This 2 week Corsica itinerary begins with Corsica blowing us away – only 90 minutes after taking off from Paris we were staring at bright‑blue water, rugged hills and a holiday we’d never realised was so close.
We travelled in July, landed at Calvi in the north, rented a car, and spent the next two weeks winding south along the west coast and through the mountains before flying home from Figari in the island’s far south. Over two weeks we cruised from the blonde‑sand beaches of Corsica’s northwest coast, climbed into the island’s rugged interior, and drifted south to its famed turquoise bays.
Below you’ll find our family‑tested playbook: a day‑by‑day route that hops from Calvi’s citadel to L’Île‑Rousse’s town beach, up to the hill village of Pigna, across the mountain hub of Corte, and down to Bonifacio’s cliffs, Santa Giulia’s lagoon and Rondinara’s glass‑clear bay. Expect verified drive times, kid‑approved beaches, hand‑picked places to stay, practical tips to keep everything running smoothly, and clear advice on what to see at each stop.
Follow my day‑by‑day notes to copy the route, pick your own highlights, or simply see why this Corsica itinerary has become our favourite easy escape.
Trip Snapshot
Duration: 13 days
Who travelled: Family of four (two adults, two kids aged 5 and 9)
Bases: 3 stops – L’Île‑Rousse (north‑coast apartment, 4 nts) · Bastelica (mountain B&B, 2 nts) · Santa Giulia (south‑coast villa, 7 nts)
Transport: Single rental car for the whole trip
Route: Calvi → Figari – a one-way Corsica itinerary perfect for families.
Best for: Families who want soft adventure with a mix of beaches, villages and short hikes.
- Week 1 – Northern Corsica: Calvi, L’Île‑Rousse & The Balagne (Days 1 – 5)
- The Heart of the Island: Corte & The Mountains (Days 6 – 7)
- Week 2 – Southern Corsica: Porto‑Vecchio, Bonifacio & Legendary Beaches (Days 8 – 13)
- Planning Your Own Corsican Escape
- More on France
Week 1 – Northern Corsica: Calvi, L’Île‑Rousse & The Balagne (Days 1 – 5)
Day 1 – Arrival, Sea‑View Lunch & Sunset by the Pool
Kicking off our Corsica itinerary, we landed at Calvi‑Sainte‑Catherine Airport from Paris just after 11am and collected the Hertz rental car we had booked in advance. At the counter we learned that this branch rents only electric vehicles. I’m not sure whether other companies follow the same policy, but over the next two weeks we never had a problem. Charging points were easy to find whenever we needed them, so we glided south toward L’Île‑Rousse in near silence.
Check‑in at La Résidence Lésia in Corbara near l’Île‑Rousse wasn’t until late afternoon, so we diverted to the waterfront restaurant L’Escale inL’Île‑Rousse for lunch. Tables spill onto a shaded terrace above the sand, an ideal perch for our first glimpse of that turquoise Corsican sea.
By mid‑afternoon we reached our base for the next four nights: a modern, sea‑view apartment on a low hillside overlooking the Balagne mountains. The family‑run residence has just three units that share a pool, and each two‑bedroom apartment comes with its own terrace. The kitchen was fully equipped, there was a washing machine for guests, and parking was free. As the sun dipped, the sky flushed peach behind the peaks and we enjoyed watching the beautiful sunset.
Day 2 – Bodri & Ghjunchitu: Two Beaches in One Day
Beach days in Corsica start with a weather check, and the wind was mercifully light. A five‑minute drive took us to Plage de Bodri (bring €3 in cash for all‑day parking) followed by a five‑minute walk down to the sand. Often billed as the most beautiful beach in the northwest, Bodri delivered. Fine white sand, gentle turquoise water and a wild feel thanks to the complete lack of cafés, rental kiosks or facilities. You have to bring everything yourself: umbrella, towels, drinks, snacks. The beach is roughly 400 m long, and even with a healthy number of visitors it never felt crowded.
