Corsica travel guide
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A white sand beach with turquoise water in CorsicaPhoto: SlimMars 13 / Pexels
Beaches & coves

The best beaches in Corsica

White sand in the far south, pink granite coves and wild inlets on Cap Corse: choose your beach.

Map

All our beach guides on the map

Our selection

Our ten favourite beaches

Ten beaches chosen for their variety: white sand or dunes, calm water or waves, reached by car, train, boat or on foot. Petit Sperone and Piantarella are not on the list: you pass through them on the way to Grand Sperone.

  1. Palombaggia Beach Two kilometres of sand between the pines and the red rocks, with lifeguards in July and August, an access mat and a beach wheelchair.
  2. Santa Giulia Beach A nearly enclosed bay with shallow turquoise water and lifeguards in July and August: a good choice with young children.
  3. Rondinara Beach An almost enclosed cove where the water stays calm, five minutes on foot from the car park.
  4. Grand Sperone Beach Very fine white sand facing due south, opposite the Lavezzi, at the end of a 25-minute walk.
  5. Fautea Beach Two small beaches either side of a Genoese tower; the northern one has a beach wheelchair.
  6. Capo di Feno Beach The beach for waves and surfers, west of Ajaccio, with lifeguards in July and August.
  7. Saleccia Beach Over a kilometre of white sand with no road and no buildings, reached by 4x4, by boat or on foot.
  8. Ostriconi Beach Fine sand between a river mouth, a lagoon and dunes, with lifeguards in summer.
  9. Bodri and Ghjunchitu Beaches Two fine sandy beaches 3 km from L’Île-Rousse, five minutes on foot from a Balagne train stop.
  10. Sant’Ambroggio Beach Gentle swimming, sheltered from the wind, below the Lumio marina, with wheelchair access.
Beach guides

All the beaches, region by region

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Beaches in Corsica

Corsica (Corse) has beaches of white sand, pebbles and black sand, some at the end of a road, others at the end of a footpath. They vary a great deal from one coast to another: long, windswept beaches on the west coast, sheltered coves in the south, wide stretches of sand on the east coast. Here are the main ones, region by region, with how to get there and what to watch out for. Those that already have their own detailed guide are on the map and in the grid at the top of this page.

Before you go: swimming and safety

  • A green flag means supervised swimming with no obvious danger, a yellow flag supervised but dangerous swimming, and a red flag means swimming is prohibited. With no flag, the beach is not supervised, according to service-public.gouv.fr.
  • Only some beaches have lifeguards, on dates set by each municipality: from mid-June to mid-September in Calvi, in July and August at Campomoro, and never on many isolated beaches.
  • In a westerly wind, the swell hits the west-coast beaches while the coves on the east coast stay calm. Check the marine forecast before you choose.
  • Posidonia (Neptune grass) forms seagrass meadows underwater and banks of dead leaves on the sand. It is protected: do not pull it up, and do not drop anchor on it.
  • Protected sites have their own rules: the Bouches de Bonifacio reserve, the Scandola reserve and land owned by the Conservatoire du littoral. Camping and fires are prohibited there.

The north and Cap Corse

Nonza beach

Below the hilltop village of Nonza and its tower, on the west side of the Cap, lies a black sand beach, according to the Agence du tourisme de la Corse. You reach it by a long flight of steps from the village. It is more a viewpoint than a swimming beach, and every step down has to be climbed back up.

The long black pebble beach at Nonza seen from abovePhoto : SlimMars 13 / Pexels

At the tip of the Cap, near Macinaggio, Tamarone is a calm, family-friendly beach of fine sand, reached by the D80. The coastal path from Macinaggio to Centuri (19.3 km, about 8 hours according to the Agence du tourisme de la Corse) passes the wild beaches of the northern Cap, including Barcaggio.

Illustration of a small wild beach between two headlands of maquis, in the north of Cap CorseIllustration

In Bastia, Arinella beach, south of the town, is equipped for people with reduced mobility (Handiplage label) and is a no-smoking beach.

Saleccia beach and the Agriates beaches

West of Saint-Florent, the Agriates (Agriate) have no surfaced road down to the sea. Their beaches, Lotu, Saleccia, Ghignu and Malfalcu, can be reached by boat from Saint-Florent, along a track for 4x4s only, or on foot by the coastal path. Saleccia has more than a kilometre of white sand lined with pines. Bring water and a hat: there is almost no shade and no facilities. All the access routes, walking times and rules are on our page about the Agriates desert.

