| Bus times vary a little from year to year, but can be checked at the tourist office, at the top of the village in the same building as the post office, 100m north of place des Portes (July & Aug Mon–Fri 8.30am–12.30pm & 2–7pm, Sat & Sun 9am–noon & 3–6pm; Sept–June Mon–Fri 9am–noon & 2–5pm, Sat 9am–noon; tel 04.95.37.06.04). St-Florent is a popular resort, and hotels fill up quickly, especially at the height of summer when prior booking is essential. The Hôtel de l'Europe in place des Portes (tel 04.95.37.00.33, fax 04.95.37.17.36; €40–55) is the most attractive option in town – and the only one open in winter. Otherwise, try Hôtel du Centre, just up the road from the Europe (tel 04.95.37.00.68, fax 04.95.37.41.01; €40–55; closed Nov–April), which has tiny rooms but is the cheapest place in town, or the more modern and swisher Maxime, just off place des Portes (tel 04.95.37.05.30, fax 04.95.37.13.07; €55–70; closed Nov–April). A fair number of campsites are dotted about the coast, but are packed in August and closed out of season. Camping Kallisté, route de la Plage (tel 04.95.37.03.08, fax 04.95.3719.77; closed Oct–May), is the closest to town and most congenial, but it's also a notch pricier than the others; the quickest way to get there on foot is via the bridge in the marina, from where you follow the beach as far as an (unmarked) white gate. To reach the scruffier Camping U Pezzu (tel 04.95.37.01.65; closed Oct–May), follow the plage de la Roya road behind the Kallisté for 1km; the similarly priced Aqua Dolce (tel 04.95.37.08.63, fax 04.95.37.12.82; closed Oct–May), lies a further 500m in the same direction. St-Florent is renowned for the seafood from its gulf and a good place to sample it is La Marinuccia (tel 04.95.37.04.36), which serves traditional island dishes – such as sardines stuffed with fresh ewe's cheese, or wood-baked sea bass – on a terrace jutting out into the sea off place Doria. Menus range from €18–20, and their wine list features the elusive Clos Nicrosi blanc. In the same square, Bara Vin is a popular tapas bar offering plates of snacks from €5 to 11 and a great selection of Corsican AOC wines by the glass. For a classier meal, try one of the gourmet restaurants down on the quayside. Charging €40–50 per head for four courses, La Rascasse (tel 04.95.37.06.99) has become the toast of sybaritic Bastiais for its imaginative spins on local seafood: cream of ray's wing, mussel and chestnut fritters, and lobsters sautéed in cured ham with tartlets of warm brocciu. In a similar price bracket is the nearby La Gaffe (tel 04.95.37.00.12), where you can order sumptuous devilfish stew on a bed of tagliatelle, with a menu at €22.
Pages in section ‘Practicalities’: Patrimonio (Patrimoniu).
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