Bonifacio
The great joy of visiting Bonifacio lies in strolling the tangled medieval lanes of the citadel. The paved steps of montée du Rastello and montée St-Roch…
Must-see attractions in Corsica
Southern Corsica
The high pass by which the D268 crosses the mountains, the Col de Bavella (Bavella Pass; 1218m), is overlooked by the magnificent silhouettes of the…
Southern Corsica
Corsica's most important prehistoric site, 20km north of Propriano, preserves extraordinary granite menhirs (standing stones) that were originally erected…
Southern Corsica
When it comes to longing for the archetypal 'idyllic beach', it's impossible to think past the immense Plage de Palombaggia, southeast of Porto-Vecchio…
The Northwest Coast
The jewel of the Golfe de Porto World Heritage Site, the Réserve Naturelle de Scandola extends both above and below the water, from the russet-hued cliffs…
Southern Corsica
A side turning north from the D268, 3km west of Levie, arrives after 4km at a beautiful forest, where an easy 2.5km loop trail leads past two remarkable…
Calvi
Crowning a rocky headland, Calvi’s massive citadel was fortified by Corsica’s Genoese rulers from the 12th century onwards, and has fended off everyone…
Bastia
Looming above the harbour, Bastia’s stern-walled citadel was built between the 15th and 17th centuries for the city’s Genoese masters. Known as the Terra…
Bastia
Bastia’s Vieux Port is ringed by precariously tall, pastel-coloured tenements and buzzy brasseries, and overlooked by the twin-towered Église St-Jean…
Bastia
Criss-crossed by narrow lanes, Terra Vecchia is Bastia’s heart and soul. Shady place de l’Hôtel de Ville hosts a lively morning market on Saturday and…
Bonifacio
Paradise! If you love to splash in tranquil lapis-lazuli waters, this protected clutch of uninhabited islets was made for you. The largest, the 65-hectare…
Ajaccio
Unremarkable from the outside, the old-town house where Napoléon was born and spent his first nine years was ransacked by Corsican nationalists in 1793,…
Palais Fesch – Musée des Beaux-Arts
Ajaccio
Established by Napoléon’s uncle, cardinal Joseph Fesch (1763–1839), Ajaccio’s superb art museum holds the largest French collection of Italian…
Corte
Perched on a south-facing promontory immediately below the citadel, and reached via a signposted staircase just outside the ramparts, this free-access…
Bastia
Occupying the former palace of Bastia’s Genoese governors, set into the formidable walls of the citadel, this museum retraces the city’s history from its…
The Northeast Coast
Atop a footpath that winds up between the rocks opposite the church, the stark Tour de Nonza is an 18th-century structure erected on the ruins of a…
Bonifacio
Only accessible from the top, this impressive staircase cuts down Bonifacio's southern cliff-face. Legend says that during the siege of 1420, Aragonese…
Ajaccio
Dedicated beach bums generally prefer the sands of Porticcio to Ajaccio's busy city beaches. It’s 15km by road around the bay from Ajaccio, or 6km…
The Northwest Coast
Follow the stairway up the tiny headland in the centre of the port – a jumble of red-tinged boulders – to reach the sturdy little Genoese watchtower,…
Corte
Corte’s citadel occupies a stark rocky crag that juts above the Tavignano and Restonica rivers. Its oldest portion – the château known as the Nid d’Aigle,…
Corsica
This coastal promenade follows the seafront east from Île Rousse. The beach right by the town centre is actually very pleasant, with fine broad sand, but…
Corsica
Île Rousse’s delightful old town centres on tree-shaded place Paoli, with its daily food market, designed to resemble a Greek temple, alongside.
Calvi
Sun worshippers don't have far to stroll. Backed by a grove of pine trees, Calvi’s stellar white-sand beach curves eastwards for 4.5km around the Golfe de…
Bastia
The dramatic twin-towered church of John the Baptist soars majestically above the Vieux Port waterfront. Viewed from the citadel above, it’s the most…
Southern Corsica
The desolate and beautiful Cauria plateau, 15km south of Sartène, holds several intriguing prehistoric sites. To find them, take the D48 south then follow…
Musée de Préhistoire Corse et d’Archéologie
Southern Corsica
This modern museum traces Corsica’s prehistory from its original fauna through the megalithic, Bronze Age and Roman eras. Much of it is rather dry, with…
Bastia
The 19th-century place St-Nicolas, an enormous paved square that sprawls from the ferry port towards the old harbour, is the focus of the everyday life of…
Southern Corsica
This low-slung modern museum, below the D59, is primarily devoted to Corsican archaeology, with especially good displays on its megalithic sites. Its…
The Northeast Coast
The remarkable Romanesque church of Santa Maria Assunta, 800m inland and known as ‘Cathedral of the Nebbio’, dates from 1140, when Corsica was under Pisan…
The Northwest Coast
Cargèse’s Greek community had been established in the village for 150 years by the time they erected this Greek Orthodox church, between 1868 and 1874…
Corte
Housed in the converted and expanded former barracks of the citadel, this intriguing museum is devoted to Corsican anthropology rather than history. The…
Corsica
Low, rocky Île de la Pietra, the ‘russet island’ that gave Île Rousse its name, is a pleasant 15-minute stroll from the centre, across a short causeway…
Corte
Below the citadel, place Gaffory is a lively little square that’s dominated by the 15th-century Église de l’Annonciation. The bullet holes that pockmark…
Ajaccio
Surprisingly small but in a commanding position facing out to sea, Ajaccio’s ochre-coloured cathedral dates from the 16th century. As well as a depiction…
The Northwest Coast
Porto’s main sights are clustered around the harbour. Once you’ve climbed the higgledy-piggledy headland up to the Genoese tower, stroll round to the…
Corsica
A short, gentle and well-signed path, which leaves the T20 2.5km southwest of Vizzavona station, meanders down through a superb forest to reach this long…
Bonifacio
Inside the citadel’s old gateway, the Porte de Gênes, the Bastion de l’Étendard was the town's main stronghold. Built to hold heavy artillery, it now…
Corte
A gentle stroll along the main strip of the newer, lower town – still way above the rivers – makes a pleasant prelude to an aperitif or meal. Set off down…
Southern Corsica
Interesting monuments in Ste-Lucie de Tallano, 9km west of Levie, include the well-proportioned Église Ste-Lucie and the imposing, Renaissance-style…
Bastia
Dating from the early 17th century, Bastia's richly ornate cathedral stands in the heart of the citadel. Seven caps hang over the choir, each belonging to…
