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My wife and I are travelling to Corsica in late October. What is the best way to get there from southern France? What are the must-dos and sees if spending a week there? Also, what is the best way to travel from Corsica to Italy? - Ian Rogan
You have the choice of flying or sailing to Corsica from Marseille, Nice or Toulon in southern France. If time is tight, flying would save a few hours, but there's not much in it when it comes to fares.
Air Corsica (www.aircorsica.com) has flights to Ajaccio with one-way fares at around $248 in October. The flight takes an hour.
SNCM ferries (www.sncm.fr) sail daily from Marseille to Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi, Ile Rousse, Porto Vecchio and Propriano; the route takes around eight hours during the day and costs from $200 for a seat. Overnight crossings take 12 hours and the fare jumps to $265 for a cabin.
Corsica's landscape and people have a distinct character; after all, the island has only been governed by France for 200 years or so.
With its snow-topped mountains, desert landscape and craggy coastline, it's a mini continent on its own. You'll find the quiet fishing villages, remote mountain towns and lonely beaches here that disappeared from the Mediterranean decades ago.
When it comes to the island's must-see highlights, the best place to start is the capital, Ajaccio, with its pastel-hued buildings, bustling food markets, cosmopolitan restaurants, narrow-laned old city and rich bounty of Napoleonic memorabilia (the Little Corporal was born here in 1769).
Bastia is Corsica's main commercial centre, and it has a delightful Italian atmosphere thanks to its Genovese past, seafront esplanade, tumbledown tenements, tree-lined squares, crumbling citadel and shabby-chic old port.
Drop into Calvi to see its 15th-century citadel, which dominates the skyline of the prosperous little harbour town; the beaches here are among the island's best. Corsica boasts some important prehistoric remains, including the megaliths and menhirs at Filitosa. Finally, there's another citadel city to visit at Bonifacio, in the south of the island. The town has a medieval aspect, largely due to its meandering alleyways and the precariously positioned clifftop houses leaning fearlessly over the water.
Must-dos in Corsica include cruising the protected waters of the Scandola Natural Reserve, walking the coastal clifftop road between Calvi and Porto, hiking the Gorges de Spelunca and exploring the wilderness of rugged Cap Corse peninsula and its bays and fishing villages, either on foot, bicycle or by car.
Ferries run from Corsica to Genoa and Livorno in Italy. Livorno is near Pisa and Florence, and it's only two hours away by ferry from Bastia. Fares with Corsica Ferries (www.corsicaferries.com) cost around $88 one way.
Cheap and cheerful
A friend and I will be spending a few days in mid-July next year exploring Bologna. It will be mid-summer and the city will be crowded so we need to book accommodation ahead. Could you suggest something that's not five-star but is comfortable and has a local flavour? - Diana Blom
You'll have a rewarding time in Bologna. The northern Italian city boasts stunning architecture, basilicas and piazzas. Highlights include the Basilica di San Petronio (dedicated to the city's patron saint) and Basilica di San Domenico (featuring artworks by a very young Michelangelo), the few remaining leaning towers and just strolling through the red-roofed city's famous porticoed buildings. Bologna has an extra boost of energy from its vibrant student population, and one of its prime preoccupations is good food and wine.
Accommodation can be expensive, especially at the mid- to high-end as the city is a trade fair and convention hub. In the old heart, the charming Albergo delle Drapperie (www.albergodrapperie.com; rooms from $155) is tucked away in the pedestrianised market area. Another goodie is the tiny Albergo Garisenda (www.albergogarisenda.com), in the shadow of the city's most famous two towers and right in the thick of things, but with only seven rooms. A double with bathroom here costs from $170 to $210. Near the station you could try the Hotel Accademia (www.hotelaccademia.com; doubles from $155). For something a little more boutique but full of character, the Hotel Orologio (http://orologio.hotelsbologna.it) has stylish rooms from $210.
