Extra-large island holidays: tour of Corsica

This time it should be Corsica, the French Mediterranean island with its ancient citadels, spectacular rock caves, beautiful beaches and natural rock pools? A very good choice. From spring to the end of September, when the beaches are perfect for sunbathing and swimming, is the best time to visit. For an individual round trip, we recommend booking a hire car at Figari airport. And: it's better to plan a few extra days - that way you have the chance to stay a little longer in the most beautiful places. Here are the highlights.

Porto-Vecchio: dream beaches and Michelin-star cuisine

From Figari airport, it’s a 25-minute drive to Porto-Vecchio. There you will find dream beaches such as the Plage de Palombaggia, shaded by stone pines. Or the Plage de Santa Giulia: turquoise water, fine sand and picturesque rocks. To celebrate the first evening, we recommend the town’s Michelin-star restaurants: the “Casadelmar” with fine dishes such as cannelloni de denti au tourteau – with crab meat, caviar, fresh vegetables and cedar flavours. Or the “U Santa Marina” at the marina, for example with a Pigeon de Pornic: pigeon suprêmes, roasted in butter, and drumstick confit with dates and lemon. For a digestif, you could try one of the bars in the old town.

Bonifacio: the fortress on the rock

From Porto-Vecchio to Bonifacio, it’s a good half hour’s drive south. The town is perched on mighty limestone cliffs and offers spectacular views. An absolute must is the Staircase of Aragon, which is cut into the cliffs and leads down over 187 steps. At the bottom, boat tours depart along the cliffs and sea caves – ideal for admiring the play of light on the rocks at sundown. The town is offers many historical sights, including the citadel, the sea cemetery, the fortifications and the old town. A special restaurant here is “Chez Ciccio”, which specialises in local ingredients and home-made products.

Ajaccio: birthplace of Napoleon

Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica, is just under two and a half hours away from Bonifacio. The Maison Bonaparte, Napoleon’s birthplace, is located here. It is now a museum devoted to the history of the entire Bonaparte family, who have resided in Ajaccio since the 15th century. At the Ajaccio market, you can sample a wide range of sausages, cheese, wine and fish. The changing of Imperial Guard takes place every Thursday afternoon at the Place des Palmiers. This is also the starting point for the cable car to the Îles Sanguinaires, an offshore archipelago with seabirds and dolphins. The old town of Ajaccio has artists’ studios, restaurants and pubs – and plenty of opportunities to go shopping.

Calanches de Piana: rocks in a blaze of colour

Watching the sunset on the red granite cliffs of the Calanches de Piana is an unforgettable experience. These steep coastal coves, which can be reached from Ajaccio in one hour and 45 minutes, are among Corsica’s most famous landscapes. Legend has it that the devil created the Calanches when he turned a shepherdess who had refused his advances to stone. Like the Calanches, the village of Piana is a Unesco World Heritage Site and is considered one of the most beautiful villages in France, with its partly white, partly clay-coloured stone houses, sometimes with blue, sometimes with brown shutters and balconies full of flowers. The Sainte-Marie church and the tower on Capo Rosso are other highlights.

Galéria and Calvi: first diving, then city life

In the picturesque fishing village of Galéria, around an hour and a half from Piana, diving enthusiasts can explore Corsica’s dazzling underwater world. There is also a beautiful sandy and pebble beach to relax on. In Calvi, probably the prettiest citadel town on the island, the alleyways of the old town and the harbour promenade lined with cafés and restaurants invite you to stroll through the town. For dinner, we recommend the “Île de Beauté” restaurant on the harbour. There you can order a Corsican menu centred around mullet, for example, and finish off with a semifreddo with chocolate. The spacious terrace also offers a great view of the sea.

Macinaggio: hiking on the customs officers’ path

The next stop is at the northern tip of Cap Corse. From the village of Macinaggio, which can be reached from Calvi in just over two and a half hours, the customs officers’ path leads across the beaches of Tamarone and Santa Maria, past the Genoese towers of Santa Maria and Agnello, through the small village of Tollare and along the rugged west coast to Centuri Port. Along the way, you will find information boards about the unique wildlife of this stretch of coast. For those who find the 26-kilometre route too long, there are refreshment stops along the way, such as Santa Maria beach and the small village of Barcaggio, from where you can take the boat back to Macinaggio.

Bastia: port city with ambitions

Bastia is working hard to beautify the city. The bid to become the EU Capital of Culture in 2028 is on the cards and the new “Aldilonda” promenade is proving very popular. The angular connection between the upper and lower town, the “Mantinum” staircase, opened in 2020 and named after the Roman city on the foundations of which Bastia stands, is particularly eye-catching. The two famous churches, the eponymous Bastiglia and the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste, are also worth a visit. With new attractions such as the Théâtre de Verdure and the Jardin Romieu, as well as many cultural events in summer, the city is moving away from its status as an insider tip.

Asco: natural pool hike with ice-cold refreshment

The final highlight of the tour is a short hike inland. From Bastia, it’s a one-hour drive to the mountain village of Asco. There and in the Tassineta Valley, about two kilometres further towards Haut-Asco, you can hike in and along the river, jump from stone to stone and swim in natural stone pools. These bathing spots, called natural pools, offer fairly cold water even in summer – but it is wonderfully refreshing. The Asco Valley offers great photo opportunities with Genoese bridges in the forest. After the hike, the mountain village invites you to stop for a bite to eat before setting off on the almost two-and-a-half-hour return trip south to Porto-Vecchio.