The Island of Beauty and Its Mountain Spine
Corsica is a French island in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Italy and north of Sardinia, known for its mountains, its beaches, its maquis scrub and its strong independent character. About 8,700 square kilometres in size, it rises steeply from the sea to peaks above 2,700 metres, giving it a reputation as a mountain in the sea. Nicknamed the Island of Beauty, it offers granite cliffs, sandy bays, forested valleys and villages built of stone, all within a compact area that rewards unhurried exploration.
History is everywhere. Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio in 1769, and the city's Maison Bonaparte and imperial museum tell the story. Bonifacio, on the island's southern tip, is perched on dazzling white limestone cliffs above a long harbour, while Calvi and Bastia are guarded by Genoese citadels. The Gulf of Porto, with the Calanques de Piana, Girolata and the Scandola Nature Reserve, was inscribed by UNESCO in 1983, a landscape of red granite, turquoise water and wild coast.
Palombaggia, the GR20 and Island Flavours
For beaches, the island is generous. Palombaggia and Santa Giulia in the south offer pale sand framed by umbrella pines, Saleccia in the Desert des Agriates is a wild stretch reached by boat or track, and the long curve at Calvi is perfect for family days. Walkers know Corsica for the GR20, a demanding long-distance trail across the mountain spine, and for gentler routes through chestnut forest and along the coast. Boat trips, canyoning and sea kayaking add variety.
Corsican cooking is rooted in the land: brocciu fresh cheese, chestnut flour, figatellu sausages, wild boar stew, honey and clementines, with the wines of Patrimonio and Ajaccio to match. The island sits happily alongside neighbours; Sardinia lies across the Strait of Bonifacio, Elba to the north-east, and the French Riviera on the mainland coast. A hotel group could pair seaside resorts with mountain gites to offer a stay of real range.
Read the full Corsica guide on Visit Travel Group, or see VisitCorsica.co.uk on Visit Travel Group.