Itinéraire Corse : Que voir et faire

Les Grecs de l'Antiquité naviguaient dans les baies turquoise éblouissantes de la Corse et désignaient l'île comme « Kalliste » : la plus belle. Henri Matisse la trouvait « une terre merveilleuse », où « tout est couleur, tout est lumière ». Dotée de falaises et de grottes en bord de mer, de montagnes déchiquetées, de gorges sublimes et de plages blanches baignées de soleil, l'île regorge de paysages qui pourraient faire fondre l'objectif d'un photographe.

Corsica is an island of many micro-regions, and over the course of a half-day you can travel from lush and forested mountains, to rocky gorges, to coves of sparkling sea and soft sand. It can be your Alps, your Adirondacks and your Aruba. 

Part of France, but still harboring a fierce sense of independence, Corsica has sometimes seemed isolated. But these days, rising tides of European vacationers and the jet-setters that the French call “Les Beautiful People” are washing up in the medieval harbor towns and modem beach bars.

Take note: Crime in Corsica is the worst in France. Here’s what you need to know.

Premier jour

Arrival in Corsica

If you arrive via ferry, you’ll want to book a ticket to Porto-Vecchio . Here’s more information about the Corsica Ferries and other ways to get to Corsica.

From Porto-Vecchio, drive 30 minutes to Bonifacio for lunch. You may want to stop at a winery along the way. The wine district of Porto-Vecchio mingles with landscapes of beach and pine forests, and shouldn’t be missed.

Bonifacio

It’s said that Ulysses and his men took shelter in the cliff-lined port town of Bonifacio , à l'extrémité sud de la Corse. Admirez les paysages de sa citadelle vieille de plusieurs siècles, son port spectaculaire et déjeunez sur le quai rempli de restaurants.

Immense chalk-white cliffs, horizontally grooved like a geological mille-feuille, will dwarf the boat as it cuts through water the color of Curacao liqueur. At sea level, enormous grottoes open darkly in the cliff walls and wind-eroded rock formations sprout mysteriously from the sea. To view the spectacular cliffs and grottoes nearby, buy tickets at one of the kiosks here and, if you’re not already bored of being on a boat, spend an hour on a tour boat, perhaps the Gina ou the Corsaire.

The Beaches

Afterward, drive north up the coast about 20 minutes to stop in at the Tahitiesque beaches of Santa Giulia and Palombaggia , où les voyageurs tranquilles se rendent pour se faire bronzer.

Porto-Vecchio

The nexus of VIP action is the beach town of Porto-Vecchio Le vieux port pittoresque a été construit à l'époque où la Corse était sous domination génoise et a longtemps été prisé pour ses bâtiments rustiques du XVIe siècle. Aujourd'hui, les soirées d'été transforment la ville en Mecque de la vie nocturne de Corse.

On cafe terraces, air kisses flutter like fireflies –“Ciao!” “Bonsoir!” “Hola!”– and glasses fill with rose from the nearby Domaine de Torraccia vineyard ou la bière corse Pietra, aromatisée à la châtaigne.

If you can get a reservation, have dinner at one of the Belvedere’s tables en plein air, puis suivez le rythme jusqu'à l'un des bars pré-club où les DJ en plein air tournent.

Nightlife

If night clubs are your thing, head to La Via Notte the island’s nocturnal temple. The scale is enormous, bombastic, as if Napoleon himself had ordered it. Five bars and a restaurant spread over multiple levels and pavilions. Inside the D.J. booth, three men operate long flashing control panels as if trying to pilot a rock and funk and fusion hip-hop spaceship. Go-go dancers grind on platforms as streaks of laser light shoot past. The club is a favorite of French soccer stars and film personalities, and to woo them, it flies in big names from the international D.J. circuit.

Deuxième jour

Inland Mountains & Corte

After breakfast, drive about 1 hour and 45 minutes up the coast and then inland to Corte and discover inland Corsica.

