One of the many great things about Europe is the sheer abundance of places it has to offer. You can hop on a plane or train and be in a number of different countries in just a couple of hours, but with so many places to visit some inevitably go a little under the radar. One of these is the stunning Mediterranean island of Corsica. Corsica is a smallish island located below France and next to Italy. While this makes it a popular holiday destination for these neighboring countries, I find it doesn’t get the praise it deserves once you've seen the place. From the beaches, to the mountains, to the small coastal towns - I believe Corsica is somewhat of a hidden gem that would appeal to a great deal of people.
I was lucky enough to come here many times as a child on family holidays, and in more recent years I have made some return visits and rediscovered my love for the place. Most recently, in July 2019, I was able to spend a month there exploring the southern part of the island and capturing as much content as I could.
So with that being said, I decided to create a video/write a blog covering my 8 favourite spots on the island - some of which I've been to many times in the past, and some were new discoveries I made on my most recent trip.
Before we jump into them, I should caveat that all the time I've spent in Corsica has been in the southern part of the island, so if you have been and are wondering why certain areas aren’t mentioned, it’s probably just because I haven't been to them!
As I mentioned briefly, this list comes in two formats: 1) the blog you're currently reading, 2) a video. If you'd rather watch the video then click here, the commentary on both is largely the same so it's completely up to you. I've also included a map showing exactly where each of the recommendations can be found. Finally this list is in no particular order, as some of the places are very different to others so aren’t really comparable. I wanted to keep the video focused on why you should visit Corsica, rather than which places are better than others.
Enjoy!
#1 Bonifacio
First up we have Bonifacio, which is located on the southern most point of the island. It’s a small coastal town which looks like it’s been ripped straight from Game of Thrones. The fortress is somewhat the centerpiece of the town, and dates all the way back to the year 828. The harbour area below has a good selection of bars and restaurants for you to choose from, making it a nice place to stop, relax, and watch the world go by. If you go during the summer months, you’ll likely see some extremely luxurious yachts, which contrast nicely with the old, rustic look of the town around them.
Once you’ve wandered along the harbours edge, head towards the steep pathway that takes you up inside the fortress itself. Here you’ll find more bars, restaurants, and lots of cute little shops selling all sorts of things. The narrow streets make for some really nice photo opportunities, and depending on the day you may find the local market in full flow near the back of town.
Fair warning though, Bonifacio is an incredibly popular tourist destination in the peak of summer. If you plan to go in the morning, an early start will save you masses of time queuing to get into the town and then waiting for a parking space to free up. It’s best to see the old town area with as few people as possible, as from about 10am the narrow streets become packed with tourists.
#2 St. Anthony's Beach
Once you’ve soaked in the sights, drive 10 minutes down the coast and you’ll come to St. Anthony’s beach. There’s a bit of a walk from the car park to the beach itself, but once you’re there it’s a nice spot with a great view of Sardinia across the Mediterranean Sea. Now the main reason I’m including this isn’t for the beach, but the hidden cove on offer. To get a good look, veer to your right once you get to the bottom of the path that leads you down to the beach and you’ll eventually find it tucked away. If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, then dump your stuff at the beach and swim round. I’d only recommend doing this if you’re a strong swimmer, as you may encounter some big waves from the boats that are regularly passing by and the water is deep - but if you’re confident, you’ll be rewarded.
#3 Palombaggia and Tamaricciu
Next on the list is Palombaggia and Tamaricciu, two of the best beaches on the island. I mention both because if it wasn’t for a small, rocky bit of coastline, they’d be one big beach. You can easily get from one to the other via a short path linking the two, which makes for a nice leisurely stroll if you fancy a change in scenery at any point. Aside from saying how stunning both these beaches are, there’s not really much else to add! They’re easy to get to, and have various bars and restaurants dotted along the shoreline which are unsurprisingly expensive. But I honestly couldn’t recommend this place enough, especially if your main reason for coming to Corsica is for white sand and turquoise waters. Palombaggia is widely regarded as one of the best beaches in Europe, so you’d best make sure it's on your itinerary.
#4 Lion de Roccapina
For number 4 we’re going to stick to the coast but hop over to the west side of the island. Here you’ll find Lion de Roccapina, a strip of land that sticks out towards the sea and is meant to resemble a laid down lion. Whether you can see this or not, it’s the hike up I’m recommending, as it’s my favourite sunset spot on the island.
Roccapina beach is a small, natural bay area that is only accessible via an extremely bumpy dirt road, meaning you won’t find any bars or sun-beds down there. Something I would say is, make sure you’re confident in your car's ability to get down the dirt track…you don’t have to have a Land Rover, but take it slow or else you may damage your car. Provided the weather's good, if you head down their late afternoon and time it right, you’ll experience an absolutely incredible sunset. The hike up takes anywhere between 10-30 minutes depending on your pace, so give yourself enough time and then you can properly soak in the view when you reach the top.
