Top 5 Corsica Beaches

Hey there! We are back with a new blog post to bring you the top 5 Corsica Beaches, based on our experience visiting the island three times.

If you landed on this blog post because you are looking for the most beautiful beaches in Corsica, you’re in the right place. We hope this post can help you in any way.

As we mentioned already, we have been on this beautiful Mediterranean island three times and to be honest we are already hoping to go back again as it is a stunning place to stay at, discover and to enjoy your holidays. From high mountain pikes, to natural swimming pools in the valleys and to the most beautiful beaches in Europe, this island is a must visit and should be on your bucket list.

Our first experience was short but after those days we knew that we needed to go back as soon as possible and so we did 2 months after. We were so excited to go back that we didn’t even think how crowded it could be in August, so it took us by surprise. This led to our decision to avoid travelling to beaches or summer destinations in July or August, because what can be a great experience can turn out into a not so good one.

From that moment on, we always visit these destinations during off season (May, beginning of June, end of September and October). The weather is beautiful, the temperatures are not so hot but good enough to enjoy, the beaches and most of the places are not crowded and it helps us for sure to have a great experience. Also, in high season most of the parking lots are not free, not cheap and the majority don’t allow campers to park or sleep over.

So, something we take from all these times travelling these destinations is definitely: avoid high season at all cost.

We have released a few videos about our vanlife experience on our YouTube channel so feel free to check them out too.

At the bottom of this guide you can find a map with the beaches we have visited so far.

Having said this, let’s jump right away to our top 5 Corsica Beaches:

Santa Giulia Beach

Although is not a secret for the majority, this place needs to be on your bucketlist. We tried to visit this beach on our second time on the island (August), but right after visiting Palombaggia Beach we have decided to not go because it was high season and our experience could not be as positive as we would like to. So the third time we were on the island (October), we couldn’t leave without visiting Santa Giulia. And, as expected, we were blown away. If there is a place on this island that deserves your visit, it’s definitely this beach.

You can park right next to it and it just takes 1 or 2 minutes until you can put your feet in the sand. Also, in October campers are allowed to park there, which is not really the case in August.

The place screams „paradise“ everywhere. Surrounded by true nature, a mountain that you can hike to the top and have an overview over the bay and the most turquoise water you might find on the island. It could be anywhere in the Caribbean or in the Pacific ocean, but it is right here: in Europe.

You  can walk from one side to the other for over a kilometer of white sand and green background scenario of the mountain and hills.

On one of the side of the beach, there is a lovely rocky place which made us a think of the Seychelles islands. It is as beautiful as it can be and a great place to spend hours snorkelling.

There are a few restaurants along the beach which cover most of your needs like food, beverage and toilets and you can also book a sunbed & umbrella.

Also, there are a few activities to enjoy as: water skiing, towed buoys, fly boarding, snorkelling and boat rides. You choose.

Roccapina Beach

On our third time on the island, we decided to go and discover the west coast. We knew that it was not as „popular“ as the east coast, so the chances of finding wild and beautiful places were big.

The roads are mostly scenic as they go through the mountains and along the coast, giving us a truly „wow“ experience while driving.

We decided to not sleep over in the parking lot because there were signs that it is forbidden,  so we went safe and slept around 3 km away from the road that leads down to the beach. Although we know some people who have slept in the parking with no issues.

The road that leads you to the parking is not in good shape. It’s a non paved and super bumpy road, like most of the beaches accesses in Corsica. It took us around 10 minutes from the main road until the parking lot. It would be more easily accessible with a 4×4 car/camper.

This wild beach lays in true nature, surrounded by the mountains and green forest. There are no restaurants or toilets, so take your basics with you, because you’re gonna want to stay for a day long.

There are a few trails that people hike until the top of the mountain where there is a small fort and the so known Lion of Rocappina. We also did it and we totally recommend it. It is steep but no longer than 1h30 the whole loop. Up there you have an overview over the bay and you witness a truly wild mother nature „construction“.

We can’t recommend this place enough and we had an amazing experience here. There are some medusas and we even had an encounter with an octopus, that you can also see in our last YouTube Video.