When Americans think of Corsica, they probably picture what it and other Mediterranean islands are known for most: seaside resort towns. And yes, Corsica owes much of its reputation to postcard-perfect beaches that seem almost Caribbean with their white sand and sapphire water. Towns like Bonifacio, with its towering citadel and buzzing waterfront cafes, or Porto-Vecchio, with its yacht-filled harbor and night club scene, have become Corsica’s better-known destinations.

But another Corsica lies tucked behind the mountains that many visitors only glimpse from their beach towels. This is wild Corsica. Soaring mountain ranges with peaks as craggy as a set of broken teeth scrape the sky. Streams of rushing river water slice through deep gorges where boulders the size of cars rim the shores of perfectly still lakes. It’s the perfect place to spend a few hours hiking amung the roaming sheep and wild pigs.

En chemin, vous croiserez plusieurs domaines viticoles et vignobles. En fait, les vignobles occupent pratiquement toute la circonférence de la Corse.

En arrivant à Corte, vous remarquerez que les vitrines des magasins regorgent de spécialités traditionnelles – fromages, miel, vin – et que de nombreux murs sont couverts de graffitis criant des slogans en faveur de l'indépendance de la Corse. Dans les cafés, des vieillards discutent dans la langue locale, le corse.

Corte was the island’s capital during its lone flicker of independence, from 1755 to 1769. Its leader then, Pascal Paoli, is a local deity. His name adorns the university he founded (the only one on the island), the main street, and even the sweet shop on the main square, as well as Place Paoli , la place elle-même. Au centre, il vit sous forme de statue, un gentleman des Lumières bien habillé, au regard intense.

In Gaffory square you will discover the birth house of Jean-Pierre Gaffory, the leader of the Nationalist Government of Corsica in the middle of the 18th century. He led a successful revolution against the Genoese before being assassinated. On his house’s facade, you can see many holes, attributed to bullets fired during the revolution. In front of the house, you can also find a statue of Gaffory, built to honor his memory.

On the square, you will discover a few bars and restaurants as well as the Church of the Annunciation . It was built in the 15th century, and has a huge bell tower dominating the whole town.

Corsican Cuisine

Classic Corsican wines and foods are on sale at La Vieille Cave , and you could pick up some gourmet goodies and have a picnic. If you feel like being served, have lunch at the terrace restaurant U San Teofalu and order a three-course Corsican menu, which includes a charcuterie and cheese plate, grilled trout, and dessert. Oysters are also a (more sustainable) specialty of the area and make a great snack with a glass of French white wine.

Corsican History Museum

For a crash course in the history and cultural traditions of Corsica, visit the Musee de la Corse Situé sur le point culminant de la ville occupé par l'ancienne citadelle, le musée, installé dans un bâtiment moderne, raconte l'histoire de la culture unique de la Corse, ses traditions populaires, son artisanat et son histoire.

A row of soundproof booths allows visitors to listen to the unusual native music, group singing in an Old World polyphonic style. The songs, in the Corsican language, sound somewhere between Gregorian chant and folk ballads. Behind the museum, a viewing platform looks out over a mountain valley.

Calvi

Back in the car, drive about 50 miles on a good highway to the city of Calvi on the northwest coast. On the way, stop at Vava’u Chez Tate pour un goûter en bord de mer.

In Calvi, a medieval hilltop citadel La ville surgit de la mer et ses vieilles rues sont un dédale de ruelles pavées. Promenez-vous avant la tombée de la nuit et découvrez la beauté multiforme du paysage. La ville est située sur un point élevé au bout d'une baie incurvée, le golfe de Calvi. Les bateaux de plaisance sont ancrés dans sa marina et une longue plage de sable borde la mer turquoise translucide. À seulement une vingtaine de kilomètres à l'intérieur des terres, des montagnes enneigées se dressent dans le ciel.

Explorez les rues de Calvi, où les exilés, les explorateurs et les renégats semblent rôder à chaque tournant. Une vieille maison de la rue de Fil, aujourd'hui en ruine, serait, selon certains, le véritable lieu de naissance de Christophe Colomb (à l'époque, Calvi faisait partie de la République de Gênes). Nichée à proximité, près de l'église Saint-Jean-Baptiste, se trouve la Maison Pacciola, un petit bâtiment où Napoléon s'est caché des nationalistes corses pendant la Révolution française.

