Car Hire Ajaccio

Guide

Ajaccio is located midway down the western coast of the island of Corsica, in the Mediterranean Sea. Infamous as the birthplace of Napoleon, Ajaccio is a modern coastal town with a relaxed atmosphere, mild climate and wealth of cafés and shopping. Its interesting historical old town and encompassing bay views offer something for every visitor. Car hire in Ajaccio is available through our website. Book before travelling to secure a car at a cheap price, and save the hassle sorting a rental vehicle on arrival.

Explore Ajaccio

Ajaccio has many historical attractions of interest. Napoléon devotees flock to see the impressive Napoléon monument dominating Place de Gaulle. The bronze statue depicts the first Napoléon in Roman attire, surrounded by his four brothers. Musée Fesch is similarly popular for its many 17th century French and Spanish masters; however the Italian paintings of Raphael, Titian and Botticelli are the chief attractions.

At the heart of Ajaccio, Place Foch opens out to the seafront, once the site of the town's medieval gate. Nearby Place de Gaulle is the most useful point of orientation and is crossed by the main thoroughfare, Cours Napoléon. Ajaccio’s commercial centre stretches westward from here. The tourist office on Boulevard du Roi provides free inner city walking guides.

Restaurants in Ajaccio vary from basic bistros to trendy pizzerias and pricey fish restaurants, the majority of which are found in the old town. By night, Cours Napoléon jostles with bars and Place de Gaulle, home to many old-fashioned cafés and salons provides a quieter scene. Boulevard Lantivy by the seafront is lined with cocktail bars, clubs and a casino.

The surrounding region has much to offer. The northern town of Calvi is famous for its impressive gulf, thriving port and year-round festivals. South of Ajaccio, Sartene is known as the ‘most Corsician of the Corsican’ cities and is popular for its high granite houses and ingrained religious traditions.

Campo dell'Oro Airport is located 6kms south of Ajaccio and receives flights from most major European destinations. Hourly shuttles ply the route to the centre of town (15 minutes). Nouveau Port receives regular passenger ferries from the main cities of Savona, (3 hours - Express), Livorno, (4 hours) and Nice (3 hours, 30 minutes - Express). Regular buses ply the routes between the island’s main centres.

Transport

Ajaccio has good road and rail connections with the other main towns and resorts on the island, and has excellent direct ferry connections with mainland France.

By air
Ajaccio International Airport is just around the bay, eight kilometres to the east of the town. You can fly to Corsica from virtually anywhere but you’ll usually end up going through a French connecting port. Corsair is the main carrier to the island.

There are two regular buses operating between the airport and the town centre, and taxis are also readily available. Car rental suppliers operating from desks at the airport are Alamo, National, Citer, Avis, Europcar and Hertz.

By car or train
Road and rail are also options if you can get yourself to continental Europe's coast, and you can complete your journey by ferry.

By boat
Ferries go from Nice, Toulon and Marseille on the mainland. Departure from Nice is the fastest option, with the high-speed NGV taking about four hours. There are up to four conventional and high-speed ferries operating from Nice in the summer. Car ferries take about 10 hours.

There is no ferry service from Italy directly to Ajaccio. From Genoa and Livorno, boats dock at Calvi, Bastia and Porto Vecchio. From here you’ll have to catch the train or bus to Ajaccio; there are no trains from Porto Vecchio.

By bus
Buses are a reliable form of transport on Corsica passing most towns and villages. Train travel is more limited, with trains only reaching major towns. The scenery is so beautiful that your time here will be best enjoyed with the freedom of a hire car.