One of my summer vacations this year was to Corsica, a French island in the Mediterranean Sea. I toured Northern Corsica in 2015 (link to my 2015 Corsican trip), but this time I wanted to explore the coastline and towns in the south. Read on to learn the highlights and best itinerary for Southern Corsica!

I based myself in two towns over the eight days, Propriano and Bonifacio. From there, I did day trips to see beaches and mountains in the area. I flew into Ajaccio which is the airport situated on the central west coast of the island. Propriano was an hour’s drive south of Ajaccio. A rental car is necessary if you want to easily explore places in Corsica.

I will share with you our itinerary based on what we did from the three locations of Propriano (3 nights), Bonifacio (4 nights), and Ajaccio (only for the final night). Some of the sights we saw from Propriano could also be reached from Bonifacio.

Propriano

We spent our first three nights in a beautiful apartment overlooking the town and bay of Propriano. I used VRBO to find this apartment. I love the convenience of having an apartment with a kitchen and more space. We don’t normally cook on vacation but we love our coffees in the morning. If you find the prices of AirBnB getting higher with their service fees, check out VRBO.

I was attracted to Propriano because it was on the coast, had beaches in the area, and offered many restaurant options. We would walk from our apartment down to the town each night after driving around and exploring during the day.

Plage de Campomoro

On our first full day, we drove south of Propriano to see some coastline beaches. The first stop was to pass by two beaches called Plage de Portigliolo and Plage de Campomoro. We didn’t spend time at the beaches but just drove by and took some pictures. One thing we noticed is that parking is very hard to find at all the beaches in Corsica. You need to get there early to get a place and avoid walking a long distance.

Lion and Plage de Roccapina

On the same day, we drove further south to see the famous Lion of Roccapina. The pink granite mountain has a rock shaped like a lion lying and facing the sea. Can you spot the lion rock in the wide-angle picture below?

Just across from the lookout parking lot, there is a restaurant called ‘L’Oasis Du Lion‘. We decided to eat there and had a typical Corsican meal. An older lady named Helene ran the kitchen and was very friendly. She had many cats and one dog that were wandering around the open air restaurant tables. Some people may not like this, but I thought it was cute.

After a hearty lunch, we drove a short distance to find the dirt road that led to Roccapina beach next to the Lion Rock. It was a 2.5km bumpy road filled with potholes but could be safely driven at a snail’s pace. There were tons of cars in the parking lot, so it was clear that this tucked-away beach was very popular.

The beach is famous for crystal clear turquoise waters and a 400m stretch of powder-soft white sand sheltered by rocks on each side. We stayed for a bit and took a dip in the turquoise waters.

Sartène

Sartène is a typical Corsican medieval village perched on a hill and only 14km from Propriano. We stopped to walk around and have a drink at one of the restaurants in the town square.

Les Aiguilles de Bavella

One of the highlights in the Propriano area was to see ‘Les Aiguilles de Bavella‘ (translated to the Bavella Needles). I had seen photos and read about this place, which was just an hour’s drive from Propriano.  The Bavella Needles are spikes of granite that form a unique rocky ridge in the mountains.

The drive to the Col de Bavella was very scenic passing small towns nestled in the mountains. We pulled off a few times on the way to take pictures. When we arrived at the Bavella parking, I was amazed to see so many people. I guess I wasn’t the only person who had heard of this place!

We started off by walking around the general area, finding a much-needed toilet, and deciding to have an early lunch before the restaurant got too packed. It was a lovely restaurant on the main road with a large terrace and great views of the Needle mountains.

After a delicious meal, we started off on the easiest and shortest hike in the area at 6 kilometers roundtrip. It was more challenging than advertised but only at the midpoint where we had to climb up rocks to see the popular ‘Trou de la Bombe’ (Hole in the Rock). The first half of the path was relatively flat and surrounded by forest trees and many fern plants. We came back via a different route which was also pretty. The whole trip took about 2.5 hours (link to trail route).

I thoroughly enjoyed this trip to see the Bavella Needle mountains and highly recommend it. If you go in the summer, plan to get there early to avoid the crowds.

For a guided tour near this area, check out this Discovery hike on the Coscione plateau, Alta Rocca

Plage du Lido

There was a nice beach in our town of Propriano called ‘Plage Du Lido‘. We didn’t go during the day but walked there one night to watch the sunset and sip on cocktails. The Oasis Bar had a large terrace directly on the beach. We had dinner at a different beachside restaurant.

Plage de La Tonnara

On the drive south from Propriano to Bonifacio, we stopped off at one of the beaches called ‘Plage de La Tonnara‘. We had an iced coffee and walked around to see the views. We didn’t get in the water but it was very pretty. There were several kite surfers at this beach which were interesting to watch.

Bonifacio

We spent the next four nights in the town of Bonifacio. I reserved a hotel on the harbor which had great views, a swimming pool, and its own free parking. There are not many hotels that offer all of this, so I recommend staying in the very nice Solemare Hotel.

Bonifacio Old Town

Although initially not obvious, there is an old town above the Bonifacio harbor. This medieval old town is the oldest town in Corsica and has many tall houses along cobbled streets. You’ll have to walk up a fairly steep hill to reach this area but it’s a must-do to see great views of the harbor and the seaside cliffs.

