All tours on this holiday have now departed. Future departure dates will be confirmed in due course.
Spectacular coastal scenery
Glorious citadels – in Calvi, Bastia and Corte
Scenic train trip through coastal and mountain scenery
Boat trip along the coast
Stunning hill villages – Piana, Sant’ Antonio and Pigna
Lively seaside resorts – L’Ile Rousse and St Florent
Famous for its beautiful coasts, the interior is also a paradise for lovers of nature-dramatic gorges, waterfalls, forests, impossible peaks and rare wildlife – while the island’s rich history of resistance and struggle is equally fascinating.
Day 1: Travel by Eurostar from St Pancras or Ebbsfleet to Paris and onwards to Toulon by TGV.
Board the overnight ferry from Toulon to Bastia with a stay in a private cabin.
Day 2: Morning breakfast on board the ferry.
On arrival in Bastia transfer by coach to our hotel in the centre of Calvi for check-in. The rest of the day is to relax and explore at your leisure.
Day 3: Morning tour of Calvi with the afternoon free.
This lively cosmopolitan town, with its palm trees and Riviera atmosphere, enjoys an idyllic location with Mediterranean sea-front and a stunning mountain backdrop. Our morning walking tour will take in the honey-coloured citadel on its crag, the promenade, the port and the old town.
Day 4: Full day tour to St Florent, Cap Corse and wine tasting in Patrimonio.
A long but exciting day where we pass the sunburnt landscape of the Agriates desert to arrive in the fashionable seaside resort of St-Florent. We then continue to Patromonio to taste the famous wines of Cap Corse and see some of the small marinas, ancient wine terraces, golden beaches and sheer cliffs that lie on this northern promontory of the island.
Day 5: Full day excursion to the Porto and Piana with boat trip.
Today’s spectacular drive takes us to Porto, cowering beneath red granite cliffs and overlooking a deep blue sea. Our boat trip shows off the rock formations and sea caves. We land near the lovely old village of Piana set high on a natural balcony and rightly famous for its creeks and granite sculptures.
Day 6: Day free in Calvi to relax and explore at your leisure.
Day 7: Tour to Corte.
Around late morning we arrive in Corte, built on a rocky outcrop with its ancient house, citadel and museum. We take the mini train up to the highest point and have a guided tour and lunch. The small city was briefly the island’s seat of government and is currently its centre for education. A picturesque train ride is planned but subject to local availability.
Day 8: Full day excursion to l’Ile Rousse and hill villages including Sant’Antonio and Pigna.
L’Ile Rousse is a delightful seaside resort while Pigna is the heart of Corsica’s craft renaissance. Sant’Antonio, built on a high rock, is listed as one of France’s most beautiful villages. Besides the stunning views of the town and the surrounding semi-arid terrain, you can visit the 11th century Church of the Annunciation. Lunch is included at a local restaurant.
Day 9: Full day excursion to Bastia.
This Genoese city has a distinctly Italian feel as it clings to the mountain facing the Tuscan coast. Enjoy a guided city tour by mini-train which goes up to the citadel and visits some of the fascinating baroque churches for which the city is famous. In the afternoon you can explore the lower town - streets lined with tall houses, colourful facades, the town hall, St Nicolas square, cathedral, market place, delightful old port and café terraces. Catch the overnight ferry to Toulon with a stay in a private cabin.
Day 10: On arrival in Toulon, transfer to the station to catch the return TGV to Paris. At Paris, board the return Eurostar service to Ebbsfleet and St Pancras.
NB: Exact order of itinerary may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion.
Please note for 2019 the maximum group size on this tour is 39 passengers.
NEW FOR 2020
Further to analysis of questionnaires received from many hundreds of our valued clients, we have decided to introduce two key changes to our tours in 2020:
1. The group size on all overseas tours is to be limited to a maximum of 35 or lower.
2. All overseas tours will include a welcome drink on the first evening, so that guests can get to know each other.
We hope that these changes will enhance our tours for all participants.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
PLEASE NOTE: As with most trains, passengers are responsible for carrying baggage onto and off the train. Baggage can be stored on overhead shelves or at the entrance to the carriages.Trollies are available at St Pancras and Lille, but bags do need to be carried on to the platform.
