The bustling old port of Bastia has an irresisible magnetism. Allow yourself at least a day to drink in the narrow old-town alleyways of Terra Vecchia, the seething Vieux Port, the dramatic 16th-century citadel perched up high, and the compelling history museum.
Terra VecchiaHISTORIC QUARTER
A spiderweb of narrow lanes, Terra Vecchia is Bastia’s heart and soul. Shady place de l’Hôtel de Ville hosts a lively morning market on Saturday and Sunday. One block west, baroque Chapelle de l’Immaculée Conception (rue des Terrasses), with its elaborately painted barrel-vaulted ceiling, briefly served as the seat of the short-lived Anglo-Corsican parliament in 1795. Further north is Chapelle St-Roch (rue Napoléon), with an 18th-century organ and trompe l’œil roof.
Vieux PortHARBOUR
Bastia’s Vieux Port is ringed by pastel-coloured tenements and buzzy brasseries, as well as the twin-towered Église St-Jean Baptiste (4 rue du Cardinal Viale Préla). The best views of the harbour are from the hillside park of Jardin Romieu , reached via a gorgeous old stately staircase that twists uphill from the waterfront.
Terra NovaHISTORIC QUARTER
Above Jardin Romieu looms Bastia’s amber-hued citadel, built from the 15th to 17th centuries as a stronghold for the city’s Genoese masters. Inside, the Palais des Gouverneurs houses the Musée de Bastia (www.musee-bastia.com; place du Donjon), which retraces the city’s history. A few streets south, don’t miss the majestic Cathédrale Ste-Marie (rue de l’Évêché) and nearby Église Ste-Croix (rue de l’Évêché), featuring gilded ceilings and a mysterious black-oak crucifix found in the sea in 1428.
AIR
Aéroport Bastia-Poretta (www.bastia.aeroport.fr), 24km south, is linked by bus (€9, 35 minutes, 10 daily) with the Préfecture building in town.
BOAT
Ferry companies have information offices at Bastia port(www.bastia.port.fr); they are usually open for same-day ticket sales a couple of hours before sailings. Ferries sail to/from Marseille, Toulon and Nice (mainland France), and Livorno, Savona, Piombino and Genoa (Italy).
BUS & TRAIN
The bus station (1 rue du Nouveau Port) is north of place St-Nicolas. Additional bus stops are scattered around town. There are daily train services to Ajaccio (€21.60, four hours, five daily).
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