By noon a stiff breeze had umbrellas somersaulting, so we packed up and walked ten minutes around the headland to Ghjunchitu Beach. The water was equally clear, but here a relaxed beach bar served iced lemonade and rented cushioned sunbeds. The only real difference was the lively soundtrack drifting from the café. We lingered until hunger set in, then drove back to town and found Le Rendez‑Vous still serving lunch at 2.30pm; their towering ice‑cream sundaes more than made up for average pasta.
Tip: Large beach umbrellas are sold in most supermarkets and tourist shops for about €20–25. One big model shaded the four of us during our entire holiday.
Day 3 – Pigna Village & Pietra Lighthouse Walk
Pigna Village
The forecast promised 28 °C but the wind howled. We swapped beach bags for walking shoes and pointed the car inland toward Pigna, a hill village 15–20 minutes from L’Île‑Rousse. From the road we spotted its orange roofs and blue shutters and had to pull over for a photo.
Pigna is tiny, traffic‑free and considered to be is one of the most beautiful villages in Corsica. Think of a pocket‑sized Eze in the South of France with cobbled lanes, pastel doors, cacti and flowering pots but without the crowds. Arriving around noon on a Monday, we almost had the place to ourselves. We parked like many visitors on the main road a couple of minutes’ walk below the village (there is a small pay car park closer if you prefer) and set off on foot.
An unhurried hour is enough to wander every alley, browse artisan workshops (ceramics, jewellery, hand‑crafted music boxes), and soak up the sea views. My favourite part was simply admiring the houses themselves: blue doors framed by bougainvillea, cacti bursting from terracotta pots and brightly coloured flowers climbing every wall.
Most eateries open right at 12pm; we grabbed a terrace table at Casarella, a Corsican tapas café with a wide blue horizon for a backdrop. The kids demolished a “menu enfant” (local cheese, charcuterie, crisps) while we ordered a selection of small local tapas. If you’re visiting in peak season, book ahead as some tables were already marked “réservé.”
Tip: Wear sturdy shoes—the cobbles and steps are uneven. Also bring a baby carrier instead of a stroller.
Pietra Lighthouse
Back in L’Île‑Rousse, we headed to the main square to catch the hourly Petit Train. This white‑and‑blue tourist train with open carriages shuttles visitors on a 10‑minute ride (€8 return for adults, €4 for kids) from the square along the breakwater to the base of the Pietra Lighthouse. It’s ideal if you have toddlers or anyone who might struggle with the walk. The 3pm departure, however, was packed, and the next wouldn’t leave for an hour, so our kids voted to walk.
The coastal Marinella promenade offers a flat, stroller‑friendly boardwalk with constant sea views. On the 20‑minute stroll to the port we passed L’Île‑Rousse’s town beach, rows of bobbing fishing boats and even a small statue of the Little Mermaid perched on the rocks. From the port a clearly marked path leads up the russet‑rock headland. This is exactly where the Petit Train drops you, train riders must still make the climb on foot.
The ascent isn’t technically hard, but little legs tire quickly in the heat, so allow 25–30 minutes with photo and water breaks (bring your own; there is nowhere to buy drinks en route). Each bend reveals a bigger panorama: orange‑red islets, the 16th‑century Pietra Tower guarding the narrow channel, and the whole sweep of L’Île‑Rousse’s terracotta rooftops. At the white‑washed lighthouse the reward is a 360‑degree view of sapphire water and the Balagne coastline.
After the descent we made a quick five‑minute drive to Le Marché Plein Air at Col de Fogata, a busy farm market we’d spotted earlier. Alongside crates of local fruit and vegetables they prepare hot daily specials in small batches—we ordered roast chicken, roast vegetables and golden roast potatoes to go. The counter staff warned dishes often sell out by mid‑afternoon, but you can reserve online and collect later, which is worth doing in high season. The market opens seven days a week (7am–8pm), and their homemade desserts are excellent (don’t miss the fiadone). Supplies in hand, we drove back, spread dinner on our terrace and watched the Balagne peaks turn peach at sunset.