Travel Editions recommends a luggage delivery service called thebaggageman, where your suitcase can be picked up from your home before departure and delivered straight to your hotel; therefore removing the worry about carrying your cases onto and off the trains. Please click here for more information and we have arranged a 10% discount exclusive to Travel Editions clients off the thebaggageman service. Tel: 01844 264890
Hotel Mediterranee, Calvi
The three-star Hotel Mediterranee is located in the centre of Calvi and only a short walk to the Marina and close to plenty of restaurants for your evening meals. The hotel offers a bar and lounge which are open in the afternoon and evenings. All bedrooms have private bathroom with shower/wet room, TV, telephone, air-conditioning, wi-fi, safe and hairdryer.
Hotel Mediterranee Website
Blue skies and bougainvillea would be a way I would describe this wonderful Tour. Following in the footsteps of Corsican hero Pascal Paoli, superbly led by Tour Manager Alex Patrimonio and driven along vertiginous mountain roads by Pavel, our ex-Foreign Legion coach driver, this is a tour for the brave! The sound of the horn on blind bends as we headed up into the mountains was like the bugle sound of Joshua before the walls of Jericho. I had my eyes open but some had theirs firmly closed. Craggy cliffs lined like old men’s faces, forests of Corsican pine standing tall like gothic cathedrals, the sunrise casting a pink light over the mountains and then lemon yellow as it sinks into the sea. Corsica is a truly beautiful island. Raging winds on a couple of days did nothing to spoil things. Motor boats criss crossing the bay mirror the vapour trails of planes in the skies above and somehow it didn’t matter that we didn’t see any dolphins and that the Osprey nests were empty. We did see Red Kite hunting for breakfast and some even saw the elusive Corsican Nuthatch. The wine tasting in Patrimonio was. Interesting and I came away with my usual bottle of rose. In the Telegraph the Saturday after we got home a red from Patrimonio was one of the three wines of the week! Calvi was a good base and the hotel, with it’s unpublicised swimming pool was good and well placed for venturing out in the evening in search of Civet of Sanglier, wild boar being easier to find on a plate in a local restaurant than in the wild. The journey was long and an adventure in itself and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. What a Tour! Thank you, Travel Editions.
Review by Richardson who travelled 22-September-2018
We liked the mix of free time and that we were free to choose our own restaurants in the evenings. Alex, the Tour Guide was excellent. We didn't know about Pascal Paoli before, but we do now! The tours were great and we loved Corsica. The description in the brochure was why we chose the holiday and it did not disappoint. The only quibble we had was that, having provided a kettle in the hotel room, we could not use it after the first day, as coffee etc was only a one "welcoming" gift on arrival. Bit of a waste of equipment then.
Review by towner who travelled 22-September-2018
Probably our best rail holiday so far, largely due to the tour manager, who was knowledgeable, enthusiastic,communicative and considerate. We hope Alex will lead a future tour to Southern Corsica were we could again enjoy his expertise and enthusiasm.
Review by Maher who travelled 22-September-2018
It was a very interesting and different tour, we really enjoyed everything about it, Our guide Alex was excellent he was very passionate with his information and knowledge of Corsica. He looked after us very well with his caring manner and had a great sense of humour. John & Pauline Lancaster UK
Review by Hall who travelled 22-September-2018
Train travel on all four trains went well. The ferry was more disappointing. Late on the outward journey. On the return trip we were left standing on the dock far too long. The cabin was without bedside lights and we had to share one towel between two of us.
Review by Grimshaw who travelled 22-September-2018
we only joined at Toulon and found the tour excellent from Bastia to Bastia (7 days) but from Toulon to Bastia and return was not. we will avoid travelling with Corsica Ferries ever again !
Review by Walls who travelled 22-September-2018
The train and ferry delays on the outward journey are the reason for the Satisfactory marking. The return journey an like clockwork. Once again we cant praise Alex, our tour manager, too highly. He is knowledgeable and a joy to be with and managed the illness of one our travellers very well.
Review by Tucker who travelled 22-September-2018
Calvi is a beautiful town and we were blessed with glorious weather. The hotel was excellent and in a very good position. The organised tours were very interesting and the scenery was spectacular. Our only criticism was that one of the days was extremely long and we travelled back to Calvi by train. The journey took about 4 hours and we weren't back until well after 8 0 clock. The coach was available and could have got us back to the hotel in under 2 hours. This is maybe something for you to consider for future trips. Otherwise a lovely holiday!
