Bastia is a city on the French island of Corsica. The small fortifications and pleasant harbour-side areas make for a nice stroll. It is a small city and good for pedestrians.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
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.
Explore the town on foot. Much of it is pedestrianised, and the vehicle routes get very congested. The city bus network is operated by Société des Autobus Bastiais (☏ +33 4 95 31 06 65). A tramway runs from Bastia railway station, for some 25 km (16 mi) 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.
The sights of Bastia are grouped around the 1 Vieux Port. - 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 2 Cathedral (St Jean Baptiste, St John the Baptist). 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.
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.
The Vieux Port restaurants major on seafood, but there's Tex-Mex and mainstream Italian. 1 Le Jean Bart, ☏ +33 4 95 31 36 31. For wonderful moules-frites (mussels and French fries) and puddings.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Bastia typically sees ~30°C daytime highs and 7 rainy days.
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