- Responsible NASA Official : Ryan Smallcomb
- Web Curator: J.D. Myers
- A service of the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA/GSFC
Arrival/Departure Day:
Official arrival day will be Monday, April 3rd. Departure day will be Friday, April 14. We will organise a bus transfer from/to the airport of Ajaccio to Cargèse (leaving from Ajaccio airport at 11 a.m. on April 3rd, and again at 1 p.m. the same day). On the arrival day we will not provide lunch in Cargèse, so bring your own. You are of course free to arrive before and to organise your own transportation - but be aware that the rooms reserved in Cargèse are not available before April 3rd. Lecturers can contact Volker & Jerome so that we might arrange picking you up at and bringing you to the airport or harbour of Ajaccio.
Ferry to Corsica:
You can reach Corsica by ferry from Italy (Savona, Genova, Livorno, Civitavecchia) and southern France (Marseille, Nice, Toulon). Click here for an overview of the ferry connections to Corsica. For more information check the webpages of the ferry agencies: Corsica Ferries, SNCM, or Moby Lines. The closest you can get to the school by boat is to take the ferry from Marseille (travel time 12h), Toulon (5h30), or Nice (5h) to Ajaccio and then take the bus (see below) to Cargèse. From Italy you can go by ferry only to Bastia, which is in the north-east of Corsica, or from Napoli to Porto Vecchio in the south-east of Corsica.
Flight to Corsica:
By air you fly to Ajaccio or Bastia (several airlines: Air France, CCM Airlines, Swiss, and Luxair) and then take the bus to Cargèse. Note that Ajaccio is much closer to Cargèse than Bastia. In order to save money you might also consider to take easy jet to Nice (several flights from Great Britain, Berlin, Dortmund, Basel, Geneva, Paris) and then continue to Ajaccio by ferry or by another airline.
Local transport to Cargèse:
We will have one bus leaving from Ajaccio airport on Monday, April 3rd, at 11 a.m.
However, if you are not able to catch this bus, there is also public transport:
Bus schedule without any guarantee (time table for download):
The bus from Ajaccio to Cargèse leaves weekdays at 7:20 a.m. and 4 p.m., Saturdays 7:20 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. from the Ajaccio bus terminal (travel time 1 hour). From Bastia there is a bus weekdays at 7:45 a.m. to Ajaccio (arriving at 3 p.m.; 18 Euros), then take the bus to Cargèse at 4 p.m.
The bus from Cargèse to Ajaccio leaves 8:45 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
A taxi ride from Ajaccio to Cargèse is about 75 Euros (120 Euros at night).
Lecturers can contact me so that we might arrange picking you up at and bringing you to the airport of Ajaccio.
Cargèse:
Most of the participants will be accomodated in the village, in flats (from studio to 4 rooms flats) where they will share kitchen and bathroom. Cooking equipment, sheets for the beds and towels are provided and you do not have to bring them. The accomodation is included in the fee for the school. On school days, lunch is included and served at the institute. Outside school days, lunch is at the care of participants. Breakfast and dinner is at the care of participants and not included. No transportation is necessary between the village and the institute, which is only about 15 minutes by foot. The path is a bit rough, so bring sturdy footwear and a flashlight for walking at nigth. You will find a post office, public telephones, super markets, restaurants, bars, beaches, a laundry, and a pharmacy in Cargèse. Many places do not accept credit cards. Note that there is no travel agency, so you have to organise your trip back (ferry/plane/bus) before you arrive in Cargèse. At the institute you will have access to a limited number of computers, thus you can check your e-mail. It is also possible to connect your own laptop to the system, but no wireless access is available (so don't forget to bring a cable). If you come from abroad, be aware that the voltage in France is 220 V and that you might need an adapter to plug.
The average temperature in April will be about 20oC (68oF) while the average sea temperature is about 16oC (60oF). You might have to face some rainfall in April. Click here for the weather right now on Corsica
Maps and further information:
Click here for a map of Corsica (PDF)
Another map of Corsica (JPG)
Click here for a map of the ferry connections to Corsica
Click here for a map of Ajaccio
Click here for a map of Cargèse (south is up on this map).
For more practical information check out also this site!
For a lot of information about Corsica check this page.