Review by Anonymous who travelled 22-September-2018
It would be difficult to improve on the itinerary and Alex was outstanding as our guide. Days were long but the spectacular geography and roads of Corsica made that inevitable. Travel to and fro by train and ferry was lengthy but inevitable for the format of the tour and we were aware of that when we signed up. The hotel was adequate without being anything special, staff were helpful and always cheerful. Locals we encountered were helpful and friendly which at times made us wonder if we were actually in France!! Thoroughly enjoyable throughout.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 22-September-2018
We really enjoyed our holiday to Corsica. The hotel was good, but our tour manager, Alex, really made the holiday memorable and we cannot praise him too highly and we have had some good managers in the past with various travel firms. Our criticism is saved for the administration that gave us the opportunity to change dates when July was cancelled, but did not explain that the hotels in France were not being used and that we would sleep over night on the ferries. In the event, this was not as bad as we feared, but we would have expected to be told well before receiving the final itinerary days before departure. We were told we should have received a letter, but we did not. Hence our markings above. Incidentally, we felt the description of the holiday hardly did Corsica justice.
Review by Mr Peter Chillingworth who travelled 03-September-2016
Travel Editions feedback:
Our apologies that you did not receive the critical information with regards to the ferry overnights that became necessary to book on your behalf and were sent in the post. We understand from other members of the party that these were received as planned.
We have done many rail tours, this rates as one of the best. Tour Manager especially rates at the top. Jeff Milan
Review by Mr Edward Milan who travelled 03-September-2016
Ferry delayed over 2 hours in bot h direct ions; this meant a very long wait and late availability of cabins. All other travel excellent. Would have preferred Bed & Breakfast and going out for evening meal; he two lunches on long days out were excellent.
Review by Mr Hugh Barr who travelled 03-September-2016
Greatly enjoyed our 10 days despite ferry crossing delays, also a well balanced group who were good company. Would have appreciate rather more fruit available with meals.
Review by Mr Hugh Barr who travelled 03-September-2016
The ferry was delayed each time but the tour manager coped really well and it was no fault of Travel Editions. It would be better in future to have some days as B&B to enable us to sample local restaurants. Food was fine but far too much. Excellent drivers and tour manager. A great holiday.
Review by Mrs Janet Moore who travelled 03-September-2016
Food at hotel could have been a bit more imaginative - more quality than quantity needed. A couple of extremely early starts in the mornings but I understand that Travel Editions couldn't control that. Maybe a split stay could be considered ie 4 days in North of the Island and 4 days in the South, as we tended to travel along the same road out of Calvi practically every day. Both Alex our guide and Mike our driver were superb.
Review by Mr Derrick Moore who travelled 27-May-2016
Review by who travelled 27-May-2016
Review by Mrs Carol Sunter who travelled 26-September-2015
We awaited this latest of our TE tours with both the anticipation of a new tour, and misgivings due to one negative theme in the reviews to date. As it turns out, our fears were exaggerated. The organisation was excellent, as was Alex (well-known to us from previous trips). We appreciated all his work and his great enthusiasm, as well as his efforts on the return journey following weather disruption, which resulted in us having to get a train from Marseille instead of Nice. Alex also dealt well with an earlier problem, as bad weather ruled out one trip and he managed to organise a replacement. Other positives were the outstanding scenery, the wine-tasting, the excellent lunches on two days, and the time in Nice. The main negative is that winding roads and distances to destinations meant that journeys were long and, in consequence, the time at destinations comparatively short. As it’s impossible to change geography, it’s hard to mitigate the criticism “Too long spent on a coach”. As a partial solution, using two bases (e.g. Calvi and Bastia) might help. Indeed, if Bastia was used for the last few days, the 4 a.m. getting-up time (yes – seriously!) on the last morning in Corsica would be avoided, and of course, the day visit to Bastia would give respite from coach travel. The other downside – not as bad as I’d feared from the reviews – was the uninspiring quality of some of the hotel meal dishes, and a bit of “cheating” – tinned potatoes, tinned fruit salad (twice!), and a sort of Angel Delight on another occasion. Most of the rest was acceptable, but certainly not gourmet cuisine. (We’d willingly have foregone the super hotel location – well, we’re out all day anyway! - in favour of a classier dining experience!) Our coach driver was excellent, even coping with an under-powered coach for part of the week - this worsened the time-in-the-coach problem after the original coach was changed. All in all, we were glad to have done this tour, but feel that some tweaking for the future might ensure that its evident appeal is not unnecessarily negated.
