With the Carado I447 across the ‘Island of Beauty’ With the Carado I447 across the ‘Island of Beauty’

"We don't want to go into the cold sea in a wetsuit this year, we want to go snorkelling in really nice, warm water"

While my husband and I had admittedly been flirting with the north again (we travelled to the south of England in a motorhome in summer 2019 and to Scotland in 2023 (click here for the report), we then agreed to the children's wish and looked for a destination in the south. It shouldn't be too hot, not too far from home and there should be something new for everyone. After the Italian mainland, Sardinia and Croatia were too hot for us and we had also visited Elba before, the decision was made relatively quickly in favour of Corsica. This time we were travelling with the Carado I447 - a home on four wheels that left nothing to be desired and was an extremely comfortable companion for our three-week road trip.

I have to admit, I approached the organisation of the road trip somewhat naively, as I only had the comparison to our previous destinations - southern England and Scotland - which are a lot less touristy. As a result, I was actually far too late in booking the ferry (namely two weeks before the start of the trip) and we only managed to get a crossing by the skin of our teeth. We also had to know at this point when we wanted to travel back from Corsica to the Italian mainland, as we didn't want to risk not getting home in time. I was used to things being very different in the UK - here you could book the ferry on the same day or even directly at the counter at the harbour, even in high season. After this experience, we immediately sat down at our laptops to see what the availability of campsites was like. Here, too, we had planned to drive from place to place and simply stay where we liked best. During this research, we also realised that almost everything was fully booked for our travel period (at least at the campsites where you could make a reservation). So I put in a night shift and, with a lot of luck, found a great pitch on a campsite that I had already had my eye on and booked it for the first five nights on the island (Spoiler: it was the most beautiful campsite on the island). We always booked the rest of the two weeks we spent on the island locally. However, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone in July/August.

Book early enough! For a camping trip to the south in midsummer, I would book at least three to six months in advance and not go anywhere at random. The most beautiful pitches are still available at this time and you can look forward to a stress-free holiday.

The I447, a fully integrated motorhome from Carado, was the perfect travelling companion, as mentioned at the beginning. The feeling of space was so generous and the seamless integration of the driver's cabin was particularly comfortable. There was more than enough space for the four of us. We were particularly impressed by the dimensions of the beds in the rear (up to 225x210cm) and in the front (150x200cm); these sunbathing areas were very cosy retreats and provided privacy. The simple, modern design and the well thought-out elements made our motorhome holiday an absolute pleasure again this year. The storage space was more than sufficient and the rear garage was a real space miracle. We also particularly liked the cosy seating area, the spacious kitchen and the large fridge-freezer. The separable bathroom with separate shower was also indispensable. This meant we didn't have to rely on the sanitary facilities on the campsites, which is the greatest luxury (especially for me).

Since we were reliant on the ferry schedule, we had two days to get from our home to the crossing port of Livorno - a total distance of 800 kilometres. If we had had one more day, we would certainly have stayed one more night at our first stop, Camping Fusina, in Venice and not just looked at the city from afar. The campsite is ideal for excursions into the lagoon city, as it is right next to the harbour and there is a boat connection several times a day. However, I wouldn't recommend the campsite for more than a stopover.

The next day, we started our journey across Italy- cruising through cities such as Padua, Ferrara, Bologna and Florence. Unfortunately, we couldn't visit any of them due to time pressure, but the fact that we had planned a few days for Florence at the end of our road trip made it more bearable. We reached the ferry harbour in Livorno at around 4 p.m., where we spent the night right in front of the ferry. We were even able to take a short tour of the city.
Tip: I can recommend spending the night directly at the harbour in Livorno. With a ticket for the ferry, you can stay overnight for free on a motorhome pitch. If you arrive by 6 pm, you can still get a pitch even in high season.

The next day we set off at 8am on the boat towards Corsica. The crossing with Corsica Ferries was pleasant and entertaining. The indoor playground was great and we were also pleasantly surprised by the catering.
After a four and a half hour crossing to Bastia, we headed straight from north to south to our first campsite ‘Camping Chez Antoine’. The route via Corte through the centre of the country was beautiful and also easy to do with a motorhome.

We hit the jackpot with  Chez Antoine straight away: A beautiful, long, coarse-grained sandy beach with a small bay and a family-run, quiet campsite with a great beach restaurant and bread roll service. Nothing more and nothing less - and just right for us. The next five days were wonderfully relaxed, the weather was beautiful throughout, but not (yet) too hot, our pitch right by the sea was worth its weight in gold, the sea was warm and - our highlight - our youngest learned to snorkel and was rewarded with a lively underwater world with countless colourful fish and shells. Looking back, we can say that this campsite was the most beautiful on the island for us.

After we had spent five days celebrating sweet idleness, we had two programme items on the agenda after our departure from Chez Antoine: Filitosa and Bonifacio.

Filitosa, just a quarter of an hour from the campsite, is considered one of the most important sites of megalithic culture in Europe. Here you can see very well preserved menhir statues and Torrean castles. We enjoyed the excursion and, in addition to the dwellings and statues, we also remember the 1200-year-old olive tree and the mighty cork oaks.

Tip: In summer, you should visit the site either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Not in the midday sun, like we did ;)

We then travelled 82 km south to Bonifacio. I had been looking forward to visiting this town for weeks. With its spectacular location on the cliffs, the old alleyways, the citadel and the harbour, it is truly picturesque and my husband and I agreed that this would certainly not be our last visit.

Tip: A boat trip is highly recommended here. The view of the town from the sea and the surrounding landscape with dream beaches and bays is breathtaking. However, I would definitely recommend bringing a life jacket for small children, as the waves (at least on our tour) were very lively.

