Crystal Serenity – Ajaccio
Ajaccio, Corsica is the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. We could not wait to explore this island town.
We docked right at the port and after a great breakfast we left the ship to join our morning walking tour excursion of the town.
There was another large cruise ship docked next to us.
As we entered the town, we came upon a farmers market. It was fascinating to see the local selection of vegetables, cheeses, hand crafted soap, and other items.
A monument of Napoleon as First Consul located in a piazza in Ajaccio is seen below.
As we continued our walking tour, we were brought to the birthplace and childhood home of Napoleon.
Unfortunately, on this day it was closed to the public and we could not enter.
We also stopped and did a tour of the Fesch Museum. The entrance fee was included in our excursion fee. The museum houses many impressive works of art many centering around the Bonaparte family as well as many religious pieces.
The Ajaccio Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, is an impressive site to explore.
At the conclusion of our morning walking tour, we strolled through the town and visited many of the shops.
One of the famous sites to visit in Ajaccio is the Place d’Austerlitz. Located at the top of a hill, this statue of Napoleon looks over the town of Ajaccio and provides magnificent views of the town and the port.
You can see the Crystal Serenity docked at the port in the background from the statue of Napoleon.
As we descended the hill and started our walk back towards the port, it started to rain. We decided to head back to the ship to relax. The nice thing about this stop was that the ship was docked in the port meaning that we did not need to wait for a tender boat. After a quick stop at the security check-point in the Cruise Terminal, we were back on aboard.
Today, our afternoon snack brought by our butler was shrimp cocktails.
The wonderful thing about cruising is that you can meet some great people. During our walking tour in the morning, we got to know a beautiful couple from California and made plans to have dinner with them in the main dining room.
Over a fantastic dinner and great conversation we learned that the couple we had met were taking part in their 10th Crystal Cruise. They were able to share many stories of past cruises as well as provide us with valuable tips that only frequent cruisers would have knowledge of.
After Ajaccio, our next stop would be Ibiza, Spain. We wouldn’t reach Ibiza until the following day which meant tomorrow would be a day at sea and enjoying the activities aboard the Crystal Serenity
Ajaccio Shore Excursions
In addition to the Fesch Museum by Foot walking tour that we participated in, here are all of the excursions that were available to us to choose from (prices are per person, applicable only to this sailing, and in USD ):
- Ajaccio Acquaintance & Old Town Walk $79
- Fesch Museum by Foot $59
- Scenic Prunelli Gorges & Tolla Lake $89 (2 different starting times were offered)
- Ajaccio by Bike $139
- Crystal Lake Riser: Ajaccio Acquaintance & Old Town Walk $79 (afternoon departure)
- Ajaccio by Bike $139 (afternoon departure)
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