Ajaccio- half day hikes?

[Scottishclover]

We will be in Ajaccio in August. Does anybody have a recommendation for a half-day hike? We hope to get off the ship early, do a 3-4 hour hike/walk then look around town in the afternoon. The one that looks promising is the chemin de cretes. Has anyone done this and returned by bus to Ajaccio?

[CruiserPK]

We are also interested in a hike in Ajaccio in August.  My husband has been looking at options on All Trails.  We have made no firm plans to date.

[edinburgher]

16 hours ago, CruiserPK said:

We are also interested in a hike in Ajaccio in August

As August is the hottest month and hiking could be more challenging should temperatures be uncomfortably high on the day you will be there, make sure you are well prepared with plenty of water.  And maybe have a "Plan B" should it be so hot you decide against hiking.

 

Ajaccio is actually a lovely place to spend a day with a number of sightseeing options either on foot or  by the  little tourist train or a HOHO.

[CruiserPK]

We understand that it will be very hot, but we hiked in Santorini last fall on an extremely hot day with plenty of water and supplies.  We love hiking and prefer it to a lot of other options.  And as you suggested, we will find another option to get exercise off the ship if we decide to do something else.  We have visited this port on a prior cruise so some things would be repeats.

[edinburgher]

1 hour ago, CruiserPK said:

And as you suggested, we will find another option to get exercise off the ship if we decide to do something else.  We have visited this port on a prior cruise so some things would be repeats.

If you need an alternative and didn't do it on your first visit, there may be another option worth considering. Both the little tourist train and the HOHO run to the end of the coastal road and the  big car park, for Les îles Sanguinaires, (see Tripadvisor reviews)and a  public bus can also run you there from town for a nominal cost.. The bus route  number should be easily found online.

 

All vehicular traffic must stop at that car park  where there are also public toilets,  and from there you can walk the peninsula to Les îles Sanguinaires.  We had taken the HOHO as we wanted an overview of the town but that only gave us 20 minutes at the car park, not nearly enough to do the walk.

Edited June 3 by edinburgher

[Bob7]

On 5/19/2024 at 4:21 AM, Scottishclover said:

We will be in Ajaccio in August. Does anybody have a recommendation for a half-day hike? We hope to get off the ship early, do a 3-4 hour hike/walk then look around town in the afternoon. The one that looks promising is the chemin de cretes. Has anyone done this and returned by bus to Ajaccio?

We plan to do the one listed in AllTrails as Ajaccio-Crest Trail-Cacalovo Path, but instead of starting in town, take the #7 bus near the dock to the Bois des Anglais bus stop and walk left of the roundabout and up the road a bit to the trailhead.  Google maps shows where the road becomes the trail.  Nice that the trail ends up at the ocean for a nice seaside walk back to the port.

-Bob

[Scottishclover]

14 hours ago, Bob7 said:

We plan to do the one listed in AllTrails as Ajaccio-Crest Trail-Cacalovo Path, but instead of starting in town, take the #7 bus near the dock to the Bois des Anglais bus stop and walk left of the roundabout and up the road a bit to the trailhead.  Google maps shows where the road becomes the trail.  Nice that the trail ends up at the ocean for a nice seaside walk back to the port.

-Bob

This looks like a nice alternative to the one we had planned. Thanks. We haven’t been to Ajaccio before so also want to leave ourselves some time to wander about the town.

[upwarduk]

On 6/4/2024 at 5:36 PM, Scottishclover said:

We haven’t been to Ajaccio before

Where does the Ho Ho bus go from?

Is it close to where the ship docks?
I have difficulty walking , so think this will be the best option.

[edinburgher]

19 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Where does the Ho Ho bus go from?

Is it close to where the ship docks?
I have difficulty walking , so think this will be the best option.

When we were there, we could actually see the HOHO from the ship as it was only a few hundred yards away (maybe only 2 or 3 hundred but that is a guesstimate) on the main road to the left of the port exit, but the other option of the little tourist train was equally close as it left from a square  directly opposite the HOHO stop.

 

You could read Tripadvisor reviews of both the HOHO and the little train, and compare routes and pricing, to help you decide which to go for.

