Transportation to reach the start of the GR20 Corsica

The GR20 is a long-distance footpath (GR) that crosses Corsica from north to south. The GR20 is a straight line that runs from Calenzana in the north to Conca in the south: it’s hard to start the GR20 anywhere else, as there are very few roads leading to it. If you plan to do a half-GR20 north or half-GR20 south, you can start from Vizzavone, which is halfway along the route. What means of transport are available in Corsica to reach the start or finish point? How can you get to Corsica cheaply and easily? Here’s a summary of the different means of transport serving Corsica.

To try and make things easier for you, tell us where you’re arriving and where you want to start the GR20, and we’ll give you the best way to book your transport at the best price!

The different options for traveling to Corsica:

The different ways of getting to a GR20 starting point?

There are two official starting points for the GR20 Intégral

• Calenzana if you’re doing the GR20 from north to south: Ideally, you should arrive in Calvi by boat and then take a taxi to Calenzana, just a few kilometres away. There are also shuttle buses and buses, which you can find on this page. You can also arrive in Bastia or Ile Rousse, which are further away, but you can always take the train along the coast to Calvi!
• Conca if you’re doing the GR20 from south to north: In this case, you’ll probably arrive by plane at Figari’s small airport, in which case you can then get to the start of the GR20 by taking a bus to Porto Vecchio and then a shuttle or taxi to Conca

Other entry and departure points for the GR20

• Starting from Vizzavone: if you’re not doing the full GR20, it’s very easy to do a half-GR20, either a half-North GR20 or a half-South GR20. All you have to do is get to Vizzavone, which is the island’s central town (a big village) but which is served by the Corsican train! There’s also the N°8 bus service from Ajaccio to Vizzavona

You should know that there are plenty of ways off the GR20 if you give up, which also makes them entry points!

For example, if you’re near Corte, you can return via the Restonica valley and the Grotelle sheepfolds, where shuttle buses will take you near the Melo and Capitello lakes (you’ll then be between the Manganu and Petra Piana stage, stage 6 of the GR20 North > South)

You can also go a little further up through the village of Locci, and get close to the foot of Monte Cinto, but the easiest way is to get dropped off at the end of stage 3 in Asco!

Then, there are other points that you can discover on this page, but mainly via the Col de Vergio, the Col de Verde or the Col de Bavella, which are the other rare places where you’ll come across a road and therefore taxis or shuttles for the GR20!

Do you want to go to Corsica or get around?

Here are the possible means of transport to get to Corsica or to a GR20 departure or crossing point!

Is it wise to hire a car for the GR20?

Do you really think it’s worth hiring a car, knowing that your starting point will not be the same as your finishing point? Is this a good idea? We advise you to use the public transport above!

I’m arriving in Bastia, how do I get to the GR20?

Bastia is the most northerly airport in Corsica, putting you less than 2 hours from either the north or the south, so it’s a great compromise if you don’t have a choice and don’t want to have to get organised with two different airports. Bastia is well served by train, so it’s easy to get to Calvi by train and then Calenzana by bus or taxi! Similarly, it’s very easy to take a shuttle bus from Conca to Porte Vecchio and then take the bus back to Bastia!

How do I get from Bastia airport to the GR20 Nord at Calenzana?

Getting off the plane in Bastia? It’s very easy to take a train from Bastia airport to the nearest point at Calenzana! The train won’t take you directly to Calenzana, but you can get as close as 15 km from the departure point, and take a taxi! Look out for trains between Bastia and Cavi or Bastia and Lumio, a small station lost between Ile Rousse and Calvi! Alternatively, you can take a taxi from Bastia airport to Calenzana, but this is the most expensive option, even if it is the most flexible!

How do I get from Bastia airport to the GR20 Sud at Conca?

Is your plane taking you from mainland France to Bastia and do you want to do the GR20 South to North? In that case, you’ll need to get to Conca by bus or taxi, as there’s no train service! You’ll need to drive for about 2 hours, so the taxi fare can be very expensive, costing around €220 minimum

I’m in Calvi, how do I get to the GR20?

• Distance from Calenzana: 12 km, 15 minutes by car
• Distance from Conca: 190 km, 3 hours by car
• Calvi airport website: see timetables

Calvi is a very small airport, with very few flights. If you manage to catch a plane that lands in Calvi, you’ll be only 30 minutes from Calenzana by bus, the starting point for the GR20 Nord. Taxis are also readily available, depending on the time of day you arrive. Take your pick from the taxi numbers around the GR20 here. However, to catch the plane back to Calvi once you’re in Conca, you’ll need to allow more than 4 hours for transport, by bus and/or train. You’re better off going back to Bastia airport, or better still, taking a plane from Figari.

