photo: https://www.train-corse.com/en/Corsican Legends offers a sightseeing ride. You can see the beautiful nature and the center of Corsica.
Today, our section with the most beautiful railway lines will move to Corsica. The gorgeous island in the western Mediterranean can be traveled by the legendary motor train, which the locals call "Kostitřas"(Boneshaker) because of its bumpy and uneven tracks.
The set of several wagons runs across the island and connects Calvi, LʼÎle-Rousse, Ajaccio, and Bastia. Tourists' favorite spread along the northwest coast between L'Île-Rousse and Calvi, known as the Balagne line, allows access to many beautiful beaches. The German writer Kurt Tucholsky once described it as the "first-class sightseeing track." Get on one of the small sunny platforms, relax in your seat and immerse yourself in the perfect view of the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the loud rattling and the occasional unevenness of the tracks, the ride is definitely worth a try.
During the summer months, ten trains run daily in each direction. The route has many stops and thus gives space for each passenger to plan a ride almost to perfect measure. The port town of Calvi in the northwest, which some historians attribute to the seafarer Christopher Columbus, seems to be the perfect place to start. In about thirty minutes to the east, a bumpy route to the east will take you to Algajola, where one of the most beautiful beaches is located. However, if you want pink sand, continue for another fifteen minutes to the larger resort of L’Ile Rousse.
On the other hand, if you want to taste the beauties of the hinterland, head from L'Ile Rousse to Corte. After about a two-hour train ride through tunnels and bridges, around running cows and pigs, you can get from the stuffy coast through the mountains covered with olive groves and chestnut trees to the very historic center of Corsica. Corte lies at the bottom of the Tavignan and Restonica river valleys, where the water flows into clear granite lakes and waterfalls.
In 1877, despite the complicated terrain, a decision was made to build a railway. In 1888 the first trains began to run on the lines between Bastia and Corte and between Ajaccio and Bocognano, where other parts of the network gradually opened until 1894.