Founder and director of Moto Excape, a magazine dedicated to motorcycle tourism and adventures, in 2017 I turned my passion into a challenge: Sharing my riding experiences with the world, including tips on the best places to explore, including those closer to home. In fact, you don’t need to go far to discover the wonders that our planet has on offer. But for those with discerning enough eyes to fall in love with life and nature, discovering the world literally turns into an endless journey.
Being just a short stretch of sea away means that travelers can even visit the island over a weekend, though a long weekend or an extended summer vacation are best in order to capitalize on its white beaches and turquoise waters.
Bastia is the first destination on our trip, the landing point for ferries from the continent. This historical village and its ancient port are unquestionably worth a visit, though you could also save them for last, basing your itinerary around the departure of your return ferry.
We set the wheels of my small yet powerful Royal Enfield Himalayan northbound, toward Cap Corse. Exploring Corsica’s famous “finger” is a real delight, with its many gentle bends overlooking the sea and stunning beaches from the very start.
Before reaching Macinaggio, you can choose to take a nice off-road trail that, from the village of Sisco, takes you directly to the west side of the “finger”. It’s not a difficult route but it can be tricky in places, so we advise you to always remain cautious, tackle it on an appropriate motorcycle and, above all, wear protective apparel, just like ours. But don’t worry – if you’re not a risk taker or you’re riding a road motorcycle, the road to Cap Corse is beautiful nonetheless. From Macinaggio, turn inland and then toward Barcaggio, if you’d like to see the famous Giraglia cliff, Corsica’s northernmost point.
As you head down the west side, the road regales you once more with plenty of emotions, breathtaking views and lots of bends to enjoy at your leisure. When going down to Saint Florent, we recommend stopping off at the small fishing village of Centuri, renowned for its lobsters, and the black beach of Nonza. Saint Florent is charming too, especially at night, when the restaurants on the harbor fill up and the many moored boats light up the bay. This is where the road toward the famous Desert des Agriates begins, a long and wild strip of land leading to the famed Saleccia and Lotu beaches. The road is mostly unpaved but accessible to all vehicles, or you can also opt to take a ferry from Saint Florent.
After diving into the stunning sea at these beaches, we’re back “rollin’ south”, toward Calvi. Here you’ll find a small village much loved by celebrities and their maxi yachts, a medieval citadel and a golden sand beach, as well as an interesting mix of history and natural wonders.
The next stage is Porto, one of our favorite destinations: Surrounded by red rocks, it’s a real oasis of tranquility after a day’s riding, with a wide choice of hotels and restaurants and the famous Calanche of Piana just around the corner. It’s also strategically placed, so that every day you can set off for a different tour of the island.
From Porto, still heading south, we took a small break in Cargèse before reaching Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica and birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. Here you can admire the Notre-Dame-de-l’Assoption Cathedral, the famous emperor’s childhood home and museum, the market place, the Fesch Museum with its Italian art collection, sandy beaches such as the Plage du Trottel, and also enjoy the local cuisine in the restaurants overlooking the sea and the Sanguinaires Islands archipelago.
Waterproof, perforated or four-season: the perfect touring equipment
After an evening full of good food and excellent live music in the city’s old Citadel, we headed straight to Bonifacio along a coastal road, which was breathtaking, to say the least. Located at the southernmost point of Corsica, this village is famous for its houses overhanging white limestone cliffs. From here, you can admire the Sardinian coastline, fall under the spell of its unique stunning fjord and get lost amid the beautiful sights of the harbor, the citadel and its narrow lanes. Rondinara beach is not to be missed. By the by, if you’re lusting after some good Sardinian cuisine, you can also take the ferry from Bonifacio to Santa Teresa Gallura.
But our tour continues along the French island, toward Porto-Vecchio. Overlooking the eastern side, we recommend you spend at least one night there, to truly appreciate its narrow lanes brimming with bars, restaurants and artisan stores, such as those selling handcrafted knives.
After all that sea, it’s now time to explore the beautiful mountain roads winding through the island’s interior. So, we head toward Corte, at the heart of the Corsican mountains. It’s a historical town full of charm. Its citadel, Old Corte, dominates the surrounding landscape. With its museums, cobbled streets and hiking trails in the nearby valleys, Corte is a paradise for nature and culture lovers.
Every single town in Corsica offers charming hotels and bed & breakfasts, but if you’re looking for some tips, here’s where we stayed:
Located along the road heading to the Calanche of Piana, the Hotel Bella Vista offers panoramic views, very comfortable rooms and a garage for motorcycles. We had an excellent breakfast and welcome from the owner, who is also a passionate motorcycle rider.
A few miles from Bonifacio, and in the heart of Porto-Vecchio, the Hotel Holzer is ideal, as you can safely leave your motorcycle in its garage and discover the ancient town on foot. It has very comfortable rooms, an excellent breakfast and several restaurants and stores within easy reach.
It has a terrace overlooking the sea and many local fish and meat specialties, as well as pizza. The Restaurant la Mer is the ideal place to dine, with excellent food and breathtaking views – perfect after a full day’s riding.
An authentic Corsican restaurant in the heart of Corte, with meat specialties, traditional flavors and recipes passed down through generations, with a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Choosing a helmet isn’t something you can take for granted, especially when you’re starting out. Here’s a complete guide on how to choose your ideal helmet.
With not one but two departure ports, in Savona and Livorno, the Corsica and Sardinia Ferries are the best option to reach Corsica, especially in terms of discounts and promotions for motorcycle riders. Crossing times from Savona and Livorno are short and in just a few hours you’ll be on the island for a weekend full of bends, sea and excellent food.
When riding in France, we advise you to be cautious. Coastal roads are always in good condition, but due to rocky materials, wind and traffic, there can sometimes be sand and debris on the road, especially on bends. Beware too of speeding cameras – they’re well signposted, but you might easily get distracted by the views.
The Royal Enfield Himalayan is a motorcycle built for adventures and proved to be an excellent and practical travel companion in Corsica. It’s perfect for tackling bumpy roads and challenging terrains; equipped with a 411 CC engine, it packs enough power to explore any kind of terrain. Its ergonomics, low saddle and load capacity make it ideal for long adventures on- and off-road. With the Himalayan, Royal Enfield has created a versatile, reliable and affordable option for those who love exploring, as well as for women riders and young people. In our case, we equipped it with two side bags, a large rear bag and an SW Motech tank bag.
For our Corsican tour, in mid-May, we chose multilayered clothing to deal with higher temperatures in the sun, and the wind and rain we knew we’d encounter in some stretches.
We chose the Dainese Springbok 3L Absoluteshell™ outfit – resistant, comfortable and perfect for adventures. It’s well ventilated on the chest, back and arms, as well as on the legs, in terms of pants. Insulation from the elements is ensured by two internal layers – a windproof and a thermal membrane. Moreover, the internal waterproof jacket can also be worn as a leisure jacket. We completed the outfit with protective and breathable Dainese Karakum Ergo-Tek gloves and the Pro-Armor 2.0 ventilated back protector.
The lightweight and breathable TCX Airtech 3 GTX boots were perfect in all temperatures and protected us well from the rain, owing to their Gore-Tex® membrane, an indispensable material for motorcycle footwear. The AGV AX9 adventure helmet in carbon proved to be excellent in all riding conditions, owing to its modularity. It’s well sealed and quiet on the highway, lightweight and very aerodynamic. The main advantage is that it can be turned into a real off-road helmet in just a few steps and has sufficient room for any Bluetooth intercom system you’d like to equip.
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