Day 4 – A Full Day on L’Île‑Rousse’s Town Beach
We devoted the whole day to Plage de L’Île‑Rousse and it was glorious. Arriving in late morning, we still found free parking on the far‑right edge of the bay just steps from the sand. Several cafés line the beach with tables planted directly in the soft white sand, each renting padded sunbeds for about €20 per day. Although the beach was busy, demand for loungers was low and plenty sat empty.
We set up opposite the restaurant Marinella, ordered four loungers and settled into the rhythm: swim, read, wander up to the counter for a cold drink, repeat. Staff don’t offer on‑bed food service, but the restaurant sits only a few metres behind the loungers and you can use their restrooms at will. Lunch tasted better with our toes buried in the sand. The bay shelves gently, staying waist‑deep for a long way, so even when the afternoon wind whipped up playful waves the children could safely bodysurf close to shore. Note that organised water sports (jet‑skis, paddle boards, boat‑tour kiosks) sit 10–15 minutes’ walk toward the lighthouse end of the beach; the central stretch remains blissfully quiet.
Tip: The temperatures can change very quickly day to day especially the wind so don’t plan your itinerary around the temperatures but look out for the wind conditions. You may have 30+ degrees days but very strong winds when even going for a swim or taking a boat tour will be impossible or just not safe to do.
Day 5 – Calvi Day Trip & Scenic Coastal Train Home
Calvi Day Trip
After a long beach day and some sunburn we skipped the sand and pointed the car toward the town of Calvi, 30 minutes west. First stop was the Notre‑Dame de la Serra chapel, perched on a granite outcrop five minutes above town. The chapel itself was closed, but the panoramic view – citadel below, five‑kilometre crescent of sand fading into the mountains – was worth the short detour. This place offers the most beautiful panorama of the Bay of Calvi, including the citadel. In Calvi, we parked beside the citadel’s ramparts – the fortress is the main attraction in Calvi. There was a shaded children’s playground just near the entrance to the citadel under under a shaded tree gave the kids some chance to run around.
The citadel climb that followed was far easier than yesterday’s lighthouse hike: a gentle 10‑minute ascent leads through an archway into narrow lanes lined with shuttered houses. Highlights include a small monument to Christopher Columbus (local legend has him born here), a free Foreign Legion Museum of uniforms and medals, and several lookout points. Allow about 45 minutes to wander; the chapel vista still wins for sheer drama, but the citadel’s history dating back to the 13th century makes the stop worthwhile.
Take your pick of waterfront restaurants – there are so many! We chose the terrace of Le Comme Chez Soi, directly beneath the citadel walls. Corsican‑inspired plates arrived at an unhurried pace – two lazy hours, in true island style, while we watched yachts bobbing in the marina.
Beach train: U Trinichellu
My husband headed back to L’Île‑Rousse by car, while I returned with the kids on U Trinichellu, a small summer beach train that links Calvi with L’Île‑Rousse. The station is a seven‑minute walk from the citadel gate, and a one‑way ticket costs just a few euros. The two‑carriage train leaves roughly every hour, hugging the shoreline for most of the 40‑minute ride before finally rolling into L’Île‑Rousse.
Back in town we browsed souvenir shops, mostly the usual magnets and tea towels, though an artisan boutique called Il Était Une Étoile caught our eye with shell‑inlaid dishes and jewellery boxes. Gifts sorted, we regrouped for dinner at Furnellu di Davia (reservation essential). Locals greeted the owners like family, the wood‑fired oven roared, and every pizza was delicious – another highlight of our Corsica itinerary so far.
The Heart of the Island: Corte & The Mountains (Days 6 – 7)
Day 6 – Winding roads lead to Corte
We checked out of Résidence Lésia and aimed south toward our next base in the island’s interior. The full drive would have taken around 2 ½ hours, so we broke it with a lunch stop in the historical town of Corte, almost exactly halfway. Ninety minutes of winding coast‑to‑mountain road delivered us to the main car park beside Place Gaffori.
