Towns & cities · Bastia
1 Bastia
Préfecture of the Haute-Corse and the island's main port, built around its picturesque Old Port between a Genoese citadel and colourful buildings.
View full page →4 days in Haute-Corse, from Bastia to the Balagne and Corte
Northern Corsica brings together Genoese harbours, turquoise beaches at the end of wild tracks, hilltop villages of the Balagne and mountains in the heart of the island. Four days to discover its finest faces.
Our day-by-day itinerary
The map shows the numbered stops in visiting order, with one colour per day. The line follows the roads where available; otherwise it joins the stops as the crow flies. Distances and times are approximate (by car, without traffic).
Day 1 — Bastia to Musée de Bastia
Bastia, its old harbour and Genoese citadel, with the Bastia museum in the Governors' Palace.
Museums · Haute-Corse
2 Musée de Bastia
The creation of a museum in Bastia goes back more than a century.
View full page →Day 2 — Désert des Agriates to Plage de Saleccia
The Agriates desert and Saleccia beach, reached by boat from Saint-Florent or by a long track.
Natural wonders · Haute-Corse
3 Désert des Agriates
Wedged between Cap Corse and the Balagne, the Agriates desert is a hostile and mysterious zone.
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Beaches · Santo-Pietro-di-Tenda
4 Plage de Saleccia
White-sand beach in the Agriates desert, in Haute-Corse, bordered by dunes and a pine grove.
View full page →Day 3 — Calvi to Plage de l'Ostriconi
The Balagne: Calvi and its citadel, the hilltop village of Sant'Antonino, then Ostriconi beach.
Towns & cities · Calvi
5 Calvi
Main town of the Balagne, dominated by its Genoese citadel perched on a rocky pinnacle facing a vast gulf lined with fine-sand beaches.
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Villages · Haute-Corse
6 Sant Antonino
The village's origin is said to go back to the ninth century, according to the legend of Ugo Colonna and his companions.
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Beaches · Palasca
7 Plage de l'Ostriconi
A vast wild sand beach at the mouth of the Ostriconi, at the gates of the Agriates desert.
View full page →Day 4 — Corte to Lac de Melo
Corte, the former capital of Corsica, then the Restonica gorges and Lake Melo, in the mountains.
Towns & cities · Corte
8 Corte
The former capital of independent Corsica, a university town perched in the heart of the mountains around its citadel built on a rocky peak.
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Waterfalls · Haute-Corse
9 Gorges de la Restonica
The Restonica river rises at 1,711 m altitude in the Rotondo massif, not far from Corte, in Haute-Corse.
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Lakes · Haute-Corse
10 Lac de Melo
A stone's throw from Corte, two sites of wild beauty: on the one hand the Restonica valley leading to Lac de Melo at an altitude of 1,711 m and on the other the Tavignano gorges, among the most beautiful on the island.
View full page →When to go
May, June and September are ideal: the sea is warm and the roads are less busy. In July and August, the Restonica and the beaches are very crowded. In the mountains, snow can linger until June.
Getting around
A car is essential, but Corsican roads are slow: allow plenty of time. Saleccia is reached by boat from Saint-Florent in season. Access to the Restonica road is regulated in summer.
Our tips
- Bring water and good shoes for Lake Melo.
- Book the boat shuttle to Saleccia in summer.
- Fill up with fuel before the mountain roads.
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