The town is found on the north-west coast of Corsica, about 12.5 miles north-east of Calvi, at the northern edge of the Balagne region. L`Ile is a port city and located in the Haute-Corse.

Along with Saint-Florent, it is one of only two communes in the department to have a French name; all the others have kept their Italian names despite the repeated demands of Corsican nationalists.

L`Ile-Rousse (Translation: Red Island) is a laid back seaside town with a central square, lively cafés, restaurants and ice cream parlors. With one of the warmest microclimates in Corsica, thanks to the sheltering Balagne hills that surround the town, and three gently shelving large beaches in close proximity, L`Ile-Rousse is an ideal spot for a summer holiday.

Balagne is a region in Upper Corsica which extends from Nebbio (Agriates Desert) to Monte Cinto Massif (highest point of the island at an elevation of 8,892 ft).

Balagne is quite an amazing region and because of its fertile land it is often called `garden of Corsica`.

It is the place for `dolce far niente` par excellence: seaside resorts and beaches catering to all interests and tastes, mountains nearby to escape to if it gets too hot, and villages with breathtaking, panoramic sea views! Each town has its own personal charm: a harbor, a citadel, beautiful beaches, and a unique location.

By plane, the closest airports are either Calvi or Bastia (further away but more connections), from there continue by taxi and/or train.

Corsica (in general) is not on any of the major air routes and almost all direct flights depart from continental France (most often from Nice, Marseille, Lyon or Paris). The main operators are Air France and CCM Airlines (Compagnie Corse Mediteranée). Easyjet fly to Corsica from the UK. Several low cost airlines also now offer cheap flights from France, Belgium, Germany or the UK, mostly from April to October (although Ryanair has started an all-year flight from Brussels to Figari).

There are four airports on the island: Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi and Figari (next to Porto-Vecchio). There is unfortunately not much available for getting into the big cities from the airport, other than renting a car, though Bastia airport has an almost-every hour bus service to town for about €8, except in the evening where the interval is longer. The last bus leaves at 10:45 pm.

Flights to Corsica from outside mainland France are not-so-frequent and rather expensive. If you want to avoid the relatively expensive air fare, you can book a flight to Nice and book a connecting ferry from Nice to Corsica. Ferry (without taking a car) is a lot cheaper than flying and you`ll also avoid the cost of getting from a Corsican airport to the nearest city.

The island railway company CFC (Chemin de Fer du Corse) serves the city with two lines:

-Every two hours from Calvi .

-Two times a day to Bastia via Ponte Leccia.

On the line from Bastia, the train stops at a small stop called Camping Monticello in the northeast of the city, just past the city limits.

From Bastia: First on the N 193 southwest to Ponte Leccia, from there continue on the N 197 .

From Calvi: Take the N 197 northbound.

From Corte: First the N 193 north to Ponte Leccia, from there follow the N 197 as well.

From Ajaccio: First via the N 194 to the northeast. There, this ends and leaves two options open: either along the coast ( curvy but very beautiful ) first on the D 81 to Calvi, follow from the above description, or on the N 193 through the mountains ( less curvy but also beautiful ) on Corte, from there also follow the above description.

The city has a ferry port where ferries leave from the mainland.

-Italy: Savona
-France: Marseille, Nice and Toulon

From France, the simplest and fastest solution is the NGV (High Speed Boat, Navire à Grande Vitesse): it takes about 3 to 3 ½ hours to go from Nice to Calvi, l`Ile-Rousse, Ajaccio and Bastia, and you can enjoy the view of the Corsican seashore and arrive practically downtown.

When choosing the best route, you should consider your final destination in Corsica and which port in the continent is your closest one.

If you are going to stay in the Western coast of Corsica, ferries from Nice to Calvi, Ajaccio or Propriano seem to be the best option. If you come from Spain or Western France, departing from Marseille or Toulon will save you some drive time, but the ferries are more expensive there. If you go to Bastia, Corte or Eastern coast of Corsica, Livorno is the best starting point followed by Savona and Nice.

Public transport is not the best in Corsica, so getting around by car is the favorable option. Trains offer great views, but they are slow and limited to the three lines connecting Ajaccio with Corte, Bastia and Calvi. Relying on buses is not the best option either, because routes are scarce (most leave twice a day) and are difficult to find.

There are many bus companies that operate routes between the main towns, but details of the routes and timetables are difficult to find. Tourist offices in towns should be able to give you information on local bus companies, or visit the unofficial web site: www.CorsicaBus.org that provides frequently updated bus timetables arranged by the towns of departure and arrival.

The main bus routes include:

-Bastia to Corte (1hr 30 min) and Ajaccio (3 hours)
-Bastia to L`Ile-Rousse (1 hr 40 min) and Calvi (2 hr 20 min)
-Calvi to Porto (2 hr 30 min)
-Ajaccio to Propriano (2 hr) and Porto Vecchio (3 hr 30 min)
-Porto Vecchio to Bastia

Corsica`s little train called Trinighellu is rather an attraction for tourists than a really convenient and fast vehicle. There are only three narrow gauge lines with a junction in Ponte Leccia. One line connects Ponte Leccia with Bastia, the second one goes south to Ajaccio via Corte and Vizzavona and the third one goes to Calvi along the western coast via L`Ile-Rousse.

The train service is not very frequent, just two to four a day on each line. The journey from Ajaccio to Corte takes 1 hr 40 min, from Corte to Bastia 1 hr 30 min, from Corte to L`Ile-Rouse 1 hr 55 min, from Bastia to Ill Rousse 2 hr 30 min and from Ill Rousse to Calvi 40 minutes. Traveling times in opposite directions may be a little different.

For the freedom to explore the island, we strongly advise you to rent a car, which is what a majority of visitors to Corsica choose to get around by. This is the best way to learn as much as possible about the area because public transportation is very poor. You can rent a car at all Corsican airports, but it makes the trip more expensive.

Main roads (there are no motorways) are generally very good. However, many country roads, especially mountain roads, are likely to be narrow and winding with very little room for manoeuvring. Driving in busy towns can sometimes be a little challenging but not particularly dangerous. Most visitors quickly get used to the Corsicans` liberal interpretation of the Highway Code and find the whole experience relatively stress-free.

This may be an alternative option for a planned day out to a town center or simply if you want to leave your car at your property for the day. Taxis in Corsica have a `Taxi` sign on the roof and prices are given on request.

L`Ile-Rousse is, on the whole, a very safe place to visit. Pick-pocketing and general theft is almost unheard of. Violent crime against tourists is likewise rare. However, 80% of France`s violent crime occurs on the island of Corsica, so it is worth taking several precautions. It is probably best not to discuss the Mafia, the FLNC or FNLC (Fronte di Liberazione Naziunale di a Corsica / Front de Libération Nationale de la Corse), Napoléon or refer to Corsica as `France` or `French` when talking to natives.

In the past, the FLNC were known to direct their actions on tourists, but nowadays there is little to worry about in this regard, especially in L`Ile-Rousse.