#5 Cascades de Polischellu
Now we’re going to head into the mountains of Corsica, which to some people it’s better known for due to the famous GR20 route, one of Europe's hardest hikes. One of my favourite things about the mountains in Corsica are the rock pools they have. There are two that I’m going to recommend, the first being Cascades de Polischellu. These pools are very accessible, as there’s a large car park right by the small pathway down to them. You’ll likely have to drive a fair bit to get to them, but that’s the case for the rest of my recommendations on this list. Along the way you’ll see many other stop off points with little beaches going down to the long mountain riverbeds, some come with bars which are great if you're making a day of it. While the pools I’m recommending don’t, I personally think they’re the most picturesque, and provide a nice balance of both sun and shade. The pools are super refreshing to cool down in, and have a couple of fun points to jump in from.
The first time I found this place was on a weekend in the middle of the day, and the place was rammed. So, my advice again would be to beat the rush and experience these pools in a completely natural setting. I returned a couple of times after some sunrise photography in the mountains (so at about 8am) and had the place completely to myself until around 10am, right when I was leaving.
#6 Cascades de Purcaraccia
The second set of pools are also one of the hikes I’m recommending, meaning that unlike Polischellu, these ones require a bit more effort on your part. Cascades de Purcaraccia are in the same area, so the drive by car is not that different to the previous pools. The beginning of the trail is a little hidden but forks off from the main road as it winds down the mountainside. To start with the trail is clear enough, but I can’t stress how terribly marked it becomes later on. My friend and I got lost multiple times following what we thought were small cairns signposting the way, but actually just piles of rocks. Luckily we eventually saw a group of people who were going canyoneering, so had instructors who knew the way. When the path does become unclear, my best advice would be to head down to the riverbed and follow that. One of the paths up requires you to cross the river anyway, so doing this will link you back up with the trail going up the mountain. You’ll eventually reach the first set of pools where you can set up camp if you’ve had enough walking. Again however, these become busier as the day goes on because they’re the easiest to get to. We continued hiking up for another hour (getting lost a couple more times) until we reached a super secluded area which we had completely to ourselves. Coming back down is easier, but again very poorly marked. We just stuck to the river best we could until we joined back up with the first stint of the trial. All in all, a really good hike, just expect to take a couple of wrong turns.
If you'd like some more information on this hike, then click here.
#7 The Bavella
Now for number 7 we’re going even further into the mountains and is the second hike I mentioned. I don’t know if there’s a specific name for the hike, but it’s in a mountain region called the Bavella, and part of it intersects with the GR20 route.
Unlike the previous one, this hike is very clearly marked from start to finish. There’s a small village you need to drive to that sits super high up in the mountains, and this has an information point where you can get a map of the route. I’ve also included a link that outlines the hike in the description below, so the total distance, elevation, and where exactly this hike is. Now I’m not going to lie, it’s tiring, and not for the inexperienced. You’ll need to be in decent shape if you’re going to finish it in the 6-8 hours it’s estimated to take, but however tired you get, trust me...it’s worth it. The views are absolutely incredible and I’d go as far as saying they’re more dramatic than anything I saw when hiking the Swiss Alps the summer before.
#8 Piscia di Gallo
Last up is Piscia di Gallo, a beautiful waterfall that is in the same mountainous region as the previous 3 recommendations on this list. You can park here for a couple of euros and then hike out to the falls which takes no longer than an hour, so a nice alternative to some of the bigger hikes I’ve mentioned.
Once you're about 90% of the way there, the path becomes more of a staircase as you walk down to a viewing area near the base of the falls. If you’re prepared to go the extra mile, you can climb down further to a huge rock area at the very bottom, just be careful as the rocks are super slippery and my friend took a bit of a tumble. But if you’re confident in your scrambling abilities, it’s a pretty awesome spot for some pictures.
The walk back is the same way you came, and there are a couple of cafe’s back at the car park if you start feeling a bit peckish. Alternatively, if you’re heading back south then there’s a great pizza place just past Ospedale called ‘A Tigliola Pizzeria’ which provides you with a really nice view of the surrounding area below.
And with that, we have come to the end of my list. If you have any questions at all about the places listed , or about Corsica in general, then just drop me a message on Instagram and I'll be sure to get back to you. If you’d like to see anymore of Corsica, then take a look at the video linked below, or scroll back up to the top and have a look at my Corsica album under the 'photography' tab. Lastly, a huge thanks for reading! I hope this has shown you what a stunning part of the world this is, and whether you've ever considered visiting Corsica or not, I hope that this blog has given you more of a reason to.