Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Jean-Pol GRANDMONT

Ajaccio

Ajaccio straddles a gorgeous bay and is very much a Riviera town with its spacious squares and elegant, upmarket marina. The towns are beautiful and tasteful with some fantastic restaurants and cafes. The 15th century Genoese citadel is a great place to wander and the muse Fesch is home to an incredible collection of renaissance paintings by Botticelli, Titian and Poussin. Of course the town’s beaches are a firm favourite with travellers and the Plage Trottel is the better of the two.

Le Golfe de Porto

Le Golfe de Porto region contains Corsica’s most beautiful landscapes and the blue bay and red cliffs make the area dramatic to say the least. The rock formations of Calanches de Piana are well worth visiting and the surrounding mountains and vast pine forests are a fantastic place to hike and enjoy yourself. Diving is also incredible here if you are feeling adventurous.

Calvi

Calvi is perhaps the most impressive town of Corsica and it certainly has the most impressive history and architecture. The 6km sandy beach is the biggest draw for many but beyond that the town is incredibly impressive. The imposing citadel of Calvi against the mountainous backdrop is an incredible sight to behold. The town itself plays home to the Haute Ville full of twisting cobbled lanes and stairways and the medieval architecture and beautiful street cafes are a fantastic place to stroll and relax. Villas line the outer reaches of town as you head to some of the most beautiful countryside and the mountains.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Pierre Bona

Corte

Corte lies at the base of a mountain range with stunning views and is one of the most idyllic locations of Corsica. The citadel and museum of Corsica make a great day trip and you can stroll the castle’s ramparts and enjoy a fantastic view. The town’s main street is a fantastic shopping and street café area with plenty of pokey boutiques and places to rest.

Bonifacio

Bonifacio’s location is what makes it so incredible. Its perched along an isolated peninsula at the most southerly point of the island. The town has a unique identity and the huge citadel is a great place to explore before walking along to the marina. The beaches along the coast are incredible and well worth exploring.

Where to stay
There are plenty of accommodation options on the island from camping to all-inclusive resorts. The main towns have an abundance of hotels with some particularly good ones to be found in Calvi. Along the coast there are few large resorts but villas in Corsica along small bays and in small villages are fantastic. Camping lets you get into the heart of Corsican countryside and is a great option for hiking and walking.

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Porticcio holiday resort which is situated in one of the most beautiful bays of the west coast of Corsica has become a popular destination for water sports lovers from all over Europe. You will find a wide and long sandy beaches here lined with numerous restaurants and bars. There is also the only water park on Corsica nearby. Visitors can go diving, sailing, surfing, water skiing or playing tennis. There is also a sailing school. Very popular here are Porticcio ship cruises.

Tips for your trips

The advantage of the site is that you can easily get to Ajaccio and other parts of the southern half of the island. South of the capital of Corsica, Ajaccio, you will find one of the most beautiful bays of the west coast. It is right opposite the Bloody Islands (Les sanguinaires) in the Ajaccio’s bay, protected by guard towers Capitello a Frassu. There are numerous hiking trails and mountain biking trails. Very attractive are the central parts of the island with picturesque villages and beautiful countryside of Corsica’s National Park.

The most romantic way how you can get to Corsica across the sea, is by ferry either to Bastia in the north or to Bonifacio or Ajaccio in the south. If you have a luck, you can see some dolphins around the ship.

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• 4 red slopes (new 2011!)
• 2 blue slopes
• 2 green slopes

Transportation is provided by 3 lifts.

The development of the plateau began with the creation of the access road in the 1970s. Infrastructure has been installed from 1976 with the creation of the first lifts.

You can enjoy the best skiing in February and March, when there is much more snow than in other months. However you should call to the ski resort and ask if the lifts are in operation. There is a ski rental, and lots of restaurants, bars and car parks.

The basic whole day ski-pass costs 17 Eur.

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During nice weather you can see the area from Rome to Marseille from the top. The first who ascended the mountain, was Édouard Rochat in 6th June 1882. Monte Cinto has two main hiking trails. The first begins in Haut Asco and the second in Calacuccia village. Reaching the top takes approximately 8 hours. However, the time can be reduced by off-road car, there is the 7.5 km long gravel road from Calacuccia to the parking space at 1650 m and walking from there. The trail then takes approximately 3.5 hours. This path is also used by mountain bikers. On the south side of Monte Cinto there is a mountain lake Lac Cinto.

The top of the mountain is covered with snow from November to May.

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The first records of settlements in the island of Corsica comes from the times of ancient Greece, when the island was inhabited by Greeks, Etruscans and Carthaginians. The entire island of Corsica contains of a huge mountain massif, which dominates the hill of Monte Cinto, which is with his elevation of 2706 m the highest mountain on the island of Corsica. The administrative center is the city of Ajaccio. The biggest and most important port is Bastia.

Corsica is the pearl of the Mediterranean Sea. It offers a beautiful diverse nature. There you will find high mountains with lakes and meadows with streams and creeks, as well as beautiful white beaches and clear sea. Parts of the island are registered on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The best known is the Gulf Port, where is the Gulf Girolata, Cape Porto, and Scandola Nature Reserve. These sites provide habitat for protected plants and animals such as gulls, cormorants and sea eagles. Gulf Port is therefore registered on UNESCO World Heritage List since 1983.

Among the most important monuments on the island of Corsica is a prehistoric menhirs and dolomens, mountain cascades, and the historic city of Bonifacio.

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