Corte feels layered: narrow streets sit on different levels, linked by short flights of steps, so strolling means a gentle up‑and‑down but nothing too taxing. A small tourist train chugs through town every 30 minutes from the museum square, yet we preferred to stretch our legs. Everything is close together – stone houses, shaded cafés – making the town easy to cover in an hour. We refuelled at A Funtana on Place Gaffori, seated beside the fountain whose spring water the waiter used to fill our carafes. Then, we climbed the short, calf‑burning staircase to the Belvédère for a valley panorama.
About an hour farther south we reached Bastelica. This small mountain village is geared almost entirely toward nature lovers. Perched 800 m up the Prunelli valley amid chestnut woods and green pastures, where cows and goats seem to outnumber people, Bastelica serves as a trailhead hub for walks into alpine meadows and the Val d’Ese plateau. The quiet promised a wonderfully relaxing stay. We checked into this B&B with two bedrooms, a shared country kitchen and a garden littered with hazelnuts. Dinner at the nearby Auberge Scaldasole in the village matched the quiet mountain setting – hearty, unfussy and the perfect end to the day.
Day 7 – Lake Tolla and Hiking
We drove to Lac de Tolla and rented a pedal boat with a slide. The rental hut also offered two‑person kayaks and single paddleboards, but the pedal boat was the only craft that could take all four of us. The kids had a blast shooting down the slide straight into the clear water while we pedalled lazily under a ring of green mountains. The lake is huge – we didn’t even reach the halfway mark in our one‑hour slot. Staff hand out a waterproof bucket for phones and wallets, a nice touch. Bring swimsuits, towels and plenty of sunscreen. Two restaurants sit beside the jetty, both well‑reviewed; we chose A Fiuminale but the terrace of the nearby Tolla Plage looked just as good.
Later we set out on the Val d’Ese trail toward the high‑altitude peat bogs known as les Pozzi Bastelica. After an hour of steady climbing in full sun our five‑year‑old hit her limit, so we turned back. Most routes here are better suited to older children and adults, so we’ll save them until she can match her big sister’s pace. A cool shower and a few spirited foosball games over dinner at Chez Paul back in Bastelica were a fine consolation.
Week 2 – Southern Corsica: Porto‑Vecchio, Bonifacio & Legendary Beaches (Days 8 – 13)
Day 8 – From Peaks to Ports
Three hours’ driving from Bastelica to Santa Giulia stitched mountain switchbacks to coastal straights. We paused in Propriano, a small uneventful harbour town, for pizza at Ambata before finishing the journey to Domaine Santa Giulia, a hillside cluster of villas above one of Corsica’s most photographed bays. Our terrace at villa 28 looked straight out over turquoise water – one of the best views I’ve ever had from a hotel window.
Day 9 – Santa Giulia Beach and Trip to Porte Vecchio for 14th July Fireworks
From our terrace Santa Giulia Beach looked like a slice of the Maldives, so expectations were sky‑high. We arrived at 10am to find a very narrow strip of powder sand, so thin there was hardly space to spread out. We were surprised, and frankly a bit disappointed, by how crowded it felt compared with the quieter beaches up north. The bay is divided in two: one half a marina for boat rentals, the other a swimming zone free of engines. We hiked a good 300 m up the shoreline before claiming a patch of sand.
Water here is glass‑clear and shallow for at least 30m, perfect for younger swimmers, but a band of seaweed floats in several spots – easy to dodge yet visually off‑putting. Sun‑lounger packages start around €40–50 per day, more than double L’Île‑Rousse prices. Restaurants and cafés sit just behind the beach but queues were long; one beachfront brasserie quoted a 40‑minute wait at noon. We decamped next door to Kosten Plage, a self‑service snack bar where you order at the counter and eat in shaded seating out back. If you need a breather, follow the short rocky path north to Marina Plage, a smaller cove with the same clear water but slightly thinner crowds. By mid‑afternoon the sun felt relentless, so we retreated to the hotel’s pool.