Edited July 21 by edinburgher

[CruiserPK]

We are also going to hike the Ajaccio Crest Trail in August, knowing it will be very hot.  It looks like there is an option to swim at Trottel beach while on this hike so we will prepare accordingly.

[Scottishclover]

I’m also looking at an alternative hike. Getting the local bus to the Pointe de la Parata and doing the walk there as well as the Petit Capo loop. It’s more coastal so maybe a little cooler with less ascent.  We also have hikes planned in Portofino, Cinque Terre and Cannes so don’t want to go all out in the heat at our first port.

[Bob7]

18 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

I’m also looking at an alternative hike. Getting the local bus to the Pointe de la Parata and doing the walk there as well as the Petit Capo loop. It’s more coastal so maybe a little cooler with less ascent.  We also have hikes planned in Portofino, Cinque Terre and Cannes so don’t want to go all out in the heat at our first port.

Hey Scot, the Pointe de la Parata hike looks very nice, lots of coastal scenery, a loop so no backtracking, and the L5 bus right to the tailhead on a scenic drive down the coast. We're scratching our heads over the starting bus stop, where the L5 route starts at the Place de Gaulle on the bus company web site, the closest stop to the cruise ships. Google shows 2 Place de Gaulle stops for L5, the first one in front of the red awnings, but if you zoom the notice board on the bus shelter showing the routes that stop there, only route 7 does. Then turning left there is another bus stop in front of the yellow wall showing several stops on the route board, but on both sides of the board the L5 route number is erased. And these images are only a month old. Where were you planning to catch the bus?

-Bob

[Scottishclover]

Hi Bob,

I hadn’t got that far yet but I’ve had a quick look this morning. I think the circled stop is where you would get on. According to the times when I click on it, Line 5 is going to Parata today. I’m not too worried. I’m sure there will be somebody around to ask if it’s the right stop. I teach French to my Primary School class, so it’ll give me a chance to practise😂 Another option is to go into the Tourist Office to confirm. Looks  like it will be on the way to Place de Gaulle. 

 

Just out of interest, do you plan to hike in any other ports? I’m always looking for ideas.

[Bob7]

6 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

Hi Bob,

I hadn’t got that far yet but I’ve had a quick look this morning. I think the circled stop is where you would get on. According to the times when I click on it, Line 5 is going to Parata today. I’m not too worried. I’m sure there will be somebody around to ask if it’s the right stop. I teach French to my Primary School class, so it’ll give me a chance to practise😂 Another option is to go into the Tourist Office to confirm. Looks  like it will be on the way to Place de Gaulle. 

 

Just out of interest, do you plan to hike in any other ports? I’m always looking for ideas.

Yes I think the one you circled is the right stop. It took awhile to find it on Streetview, it's across the street from the sidewalk cafe, on the ocean side, and there isn't a bus stop sign or shelter, but you can just make out the zigzag yellow bus stop markings, under the white directional signs. Odd it would stop there when it just stopped a block before at the Saint Francois stop. We're there in Sept, when are you there?

 

I think our other hikes are different ports than yours ... , in Malaga, gotta do the famous cliff hugging Caminito del Rey, couldn't see an easy way to get there on our own, taking the ship tour. Gibraltar, cable car to the top, and walk back down through Signal Hill, the Skywalk, Douglas path, St. Michael's cave, Suspension bridge, into town, and then Main Street shopping back to the port. Cadiz doing the ocean walk around the end of the peninsula. Vigo, already did Castro Mt, taking the ferry to the trails on Cies Island. Marseille doing the coastal trail at Callelongue.

[Scottishclover]

Hi Bob,

 

Looks like you have some nice hikes lined up there. The Cies Islands look so pretty. Our ports are all different. The  big dilemma on our cruise is what to hike in Cinque Terre. As much as I would like to do the blue trail, I think the crowds will be off putting. We are leaning towards the hike from Riomaggiore to Portovenere instead.

Enjoy your cruise😀

[Bob7]

6 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

Hi Bob,

 

Looks like you have some nice hikes lined up there. The Cies Islands look so pretty. Our ports are all different. The  big dilemma on our cruise is what to hike in Cinque Terre. As much as I would like to do the blue trail, I think the crowds will be off putting. We are leaning towards the hike from Riomaggiore to Portovenere instead.