How do I get from Calvi airport to the GR20 Nord at Calenzana?

Leaving Calvi airport, the easiest way is to take a taxi to the start of the GR20. There are only a few kilometres to go, so this is the cheapest solution, with a maximum 30-minute drive and a fare of around €35 to €40

How do I get from Calvi airport to the GR20 Sud at Conca?

Getting off the plane at Calvi, on the other hand, is quite a mission to get to Conca! It’s 185 km, or almost 3 hours’ drive, and of course you can’t take the train! So you’ll have to take a bus or taxi to get to Conca! On the other hand, if you take your return flight from Calvi, you’ll be less than 30 minutes by taxi from the boarding gate, so it’s ideal!

I’m coming from Ajaccio, how do I get to the GR20?

• Distance from Calenzana: 170 km, 2h45 minutes by car
• Distance from Conca: 140 km, 2h45 by car

and Conca. The airport is served by anumber of flights, but getting to Ajacciomeans you need to get organised once you’re there. Long taxi journeys are expensive, so we suggest you take the train to Calvi in the north and an almost direct bus service to Conca in the south.

How do I get from Ajaccio airport to the GR20 Nord at Calenzana?

Ajaccio is Corsica’s biggest airport, but it’s not ideally situated for doing the GR20. Ajaccio is more than 2? hours’ drive from Calenzana! There aren’t many trains in Corsica, but the Calenzana line is just 10 km from the GR20: take a train to Ajaccio > Vizzavone then change trains at Ponte Leccia. From there you can go to L’ile Rousse and get off before Calvi, at a small station 10 km from the GR20. From there, find a Corsican taxi from among the many vehicles that circulate in the north of the island!

How do I get from Ajaccio airport to the GR20 Sud at Conca?

Ajaccio is also more than 2? hours’ drive from Conca, so you’ll need to arrange a shuttle bus to get there, as a taxi would be far too expensive (around 250 minutes). However, you can easily get from Ajaccio to Vizzavona by train and then find a shuttle or bus to Conca

I’m in Figari, how do I get to the GR20?

• Distance from Calenzana: 225 km, 3h40 by car
• Distance from Conca: 40 km via Porto Vecchio, 50 minutes by car

Figari Sud Corse is the smallest of Corsica’s 4 airports. It’s very convenient because it’s so close to Conca on the GR20 South. However, there are very few airports serving Figari, so there are very few flights each day (around ten departures and arrivals each day). There are flights from Marseille, Toulouse, Paris (Orly), Caen, Strasbourg, Lille, Nice, Bordeaux and Nantes. In summer there are flights to smaller airports such as Paris Beauvais for Figari, only on Saturdays. The best thing to do is to check the flights available on the airline websites

How do I get from Figari airport to the GR20 Nord at Calenzana?

If you arrive in Figari to start in Calenzana, your first adventure before starting the GR20 is to cross the whole of Corsica by bus or taxi: a 3? hour drive, covering no less than 225 km! There are no train services from southern Corsica to Calvi or Calenzana. On the other hand, you’ll be less than 30 minutes by taxi once you’ve finished your GR20 journey to fly back to Figari

You’re in luck, there’s a new bus service from Figari to Corte. To get from Figari airport to Calenzana, you’ll need to start by taking the “Rapides Bleues” bus, which runs for 2 hours. Be careful, the shuttle buses don’t run every day, and certainly not several times a day! Then from Corte you can take the train to Ponte Leccia > Ile Rousse and get off at U Fiumeseccu Alzeta, just before Calvi (it takes 2h30 by train) and finally hitchhike or take a taxi for the last 10 kilometres (another 30 min). As you can see, if the planets are aligned and you manage to make all the connections, the journey will take between 5 and 6 hours.

Otherwise, take a taxi!

How do I get from Figari airport to the GR20 Sud at Conca?

It’s very easy to get from Figari to Conca. It’s a 45-minute drive from the airport to the start of the GR20.

• You can take a taxi, but it’s expensive for such a long journey
• The best way is to find a bus between Figari and Porto Vecchio, then between Porte Vecchio and the nearest point to Conca, which is the village of Sainte Lucie de Porto Vecchio (which is not quite Conca, but 6 km to the south). From there, you can start your hike, hitchhike or take a shuttle/taxi.
  Bus line between Figari and Porto Vecchio – Bus line between Porto Vecchio and Conca

And here’s an overview of the transport network in Corsica