Must-see attractions in Corsica

  • Corte Citadel  Historical Capital of Corsica

    Citadel

    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…

  • Trekking on the GR20 trail in Corsica near the Aiguilles de Bavella hiking towards Refuge d'Asinao

    Aiguilles de Bavella

    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…

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    Filitosa

    Southern Corsica

    Corsica's most important prehistoric site, 20km north of Propriano, preserves extraordinary granite menhirs (standing stones) that were originally erected…

  • Palombaggia beach, Corsica

    Plage de Palombaggia

    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…

  • Fort at Cucuruzzu, Corsica.

    Cucuruzzu & Capula

    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…

  • View of the Citadel of Calvi on Corsica, France.

    Citadel

    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 Citadel street.

    Terra Nova

    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…

  • Old port and church of St. John the Baptist in Bastia, Corsica, France.

    Vieux Port

    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…

  • Terra Vecchia

    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…

  • Îles Lavezzi

    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…

  • The Galerie, a great room for the guests, in the Maison Bonaparte in Ajaccio, ancestral home of the Bonaparte family and the birthplace of Napoleon.

    Maison Bonaparte

    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,…

  • The main gate into Palais Fesch with the central museum of fine arts in Ajaccio on Corsica.

    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…

  • View of the Citadel at Point Belvedere, Corte, Corsica, France.

    Belvédère

    Corte

    Perched on a south-facing promontory immediately below the citadel, and reached via a signposted staircase just outside the ramparts, this free-access…

  • The Governors Palace in the citadel, Bastia, Corsica, France.

    Musée de Bastia

    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 King of Aragon’s Stairway.

    Escalier du Roi d’Aragon

    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…

  • Empty Porticchio beach.

    Plage de Porticcio

    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…

  • Citadel

    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,…

  • Promenade de la Marinella

    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…

  • Old Town

    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.

  • Plage de Calvi

    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…

  • Église St-Jean Baptiste

    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…

  • Cauria Plateau

    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…

  • Place St-Nicolas

    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…

  • Musée de l’Alta Rocca

    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…

  • Musée de la Corse

    Corte

    Housed in the converted and expanded former barracks of the citadel, this intriguing museum is devoted to Corsican anthropology rather than history. The…

  • Île de la Pietra

    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…

  • Place Gaffory

    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…

  • Cathédrale Ste-Marie

    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…

  • Cascade des Anglais

    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…

  • Bastion de l’Étendard

    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…

  • Cours Paoli

    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…

  • Ste-Lucie de Tallano

    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…

  • Cathédrale Ste-Marie

    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…

  • Parc de Saleccia

    Corsica

    Visitors to these landscaped gardens, 4km east towards Bastia, can admire the flora of Corsica – the tough plants of the maquis, pines, myrtles and fig…

  • Jardin Romieu

    Bastia

    Climbing the hillside below the mighty walls of the citadel, and threaded through by interlacing paths and stairways, this wooded park makes a scenic…

  • Église Ste-Croix

    Bastia

    Adjoining and slightly predating the Cathédrale Ste-Marie, the rococo Église Ste-Croix features gilded ceilings and a mysterious black-oak crucifix, said…

  • Chapelle de l’Immaculée Conception

    Bastia

    Notable for its elaborately painted barrel-vaulted ceiling, the baroque Chapelle de l’Immaculée Conception served in 1795 as the seat of the short-lived…

  • Chapelle St-Roch

    Bastia

    The Chapelle St-Roch is known for its 18th-century organ and trompe l’œil roof.

  • Chapelle Impériale

    Ajaccio

    The crypt of the imperial chapel, across the courtyard from the Palais Fesch, holds the tombs of Napoléon's parents and several other relatives. Don't…