Porto Vecchio & Bonifacio

The historic towns of Porto Vecchio, a stylish, cosmopolitan port, and Bonifacio, a fortress citadel, are two of Corsica’s most fascinating destinations. In Porto Vecchio’s charming old town the central square, flanked by its church, the tabac and dappled café terraces, is undeniably French and that spirit resonates in chic boutiques and cafés.

Around the Gulf of Porto Vecchio, at child-friendly beaches such as Palombaggia, translucent sea is edged by soft, white, pine-shaded sand. Half-an-hour’s drive away on Corsica’s southernmost tip, is the ancient garrison of Bonifacio. A giddying cliff drop to the sea explains why its walls have never been breached. A certain glamour lingers around quayside restaurants whose speciality is fresh langouste, and in the citadel – reached by a zig - zagging drive or steep climb via the steps of the Montée Rastello – boutiques, cafés and old patrician mansions, are squeezed into narrow cobbled streets. At sea level is a small beach and further good sandy beaches are within 10 minutes’ drive.