Le littoral corse est l’un des mieux préservés de Méditerranée. Les Corses se sont battus pour cela et continuent à le faire pour protéger leurs trésors naturels de l’avidité des promoteurs immobiliers et du tourisme de masse. En Corse, il est encore possible de trouver de belles baies à l’eau turquoise et au sable fin sans avoir une masse d’immeubles dessus. Ceux et celles qui veulent descendre une bouteille de champagne et se trémousser en bikini au son du DJ devraient plutôt aller sur les plages privées de la côte d’azur. Amoureux de la nature et de l’eau claire, venez en Corse. La Corse a plus de 200 plages, et le littoral est sompteux presque partout, il est donc dur de faire une sélection, mais voici la mienne.
Santa Ghjulia/Santa Giulia
Sainte Julie, martyre chrétienne, est la patronne de la Corse, et la baie qui porte son nom au sud de Porto-Vecchio est l’une des plus belles de l’île. 2 km de sable fin, une eau turquoise et peu profonde qui forme un véritable lagon paradisiaque. Pourquoi se cogner 15 heures d’avion pour aller sous les tropiques quand on peut se prélasser dans un lagon en Méditerranée? Un conseil, ne vous arrêtez pas au début de la plage, allez poser votre serviette tout au bout de la baie, c’est plus tranquille, et vous pouvez marcher avec de l’eau à la taille sur une très longue distance jusqu’à atteindre un petit groupe de rochers d‘où les enfants se feront une joie de sauter dans l’eau turquoise. A l’autre bout de la baie, on peut louer des pédalos, kayaks et autres.
Il y a plusieurs possibilités de parkings gratuits à quelques minutes de marche de la plage, c’est un peu chaotique et en saison, difficile de trouver une place, mais ca ne vous dérange pas de dépenser 5 euros, vous pouvez vous garer plus près.
Palumbaghja/ Palombaggia
Au sud de Porto-Vecchio, c’est la plus célèbre plage de Corse. Une ravissante baie à l’eau turquoise et au sable blanc, avec de beaux rochers rouges et une forêt de pins en bordure de la plage, cette belle plage est appréciée par les locaux comme par les célébrités qui viennent profiter du cadre idyllique. Elle peut être légèrement bondée en haute saison, mais elle ne perd jamais de son charme.
Rondinara
Flickr user jeanbaptistem
C’est encore un joyau des côtes corses. Cette baie toute ronde, d’où son nom, est située entre Porto Vecchio et Bonifacio. C’est un endroit très apprécié des yachts qui viennent mouiller dans son joli lagon. Si vous venez en voiture, vous en prendrez plein les mirettes avec la vue sur la baie depuis la route sinueuse qui vient de la nationale.
Saleccia et Lotu
Lotu These two beaches are close to each other, on the northern coast of Corsica, in the gulf of Saint Florent (San Fiurenzu). You can visit both in the same day. They can be reached either by boat from the harbor of Saint Florent (15min ride, frequent departures) or by 4WD from one of the villages up the hills. The beach of Lotu (or Loto) is a little paradise. It has shallow crystal clear water, fine sand, and a breathtaking view to the Cape of Corsica and its pastel-colored mountains right in front of you. Trust me, when that boat comes back to pick you up, you’ll go hiding in the hills. 
Saleccia
Saleccia is famous because some of the scenes of the movie „The longest day“ were actually shot there, even though they are supposed to happen in Normandy. But there is nothing grey or rainy about that piece of heaven: clear turquoise water, white sand, a jungle of mediterranean pine trees and blue skies await you. The beach is 1 km long and there is plenty of space.
Boat company: Le Popeye
L’Ostriconi
This is a wonderfully wild, unspoiled bay on the northern coast of Corsica, east of Isula Rossa (Ile Rousse). It’s rather easy to find but parking is bit hard and you need to walk down the hill (10 minutes walk) to reach the bay. Basically, you leave the road going from Ponte Leccia to Ile Rousse and Calvi just when you hit the coastline, and you find yourself entering the former road which is now abandoned and has become the parking space for that beach. Park your car along that road and walk down the beautiful hill on the rocky path towards the bay. The view of this amazing bay with a river joining the sea will be rewarding you during the short walk. The beach is large and the only thing you can see is the wild mountains on one side and the sea horizon on the other side. No buildings, just nature: this is true Corsica! This beach is the departure point to a nice hike that goes across the Agriate desert to the gulf of Saint Florent. There is a camping site in the valley up the river, in case you’d like to spend some time in that gorgeous area: http://www.village-ostriconi.com/en/
Roccapina – the Lion Beach
This piece of paradise is located south west, south of Propriano. From the road going to Bonifacio, you can see that the bay lies beneath a rock shaped like a lion. The animal figure seems to be lying on top of the hill overlooking the bay. There is a camping site close to the beach. It is a small bay with truly beautiful water and a wonderfully wild landscape around, starting with that funny lion-shaped rock looking at you.
Verghja
The beach of Verghja has several names; Verghja is the location, but the beach is also commonly called “Mare e Sole”, sea and sun: what could go wrong with a name like that? It is located on the southern bank of the gulf of Ajaccio, just a 10 minutes drive from the popular beach resort of Porticcio, you can find this gorgeous bay of crystal clear water and fine sand which is a very popular weekend treat for Ajaccio locals. The beach is long and large, the landscape entirely wild, and the view to the gulf of Ajaccio and the „Sanguinaire“ islands at the end of the bay is simply magnificent. Many real estate developers have tried to get their hands on that amazing location to build holiday houses or restaurants. Thankfully, they have been unsuccessful so far, because we are adamant about protecting our landscapes. You can rent a kayak or a pedal boat to explore the large bay.
Piantarella
The „lagoon“ of Piantarella is located near Bonifacio at the southern tip of the island. It is facing the beautiful Lavezzi islands which kind of resemble the Maledives: clear water, amazing views, lots of activities possible. If you want a little adventure, rent a kayak and spend the day exploring the area: there are tiny islands around where you can play Robinson Crusoe.
Cupabia
This is one of these gorgeous coves of white sand and blue water that Corsica offers in spades. It is located just between the gulf of Ajaccio and the gulf of Propriano, and the road connecting them offers spectacular viewpoints. Next to the beach, you can find one of the many Genoese towers that stand all along the Corsican coastline, testimony of a time when the island had to be guarded against pirates.
What about you? What are your favorite Corsican beaches?
Leave a Reply