The evening happened to be 14 July – Bastille Day, France’s national holiday commemorating the 1789 storming of the Bastille and the start of the French Revolution – and Porto‑Vecchio put on a show. Traffic crawled into town (there’s only one main road), but the marina buzzed with live music, well‑dressed locals and tourists. We lucked into an outdoor table at Les Platanes, a traditional Corsican restaurant near the old‑town gate; the whipped‑cheese aubergine starter alone is worth a detour. Fireworks lit the bay at 11 pm and we nice, not mind-blowing. Every car tried to leave the town so a 30‑minute drive home stretched to an hour, but we were in bed by 1am, tired and happy.
Day 10 – Bonifacio: Corsica’s Dramatic South Pole
We set out to explore Bonifacio, often billed as the must‑see town of southern Corsica and worth slotting into any family Corsica itinerary. The medieval citadel balances on sheer white‑limestone cliffs that plunge straight into the sea. Getting in was a bit chaotic: most car parks were full by 9am, but we snagged a space (€25 for three hours!) beside the SPMB boat‑ticket kiosks and the Petit Train departure point – pricey, but worth it for the location.
It was already sweltering, so we began with a 50‑minute boat tour (longer two‑hour circuits are available). From the water you grasp the town’s drama: houses teetering over the void, sea caves including one shaped like Napoleon’s hat, a lighthouse guarding the strait and the famous 187‑step King Aragon Staircase chiselled into the cliff. Half the boat is shaded, which mattered on such a hot day.
Back on land you can walk or ride the Petit Train up to the citadel; trains depart more often than the published 30‑minute interval. We tried walking but the heat beat us after 20 minutes, so we hopped on the little train for the final climb. Cobbled lanes, sun‑bleached shutters and sudden cliff‑edge viewpoints fill half a morning. The best views, though, still belong to the boat tour.
On the port’s main strip cafés and souvenir shops line one pedestrian street with harbour views. We cooled off with gelato from Rocca Serra (local flavours like brocciu and chestnut flour are worth trying) before retreating to the villa pool.
Dinner was five minutes from our hotel at L’Auberge du Pinu. The terrace sits close to the roadside but the pizzas are outstanding; the kids were glued to the wood‑fired oven show while we shared a chilled glass of local wine muscat pétillant.
Days 11 and 12 – Rondinara Beach
After the crowds at Santa Giulia we drove 30 minutes to Rondinara Beach and liked it so much we came back the following day. There is a single, spacious car park (€6 per day, cards accepted) only a two‑minute walk from the sand. A small wooden bridge juts out into the bay.
Rondinara forms a huge horseshoe, at least twice the width of Santa Giulia, with soft white sand and water so clear you can count the fish nibbling at your ankles. Better yet, there is zero seaweed and barely a ripple even on windy days. Waist‑deep water extends 30 m from shore, making it ideal for children. We arrived at 11am both days and still found front‑row space by the water. A single beach restaurant sits behind the dunes; it’s big enough that we got a table at 2.30pm with no wait. After six blissful hours of swimming and fish‑spotting we packed up and drove back to the villa sun‑tired and happy.
Day 13 – Homeward Bound via Figari
Checkout was unhurried. Figari–Sud Corse Airport lies just 25 minutes from Santa Giulia, so we loaded the car and set off mid‑morning. Dropping the keys at the tiny Figari terminal felt surreal. Just fourteen days earlier we had landed in Calvi at the opposite end of the island. Having multiple airports on Corsica makes one‑way road trips effortless: you can fly into the region you most want to explore and fly out from another without back‑tracking. We boarded still brushing sand off our shoes—and already talking about a return trip.
Planning Your Own Corsican Escape
Two weeks let us sample the island’s north‑south contrasts without feeling rushed, yet we barely scratched the surface. If you have a week, focus on North Corsica or South Corsica. With small children consider booking accommodation with a pool for midday swims when beaches are hottest. Whatever length you choose, Corsica will work its quiet magic long after you leave the ferry or flight home. And if you’re travelling with children, you’ll find short driving distances, shallow beaches and plenty of impromptu playgrounds—proof that Corsica is a natural fit for a family holiday.
Feel free to leave questions in the comments below or share your own Corsican experiences for other travellers.
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