Corsica: Bonifacio, the Bavella Needles and the West Coast Road

Editor's note

Three nights two kilometres above the town, with a pool, a bread run in the morning and mosquitoes under the trees. Walk down rather than drive: the marina is full of superyachts, the cobbled climb into the haute ville is best done without a map, and the view back at the town on its overhang is from the clifftops beyond the walls. The Escalier du Roi d’Aragon cuts down the cliff face to near sea level — helmet provided, proper shoes needed, and easy to walk past. Their big day was 18 km and 500 m of climbing along the coast path to a beach buried under a metre of dried seaweed, picking up empty coves on the way back.

Editor's note

A relaxed site that does the basics well, in a village that fills up with motorcyclists and pass drivers. The Trou de la Bombe is the walk: 8 km and 250 m of climbing from the col, nearly all of it easy shaded forest until the last three hundred metres of loose ground up to the arch. Park below the col rather than at the top, which is no good for a van. On the bike, the Zonza side of the pass is about 9 km of steady shaded climbing; the east side is far steeper. Go early — the col is busy with cars from ten.

Editor's note

The entrance looks like a yard full of dead caravans and the beachfront behind it is one of the best pitches of the trip, so do not judge it from the gate. Spotless if dated, a cheap bar, and a cleaner who starts at eight with music on. Stop at the river on the way down from the pass — deep, clear, warm pools over smooth rock, spotted from the road. Phone and wifi here are too congested to upload anything until late at night.

Editor's note

Family-run below the citadel, with a restaurant the town eats in and two boules pitches, which makes it the evening hub rather than just a place to park. Corte was the capital of independent Corsica in the 1700s and the steps up to the 15th-century citadel are steep and worth it. The Restonica is the day: a 07:00 shuttle from town, booked both ways on an app for four euros return. A storm in 2023 took out the upper valley road, so what was a 6 km walk is now about 19 km up the abandoned road past cut-off hamlets and half-fallen bridges. The refuge at the old road end still sells keg beer and clementine cake.

Editor's note

The best facilities of their season, and the old reviews online predate the refit so ignore them. Ride the bikes in: the harbour sits in shade at sunset, the citadel is lit at night, and the climb over the peninsula is steep cobbles for the sunset view. This is a Foreign Legion town and there was a remembrance ceremony at the war memorial while they were there. Six kilometres of shallow warm beach below the citadel, and snow still on the tops in the middle of June. L’Île-Rousse is worth the stop on the way in, and the Pointe de la Revellata is four kilometres out the other side.

Editor's note

One of the few sites near Porto with a pool, dated and on a slope, with two supermarkets next door. At 35 degrees they took the boat instead of the cliffs: 35 euros a head for an hour and a half out of Porto harbour, booked at the kiosk on the day, and a big boat that still gets into the sea caves — better views of the red rock than walking, and the right call in that heat. Drive the Calanques de Piana on a weekday. On a Sunday it is dozens of motorbikes, heavy traffic and nowhere free to stop along the best four kilometres, which carry a 3.5-tonne limit that the coaches ignore.

Editor's note

A one-night staging post on the beach between Porto and the ferry, arrived at late and left early. Worth knowing about precisely for that: it puts you forty minutes from Ajaccio without having to solve Ajaccio’s parking the night before.

Editor's note

They never saw Napoleon’s town. Every car park was full or height-barriered, Park4Night had nothing usable, and at 37 degrees they parked four kilometres out by a small beach and sat in the van with the air conditioning on until the boat. If you want Ajaccio itself, solve the parking before you arrive rather than after — the challenge below is what is there when you do.