The Saleccia dune, its junipers and sand fencesPhoto : VokaGraphic / Pixabay

Illustration of a white sand beach in dry maquis country, with no shadeIllustration

The Balagne

The Ostriconi valley

At the mouth of the Ostriconi, in the municipality of Palasca, about fifteen kilometres from L’Île-Rousse, the beach marks the western edge of the Agriates. You reach it on foot from the old road. It has lifeguards in season, but the waves become dangerous in strong winds (Agence du tourisme de la Corse).

Illustration of a beach at a river mouth, between two hills of maquisIllustration

L’Île-Rousse beach

In town, the beach runs along the seafront, a short walk from the centre (see visit L’Île-Rousse). About 1 km towards Calvi, in the municipality of Corbara, Bodri beach has lifeguards in season and is served by the little beach train; on windy days it draws windsurfers and kitesurfers. East of the town, Lozari beach runs for about 1.5 km of sand.

L’Île-Rousse beach with the mountains in the distancePhoto : SlimMars 13 / Pexels

Algajola village

Between L’Île-Rousse and Calvi, Algajola beach stretches for 1.5 km below the fortified village. The little beach train stops here, which makes it one of the few beaches on the island you can reach without a car.

Illustration of a long golden sand beach with waves at the water's edgeIllustration

Calvi beach

The main beach at Calvi runs for nearly 4 km along the pine wood, below the citadel. It has lifeguards from mid-June to mid-September, dogs are not allowed, and you pay to park in the pine wood car parks from 1 June to 30 September (Agence du tourisme de la Corse). See visit Calvi.

Calvi beach with the citadel at the far end of the bayPhoto : SlimMars 13 / Pexels

The west coast

Porto beach

At the head of the Gulf of Porto, the beach at the harbour lies below the Genoese tower, facing the red cliffs. Further south, in the municipality of Piana, Arone beach has fine sand and clear water, with a view of Capo Rosso. The Gulf of Porto is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site: see visit Porto and the Calanques de Piana.

The beach and tower at Porto at the head of the gulfPhoto : jackmac34 / Pixabay

Near Ajaccio, Capo di Feno has two beaches separated by a field, known to surfers: you can get there on Ajaccio bus line 5, and you should follow the flags, as the swell is strong. On the other side of the gulf, Isolella beach, near Porticcio, has a sheltered cove that suits young children and a large car park.

The south-west

Portigliolo beach

At the head of the Gulf of Valinco, near Propriano, Portigliolo has nearly 4 km of fine sand, wilder towards the mouth of the Rizzanèse. The sea quickly becomes dangerous when the waves are high.

Illustration of a very long sandy beach at the head of a gulf, with dunes near a river mouthIllustration

On the north shore of the gulf, Cupabia (Serra-di-Ferro) is a fine sand beach popular with windsurfers, the starting point for paths waymarked by the Parc naturel régional. On the south shore, Campomoro is a sheltered, gently shelving bay below a Genoese tower, with lifeguards in July and August. See visit Propriano.

Tizzano beach

South of Sartène, you reach Tizzano by the RT40 and then the D48. The beach, at the end of the road, is family-friendly and very busy in summer, with a few shops. Further south, the bay of Roccapina lies below the Roccapina lion.

Illustration of a small family beach in a granite coveIllustration

The far south

Rondinara beach

18 km north of Bonifacio towards Porto-Vecchio, including 7 km of narrow, winding road (the D158), Rondinara is a shell-shaped bay closed off by two headlands. The fine sand shelves gently. In summer the car park fills up early, and the beach is no-smoking. The seabed is covered with fragile seagrass: do not walk on it or drop anchor on it.

Illustration of a shell-shaped bay closed off by two headlands, shallow water over the seagrassIllustration

East of Bonifacio, Piantarella has no white sand but a shallow lagoon facing the island of Piana, very popular with windsurfers and wingfoilers. The posidonia banks there are protected. Landing on the island of Piana is discouraged, and prohibited from 15 December to 15 April. Just to the south, the beaches of Petit Sperone and Grand Sperone are within walking distance of each other. Offshore, the coves of the Lavezzi Islands can be reached by boat.

Santa Giulia bay

South of Porto-Vecchio, Santa Giulia is a white sand lagoon at the foot of the hills, with a watersports centre and facilities for people with reduced mobility. A little further north, Palombaggia has fine sand, red rocks, dunes and umbrella pines. Both are very busy in August: come early in the morning. See visit Porto-Vecchio.

Illustration of a white sand bay with shallow turquoise water, at the foot of hillsIllustration

The east coast

North of Porto-Vecchio, the coast opens onto long sandy beaches such as Saint-Cyprien, in the municipality of Lecci. Further north, near Aléria, Padulone beach runs on from the mouth of the Tavignanu: fine sand, a car park, no lifeguards. The east coast is the most sheltered from the westerly wind and the least crowded, but it has little natural shade.