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. Apart from the ferry terminal and a solitary hotel, it’s uninhabited. Walk up to the Genoese watchtower above the port, then follow the footpath that winds to the lighthouse at its far end.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
28.57 MILES
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…
10.3 MILES
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…
26.54 MILES
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…
26.5 MILES
Bastia’s Vieux Port is ringed by precariously tall, pastel-coloured tenements and buzzy brasseries, and overlooked by the twin-towered Église St-Jean…
26.55 MILES
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…
25.81 MILES
Perched on a south-facing promontory immediately below the citadel, and reached via a signposted staircase just outside the ramparts, this free-access…
26.51 MILES
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…
22.98 MILES
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…
Nearby Corsica attractions
0.62 MILES
Île Rousse’s delightful old town centres on tree-shaded place Paoli, with its daily food market, designed to resemble a Greek temple, alongside.
0.66 MILES
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…
2.41 MILES
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…
10.3 MILES
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…
10.68 MILES
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…
19.32 MILES
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…
22.98 MILES
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…
23.04 MILES
It’s worth looking inside Nonza’s dramatic orange-and-ochre church, which looms above the tiny village square, to admire its polychrome marble altar,…