2023 Corsica Private Tour
Our exclusively private cycling trip to Corsica
discovers one of the most beautiful locations in all
of Europe - and is one of the most diverse places
on earth.
9 days
Bastia Airport, Corsica
Tour Departs
Bastia Airport, Corsica, June 3, 2023
Tour Finishes
Bastia Airport, Corsica, June 11, 2023
Tour Style
Group Size: 12 guests – 3 staff
Rides: Always a social ride option and for those that want a challenge, we have some epic rides also.
Challenge Rating: We get you to the iconic climbs so that you have all the time to ride them at your pace. Our challenge rides are for experienced riders.
Accommodation: 3 to 4-star hotels, twin-share basis, all breakfasts included, and many dinners.
Trip Suitability
Social Riding and Leisure: We understand that your cycling holiday is a HOLIDAY! You may not normally ride every day at home. Our ride routes allow you to cherry-pick the sort of riding that you’d like to do. Choose the days you want to climb, the days to ride flat, and days to rest.
Experienced Riders: Your cycling holiday is actually about the bike! Our epic and challenging ride options seek more vertical meters and longer miles. Choose your rest days or recovery rides, or just ride, and ride, and ride.
Meals Included
Buffet breakfast every day, 3 dinners
Tour Inclusions
Accommodation and Transport
- Transport throughout custom vans
- Transport for your bike with professional bike carriers
- 8 nights accommodation 3 & 4 Star hotels
- Scheduled arrival and departure transfers to Bastia Airport
Meals
- Buffet breakfast daily
- 3-course evening meals on 3 nights
- Wine at welcome and farewell dinners
Professional Ride Support
- Hosted by our experienced tour guides and professional drivers
- Mechanical assistance with your bike
- Ride support vehicle when you need it most
- Navigation assistance on all guided rides
- Sports powders, water, and bars during your ride
- Bikestyle Tours Cycling Kit
Why we Love this Tour
- Explore quiet coastal roads, olive groves, vineyards and mountain villages
- Stay Saint-Florent and Calvi
- Discover one of the most beautiful locations in all of Europe
- Minimal Transfers
- Custom private trip
Pricing
PRICING: Pricing for private groups is based on agreed minimum numbers of participants being met at the time of receipt of payment of final invoices by all trip participants. Prices may increase if minimum numbers are not met at the time of final invoicing (90 days prior to trip departure date). Final pricing will be based on the number of participants at the time of invoicing.
DEPOSIT: AUD$1500 per person.
A reservation is not considered to be finalised until a deposit for the trip is received.
PRICING: TWIN SHARE PER PERSON
- 8 people: $8500 per person twin share
- 9 people: $8300 per person twin share
- 10 people: $8100 per person twin share
- 11 people: $7900 per person twin share
- 12 people: $7700 per person twin share
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT FOR SOLE USE OF ROOM (SINGLE) PER PERSON
Cost: AUD$1100 (require even numbers for single supplement)
FINAL PAYMENT: Due 18th March 2023
CANCELLATION POLICY:
If for some reason you have to cancel your place on the trip, the following deductions will apply.
- From payment of deposit to 120 days prior to trip departure date: Loss of 50% of deposit
- Between 90 and 120 days prior to trip departure date: 100% loss of deposit. This may be reduced to 50% of deposit if a replacement person is found to take your place on a trip.
- Less than 90 days prior to trip departure date and after final payment: 100% loss of trip payment. This trip payment may be applied, at the discretion of Bikestyle Tours, to avoid a price increase being levied on other passengers of a private trip due to a reduction in group size.
Note: It is a requirement of Bikestyle Tours that you have Travel Insurance for your trip. Please take out Travel Insurance at your earliest convenience. We recommend at the same time as paying your deposit.
Bike Hire
Many guests find it convenient to hire one of our professionally prepared quality hire bikes.
- Hire a bike so that you’re not lugging a bike around on your extended European holiday
- Hire a bike and mitigate damage or delays during international transit
Bike Hire Charges
Standard Bike Hire: AUD $300
Premium Bike Hire: AUD $450 (limited number of Bossi Titanium available)
Note: Renters of our hire bikes are liable for damages to their hire bike during the period of hire, treat it like you own for the rental period. Bikes are set up to your measurements before your arrival and are fully serviced by our professional mechanic.
