Corsica travel insurance and

your holiday money

We are not financial experts here at Corsicaholiday.com, but as seasoned travellers in these parts, we have got some suggestions about your holiday insurance and the best ways to organise some spending money while you are here....

Insurance

When you travel to Corsica, make sure that you have travel insurance whether you are flying direct, going in your own car via ferry or getting there by some other means.

Corsica is politically part of France and when applying for travel insurance, you should ensure that your policy covers you for France and that there are no exclusion clauses for Corsica.

From bitter experience we'd also suggest that you check the fine detail on the policy before you decide - don't just go for the cheapest option!  You will need to know:

1.  How much will I be reimbursed if my baggage goes missing either while I am there or on the way there?

2.  Am I covered for medical expenses in case of illness or accident?  What excess will they charge and how much will they pay?

3.  Am I covered for accidents while canyoning, SCUBA diving, rock-climbing etc (as applicable)?

4.  Am I covered if my flight or holiday is cancelled or if my airline or tour operator goes bust while I'm away?

5.  Does my chosen insurance provider offer cover within my age group (e.g. over 65s)?

In addition, your insurer will need to know if you have  any special medical condition that will increase your likelihood of illness during your stay.

You can usually negotiate cover either for a single trip or a whole year.   If you are a regular traveller, it's almost certainly best to go for annual cover;  even if you are likely to go abroad just 2-3 times a year it's likely that an annual travel policy will save you money.

We have included a number of links to companies offering travel insurance on the left hand side of this page.  Why not see what they have to offer?

Your holiday money

Corsica is part of France and the currency here is the euro.

Before you travel, we'd advise getting out at least 50-100 euros from your home bank or travel agent to take with you. This will ensure that if you land at an awkward time and the ATM is out of order, you'll have ready cash for a taxi (taxis are expensive in Corsica) or a simple meal.  

These days most towns in Corsica and some villages have banks and ATMs and most holidaymakers take their UK (or other country) debit cards with them and withdraw money as they need it from the familiar hole-in-the-wall.

You'll find that there is a multi-language facility on most ATMs here and if you're not a French speaker there's no need to worry that the instructions will be incomprehensible to you!

Do you need to take travellers cheques?  Well, we haven't used them for over a decade but I believe they can still be changed in most banks here - though you should be warned that Corsican banks take long siestas - they keep strange opening hours here.

On the right, we have included links to some banks and organisations offering foreign cash facilities.  It's worth checking with them what their rates are before you purchase your euros or take their debit cards abroad.

We are also including a link to a foreign exchange merchant, HIFX.  Contact HIFX before you travel and they will send you your euros by courier the next day.  If you need to transfer larger sums (eg for villa purchase or a gift) HIFX will be able to wire the money in the currency of your choice at a lower cost than your bank's charges for the same transfer.

Credit cards in Corsica

It is certainly worth taking a credit card or two with you.   Most restaurants in the larger towns take credit cards such as Visa or Mastercard and you will be able to defray your holiday expenses a little by paying the bills off later.  But be warned... Corsican restaurants sometimes find that their credit card machines don't work when it comes to paying the bill.  So it's as well to carry a little cash with you just in case!