Best beaches of Corsica
Corsica is famous for its natural beauty, its mountains and resorts… and its beaches, which include some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. However, please note that the best beaches in Corsica are usually not those in or near the city centres, but rather those further afield and a bit more difficult to get to!
The beaches in the popular resorts of Corsica are more than adequate – generally long and sandy, with plenty of entertainment – but the exceptional beaches are usually in quiet, isolated natural bays surrounded by rocks and trees, and have the most turquoise blue water you’ve ever seen! The most beautiful and most famous beaches in Corsica are located in the southeast of the island, around the town of Porto-Vecchio. It’s there that a couple of beaches are considered the most beautiful in the Mediterranean! However, the Calvi area also has some first-class beaches with fine, white sand.
Since not everyone wants to walk for hours along a coastal path to get to the beach, below you’ll find the best beaches of Corsica. The selection goes clockwise around Corsica, starting with Calvi in northwest Corsica…
The best beaches of Corsica:
Calvi Region
The main resort here is Calvi, with a long sandy beach that stretches for several kilometers. Travelling north along the coast, the resort of Algajola is small but has a long sandy beach, and the nearby town of L’Ile Rousse is a popular resort that attracts many beach lovers. Between these three destinations, there is a small tourist train that runs just behind the beach.
The town of Calvi:
North Coast and Cap Corse
This region has some great beaches, but they are harder to get to:
- Ostriconi Beach is about 12km north-east of L’Ile Rousse (turn left off the main road where it meets the coast) and is about a 20 minute walk from the car park.
- Saleccia and Loto Beaches can be reached from Saint-Florent – but only by boat, or with a 4WD, or after a very long walk (12km) along the coast.
- Barcaggio Beach is at the far north of Cap Corse, as a detour from the road that runs around the peninsula, but at least it is accessible by road, although you may have to share the beach with the occasional cow!
Porto-Vecchio Region
This region has a large number of exceptional beaches, some quite close together. To the north of Porto-Vecchio you can visit the sandy beaches of Pinarellu, San Ciprianu and Cala Rossu. To the south of the city, the group of beaches includes Palombaggia, Tamaricciu and Santa-Giulia: all three are very famous and absolutely stunning. See the page about the beaches of Porto-Vecchio for details.
Palombaggia beach is the most beautiful in the Mediterranean:
Bonifacio Region
Continuing towards Bonifacio, you will quickly reach Rondinara Beach, with white sand and nestled in a bay with yachts bobbing in the water. But be warned that getting to Rondinara from the main road takes much longer than you might guess from the map! Almost at the southern border of Corsica you will come to Piantarella Beach, although it is not particularly interesting in itself. But if you walk along the beach and past the cape, you will come to the beaches of Grand Sperone and Petit Sperone, which are simply exceptional.
Petit Sperone Beach:
From Bonifacio you can take a boat to the Lavezzi Archipelago, a group of small islands with many beautiful little harbours and beaches surrounded by cliffs and granite boulders.
Along the coast, as you travel west from Bonifacio, the beaches of Tonnara and Roccapina are worth a visit.
The Lavezzi Islands:
Propriano to Ajaccio Region
While the town itself is not very exciting, there are some nice sandy beaches in and near Propriano and around the Golfe de Valinco. Olmeto Plage and Plage de Cupabia are worth a visit to the east, for example.
Continuing north, before reaching Ajaccio, you pass the beach at Ruppione and then the small resort of Porticcio. It is perhaps best described as a functional beach resort, but not one worth spending time on.
To the west of Ajaccio, there are a few small beaches along the Route des Iles-Sanguinaires and even a small beach in the town itself. For the nicest beaches in this region, head further west, north of the Sanguinaires Islands (Capo di Feno Beaches).
Bay of Porto
In this most picturesque region of Corsica, beaches are a little harder to find, but luckily Porto itself has a very nice beach in a beautiful setting — perfect after a day of walking around the calanques!
The beach in Porto is located just behind the Genoese tower, close to the centre of the town.
Near Piana you will find two other delightful beaches: at the marina just below the village, and Plage d’Arone, further west beyond Capo Rosso.
There are also several smaller beaches along the coastal road towards Calvi as you leave Porto from the north, such as Bussaglia, Caspio and Gradelle. There are several smaller beaches further north, but for the best beaches in Corsica you will need to return to Calvi, the starting point of our tour…