Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Corsica: Ajaccio, Bonifacio, the Mountains and Calvi
8 days from Ajaccio to Bastia: Napoleon's birthplace and Filitosa, two nights in Bonifacio with a boat to the Lavezzi islands, the Bavella needles, two nights in Corte with walks in the Restonica valley, and two nights in Calvi with the Balagne villages.
8 days · Ajaccio to Bastia · up to 12 guests
Calvi's citadel above the bay, where we spend the last two nights Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Citadel_of_Calvi,_Corsica,_France_(52724224695).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Ajaccio to Bastia
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Moderate: 2 to 4 hours on foot most days, on cobbles, steep old-town lanes and stairs, including the 187 steps of the Escalier du Roi d'Aragon in Bonifacio. Two mountain walks: the Trou de la Bombe at Bavella, about 1.5 hours there and back with about 200 m of climbing on a good path, and the Lac de Melo in the Restonica valley, about 2 hours there and back with about 340 m of climbing over rock slabs, with chains on one section or a path that avoids them. The Lavezzi landing is on uneven granite. Any walk can be shortened or sat out.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 850 (estimated price)
- Season
- May to June and September
Highlights
Why this trip
- One of the first boats of the morning from Bonifacio, under the cliffs and out to a landing on the Lavezzi islands
- Bonifacio's walled old town and the 187 steps of the Escalier du Roi d'Aragon in the late-afternoon light
- The granite needles of Bavella and an easy walk to the Trou de la Bombe
- Up the Restonica valley to the Lac de Melo, with the option to go on to the Lac de Capitello
- Corte, the mountain capital of Pasquale Paoli's independent Corsica, and the Musée de la Corse
- Filitosa's carved standing stones, and the house in Ajaccio where Napoleon was born
- Calvi's citadel before the day visitors, the Balagne hill villages and the coastal train back along the beaches
- On Lavezzu, the small cemeteries of the Sémillante's crew, wrecked on these rocks in 1855
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 850 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Ajaccio
Ajaccio airport or ferry port to your hotel, then the Pointe de la Parata
- Welcome dinner in Ajaccio; no lunch
- Stay in Ajaccio
- Drive about 45 min
Fly into Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport (AJA), about 15 minutes from the centre, or come over by ferry from Marseille, Toulon or Nice to the port beside the old town; a driver meets set group arrival times at both. Ajaccio is Corsica's capital, a pastel harbour town under a ring of mountains, and the place Napoleon was born in 1769. At 5 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week ahead: the boat to the Lavezzi islands, what the mountain walks involve, and how the days are paced.
Evening
Then we drive about 12 km west along the gulf to the Pointe de la Parata, where a short headland path leads towards a Genoese watchtower facing the Îles Sanguinaires, islands said to take their name from the red they turn at sunset. Back in town we sit down together to a welcome dinner of Corsican dishes: charcuterie, brocciu cheese and slow-cooked meats.
Included
- Pick-up at Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport (AJA) or the Ajaccio ferry port
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Evening walk at the Pointe de la Parata, facing the Îles Sanguinaires
- Welcome dinner
Easier option: Stay by the van at the Parata car park; the view of the islands is good from there too.
Free time: Free until the 5 pm briefing
Activity: Plan to arrive by about 3 pm. If you land later, we meet you and you join the group at dinner.
Napoleon's Ajaccio, Filitosa and south to Bonifacio
Ajaccio to Filitosa, then via Propriano and Sartène to Bonifacio
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bonifacio
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
We start early at the morning market on Place Campinchi by the harbour, where stalls sell sheep and goat cheeses, chestnut flour, honey and charcuterie. Your guide then walks you through the old town to the cathedral where Napoleon was baptised, and on to the Maison Bonaparte, the family house he was born in, now a national museum, which we visit when it opens. Late morning we head south, about an hour and a quarter, to Filitosa, a prehistoric site in an olive grove where standing stones carved with faces, swords and armour have stood for more than three thousand years.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal nearby, then we walk the site out of the worst of the midday sun. From there the road passes Propriano and climbs through Sartène, a granite town built like a fortress, before running south to Bonifacio, where we arrive around 5 pm and stay two nights.
Evening
The evening is free on the marina below the cliffs.