Review by Mr David Peters who travelled 26-September-2015
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you for your very balanced comments and we were pleased to learn you enjoyed the tour overall. We have looked at making this a 2 centre tour in the past but we can't get any other hotel to accept less than a weeks booking. We are constantly reporting back to the hotel with regards to the meals and we are pleased that there has been a marked improvement on previous tours.
Have already recommended the trip to others
Review by Mr X Payne who travelled 26-September-2015
Review by who travelled 26-September-2015
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Review by who travelled 26-September-2015
We felt that the info sent to us reciprocated in what we saw and experienced, the dialogue between our driver and tour manager added to our overall satisfaction. I feel our only downside would be the lack of variety in some of meals served up by the hotel.
Review by Mrs Sheila Willett who travelled 05-September-2015
Review by who travelled 05-September-2015
Review by who travelled 05-September-2015
Corsican ferry was poor, terrible food and not clean, but realise this is out of your control. The tour manager, Alex Patrimonio made this trip for us and our friends. He was great, very knowledgeable about the island and its nature. Also great fun with appropriate use of humour, but also very conscious of needs of the group. A true ambassador for your company. Hotel was okay altho' we sometimes felt as if we were getting second class treatment to other guests. Our shower room was very tired and needs re newing. We would travel with Travel Editions again despite this.
Review by Mr Donald Booth who travelled 05-September-2015
We really enjoyed our trip to Corsica. The tour manager Alex was excellent, informative and humourous. He really made everyone welcome and went out of his way to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves. Mike the coach driver was excellent, he made you feel safe on some of the most challenging roads I have ever seen. He was always calm and very amusing. The days are long but worth it as the scenery is stunning. Calvi is a wonderful place and we enjoyed going into town after the evening meal. The hotel is good, clean and well situated. We found the 4 course evening meal with wine excellent and sampled a lot of local dishes both at the hotel and on the lunches out. Breakfast is also very good with more than enough choice to suit all tastes . The ferries are fine, if you like sunbathing head for the back of the ship and grab a deck chair for the journey. All in all a superb holiday
Review by Mr & Mrs Leslie Lomas who travelled 05-September-2015
A full free day would have been welcome, Hotel good, evening meal 'iffy' lots of local eateries available- is B&B package an option? Day tours involve a long time in bus, round trips not possible on the island, difficult to change going and coming back on same road. 5 footprints in brochure not that much walking, enjoyed walk in maquis could it be longer? What does 5 footprints mean? aware of narrow, rough, steep lanes in hilltop villages - they were good to visit but for less mobile could be difficult. Lunches out good.
Review by Mr James Milligan who travelled 20-June-2015
Tour manager Alex was outstanding. Interesting and interested,helpful, amusing. Location was fantastic. Dinners were rather bland and disappointing. Breakfasts were excellent. Took up your carry my luggage recommendation and have never experienced such in competence- incorrect information, insufficient information- added to stress with regard to managing luggage rather than removing it. In future will just travel light.
Review by Mrs Eleanor Carlin who travelled 20-June-2015
The tour manager, Alex, was excellent. His enthusiasm and wide ranging knowledge of the island and its history brought the tour alive. The hotel was let down by the poor quality and uninspiring dinners and breakfasts with some irritating restrictions vis à vis the ‘non group’ guests. The reception were unhelpful when a room change was requested claiming no alternative rooms were available which did not seem to be borne out by the occupancy level of the hotel during the week. The holiday would have been better using the hotel on a bed and breakfast basis and with perhaps two to three included meals at a local restaurant and freedom of choice at the local restaurants for the remainder of the evenings.
Review by Mr C Harrison who travelled 20-June-2015
Sight seeing trips too ambitious. Not enough free time to explore Calvi. Long trip on last day didn't allow much time for packing so relatively few went on it. Hotel at Calvi - Quality of dinner in restaurant variable with some very disappointing meals. Accommodation itself very good. We have been on a number of Travel Editions holidays - this was not among the best.
Review by Mr John Thorpe who travelled 20-June-2015
Excellent Manager, Alex. He was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and very sociable. Hotel in Calvi had very good facilities but occasional glitches, foodwise. Sightseeing programme quite tiring with long days. Really interesting destinations but one free day extra would have been appreciated - we cut out the Corte trip, and this seemed to be the right decision - another hilltop town and the train failed. Overall a great trip and we look forward to visiting Southern Corsica if that comes off.
Review by Mr Peter West who travelled 20-June-2015
The main meal of the evening was disappointing as it had no authentic French/Corsican food as described in your brochure. It was adequate but that is all. Otherwise the rest of the holiday was excellent.
