Route · Mediterranean · Corsica Linea
The overnight crossing to northern Corsica: Corsica Linea leaves Marseille every evening at 18:00 and berths in Bastia early the next morning. You sleep in a cabin, your vehicle stays on the car deck, and the port sits in the middle of town – less than ten minutes on foot from Place Saint-Nicolas. Cap Corse, Saint-Florent and the Balagne are closer from here than from any other Corsican port.
Corsica Linea sails this route all year round. Across 21 consecutive days sampled in August and September 2026 there was a departure at 18:00 on every single day. The sailings below come live from the timetable.
| Departure | Arrival | Duration | Operator | Ship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:00 | 07:00 (+1) | 780 min | Corsica Linea | A Galeotta |
From Marseille the ship crosses the western Mediterranean to the northern tip of Corsica, rounds Cap Corse and runs down its eastern side to Bastia. That detour around the headland is why the crossing takes longer than the one to Ajaccio, even though Bastia looks no further on the map.
The calculator adds a vehicle supplement to the live passenger fare of the day. The supplements are derived from published fares for the Corsica routes out of Marseille (as at August 2026) and are for orientation – only the price in the booking flow is binding.
How the total price adds up
One operator, two ships, one principle: board in Marseille in the evening, arrive in Bastia in the morning.
Marseille–Bastia is worked by the Pascal Paoli and the A Galeotta, depending on the date. The Pascal Paoli is the operator's classic Corsica ship; the A Galeotta joined in 2023 and can plug into shore power in port. Since January 2026 a climate contribution of €5 per person and €8 per vehicle applies to each crossing.
Bastia is the busiest port in Corsica and the gateway to the north of the island. Cap Corse begins right outside the town, Saint-Florent and the Patrimonio vineyards are half an hour away, Calvi and the Balagne just under two hours. If you are heading for Ajaccio or Bonifacio, the southern port serves you better – from Bastia that is roughly two and a half hours over mountain roads.
Flying to Bastia takes just over an hour, but then you need a hire car on the island – in high season the single most expensive item of the trip. Bringing your own car, motorhome or motorcycle saves the rental and lets you pack without a weight limit. The night at sea also replaces a hotel night.
What makes the difference between a restful night at sea and a long one.
The cheaper inside cabins go first on summer sailings. Without one you spend twelve and a half hours in a reclining seat – workable, but the worse night. With arrival at 06:30, the cabin decides whether your first day on the island is any use.
Corsica Linea asks foot passengers to arrive about 90 minutes ahead, more with a vehicle. The approach roads to the northern terminals are busy on summer evenings – add another half hour of buffer.
Marseille is a long drive from most of Europe and there is only one sailing a day: miss it and the next is 24 hours later. If you are coming from beyond the Alps, break the journey the night before rather than arriving at the terminal on the last stretch of a twelve-hour drive.
Pets are accepted but must be added when booking. Within the EU the EU pet passport with microchip and valid rabies vaccination is enough; Corsica is French territory, so no extra paperwork applies. Travellers arriving from outside the EU need to meet EU entry rules for pets in France first.
Taking your own vehicle to Corsica
Corsica is mountainous, with narrow roads and very little rail. To see the island properly you need a vehicle – and over two or three weeks your own is almost always cheaper than a high-season rental.
Between 12.5 and 14 hours. Across 21 days sampled in August and September 2026 the scheduled times were 12:30, 13:00 and 14:00 hours, depending on which ship was in service.
Daily at 18:00, arriving in Bastia between 06:30 and 08:00 depending on the ship. In the other direction the ferry also departs Bastia at 18:00.
Corsica Linea, with the ships Pascal Paoli and A Galeotta. Other companies serve Bastia from Toulon and Nice as well as from Livorno and Savona, but not from Marseille.
It depends heavily on season, cabin and vehicle. In our August and September 2026 sample passenger fares ranged from about €57 to €106 per person, before vehicle, cabin and the climate contribution. Live fares are shown in the timetable above.
It is not compulsory – reclining seats are available. But on a twelve-and-a-half-hour overnight crossing arriving at 06:30, the cabin is the difference between arriving rested and arriving wrecked.
Bastia for the north: Cap Corse, Saint-Florent, Patrimonio, the Balagne and Calvi. Ajaccio for the west and south: Porticcio, Propriano, Bonifacio. The two ports are about two and a half hours apart on winding mountain roads, so the choice noticeably shapes your first day.
Corsica is part of France and of the Schengen area, so the same rules apply as for mainland France. Carry the identity document you would need for France itself; the operator will ask for it at check-in.
Every Corsica Linea sailing between Marseille and Bastia compared – you book directly with the operator, with no surcharge.
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