FlashFerryPlan both legs together
Outbound sailings run Monday, Wednesday and Friday; returns Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. An open return can cost two extra days or a drive to Bastia. Check both dates against the timetable before booking.
Route · Mediterranean · La Méridionale
The only direct route to southern Corsica: La Méridionale leaves Marseille on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 17:30 and ties up in Porto-Vecchio at 07:30 the next morning. If you are heading for Palombaggia, Santa Giulia or Bonifacio, this saves the two-hour mountain drive from Bastia or Ajaccio – the quay sits below the old town and the beaches start ten minutes later.
La Méridionale is the only operator on this route and sails all year, but not daily. Between 19 August and 9 September 2026 our archive recorded ten departures from Marseille – always Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 17:30, every one of them exactly 14 hours, arriving at 07:30. Return sailings leave on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 17:00. The dates below come live from the timetable.
| Departure | Arrival | Duration | Operator | Ship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17:30 | 07:30 (+1) | 840 min | La Meridionale | Girolata |
South-east from Marseille across the western Mediterranean, past the south of Corsica and around the island’s south-eastern corner into the Gulf of Porto-Vecchio. The harbour lies deep in the bay, sheltered behind the salt pans that gave the town its nickname.
The only direct link from the mainland to the south of the island – and a timetable that does not move.
This line is worked by the Girolata, a freight and passenger vessel with just under 200 cabins. That shapes the crossing: fewer crowds than on the big holiday ferries, quiet nights, a restaurant rather than an entertainment programme. La Méridionale has served Marseille–Corsica since 1931 and has belonged to the CMA CGM group since 2023.
Southern Corsica is a long way from the big ports: a good two hours by road from either Bastia or Ajaccio, more on a busy August day. From Porto-Vecchio, Palombaggia and Santa Giulia are ten to twenty minutes away, Bonifacio half an hour, the Ospedale forest and the Bavella needles about an hour. For a holiday in the south, this ferry saves half a travel day.
Unusually for Corsican routes, every departure from Marseille in three weeks of archive left at 17:30 and every crossing took exactly 14 hours. The return leaves at 17:00 and takes slightly longer, 14 hrs 30 to 15 hrs 15. Easy to plan around – it just only runs on three days of the week.
What matters on a route that sails three times a week.
Outbound sailings run Monday, Wednesday and Friday; returns Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. An open return can cost two extra days or a drive to Bastia. Check both dates against the timetable before booking.
The crossing takes the whole night. The Girolata has cabins and reclining seats, and the cheaper cabins go early in summer. Without one you spend fourteen hours in a seat and start the holiday tired.
La Méridionale opens check-in four hours before departure and closes it 30 minutes before. The terminal is printed on your ticket – La Méridionale uses the northern port of Marseille, not the Vieux-Port. With a vehicle, allow an extra half hour for access on summer evenings.
During 2026 La Méridionale ran several campaigns carrying a car free of charge on Marseille–Ajaccio and Marseille–Porto-Vecchio (vehicles under two metres high, limited allocation). These come and go, so it is worth checking current offers before booking.
Into southern Corsica with your own vehicle
The south is about the roads between coast and mountains: the bays from Palombaggia to Rondinara, the Ospedale forest, the Bavella needles, Bonifacio on its cliffs. Public transport barely reaches them – over two or three weeks your own vehicle is usually cheaper than a hire car in peak season.
Location, getting there and other connections from both ports.
14 hours. Every single departure from Marseille in our archive between 19 August and 9 September 2026 took exactly that. The return takes a little longer, 14 hrs 30 to 15 hrs 15.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 17:30, arriving at 07:30 the next morning. Sailings back from Porto-Vecchio leave Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 17:00.
La Méridionale, the only operator running a direct service. The ship is the Girolata, a freight and passenger vessel.
Our archive holds twelve fares: €44 to €96 per person without a vehicle, averaging around €56. Vehicle and cabin come on top; we have no verified vehicle supplements for La Méridionale, which is why there is no price calculator here. Current prices appear in the timetable above.
No, three times a week in each direction. The schedule changes with the season, so check both legs against the live search before booking.
Always Porto-Vecchio from Marseille; Bonifacio has no link to mainland France, only ferries to Sardinia. Bonifacio is about 30 minutes from the port.
In town, yes – the old town, the citadel and the restaurants sit directly above the port, and a bus runs to Figari airport several times a day. For Palombaggia, Bavella and the remoter bays you need a vehicle or a hire car.
Compare every La Méridionale sailing between Marseille and Porto-Vecchio – booking goes directly to the operator, with no surcharge.
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