Enjoy your cruise😀

When are you in Corsica? ...  we'd like to hear how this "hidden" bus stop works out.

[Scottishclover]

18 minutes ago, Bob7 said:

When are you in Corsica? ...  we'd like to hear how this "hidden" bus stop works out.

In a couple of weeks. I am leaning towards the Chemin des cretes walk but we would get the bus back to Place de Gaulle so I  will definitely check it out.

[CruiserPK]

@Scottishclover Please comment after your hike.  I have a feeling our cruise is a bit after yours.  We are in Ajaccio on 8/29.  Thanks so much

[Scottishclover]

I will do. Our aim is a 3-4 hour hike in the morning and then a look around Ajaccio in the afternoon. I am really looking forward to this port stop. 

[Scottishclover]

As promised, here is some information about our hike now we have returned from our cruise. After much deliberation we decided to do a morning half day hike along the Sentier des Cretes, which is a linear ridge walk. After having a quick look at the market which is just steps from the cruise port ( it was the perfect French marche) we attempted to find the trailhead at Bois des Anglais. It’s a half hour walk somewhat uphill walk from the ship up at the back of town. Let’s just say Google Maps is your friend . I’m sure there must have been an easier route there than the one we took. 

 

The actual hike is 9.3km and is really not too taxing other than the heat. It was very dusty and the path is rocky with parts in shade from cacti. The uphill part was so gradual you hardly noticed but the downhill was quite challenging in parts over the rocks. We referred to the AllTrails app a lot initially,  as there are a few variations of the path once you are up the switchbacks. Just follow signs either to Vignola or Pointe de la Parata and you can’t really go wrong. We did see signs for “  cretes hautes” which I knew meant high path. Maybe in cooler weather this would be an option. I had a few near misses on the final downhill section on the rocky scree and we only brought trail shoes. Hiking boots would have given the much needed ankle support here. The views walking along the ridge were lovely and we could see water, every shade of blue, and the Point de la Parata in the distance. The path brings you out at Vignola solar station, although there was the option of extending the walk there to the Point de la Parata. On reflection we had the time to do this and should have, as there’s not a whole lot to Ajaccio itself. 
 

We  had impeccable timing ( doesn’t usually happen)  and arrived at the bus stop Terre Sacre on the main coastal road 3 minutes before the bus came. 3€ each ( I would have actual cash with you or use the App) and 20 mins later we were back in Ajaccio centre. We started the trail from Bois des Anglais at 9:30 and finished at 12:15.

 

Regarding the bus, we didn’t get off right back at Place de Gaulle but the driver shouted “terminus” and we all piled off. I’m pretty sure it was the stop before which is also pretty central. Everything in Ajaccio is close. If you plan to take the 5 bus out to Parata, I would walk along the road adjacent to the beach and stand at a stop. Timetables were on the bus shelters. There was a stop opposite the road from the stop we got off. 
 

I won’t lie, it was hot and there are no  places to replenish  water on the route. We took 2 water bottles each and finished both. In addition, we took electrolytes back on the ship. However it was a great hike - quite wild with very little traffic- and would definitely recommend. 
 

This was near the beginning of the trail. 

 

Views down to Ajaccio.

The highest point on the trail.

 

Point de la Parata in the distance. 
 

[Bob7]

22 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

(snip)

22 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

Regarding the bus, we didn’t get off right back at Place de Gaulle but the driver shouted “terminus” and we all piled off. I’m pretty sure it was the stop before which is also pretty central. Everything in Ajaccio is close. If you plan to take the 5 bus out to Parata, I would walk along the road adjacent to the beach and stand at a stop. Timetables were on the bus shelters. There was a stop opposite the road from the stop we got off. 
 

Hey thx for the update.  Sounds like he let you off at the Saint Francois stop, did it have a shelter?  (No shelter at the Place de Gaulle stop.)

[Scottishclover]

I’m pretty sure it did. At the time I did take a mental note of the name of the stop but my menopause brain hasn’t retained it. Sorry! Saint Francois does ring a bell though. Anyway the stops are not too far apart. It was very near the church of the Assumption I think, pretty central.