Here are recommendations for useful maps and books about Corsica. Most maps are on sale in every
Corsican bookshop (only fairly large cities have bookshops!), but I have included complete
information, including the editors' addresses, in case you want to order them from a foreign country.
Road map
For an overall view of the island, and for driving, use Michelin #90. Its scale is 1/200 000. The
reference number is ISBN 2-06-700090-X and you can probably order it from
Pneu Michelin
46, avenue de Breteuil
75324 Paris Cedex 07
Their phone is +33 1 45 66 12 34.
Detailed maps
Hikers will need more detailed maps, at scale 1/25 000. IGN (Institut Géographique National)
has an outstanding series called Top 25; they are a must-have. The only problem is that 1/25 000 maps
don't cover a lot of terrain, so many of them are needed for long trips.
I used #4251 OT (Monte d'Oro - Monte Rotondo), #4250 OT (Corte - Monte Cinto), #4249 OT (l'Ile Rousse)
and #4149 OT (Calvi). You can order these maps from
Institut Géographique National
107, rue La Boétie
75008 Paris
Their phone is +33 1 42 56 06 68.
Less detailed maps
Maps at scale 1/50 000 are also available from Didier Richard. Their advantage is that they cover more
terrain that the IGN maps, so they give a better overview, and only two of them are needed to cover
all of Corsica. Also, they show paths which IGN doesn't know about. They make a nice addition to the
IGN maps. However, I wouldn't rely on them alone; they aren't detailed enough.
There are two maps, #20 (Corse du Nord) and #23 (Corse du Sud). You can obtain them from
Editions Didier Richard
BP 137
38019 Grenoble Cedex
Their phone is + 33 4 76 43 43 88.
Descriptions
Didier Richard also offers an excellent book which describes many paths, ranging from easy to
quite technical and covering all of the island. The title is "Corse - 261 itinéraires de
randonnées pédestres". The authors are M. Fabrikant (father of GR20) and F.
Denarié. The reference number is ISBN 2-7038-0099-1.
There, you're all set!