Hosted by local Belgian and former professional cyclist, Eric de Clercq
Eric’s career of 11 years saw him win 19 victories including a stage win in the Tour of Britain. He is one of the hard men of Belgium. Eric rode for:
- La William-Duvel from 1991-1993
- Collstrop from 1994-2002
You will find Eric a wonderful host as he shares his experiences with professional cycling teams. From racing, to sports director, professional soigneur to hosting team VIP’s during race-day. You will learn an incredible insight into life within the peloton.
Most of all, Eric is a great guide who cares for your experience and he is a pleasure to spend time with on and off the bike.
Trip Summary
2023 Corsica Private Tour
Our exclusively private cycling trip to Corsica discovers one of the most beautiful locations in all of Europe – and is one of the most diverse places on earth.
Our 9-day trip commences in the bustling historic city of Bastia. After a stunning 8-days of cycling through the fascinating countryside, we return you to Bastia for your onward journey.
Our rides explore quiet coastal roads, olive groves, vineyards and mountain villages. Don’t be mistaken for the island setting, there are surprisingly many mountain passes to navigate. But the views will reward your efforts.
We will base ourselves from two iconic Corsica locations. First in the chic coastal town of Calvi, and then the pretty harbour village of SaintFlorent. Dinner, with wines is included on the first and last night of your trip. Leaving the other nights available for you to make your own reservations at local restaurants in Calvi and Saint-Florent.
2023 Corsica Private Tour Daily Itinerary
Welcome to Corsica
This morning, the staff will meet you at Bastia airport or collect you from an approved pre-trip hotel in Bastia. We will transfer to Calvi on the west coast, where we stay for 4 nights in a luxurious 4-star hotel beside the ocean.
Tonight we will enjoy dinner together at our hotel so that you have a chance to discuss your trip with your trip leaders.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Stay Calvi, Corsica
- Welcome Dinner
Once settled into our hotel we will head out for a short shakedown ride of around 45km. There are three small climbs in our ride as we navigate through numerous olive groves, pausing along the way at some of the many viewpoints.
45 km, 670 m ascent
Porto
This is one of our favourite rides on Corsica. We follow the west coast from Calvi to the harbour village of Porto. We’ll pause for a coffee at a stunning beachside location, before we climb, twist, and traverse our way to Porto. Each corner surpasses the view of the previous. Spectacular!
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Ride the spectacular west coast of Corsica
It’s a rugged coastline between Calvi and Porto. There are so many hidden coves, many only accessible by boat. The twisting road reveals spectacular views all the way. One of the best routes anywhere in the world.
90 km, 1,400 m ascent
Routes des Artisans
Today our ride departs and returns to our hotel. Our furthest point is L’Ile Rousse, a port village that is perhaps less ‘Corsican’ than most towns in Corsica. The street layout seems more planned and streets are lined with restaurants and boutiques. With connections back as far as 1,000 BC, it also has a fascinating old town.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Ride to L’Ile Rousse
Today’s ride heads into the foothills, through many small villages, wineries and olive groves. Our course follows Route des Artisans to L’Ile Rousse. Many villages are perched on a hilltop with spectacular views. Their narrow cobbled streets have an array of artists, producing honey, jam, jewellery, home crafts, and essential oils. There are spectacular views across groves and orchards down to the crystal waters below. We return along the coast.
75 km, 1,200 m ascent
Piana and Monte Vergio
Today’s ride will be about the elevation with the reward being the stunning scenery. Today we will leave our hotel via car and make our way to Piana a small town overlooking the famous Calanqes de Piana. The short car trip will certainly be worth what we have installed today. We will enjoy the views along the coastline before heading inland and starting our climb to Monte Vergio. It is a long climb but the difficulty will be worth the amazing views. Once we have reached the summit we will descend back to Piana for the scenic drive home.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Ride Monte Vergio
- Group Dinner
Starting on the coast near Piana we will take in the spectacular views before starting our 30km climb to Monte Vergio. The climb will see us ascend 1400m in 30km, it is a steady climb with plenty of advantage points to stop and enjoy the view.