We arrived at the ‘I pini’ motorhome pitch in the evening. It was very conveniently located right on the beautiful Palombaggia beach and perfect for a stopover. The next morning we set off for the beach as soon as we got up, where we spent two hours in absolute peace and quiet. Although there is nothing exciting to see in the water, the white, gently sloping beach is simply beautiful. As there were virtually no waves, the beach was also ideal for our four-year-old. By the time the crowds (not an understatement) started streaming onto the beach at around 10.30 am, we had already packed up and set off for our next stop in the mountains. We wanted to see as much of the island as possible over the next few days. 

As we still had no plan for where we wanted to spend the remaining eight nights on the island, we drove inland to the west. The first stretch to the ‘U Sortipiani’ campsite was short and we spent the rest of the day relaxing in the river (right next to the campsite) and pool. We were surrounded by countless cork oaks and, although the site was getting on in years, it was a nice place to stay and swim. The next day unknowingly saw the start of the most challenging stage of our journey. The route over the Col de Vergio pass road to Ota was well developed in places, but mostly single-track, with overhangs and not well secured against falls. I'm very glad that my husband kept his nerve and got us to the next stopover at ‘Camping Funtana de l'Ora’. Here we first recovered from the adventurous route by the pool. In the late afternoon, we walked to the river, which has an entrance opposite the campsite, and hiked from pump to pump. It was a great experience and the children loved it. That alone made the overnight stay at this campsite worthwhile.

In the meantime, it was getting hotter and hotter - even in the mountains and on the rivers - and so we decided that we wanted our next campsite to be right by the sea again, as at least there was no wind there. We first drove towards Calvi, a beautiful town where we only stopped for lunch. As we couldn't find a campsite right by the sea anywhere in the area, we decided to head south-west again as we really liked it there. However, it wasn't possible to make a reservation at any of the campsites we had chosen, so we had to take our chances. Our destination was ‘Camping Fautea’, where we managed to get the last free pitch at 6pm. That day, we were just happy to have somewhere to spend the night. We would have liked the site in principle, but it is more suitable for tents. So the next day we travelled another 20 km south to find a dream campsite, but left with a heavy heart. Camping Villata is located between the bays of Pinarello and Saint Cyprien. The pitches in the dune area right on the beach are beautiful, but the two available pitches were in the blazing sun. As there was no electricity and we couldn't even run our fan (which we always needed at night due to the heat), it wasn't an option for us. However, I would recommend it because of its location in a great nature reserve. Important to know: The minimum length of stay for pitches in the dunes is four nights and the motorhome must not be moved during this time. Once again, we were faced with the question of where to go next. The children really wanted to go river swimming again, so we headed north again. Ten kilometres inland from Solenzara, after a short drive, we ended up at ‘Camping U Ponte Grossu’. A beautiful site right on the river with numerous activities such as canyoning and climbing. Unfortunately, there was no shade on the free pitches here either, so we spent the rest of the day in the river 😊

During my evening research, I happened to find a campsite in the north right by the sea that could be booked in advance, so we drove there the next day. Fortunately, Corsica isn't too big and so after two and a half hours we arrived at our last stop on the island, where we were able to spend another four relaxing nights and days.

The ‘U Sole Marinu’ campsite near Saint-Florent was once again a real stroke of luck. A quiet, well-organised site with a friendly team, a small shop, restaurant and beach bar. As soon as we arrived, a pitch right by the sea became available, which was perfect for the size of our motorhome. Due to the persistent heat, we spent most of the next four days in and around the water with the SUP. There were also great cliffs to jump off and lots to discover underwater.

And the sunsets were fantastic. After four days, we set off early in the morning for our ferry, which was waiting for us in Bastia, 30 minutes away.

In the afternoon, after almost an hour and a half of driving, we arrived at our last stop - the ‘hu Firenze Camping’ in Florence. And I can absolutely recommend this campsite too. Brand new, well equipped and organised, with restaurants and a supermarket on site, just three kilometres from the city centre and perfectly connected by an inexpensive shuttle. Our highlight: the large pool area, which had a lot to offer, especially for the children.
Florence was an experience for the whole family. Seeing the cathedral live and in colour for the first time was mind-blowing. Of course, we ate a far too expensive ice cream right on the Piazza del Duomo and negotiated prices in a leather bag shop. We explored the Uffizi, saw Botecelli's Venus and Caravaggio's Medusa ‘for real’, examined the statues in Florence's Piazza della Signoria and explored the area around Florence on the hop-on hop-off bus (I recommend the Linea B). On the third day, we got up and made our way home.

Would I do anything differently next time? I would book the ferry crossings well in advance - at least six months beforehand - and secure good pitches at our favourite locations. I would recommend travelling in June or September. If it's high summer, then definitely in July and not in August - because in this month there are holidays in both France and Italy and you can really feel the difference on the island. My four recommendations for a fortnight in Corsica with a motorhome would be: four nights at ‘Camping Chez Antoine’, one night at ‘Camping L'Araguina’ to visit Bonifacio, four nights at ‘Camping Villata’, two nights at ‘Camping U Ponte Grossu’ for river bathing and four nights at ‘Camping U Sole Marinu’ right by the sea and not far from the ferry.
Calvi, Porto-Vecchio and L'Île Rousse are certainly also well worth a visit - but unfortunately I can't recommend any campsites here.

Travelling for three weeks at a time was once again incredibly enriching. And although the heat really got to us at times, we wouldn't want to miss the many wonderful impressions we gathered on this trip. Corsica is so diverse - from great beaches to the mountainous interior (there are over 50 2000 metre peaks here) to the charming towns and the numerous outdoor activities, there is something for everyone on this island.

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