The town of Calvi has become a music destination, sponsoring international festivals celebrating “Calvi on the Rocks” electronic music in July, and polyphonic vocal music in September. If you’re not attending the festivals, you’ll want to avoid the town during these dates. You can check our Events Calendar for the dates.

Dinner & DJ’s

For fashionable beachside dining, the white villa-like Octopussy restaurant propose des riffs jazzy sur des ingrédients corses, comme le melon au jambon corse et la morue au four avec des artichauts. Il est rattaché au club de plage Octopussy, où les baigneurs se prélassent et où les DJ mixent parfois.

Another option is Chez Tao , une boîte de nuit fondée en 1935 par un ancien officier militaire russe du nom de Tao Kerefoff. Il a fui la révolution russe et s'est enfui à New York, où il s'est laissé convaincre par le prince Félix Youssoupov, l'un des conspirateurs contre Raspoutine, de se rendre à Calvi. Son club se remplit encore chaque soir de réfugiés saisonniers élégants venus de Paris, de Londres et d'autres capitales.

Troisième jour

Le matin, prenez votre petit-déjeuner sur la plage, puis décidez si vous êtes d'humeur pour une promenade en bord de mer ou une randonnée dans les terres.

Bonifatu Forest (Serious Hiking)

Enfilez vos chaussures de randonnée et prenez votre sac à dos, votre bouteille d’eau, votre chapeau et votre crème solaire.

If you want to enjoy Corsica’s beautiful natural landscapes, you should go to the 3000-hectare forest of Bonifatu , in Calvi’s surroundings. It’s a hiker’s paradise.

From Calvi, drive for about 30 minutes (20 km) to reach the forest. There, park your car in the parking lot (in the summer it costs €4 for a car and €7.50 for a camper van), next to the Auberge de la Fôret , a small restaurant and Bed & Breakfast.

From the car park, there is also a path taking you to the river in less than 5 minutes. It’s a great place to swim in big natural pools, or to enjoy a family picnic in the shade of big trees.

There are 7 marked trails starting from the Auberge de la Fôret:

• Calatoghju: An easy 2.6 km walk lasting about 1 hour.
• Ficaghjola: Walk for 2 hours and enjoy relaxing swimming breaks in the river! It’s an ideal walk if you’re with children.
• Candia: This trail is more difficult than the 2 previous ones. Count about 2 hours and 30 minutes for 4.1 km.
• Finochi: This 4-hour long trail is quite steep, but it offers a panoramic view of the forest of Bonifatu.
• Erbaghjolu: A 5-hour walk, reserved for experienced hikers!
• Ortu di U Piobbu refuge: You can reach it in 3 hours and 30 minutes. It’s the first stage of the GR20.
• Carozzu hut: Count about 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach it.

Alternative: Ravellata Peninsula (Easy Coastal Walk)

The Revellata peninsula, located a 5 minute car ride or 20 minute walk from Calvi, is another place you should visit during your itinerary in Corsica. This wild peninsula offers beautiful remote coves and a white sandy beach. It’s an ideal place to spend an afternoon sunbathing and swimming.

There, you will also discover a lighthouse , as well as the STARESO Oceanographic Center , studying Corsica’s marine biodiversity. They are also organizing diving excursions during summer.

The walk to get there is really beautiful and easy, and is part of the customs officer’s path. During your hike, you will discover splendid viewpoints over Calvi and the coast. There are 2 different starting points for this walk:

• Park in the parking lot at the top of the Revellata, walk down to Alga beach and follow the coastal path to the lighthouse .
• From Calvi, leave your car at the citadel and take the customs officer’s path to the Revellata peninsula.

Back to the Mainland

Drive to the port of L’Île-Rousse (about 45 minutes drive from Auberge de la Fôret, or 30 minutes from Calvi) and get on a ferry retour à Nice ou une autre ville du continent.