Palombaggia Beach

We have been here more than once, as it is really hard to find places to sleep over in this part of the island . So, just 5 minutes away from this beach, there is a parking lot which allows anyone to park and stay overnight for 10€/day. It is the most affordable place we have found on the island, and we totally recommend it. They also offer some services as fresh water, emptying grey waters and showers. So if you are travelling with your car/camper and just want to have a place to park for the day, this is the place.

Palombaggia is probably the second most known beach on the island and the most visited and crowded in the high season. As said before, we suggest everyone to go off season to have a more chilled experience, away from the crowds. Our first experience was not so pleasant as we were there in August. Although is a long beach, it still gets cramped easily.

There are plenty of restaurants, sunbeds & umbrellas and it gets overloaded by boats during the day. It’s easily understandable why, as this beach is speaks for itself. We could find a place at one of the edges of the beach, hidden by a few rocks and we had an amazing time there. It’s perfect for spending hours snorkelling, diving and swimming in those turquoise waters.

On the other end of the beach they charged us 30€/day for parking which we had no other option then accepting as we really wanted to stay for the day. A good thing is that it gives a cupon that we can use in one of the restaurants for a meal, so we ended up having lunch there, which also turned to be far away from being cheap. It is not at all, even though we had this 30€ „discount“.

A great thing about this beach is that you can walk through a small piece of forest and get into the Tamaricciu Beach which also deserves your attention. We also had an amazing time there and a great swim at sunset time.

Petit Sperone Beach

This beach was an amazing surprise, as we kinda found it accidentally. Our goal was to spend the day in Piantarella Beach, near the Lavezzi Islands, but we decided to go for a walk and just ended up finding the Petit Sperone Beach.

If we recommend Piantarella Beach? Oh yes! Absolutely. But just 10 minutes walking from it, you can find this „cala“ which is a small paradise. Totally in the wilderness, there are no restaurants or anything besides nature. It is a truly immersive experience, just white sandy beach and turquoise water.

Not so far away, you can also find the Grand Sperone Beach, which we have not been but from what we could see, it also deserve a visit. We have plenty of reasons to go back again. Do you feel us? :p

The access to this beach is made through Piantarella Beach, walking through the sand and then through a small cliff and forest. The closest you can leave your car is next to the Nautic Port of Piantarella, parked along the road. Go early enough otherwise you won’t have a free place.

A tip from us: don’t miss the chance to dive in these 3 beaches as they are close to eachother.

Ghjunchitu Beach

This was the first beach we visited in Corsica and it’s safe to say that this is the place our love story with the island began. It was the first time we actually saw such crystal-clear and turquoise water on a beach in Europe and we almost couldn’t believe our eyes. We had heard about Corsica’s beautiful landscape and beaches before, but in reality it was even better than expected.

Ghjunchitu Beach is an unspoilt, secluded and wild  beach on the north-west coast of Corsica, in between Calvi and l’Île-Rousse, which are both also worth a visit by the way. Unlike other beaches in the area, Ghjunchitu is quite a flat beach which also makes it more suitable for non-swimmers. It’s perfect for snorkelling, paddle boarding or just laying in the fine sand and relaxing. You can find a restaurant on each side of the beach, but other than that, there’s no infrastructure. There is a paid parking a few hundred metres away and from there it’s just a 5 to 10 minute walk to the beach so it’s pretty accessible for most people. And if you’re feeling adventurous, take a small hike to Bodri Beach which lies right next to Ghjunchitu.

 

Other beaches we have been to that also deserve your attention

 

We know that there are plenty of beautiful beaches to discover on this island, but this top 5 related to our personal experience being in Corsica. Next time we plan to visit Saleccia Beach and go back to Cala d’Orzo as the weather was not good and we ended up staying in the van most of the time. Also the access to this beach is tough and not recommendable if you don’t have a 4×4 car. Sure you can make it down (as it goes for 3 or 4 km on a non paved and bumpy road), but the way up is even harder. Be aware of that.

We hope this small guide can help you somehow and make you decide to visit Corsica. We can’t recommend this destination more. If you need to look for some accomodation or flights, we would be glad if you could use our affiliates’ programs. That way you support us, which means a lot to us!

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Love,

João and Leonie