Bastia

Understand

Bastia is the second largest city by population in Corsica with almost 49,000 inhabitants (2019). Tourism has not brought much prosperity to the city, and unemployment remains high by French standards.

Bastia received its name from a Genoese construction of a "bastiglia" in the 1300s. Both Bastia and bastiglia are cognates of the English "bastion". Bastia was the principal capital of Genoese Corsica, and it became French only in the late 1760s.

The afternoon siesta is a serious daily event in Bastia, and one should be careful to respect shop hours (e.g. supermarket) in order to be able to buy necessities at normal prices.

Get around

Explore the town on foot. Much is pedestrianised, and the vehicle routes get very congested.

The city bus network is operated by Société des Autobus Bastiais ().

A tramway runs from Bastia railway station, for some south along the coast to Casamozza, where it connects with the mainline train between Bastia and Ajaccio. The tram passes within 2 km of Bastia airport, the nearest stop being Lucciana, but there's no connecting link so it hardly works as a means of "Getting in". It is possible but not pleasant to walk between the two along route D107, while route D507 must be avoided.

As of October 2023, there is no ride-hailing service in Bastia. Taxi service is limited, although they do meet the ferries when the arrive at the terminal. Be sure to book in advance if you have an early morning flight.

See

thumb|right|300px|The citadel The sights of Bastia are grouped around the - the Old Port. The quayside is shabby chic, with tall, faded buildings (many housing restaurants) surrounding a marina with posh yachts. It's particularly charming at dusk and early evening. The twin towers of the stand prominently here. The area just north is the historic neighbourhood of Terra Vecchia: notable churches are the Oratoire de l'Imaculee Conception and the Confrerie St-Roch.

To the south dominating the harbour is the citadel, built by the Genoese in the 15th-17th centuries. Climb up to it by the street or by the Romieu gardens, to enter via the imposing gateway. Within is the square of Place du Donjon, and the entrance to the Palais de Gouverneurs, which now houses the city museum. Deeper within the warren of alleyways are the former cathedral and the Ortoire Baroque Ste-Croix.

Do

Explore Cap Corse, the rugged peninsula stretching north of Bastia. A very twisty road, the D80, makes for a scenic but occasionally nerve-wracking circular drive. Allow about four hours for this, have at least half a tank of fuel aboard before you start, and do not rush. Going anti-clockwise, follow the main coast road north from Bastia port. This section along the east coast, though twisty, is mostly broad enough for traffic to pass with comfort, and the prospect below is not too vertiginous. It passes through Erbalunga and Pietracorbara to Santa Servera, where the road forks: one branch crossing the mountains via Luri to the west coast, the other continuing along the coast to Macinaggio. Buses from Bastia ply the road this far. Then this road also climbs inland, a cul-de-sac road branches off to the north cape at Barcaggio, and the going gets serious. The route back south along the west coast is narrow, twisting and turning high above the restless sea with no barriers between you and a very long drop. Villages along the way, clinging to the mountainside with scenic but precarious harbours, are Centuri, Pino, Canari and Nonza. Finally the road descends to Patrimonio where you'll be relieved to join the main highway D81 for the last hill-climb back over to Bastia. A short detour the other direction (towards Ile Rousse & Calvi) takes in the village of Saint-Florent.

There is an argument for driving the Cap Corse route clockwise, so you'd be on the landward side of the road a…

Eat

The Vieux Port restaurants major on seafood, but there's Tex-Mex and mainstream Italian.

Connect

As of June 2022, Bastia has 5G from all French carriers.

Go next

Bastia is a good starting point for a tour of Corsica, but you need your own car - or to be a very fit cyclist - to get around this rugged island.

Public transport options are much more limited, but a daily bus runs to Calvi and all other major Corsican cities, and trains run daily to Corte and Ajaccio.