Where to stay in Corsica

Where to stay in Corsica

Crossing Corsica (Corse) by road takes two to three hours, and mountain roads are slow. Where you stay therefore decides what you will see: two bases in two regions are better than a single place from which everything is far away. Each of our destination pages describes its neighbourhoods and areas, with their advantages.

By type of trip

• Without a car, stay in the centre of a town served by train or coach: Calvi, L’Île-Rousse, Bastia or Corte, near the station. See the train in Corsica.
• For hiking, choose the mountains or the foothills: Calenzana, at the start of the GR20 (see Calvi), the entrance to the Restonica, Venaco and Vivario (see Corte), Évisa (see Porto) or L’Ospedale (see Porto-Vecchio).
• For a family beach holiday, look for somewhere within walking distance of the sand: the pine wood at Calvi, La Roya at Saint-Florent, Santa Giulia at Porto-Vecchio, Porto-Pollo and Campomoro around Propriano.
• If your ferry arrives late, sleep near the port on the first night: place Saint-Nicolas in Bastia, or the port at Propriano or L’Île-Rousse.
• For a touring holiday, plan one base in the north (the Balagne or Saint-Florent), one on the west coast or in the centre, and one in the south.

By region

The north: Bastia, Cap Corse and the Nebbiu

Bastia is the most practical if you arrive by ferry, with a lively old port and easy trips out to the Cap. Saint-Florent is quieter, right on the water, at the gateway to the Agriates (Agriate) and the Patrimonio vineyards.

The Balagne

Calvi and L’Île-Rousse share the beach holidays of the north-west and are linked by the little train. The hilltop villages inland are quieter and cooler, provided you have a car.

The west coast

Around Porto, accommodation is small-scale and spread between the marina, Ota, Piana and Évisa: a base for Scandola, the calanques and the forests. Ajaccio has the widest choice, in town or towards the Sanguinaires road and Porticcio.

The centre

Corte is the only town in the interior, and the best base for the mountains: the Restonica, the Niolu, Vizzavona. There is less choice than on the coast, but it is cheaper in summer.

The south

Propriano and Sartène cover the Gulf of Valinco and the Alta Rocca. Porto-Vecchio is the centre for beach holidays in the far south, from the upper town to Santa Giulia. Bonifacio and Figari are the closest to the Lavezzi and the southern airport.

Before you book a rental

Photo : SlimMars 13 / Pexels

Whatever the type of accommodation, ask in writing for the price, the exact address, the terms and conditions and the cancellation options.

Arrhes or acompte? Unless the contract says otherwise, money paid in advance to a business counts as arrhes (a forfeitable deposit, article L214-1 of the Consumer Code): if you cancel, you lose it; if the business cancels, it must pay you back twice the amount. An acompte (part payment), on the other hand, binds both parties.

Rentals through an estate agent. For a holiday rental managed by a property professional, the sums paid on booking may not exceed 25% of the rent, nor be requested more than twelve months before you move in; the balance can be demanded no earlier than one month beforehand. This rule (article 68 of the decree of 20 July 1972, amended in February 2026) applies to bookings made since 1 March 2026; previously, the limit was six months.

Contract and description. Every offer or contract for a holiday rental must be in writing and state the price and a description of the property (article L324-2 of the Tourism Code). The listing for a meublé de tourisme (furnished holiday let) must show its registration number from the town hall. Star ratings, on the other hand, are optional: the owner applies for one, and it lasts five years.

On arrival, go through the inventory and condition report with the owner, taking photos. If there is a serious disagreement, a commissaire de justice (court officer) can draw up an official report. For a dispute with a business, you can contact the fraud control service of the direction départementale de la protection des populations (DDETSPP) in each département.

The tourist tax is paid by the guest and collected by the accommodation provider, in the municipalities that have introduced it (article L2333-26 of the Code général des collectivités territoriales). The amount depends on the municipality and the type of accommodation.

Hotels

The price of a night’s stay must be displayed outside, near the entrance, and at reception, together with check-in and check-out times; the prices of extra services are displayed in the room (order of 18 December 2015). You are given a bill for any service costing €25 or more. The hotelier is liable for items you hand over for safekeeping and, up to a certain limit, for those left in the room (articles 1952 to 1954 of the Civil Code): use the safe for valuables. Refusing a guest on grounds of origin, sex, family situation, age or disability is a criminal offence (article 225-2 of the Penal Code).

Camping

Camping is prohibited, unless an exemption has been granted, on the seashore, in classified or listed sites, near historic monuments and within 200 m of a drinking water intake (article R111-33 of the Town Planning Code). Elsewhere, you need the consent of whoever has the use of the land, and the mayor can ban it by an order posted at the town hall. In natural sites such as the Agriates or the reserves, camping and bivouacking are prohibited: ask at the tourist office or the town hall. Nights in the GR20 refuges are booked with the Parc naturel régional de Corse.