Things to do in Corsica with a baby

So we had our first holiday with a bubba in tow, and we lived to tell the tale. After much deliberation of where to go, we opted for Corsica, a French island nestled between France and Italy.

Our reasons were simple. A short flight, not as hot as the Middle East and food poisoning isn’t a big concern.

Is Corsica baby-friendly?

Ok, so it was bloody hot. And there were mosquitoes. And finding food options when you’re eating halal AND dairy free was a challenge to say the least.

But while there were some not-so-good bits, I managed to curate a few ideas of what is baby-friendly in Corsica.

So here’s my lowdown on things to do in Corsica with a baby in tow

Musee de Bastia, Corsica

Visit the Museum de Bastia and enjoy panoramic city views

We stayed in Bastia (the northern part of the island) and visited the Musee de Bastia (Bastia museum). Ok when I say visited, I mean we took the lift straight to the top and explored the pretty garden and enjoyed the panoramic views of the city.

 

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It only costs 1 euro to travel to the (pram-friendly) top. The 360 viewpoint is amazing. With the pretty houses and buildings steeped in the hillside, and the wide sea, a trip to the top of the Musee de Bastia is a must for any instagrammer.

Hit the beach

Being an island, Corsica isn’t short of a beach or two. We found some sand just a 10 -minute drive away. And for the older kids, there was a playground complete with spider frames to boot.

Hannah had her first dip in the sea, though I’m not sure she enjoyed it…

A beach in Bastia

Stroll around St Florent

views from St Florent Bastia

Corsica really in picture perfect. And no more so than the village of Saint Florent in Bastia. From the cute and quaint flower-walled houses, to the boats moored at the dock, Saint Florent really is a visual feast.

You could while away an afternoon with bubba strolling up and down the hilly streets, as well as take in great views from the vantage point of the village.

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Our route to Saint Florent, with its windy hilly terrain, is pretty stunning too…

Eat fresh fish (but note the random opening times of restaurants)

Baked cod with frites

As Corsica is an island, you can enjoy the catch of the day for lunch or dinner. There are al fresco restaurants aplenty and many with great sea views.

However, we found that most places only served food for a limited time. Lunchtime windows were small, meaning a late lunch was out of the question. And between lunch and dinner, most places just served drinks.

Restaurants in Corsica close early too. Hubby went on the odd 9pm food hunt around the island and found most places closed!

If you don’t have kids..

Well, there’s basically a shedload to do in Corsica if you’re kid free. The island is awash (pun intended) with striking cliff faces, rugged terrain and clear waters. So it’s a hiker of divers dream. Unfortunately, I’m neither so we didn’t get to make the most of it.

So would I recommend Corsica as a baby-friendly destination?

baby peeping through the wall

Truthfully, possibly not. But it totally depends on your baby. Hannah doesn’t nap in the car, and you need to drive to get anywhere on the island.

So I found that leaving that apartment has to be meticulously planned. We’d often leave after her second nap (around 3pm) which meant we’d wasted much of the day. And the times we were our and about during her nap time were a little fraught as we had an angry, overtired baby to contend with.

Another issue is that Hannah doesn’t do so great in the heat, so we were sun-dodging a little when out and about. Now I know that sunshine is the primary reason for a holiday, but as there was little shade to be found, our trusty Snoozeshade made an appearance everyday.

Had we stayed in a resort, we could have sought refuge quickly and easily in our room during nap times, or under a sun umbrella or canopy during the intense heat.

And finally, something I really had not considered were the mosquitoes. The island was riddled! We were bitten alive at night as our AirBnB apartment couldn’t really keep the little buggers out. I think I hadn’t been mauled this badly since my first trip to Bangladesh aged nine. Hannah did get off lighter than me, but it was a constant concern.

But I don’t want to be a negative Nelly. If your bubba loves the car, sleeps on the go, lives for the heat and doesn’t mind the odd bite, then Corsica might just be the island for you.

Is Corsica halal-friendly?

I wanted to share a note on this for anyone who eats halal. Corsica isn’t that halal-friendly. In Bastia we found one halal place – a kebab shop.

Now the lack of halal wouldn’t ordinarily bother us if there were enough fish or veg options. But sadly that was lacking as the only veg option was often a lettuce sandwich. We found a couple of places that did fish burgers, but meat definitely took priority.

There were pizza places, but that didn’t work for me, which I’ll explain below…

Is Corsica vegan friendly?

Giant tomato in Corsica

So with Hannah showing a cow’s milk intolerance, I’ve cut dairy and egg out of my diet while nursing. I’m hungry and miserable. But it also seems that food options in Corsica rendered me practically vegan. And Corsica is NOT vegan-friendly. So I was basically left with chips, and a random sushi place we stumbled upon.

Most sandwiches had meat and my usual fail-safe, pizza,was off the table. So it wasn’t the foodie holiday of my dreams sadly. So if you’re vegan, or even vegetarian, be mindful that Corsica might leave you a little hungry.

One thing is for sure, Corsica really made me appreciate the abundance of food options for halal, vegetarian and vegan we have in London.

So it’s not a glowing review for Corsica sadly. But on the plus side, Hannah was a dream on the plane and at the airport. So holidays with a baby are totally possible.

What’s the most baby-friendly holiday destination you’ve been to? Let me know in a comment below.

HalimaBobs

About the Author

HalimaBobs

I’m a British-Bengali Muslim mum-of-two. My pictures aren’t filtered and neither are my words. I’m not a makeup artist, chef or lifestyle guru. I’m just me, sharing honest beauty reviews for brown skin, halal restaurant finds, travel inspo, mum life hacks, easy Bengali recipes and more. If that’s your bag, keep reading!

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