Corsica is very keen to avoid mass tourism and even with much development over recent years, this is still the case. A natural island paradise with secluded spots to be found even in July and August, Corsica draws you in with its immense beauty and is ideal for either a relaxing or a more active adventure holiday.
To the north of Bastia is the wild and beautiful Cap Corse, one of the most untouched areas of coastal France. The landscape is rugged and as with the rest of the coastline is dotted with watchtowers and delightful harbour towns including Saint Florent, the Corsican St Tropez.A really authentic part of the island, the town of Bastia with its tall buildings and its’ Mediterranean atmosphere sits just to the south of the Cap Corse, the abrupt peninsula with dramatically different low lying east and vertiginous west coasts. It is a land of villages clinging to plunging cliffs, pretty harbours, untouched beaches and old Genoese watchtowers guarding over the rugged coastline. Called ‘the island within the island’, it is the most maritime focused part of Corsica and relatively undiscovered. A real gem!
At the heart of a magnificent bay and surrounded by the hills of the Cap Corse to the North and the Nebbiu to the East, Saint Florent has a bustling waterfront and a charming old town. Inland to Saint Florent lies the Nebbiu, an area of villages clinging to an amphitheatre of mountains filled with vineyards with some great views. To the west the Mediterranean laps the Desert des Agriates, the maquis covered area between the Ostriconi river and the Cap Corse. This protected coastline, the largest in the Mediterranean, and today watched over by the Conservatoire du Littoral, hides the silver sand beaches of Saleccia, Lotu or the even more remote Malfalcu-Ghignu that are only accessible by boat or a very long and challenging walk through the maquis.
To the north west of the island you find La Balagne with its small fortified villages that sit high on the winding mountain roads east of Calvi. With its landscape of pastures backed by high mountains including the Monte Cinto and the seaside towns with a plethora of chic restaurants and hotels, great history, and some outstanding beaches, it’s easy to see why the area is the choice for culture hounds and sun seekers alike.
Once called the ‘Garden of Corsica’, La Balagne is an area backed by high mountains but so close to the sea. Alongside superb perched villages there lies a fertile landscape that offers vineyards and olive groves and a sumptuous coastline dotted with lovely sandy beaches and secluded coves. The chic town of Calvi, with its pine fringed sweep of beach has been the choice for many holiday makers, a lively café culture on the harbourside and crowned by the historic Genoese citadel, provides everything you would want from a seaside town. L’Ile Rousse has perhaps a more relaxed and lived in feel, founded as a harbour town by Pasquale Paoli as a response to the Genoese at Calvi. Visit the many villages, little changed by time including Monticello, Pigna, Sant'Antonino, Corbara, Montegrosso and Calenzana, home to the start of the GR20.
Wander through the narrow alleyways of Corte and you will see a town frozen in time. The citadel is perched on a rocky outcrop, set in the heart of the Corsican mountains the city is a buzzing place with a lively and proud student community at the island's university and the town is a good departure point for the Restonica and Tavignano Gorges. Dramatic scenery with high peaks and dark pine forest make the centre of Corsica perfect for walking, climbing and adrenalin sports, and the town features in many of our walking holidays. These majestic mountains are the ideal destination for those looking for an active holiday or those looking for the Corsica of traditions.
The coatal area between Calvi and Piana is sparsely populated but the scenery is some of the most spectacular on the whole island. The Calanche de Piana are vertiginous red rocks that plunge into the sea far below, a road weaves precariously along this coastline and has to be one of the best drives you will find in Europe but it is certainly not for the feint hearted ! Porto at the heart of the Golfe de Porto, is towered over by the Capo d'Ortu, the golfe is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is the departure point for the Scandola Reserve and the isolated village of Girolata. Roads lead from here to the mountainous interior and fabulous panoramas, visit Evisa, Ota and Marignana with their wild pigs and sleepy feel.
To the south lies the Golfe de Sagone, with its tempting but wild beaches, Cargese "la Grecque" is a must see with its twin churches, bourgainvillia and distinctly Mediterranean feel.
The entrance to Corsica for many a holiday maker, Ajaccio is a delightful Mediterranean city on a truly beautiful bay. The old town with its tall and colourful buildings is concentrated behind the port and well worth a visit. Napoleon is Ajaccio’s most famous son and all over town you will see references to him. Behind the Golfe d’Ajaccio lie three valleys backed by high mountains, le Gravona, le Prunelli and le Cuzinu, a land of Mountain road through dense forests to villages of stone houses little changed in time - the real Corsica. Across the bay on the "Rive Sud" sits Porticcio, a holiday destination for many, which stretches out alongside some lovely beaches towards the Capo di Muro and the entrance of the Valinco Golfe.
Perhaps the most luxuriant landscape in Corsica, the Golfe de Valinco is a superb region full of variety. From the popular seaside village of Porto Pollo to the north, past the beaches of Olmeto to Propriano at the heart of the Golfe, and on to Campomoro in the South, the Golfe de Valinco has an abundance of fabulous beaches and rich heritage, including the prehistoric site of Filitosa and the Genoese towers scattered on every headland. The typical hillside village of Olmeto, above the Golfe, has some of the best views.
Sartène is the “most Corsican of Corsican towns”, famous for its tall menacing buildings, vendettas and moody character, the cobbled alleyways and the town square will give you a real feel for the real Corsica. The coastal area of the Sartenais has perhaps the most untouched beaches in Corsica. Wild windswept landscapes ripe for walking.
The mountainous area above the Sartenais is the Alta Rocca, the high mountainous ridge cloaked in forest and rises to the magnificent Aiguilles de Bavella, above the town of Zonza.
The Genoese built Bonifacio with its’ natural harbour, a miraculous fortified town on high white cliffs, sculpted by the winds and the waves, on this the most southerly point of Corsica. The harbour, mentioned in Homer’s Odyssee, and the alleyways and tall buildings of the old town are wonderful and as are the views over the straights that separate the town from Sardinia just across the water.
Further up the east coast sits Porto Vecchio, now the third largest town on Corsica. Formerly “Cité du Sel” due to its historical salt production, the town in now a hub for tourism with certainly some of the best beaches on the island from Santa Giulia and Palombaggia to the south to Cala Rossa and Pinarellu to the north. The old town with its bustling restaurants and boutiques around a pretty square is also charming but everywhere can be busy in peak season.
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