Included
- Ajaccio morning market and old town walk with your guide
- The cathedral where Napoleon was baptised
- The Maison Bonaparte
- Sit-down lunch near Filitosa
- Filitosa prehistoric site and its carved standing stones
Free time: Evening free in Bonifacio
Activity: About 1 hour on foot at Filitosa on gravel and grass paths, and up to 2 hours in Ajaccio's old town.
The Lavezzi islands and Bonifacio's cliffs
Bonifacio by boat to the Lavezzi islands and back, then the old town on foot
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bonifacio
- By boat
Bonifacio sits on a white limestone cliff above the strait that separates Corsica from Sardinia, about 11 km away.
Morning
We take one of the first boats of the morning from the marina, before the day's crowds. The boat runs out of the long natural harbour, under the old town hanging over the water, past the stairway cut into the cliff and into the Sdragonato sea cave, then crosses to the Lavezzi islands, a protected nature reserve of smooth granite and clear water. We land on Lavezzu for about two hours: walk between the coves, swim if the water is warm enough, and see the small cemeteries for the crew of the Sémillante, a French frigate wrecked here in 1855.
Afternoon
Back in Bonifacio around 1:30 pm, lunch is a sit-down meal at the marina, then the afternoon is free. At about 5:30 pm your guide takes you up into the walled old town, down and back up the 187 steps of the Escalier du Roi d'Aragon, and out along the headland to the marine cemetery, with the cliffs warm in the late light.
Included
- Boat trip along the Bonifacio cliffs and to the Lavezzi islands, with a landing on Lavezzu
- Sit-down lunch at the marina
- Bonifacio old town with your guide
- The Escalier du Roi d'Aragon
- The marine cemetery on the headland
Optional experiences
- Sea kayaking under the Bonifacio cliffs in the free afternoon, booked and paid locally
Easier option: Stay near the landing beach on Lavezzu instead of walking the coves, and skip the 187 steps in the evening: the view from the top of the stair is the same.
More active option: After the old town, walk on along the cliff path towards the Pertusato lighthouse for sunset, about 2 hours there and back.
Free time: Afternoon free in Bonifacio: a swim, the cliff path, or a paid kayak outing
Activity: If strong wind stops the boats, we move the Lavezzi trip to the morning of day 4 and set off for Corte later, or refund its cost if it cannot run.
Porto-Vecchio, the Bavella needles and up to Corte
Bonifacio to Porto-Vecchio, the Col de Bavella and Solenzara, then up the Tavignano to Corte
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Corte
- Drive about 4.5 h
Today crosses from the sea to the mountains, about four and a half hours of driving in all.
Afternoon
That is over our four-hour cap, because the roads from the south to the mountains all cross Bavella or run up the east coast, so we break it into four short stretches with a coffee stop, a walk and a sit-down lunch. First Porto-Vecchio, about 40 minutes north, for a walk on the Genoese ramparts above the salt pans. Then we climb through the pine forest of L'Ospedale to Zonza and the Col de Bavella, at about 1,218 m, where jagged granite needles rise above wind-bent pines. We walk to the Trou de la Bombe, a round hole through a granite ridge, about an hour and a half there and back, then sit down to lunch at the col. In the afternoon we wind down the Solenzara valley past river pools, cross the coastal plain at Aléria and follow the Tavignano up to Corte, about two and a half hours with a stop, arriving around 6 pm for two nights.
Included
- Porto-Vecchio old town and ramparts
- The Col de Bavella and the walk to the Trou de la Bombe with your guide
- Sit-down lunch at the Col de Bavella
Easier option: Walk the first flat half hour of the Trou de la Bombe path and back, or stay at the col with a coffee and the view of the needles.
More active option: Before lunch, add a stretch of the GR20 itself, which crosses the col, about an hour out and back.
Activity: The longest drive of the trip, about 4.5 hours on winding mountain roads, over our 4-hour cap. Tell your guide if you get carsick and sit at the front.
