Corsica Travel Guide and Places to Visit in Corsica

Corsica is almost the perfect holiday destination, basking in the mediterranean sunshine off the south of France. With hundreds of perfect beaches, magnificent scenery (both on the coast and inland in the mountains), lovely towns and villages that simply belong in the surrounding landscape, and of course the climate all coming together to create a perfect destination.

The hundreds of beaches and 1,000 kilometre of coastline of Corsica form the basis of many holidays on the island, with swimming, snorkelling, wind-surfing, scuba diving and sunbathing being the most popular activities. But try to spend some time exploring the other highlights!

The Corsican towns are very attractive (and very popular with visitors), as are walks in the mountains, and other outdoor activities based around both the mountains and the coast. Walks are available for all levels of ability, from a pleasant stroll to some of the most difficult mountain walks in Europe.

Corsica: an introduction

Corsica enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate, with summers being hot and dry, and remaining mild even in winter, at least at coastal level. The mountains are of course a little cooler all year round. See weather and climate for details of the best time to visit.

The Natural Regional Park of Corse has been set-up to protect part of the rare and unusual habitats found on the island. The park includes some of the highest mountain peaks on the island, and a great deal of natural beauty. The Scandola Nature Reserve (the western part of the Natural park) is also stunning, accessible by boat trip from towns on the west coast.

Two less common ways to visit Corsica are

(1) if you have several weeks to explore at your leisure by car you could follow the Corsica Coast road that circumnavigates the island, and

(2) see our guide to hiking in Corsica if you prefer to explore the hard way - on foot - by following one of the long distance paths across the mountains

With this guide we introduce many of the highlights of this beautiful island, and hope to help make your visit as varied and enjoyable as possible. We have also gathered together a few of our favourite photographs: see our favourite Photos of Corsica.

Visit the towns of Corsica

• 

  Ajaccio - western Corsica
• Aleria - eastern coast
• Bastia - north-east Corsica (and access to Cap Corse)
• Bonifacio - southern Corsica
• Calvi - Balagne region (see also Balagne)
• Cargese - Balagne region
• Corte - central Corsica
• L'Ile-Rousse - Balagne region
• Porto - western coast
• Porto-Vecchio - southern Corsica
• Propriano - southern Corsica
• Saint-Florent - north-east Corsica
• Sartene - southern Corsica

See also Corsican villages for some of the smaller highlights.

Visit the regions of Corsica

Corsica is too large to do justice to in just one trip to the island. The roads are not always fast, and you will be tempted to stay longer in each place you visit. To discover the main highlights of each of the regions of Corsica, with many of the most interesting places to visit and natural sights:

• Balagne - the west and north-west regions of Corsica
• Bastia and Cap Corse - the northern peninsula
• Bonifacio - southern Corsica
• Corte - the mountainous centre of Corsica
• Eastern Corsica - the eastern coast and villages