We had two meals in this part of Bonifacio. It is lovely to walk through the narrow pedestrian streets and alleys enclosed by the sturdy walls of the citadel. You can also walk further out to see the citadel and a large cemetery.

Cliff Walk

One of the highlights in Bonifacio was doing the cliff walk trail to the southernmost tip of Corsica, the Capu Pertusatu lighthouse. It’s a fairly easy 9km (there and back) walk but good shoes are required. The walk offers jaw-dropping views of the cliffs and the coastline.

As you leave the Old Town, you’ll see a tower that looks like a lighthouse, but it is an observation and radar tower of the French Navy. The old lighthouse in Capu Pertusatu is a bit further away and becomes visible when passing the military area.

We happened to have an extremely windy day when we did the cliff walk. I was not a happy-camper with the flying sand in my eyes, but it was still worth doing the walk. Keep in mind there are few restaurants or places to stop, so do take water for the journey.

If you walk behind the lighthouse, you’ll get a great view of the rocks and the small sandy ‘Plage de Saint Antoine‘. We missed the easier path that leads down to the beach (before the lighthouse), so we went back to find the path and the beach for a quick swim. However, note that there are no amenities on the beach, but it’s a lovely quaint beach in a small bay.

Porto Vecchio

Porto Vecchio is a town on the east coast of Corsica, just a 30-minute drive from Bonifacio and on a smooth flat road. Parking in the center is not easy so you may have to park on the hillside and walk 10 minutes to reach the downtown area.

We walked around the town, had a drink in the square, and then stumbled upon a cute hidden restaurant where we had lunch. The ‘Les Jardins D’Eden‘ restaurant is a great place to admire the views and escape the hot sun. I ordered tuna tataki as my starter (so good) and mussels for the main (also very good).

For more ideas on what to do in Porto Vecchia, check out this Manawa tour – Sea kayaking excursion in Pinarello near Porto-Vecchio, Corsica

Plage de Santa Giulia

On the way back from Porto Vecchio, we stopped off at the pretty ‘Plage de Santa Giulia‘ for a refreshing drink and a swim. Albeit, we had to pay 5 euros to enter the parking lot which was a short walk from the beach.

What distinguished this beach were the big rocks in the shallow water by the beach. What’s more, you will find a couple of restaurants directly on the beach.

You may be interested in booking a Boat trip from Santa Giulia, South Corsica

Lavezzi Islands

When in Bonifacio, you must take a boat tour to see the cliffs from the water and visit the interesting Lavezzi Islands. We booked an 8-hour boat tour that first took us 4 kilometers away to the Lavezzi Islands where we spent a couple of hours on the island walking around the huge rock formations and swimming in the crystal clear bay.

I have to admit we got completely lost walking around this small island for one hour as all the coves and rocks started looking the same. A bit of panic set in but we finally found our way!

We had a delicious lobster lunch on the boat and then had time for swimming and jumping off the boat into the refreshing water. On the way back, the boat stopped at a second swim location before returning by the steep cliffs of Bonifacio and entering a small grotto.

In conclusion, it was a great day on the water and I highly recommend our boat tour company called L’AUTRE CROISIÈRE.

Other great tours to check out are a Catamaran Excursion to the Lavezzi Islands from Bonifacio or a Boat trip in the Natural Reserve of the Bouches de Bonifacio from Santa Manza.

King of Aragon Staircase

There was one more thing I wanted to do in Bonifacio and that was to walk the 189 steps from the Old Town to the Sea. This attraction is called the ‘Staircase of The King of Aragon‘ (Escalier du Roi d’Aragon, in French) and costs only 5 Euros for the mandatory helmet.

The steep stony staircase is carved into the vertical side of a limestone cliff and cuts across the face of the cliff at a nearly 45° angle. I found it exciting to walk down the steps and along a narrow path below the cliffs. Consequently we had to be careful to not hit our heads on the rock while admiring the amazing views!

Plage De Cupabia

After our four days in Bonifacio, we had to drive back to Ajaccio for our last night before flying out. We decided to stop off on the way at the ‘Plage de Cupabia‘ (north of Propriano). Besides, I had read that this secluded beach was very scenic with great waves.

We got lucky to get a table at the only restaurant on the beach (called Waikiki Beach) where we had a nice meal. I stayed at the table while my partner went out to body surf the waves. The water was gorgeous and there was a cool breeze.

Ajaccio

I had reserved a hotel for our last night in the center of the old town of Ajaccio. We found it better to do the long drive from Bonifacio the day before we flew home instead of having to drive directly to the airport in the early morning. I had been to Ajaccio once before but had not seen the downtown area.

The Hotel San Carlu Citadelle was located next to the Citadelle (we had the view from our room), but the best part of the hotel was the rooftop terrace. We went for drinks and were amazed when the 6th-floor elevator doors opened up to an open-air fancy bar and restaurant. Moreover, there were beautiful 360-degree views from the rooftop overlooking the water, town, and surrounding mountains.

We walked along the seaside path, around the old town, and by the harbor before having dinner at one of the restaurants on a pedestrian street.

There you go! That was our nine day Itinerary in Southern Corsica. It was perfect and the weather was fabulous for us. July is one of the busiest months for tourists but we didn’t find it overly crowded. I believe August would have been too busy. Corsica is a beautiful island and I’m even more convinced now that I’ve seen the southern part!

If you are interested in other European destinations, check out my page which shows all blog posts for Europe!

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