90 km, 2250 m ascent
Saint Florent and Agriates Desert
We’ve explored extensively the hinterland overlooking Calvi, the culture capital of Corsica. Today, we traverse the desert of Agriates, a barren, wild and beautiful wilderness north of Calvi as we make our way to Saint-Florent. It is a dry, scrub-covered landscape, rather than the desert that you might imagine. There will be many, many views on offer today, and a distinctive smell of the local vegetation (Maquis).
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Ride Col de San Colombano
- Overnight in Saint-Florent
We head north out of Calvi, encountering narrow twisting roads as we climb to the top of Col de San Colombano before the spectacular descent into the intriguing landscape of the Agriates desert. Once again we will have a downhill run to our next hotel in Saint-Florent.
109 km, 1,900 m ascent
Wineries and Olive Groves
We have a little bit of a recovery ride today, or if you’d like to push on, you can tackle an additional climb. In our first 30 km is a direct route to Bastia, navigating the climb to Col de Teghime, where we can see both coastlines from the summit.
To our west the Agriates desert and the Mediterranean and to our east and the Tyrrhenian sea.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Ride Col de Teghime
- Ride the beautiful Corsican Coastline
We return to Saint-Florent from Bastia a little further to the south through groves and orchards. A shorter ride option today is 60 km with 500 m less climbing.
85 km, 2,000 m ascent
Cap Corse
Today you will ride one of the greatest cycling loops in the world. Cap Corse is a 40 km long and 10 km wide peninsula in the island’s north. A ridge of mountains runs down the centre. Our journey around the Cap rewards us with magnificent ocean and mountain views.
There are many Genoese Towers to encounter as we reflect on the historical significance of coastal defences between the 15th and 18th centuries.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Ride Cap Corse
We head north along the west coastline, passing many secret coves and hidden villages. The road is winding, undulating and very scenic. We cross to the east passing over our biggest climb for the day.
100 km, 1,700 m ascent
Coast to Coast
We have saved the best for last. We are leaving Saint-Florent and transferring to our final hotel via bike today. We are located at one of the narrowest sections of Corsica so we will take amazing views of both the west and east coast of Corsica on today’s ride before finishing at Oletta and a beautiful hotel to share our last night on Corsica.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
- Ride coast to coast
- Farewell Dinner
We have an epic day plan for our final ride. Our 90km, 2440m ride will depart from the west coast and traverse across the mountain range that splits Corsica down to the east coast of the island before making our back towards the west coast, completing our coast-to-coast adventure. For those wanting an easier final ride, we have a few shorter options available.
90 km, 2,500 m ascent
Departure Day
We will transfer you to Bastia airport for your departure today. We’ll coordinate transfers so that you can connect with your scheduled departure. For those looking to stay on Corsica for a few additional days and looking for car hire, we suggest looking at car hire options from Bastia airport.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
Ride Challenging Climbs with the most experienced Tour Operator in Europe
Grand Tours for 27 years
2023 will proudly be our 27th year of organising trips to the Europe, making us among the most experienced tour operators events such as the Tour de France.
If you’ve ever stayed up late watching le Tour de France on TV and swooning over the imagery, we’ll help you make your dream come true by bringing you there live and letting you cycle the famous roads yourself!
- 20+ years of experience running Tour de France trips
- Different trips and itineraries to suit your holiday preferences
- Accommodations in 3 & 4 star hotels
- Luxury transportation throughout your holiday
Why Book with Bikestyle Tours?
A COVID-Safe plan
- All staff and guests must complete a pre-travel questionnaire prior to the start of the trip
- Bikestyle Tours complies with the COVID requirements of the local authorities (Tourism and Accommodation, Bike Tours); such as controls for social distancing, cleaning and hygiene, vehicle transport
- Check your departure and return requirements for your country of residence
Are Trips Guaranteed Departures?
We make every effort to guarantee departures to give you peace of mind that once you’ve booked your trip – you’re going! We do not cancel trips due to insufficient numbers leaving you stranded.