Review by Mrs Catherine Lees who travelled 20-June-2015
Hotel St Christophe Calvi accommodation was good but the meals provided were no more than satisfactory. The Carry My Luggage service was a let down, not providing clear instructions for labelling and hence giving rise to anxiety but hopefully the luggage will be returned safely. Apart from these comments, the holiday fully met expectations and the guide Alex Patrimonio was excellent in all respects.
Review by Mr James McQuaid who travelled 20-June-2015
I think the visit to the citadel at Calvi could have added to another shorter day,leaving a full day free, taken later in the week when there would have been time to think about what to do.
Review by Mr Gerald Bannister who travelled 20-June-2015
Tour Manager,Alex, was superb. Informed,caring,organised,charming,humorous. Food at hotel was done to a low budget,I presume, and was not up to the standard we would have expected from a 3or 4 star hotel. It was bland ,unimaginative and had little understanding of non meat eater tastes which,even in France, is more widespread these days.The wine include was a nice surprise,but did not make up for the quality of the meals.
Review by Mr Alan Jeary who travelled 20-June-2015
Hotel room - good. Many dinners - indifferent. Far too demanding a programme of tours. A truly excellent tour manager : knowledgeable, engaging, helpful and conscientious
Review by Mr N McKittrick who travelled 20-June-2015
Calvi is an ideal location with a lot of history, a lovely beach and various rocky bays. The hotel is in a good position and comfortable but the food was terrible. Even the breakfast was very limited and the dinners were the worst we have ever had with Travel Editions. It would be far better to just have bed and breakfast and eat out in the evenings which we did on two occasions as there are numerous good restaurants in the town. Some of the trips, although enjoyable, were rather long. Alex, our tour manager was excellent and gave us a lot of useful information about all the different places we visited. A free day would be a good idea and maybe an overnight on the ferry to save two full days travelling. Overall it was a good holiday and with a few adjustments it would be even better. Una Wilson
Review by Mrs Una Wilson who travelled 06-June-2015
Review by Mr Timothy Sargent who travelled 06-June-2015
wonderful tour manager- good natured, good humoured,very informative, very well read, articulate,and never flustered despite some customers having problems. Alex makes a fine ambassador for the company. The Saint Christophe is superbly located, has good facilities& comfortable, but the food was poor(very). Breakfasts okay,although provisioned at lower category for the group, but 4 evening meals the meats were almost inedible, badly cooked and bland. Tours interesting but too many&some too lengthy.Schedule would benefit from a little free time. Some clients cancelled some tours in favour of free time. Overall though Corsica is a good destination. I agree my comments may be used, but only if non selective.
Review by Mr K Maltas who travelled 06-June-2015
Whilst the hotel itself was very good the food was very poor ,indeed often inedible,and we ate out a lot. The trips involved long coach journeys which meant too much time sitting instead of exploring! Alex our tour guide was first class.
Review by Mr David Gowland who travelled 06-June-2015
Whilst we had a thoroughly enjoyable trip to North Corsica we would like to make some comments to help improve the tour. Firstly, we must say that our tour manager, Alex, was excellent. He dealt with several difficulties over the course of the trip with professionalism and good humour. He was knowledgeable and efficient especially in the several changes of transport involved in the journey to and from Corsica. The hotel in Calvi was beautifully located with good bedrooms and facilities as described in your brochure. We were however, disappointed with the standard of dinner on most of the evenings and decided to eat out on two occasions. We think it would be preferable to have just bed and breakfast at this hotel, leaving the evenings free to sample the many restaurants in the resort. We also found the trips long and in one case in particular thought it dangerous. The Cop Corse is not suitable for tour buses. Indeed, the road, which was precariously narrow, had collapsed in places and in other areas, had been partly covered by landslips. The bus driver was brilliant and miraculously, no damage was done. The following day, the road had been closed to buses and lorries. We chose not to go on two trips as we felt there was a need to relax and enjoy Calvi rather than being out every day. In conclusion, we would say that with a little tweeking, you have the making of an interesting and enjoyable tour. Since the ferry took us to Ajaccio on the outward journey rather than to L'Ille Rousse as stated in the brochure, we wandered at the possibility of you organising another trip to cover South Corsica. It is a beautiful island and we'd like to see more.
Review by Mrs Linda Thomas who travelled 06-June-2015
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you for your very fair comments and so pleased you enjoyed the tour overall. Your comments re the itinerary and dinners will be reviewed for future tours.
