A traveler's guide to Corsica
The south is the beach base. The rest of the island is a beautiful drive you should only start if you have the day.
Corsica is a mountain that happens to have some of the Mediterranean's best sand. Palombaggia and the south-east beaches are the pale, pine-backed ones. The west is wilder. Ajaccio and Bonifacio are towns you use, not resorts you disappear into.
When to go
June and September are warm and still pleasant. July and August fill the car parks and the ferries. The water is cool in early June and excellent after that. Wind can move a beach plan to the other coast.
The beach
Palombaggia is the famous one: pale sand, pines, and a few beach restaurants. Santa Giulia is the neighbor. The west coast's coves are smaller and the roads are slower. Free beaches and paid loungers share the same sand.
In the water
Swimming is the clear, sheltered kind on the southeast and a more open sea on the west. A boat under Bonifacio's cliffs is the scenic hour. Snorkeling is good where the sand gives way to rock.
If you only remember this
- Ferries and flights in August are a reservation, not a hope.
- The coastal roads take twice the time you expect.
- Start early for the famous beaches. The lots close when they are full.
- French is the language. A little of it helps outside the hotels.