10 Things to do in Corsica, France
Are you looking for an island adventure? Then this place was made for you. For the French-speaking locals, the Ile de Beauté is where luxury beaches, charming coastal towns, and lush hikes come together.
If you’re traveling to Corsica, I highly recommend coming during the offseason (April- June or September) before it gets too crowded. While this island remains somewhat of a secret, it’s growing in popularity and becoming a tourist hotspot during the hot summer months. We visited in May, and while we had some chilly days, the weather was pretty ideal - hot enough to swim in the ocean and cool enough to stay refreshed on the trails.
Ready to start planning? Check out my top ten recommendations on what to do, see, and experience in Corsica below. Happy travels!
Walk the cliffs in Bonifacio
The oldest city in Corsica, Bonifacio, is located south of the island and on some pretty impressive cliffs. Exploring them should make your bucket list. How to get there? Climb! You can drive (good luck with parking) or take the long staircase until you reach the top. Once you’re there, you can either go right and explore the old town or go left and, you guessed it, walk some more. If you want to go to the lighthouse of Pertusato, the whole trail is about 5 Km roundtrip, but you can feel free to do as much or as little as you like - the view pretty much stays the same, and it can get pretty windy! The old town was also charming, so I would check that out once you’re done.
Go Camping
Camping in Corsica
Fellow campers unite! We camped almost every night we stayed in Corsica, and it was such a great way to stretch our dollar and maximize our time outdoors. While it might not have been possible to do this during the busy summer months, we didn’t make any reservations in advance and were very spontaneous and flexible with where we stayed each night. Almost all campgrounds offered a morning bread service with baguettes, pain au chocolats, or Brötchen (essentially breakfast rolls, very popular amongst a German crowd). Can we get any more European?! 😍 I loved that.
One thing I will say if you opt for a camping vacation is to carry cash with you! Almost every place we stayed at only accepted cash, no card (you will see signs everywhere saying ‘No CB,’ which means credit card). ATMs can be few and far between on the island, so I highly recommend you stock up when you can.
Here are a handful of our favorite campgrounds:
Drink a Capo Spritz
This is a must! In Corsica, the local Aperitif is the Capo Spritz. It’s made up of Cap Corse Mattei liquor with a sweet yet slightly bitter taste. Pair this with prosecco or sparkling wine and some citrus, and stir well. Cap Corse Mattei comes in white and red, so be sure to try them.
Try The Local Cuisine
Corsica offers a wide variety of delicious foods, most heavy on carbs and meat, not that I’m complaining. 😋 We didn’t eat out very often, but when we did, we treated ourselves. Many restaurants in Corsica offered a three-course meal at a surprisingly affordable price (usually around 25€-35€ P.p). For an appetizer, you usually got a charcuterie board; the main course was pasta or roast, and something sweet or a cheese plate for dessert.
Here are a few of my top Food recs
Chèvre (goat cheese) pancakes: These flapjacks are like little clouds of cheesy heaven. I mean, seriously, they practically dissolve on your tongue. Y. U. M
Côte de Veau Corse à la Pancetta: When this plate of pure awesomeness hit our table, I lost it! I'm talking peak excitement levels, folks. I’m sure the staff at A Piazzetta and the people around us were concerned about this crazy American girl beside them. 🙈 This dish? Picture a massive veal cuddled up in a pancetta blankie (think bacon, but even snazzier), served with crispy potatoes all coated in a buttery sauce. It was a foodie dream come true, and a solid 10/10!
Crêpes: Now, who doesn't adore a good ol' crêpe? In Corsica, they take 'em up a notch. Picture grabbing one of these bad boys from a street vendor on the fly. Take your pick of ham and cheese or mushrooms; they’re all fab.
Gnocchi: The gnocchi I snagged in Corte was a cheese-loaded marvel. Keep calm and embrace the carbs, my friends! 🍝
Drive the D81
Buckle up because the D81 road trip is a wild ride! It slithers from Ajaccio down to the north in Calvi, just like a rollercoaster with a view. Trust me, even from the passenger seat, it's an adventure on its own!
If you're on the hunt for the absolute jaw-dropping stretch, kick things off in Ota and coast your way to Plage d’Arone, preferably under a magnificent sunset. Technically, it's an hour-long journey, but I’d encourage you to take it slow and definitely don't forget to make pit stops at the most scenic viewpoints. The Point de vue - Affacatoghju is particularly mind-blowing! 🌅
Explore the Calanques de Piana
I wrote about this particular hiking area in my roundup post of the 7 best hikes in Corsica, and as it was one of my favorite places we explored, I have to hype it up again here. Just off the D81 road, the Calanques de Piana offers 360° views of mountains, coastline, and miles and miles of gorgeous, blue water. We parked here and followed the yellow trail marked ‘Sentir Muletier’ until we reached the road. From there, we walked (very) carefully down the road about 200 m until we found the blue trail marked ‘Le Roches Bleues’ and then hiked back to the car. It was about a 1.5-2 hour hike. 10/10 recommend this trail! It was a middle difficulty, and I recommend starting as early as possible if you go here during the summer. If you’re not a hiker, you can also go to this little restaurant, Le Roches Bleues. It was too crowded when we passed by, but I imagine the view alone makes it worth it!
Explore Nonza
Nonza was probably one of the most beautiful places that we visited. And as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, that should have come as no surprise. The colorful buildings against the contrast of the black beach really made the town pop! We parked our car just below the city and walked carefully on the road until we reached the town. One of the major highlights of this town was the fruit cafe we visited. There, I had what I believe to be the best ice cream of my life - 1 scoop of strawberry ice cream with huge chunks of actual strawberries melted in and 1 scoop of vanilla. Just heavenly!
Have a Beach Day
As an island in the Mediterranean, a beach day (or multiple 🤭) is definitely in order. You will find crystal-clear water, clean shores, and a whole lot of sun - just don’t forget your sun hat!
Here are a few of my favorite beaches to visit:
Walk around Bastia
Last but certainly not least, I highly recommend you walk around Bastia and explore this second most populated city in Corsica. We had about 5 hours to kill before boarding our journey home via Corsica Ferries and found plenty of fun things to do in this city. Some of our highlights included visiting the Mattei Concept Store - here, you can sample different liquors (hello Limoncello) and purchase a few for the road, hitting up craft brewery, Malacella, and sipping coffee at Okoffee Roasters. I suppose the theme here is drinking delicious things!
