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, which commands dramatic views of Porto, the coast and the mountains.
© Alexandre.ROSA/Shutterstock
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.28 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…
21.06 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…
24.24 MILES
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
23.96 MILES
Established by Napoléon’s uncle, cardinal Joseph Fesch (1763–1839), Ajaccio’s superb art museum holds the largest French collection of Italian…
23.55 MILES
Perched on a south-facing promontory immediately below the citadel, and reached via a signposted staircase just outside the ramparts, this free-access…
26.61 MILES
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…
23.56 MILES
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,…
28.34 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…
Nearby The Northwest Coast attractions
0.12 MILES
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…
2. Réserve Naturelle de Scandola
0.28 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…
9.75 MILES
The closest beach to Cargèse is the small strip of Plage de Pero, 1km north of the village and overlooked by a couple of Genoese watchtowers.
10.44 MILES
Facing across the valley towards its Greek counterpart, barely 100m west, Cargèse’s Catholic church dates from earlier in the 19th century. Its matching…
10.48 MILES
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…
20.42 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…
21.06 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…
23.55 MILES
Perched on a south-facing promontory immediately below the citadel, and reached via a signposted staircase just outside the ramparts, this free-access…