L'Isle Rousse Corsica

You will be docked or sometimes anchored and than tendered in to town.

Located on the northwest coast of Corsica, L’Ile-Rousse was originally founded in the 18th century to compete with the Genoese-controlled port of Calvi. Snaking islets of red porphyry rock in the bay give it its name. Stroll the main square, shaded by plane trees and enormous 120-year old date palms, and quiet except for the click of petanque balls and the soft exclamations of the players. Or venture inland to the rugged maquis backcountry, refuge of the fictional Corsican Brothers.

A small two-car train runs along the coast to Calvi, delivering sun-worshippers to beaches not accessible by road. Tickets cost €6.

There is also a little tourist train.

Monticello is a delightful traditional village 5 kilometers from L’Ile Rousse with fantastic views of the coast. There are shops and restaurants in addition to picturesque walks and activities such as horse-riding and tennis.

Wander the streets of L'Ile Rousse old town and take a make sure you take a trip to the market held every morning in a majestic covered market place. The produce is local and fresh and includes fish, vegetables, local honey, charcuterie and cheeses. There are ample restaurants to choose from in the narrow streets and around the main square beneath the plane trees and the silver sand of Ile Rousse beach is very tempting.

Euro

Local emergency number: 112

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.

National holiday dates: