rather deserted towns, such as Zicavo and Quenza, where accommodation could be hard to find in the off-season. You could do what I did: camp ahead of a town, then pass through in the morning to find breakfast.

locationGhisoni – Plateau du Coscione

Day 7 (62.4 km +1,579 m)

From Ghisoni, you’ll head further south, climbing the paved road to Col de Verde, where you switch to a long, satisfying dirt track, deeper into the more uninhabited part of Corsica. From Zicavo, you’ll start a long climb up to the highest point of the route (1,626 meters), eventually switching asphalt for dirt when you reach Plateau du Coscione. This is a protected natural area, so unless it’s May and Refuge de Matalza is open, you should pitch your tent before or after you pass through.

locationPlateau du Coscione – Carbini

Day 8 (60.6 km +922 m)

Cresting the route’s highest point, potentially still covered in snow, a sweet and long descent over a broken road leads you down to Quenza, where you can find resupply and hot food. The following section is rather adventurous, with several creeks and a bit of hike-a-bike, which may delay your progress. Take your time, enjoy the beauty of this area, and make slow progress towards Carbini, either by finding a wild camping pitch or by staying at the only chambre d’hôte in town. Insider tip: the sunset view around kilometer 425.5 is absolutely gorgeous.

locationCarbini – Terrain Militaire de Frasseli

Day 9 (58.6 km +750 m)

From Carbini, a paved climb and mostly unpaved descent lead you into the lowlands of southern Corsica. This area is drier and rides easy, though you’ll pass a few more gates yet. After descending to the Réservoir de Figari, you’ll take a sharp turn and head into the hills of Terrain Militaire de Frasselli, a quiet and very pretty natural area just north of Bonifacio, the end of the Corsica Crossing. The marked viewpoint may offer you a very unique place to spend your last night.

locationTerrain Militaire de Frasseli – Bonifacio

Day 10 (12 km +94 m)

The final descent into Bonifacio, where you can make use of the ferry to continue to Sardinia. Or, you can ride to Porto Vecchio and find your transport link out of Corsica.