Making the most of Calvi Corsica
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Ships have to anchor here and will tender you into port at Quai Landry, lined with cafés overlooking the waterfront, but it is a busy road, behind which is the center of resort's vibrant nightlife.
Calvi's downtown area is conveniently located right next to the tender drop-off point. You can easily walk to most attractions from the port.
Calvi consists of two parts: the new town downtown by the port and the older part up towards the citadel. These parts are best explored on foot.
L'Eglise Santa Maria is worth a visit; you can't miss it, it's the 'Big Pink Church'. It is a lovely old-style Catholic church evocative of the Orthodox style.
Calvi is attracting more beach lovers every year and is slowly turning into one of those popular holiday resorts.
Getting around
There are no buses, but there is a small train that runs along the coast from Île Rousse to Calvi, and a blue one that runs from Calvi to Bastia.
To explore outside the city: Taxis are expensive.
Food and shopping
Almost every shop in Corsica will sell dried meats (you'll smell them before you see them) and also offer an amazing variety of honey, olive oil, spices, and herbs (from the bushes that litter the mountains, called maquis). For those of you who are a little more adventurous, it may be worth buying some chestnut flour (farine de châtaignes), which is a local specialty used in crêpes, cakes, etc
Rue Artisanat is the shopping street.
The markets, restaurants and hotels are concentrated around the Basse Ville.
Money
Euro
Staying connected
Local emergency number: 112
Opening Hours and
Most shops, businesses, information services, museums and banks in France stay open all day. The exceptions are the smaller shops and enterprises, which may close for lunch sometime between 12.30pm and 2pm. Basic hours of business are from 8 or 9am to 6.30 or 7.30pm Monday to Saturday for the big shops and Tuesday to Saturday for smaller shops (some of the smaller shops may open on Monday afternoon). You can always find boulangeries and food shops that do stay open, however, on days when others close – on Sunday normally until noon.