Holidays in
Corsica

A historic island of natural beauty

Contrary to its present-day reputation as a laid-back Mediterranean retreat – the French, who’ve been in charge for more than 200 years now, refer to it as ‘ÎIle de Beauté’ – the rugged island paradise of Corsica has been startlingly influential on the world stage. Revolutionary politician and general Napoleon Bonaparte was born here, and his hometown of Ajaccio still celebrates its most famous son. Christopher Columbus is believed to have hailed from Calvi – and there’s no denying he made a splash in the world.

But Corsica holidays are about much more than living in the past. The landscape is strikingly diverse. Within half an hour’s drive you can go from glittering bays and pristine beaches to sawtooth mountain ridges, verdant valleys, vertiginous pine forests and hilltop villages. As you’d expect from the varied terrain, Corsican roads are spectacular and have their fair share of hairpin bends – and adventurous hikers from all over the world flock to the island to take on the 180-kilometre-long GR 20 north-to-south hiking trail. Holidays to Corsica are also about indulgence. Try the local delicacy of ‘brocciu’ – a tangy cheese made from ewe’s milk – on its own or as an ingredient in dishes like savoury deep-fried ‘beignets’ (small doughnuts) washed down with local Pietra beer, made with chestnut flour. This is a land with a colourful past and an abundance of natural highs.

All resorts in Corsica

Ajaccio
Bastia
Calvi
Corte
Macinaggio
Porto Vecchio
Propriano

Three tips for a top trip

Driving is the way to goPublic transport doesn’t serve the entire island and, besides, to make the most out of those awesome mountain roads, you’ll appreciate your own set of wheels.
Get stuck into the hillsCorsicans have a saying: ‘prendre le maquis’. It means you should immerse yourself in wilderness in order to escape the pressures of the outside world.
Take to the seasCorsica’s natural charms certainly aren’t limited to the land – book a boat trip to Unesco-recognised Scandola, a former volcanic caldera that harbours amazing marine life.

Best attractions to see in Corsica

    Citadel of Bonifacio

    Perched dizzyingly on an overhanging limestone plateau riddled with caves, this ancient citadel is best seen (and snapped) from a boat, though if you do go ashore there’s a museum inside.

    Pinarello beach

    Just up from the lovely town of Porto-Vecchio, this mile-long sandy crescent is well suited to water sports, or just relaxing in the sun with a book.

    Montemaggiore

    The famous mountain villages here don’t come more eye-catching or authentically rustic as this one, just inland from Calvi, with its ancient stone houses and surrounding olive groves.

    Your Corsica questions, answered

    For a properly authentic Corsican savoury morsel, don’t be afraid to try a ‘figatellu’ – a seasoned rustic sausage made from pork liver and blood.

    The King of Aragon’s Stairway at Bonifacio. Legend has it that the 15th-century monarch’s lackeys carved its 187 steps out of solid rock in a single night.

    Well, probably. Despite a rival claim from Genoa, just over the sea, locals swear blind the misguided mariner who accidentally stumbled on the New World grew up in Calvi.

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