The Restonica valley and the Lac de Melo
Corte up the Restonica valley to the Bergeries de Grotelle and the Lac de Melo, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Corte
- Drive about 1 h
Corte is the only real inland town on the island, and the mountains start at its edge. We leave at 8 am for the Restonica valley, a narrow road of about 15 km that climbs a granite gorge to the Bergeries de Grotelle, old stone shepherds' huts at about 1,370 m. From the huts the path to the Lac de Melo, at about 1,711 m, takes around an hour up over rock slabs, with chains and short ladders on one section and a parallel path that avoids them. The lake sits in a bowl of peaks, often with snow on the slopes into June. Those who want more go on for about 45 minutes to the Lac de Capitello, at about 1,930 m, under sheer cliffs.
Afternoon
Starting early puts us on the path before the day walkers and the midday heat. We are back at the huts by early afternoon and stop for a sit-down lunch in the valley on the way down. The rest of the day is free in Corte, or at the river pools in the lower gorge.
Included
- The Restonica valley to the Bergeries de Grotelle
- Guided walk to the Lac de Melo
- Sit-down lunch in the Restonica valley
Easier option: Walk the river path near the Bergeries de Grotelle, about an hour on easy ground, and wait for the group by the stream.
More active option: Go on from the Lac de Melo to the Lac de Capitello, about 45 minutes more each way and about 220 m more climbing.
Free time: Afternoon free in Corte, or a swim at the river pools in the lower Restonica gorge
Activity: About 2 hours of walking to the Lac de Melo and back, 340 m up and down over rock. In May and early June snow can close the top of the path; then we walk to the pools below the lake.
Paoli's Corte, Saint-Florent and the Agriates to Calvi
Corte via Ponte-Leccia to Saint-Florent, then through the Désert des Agriates to L'Île-Rousse and Calvi
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Calvi
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
A morning in Corte, the capital of Pasquale Paoli's independent Corsica from 1755 to 1769, when the island wrote its own constitution and opened a university here. We climb through the old town past Place Gaffory, whose house fronts are said to still show bullet marks from the independence wars, to the belvedere for the view of the citadel on its rock above the Tavignano and Restonica rivers. At 10 am we visit the Musée de la Corse inside the citadel walls, the island's museum of its own people: shepherding, music, faith and the long story of revolt.
Afternoon
Late morning we drive north via Ponte-Leccia to Saint-Florent, about an hour and a half, for a sit-down lunch by its harbour and a short walk to the round Genoese citadel tower. After lunch the road runs west through the Désert des Agriates, an empty coast of maquis and rock with almost no houses, to L'Île-Rousse and Calvi, about an hour and a half more, arriving around 5 pm and stay two nights.
Included
- Corte old town and the belvedere with your guide
- The Musée de la Corse
- Sit-down lunch in Saint-Florent
- Saint-Florent harbour and citadel
- The drive through the Désert des Agriates
Free time: Evening free in Calvi
Activity: Corte's old town is steep, with cobbled ramps and steps up to the citadel.
Calvi's citadel and the Balagne villages
Calvi citadel, then Sant'Antonino and Pigna, and the coastal train from L'Île-Rousse back to Calvi
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Calvi
- Drive about 1 h
Calvi's citadel stands on a granite headland above the bay, walled by the Genoese, and we go up at 9 am, before the day visitors. Your guide walks you through its lanes to the Cathedral of Saint-Jean-Baptiste and the house where, the town says, Christopher Columbus was born, and tells the story of the siege of 1794, when Nelson lost the sight of his right eye here. Then the van takes us into the Balagne, the hill country behind the coast, long called the garden of Corsica for its olives and orchards. Sant'Antonino sits on a granite knoll with views down to the sea, its lanes too narrow for cars; Pigna, close by, was restored by craftspeople and musicians and is full of workshops.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in a village. In the late afternoon we ride the small coastal train of the Balagne from L'Île-Rousse back to Calvi along the beaches, about 45 minutes.
Evening
Farewell dinner tonight in Calvi.
Included
- Calvi citadel with your guide
- Sant'Antonino and Pigna in the Balagne
- Sit-down lunch in a Balagne village
- The Balagne coastal train from L'Île-Rousse to Calvi
- Farewell dinner in Calvi
Easier option: Skip the villages after lunch and spend the afternoon on Calvi's long beach, a few minutes' walk from the town.
More active option: Before breakfast, walk up to the chapel of Notre-Dame de la Serra on the hill above Calvi for the view back over the citadel, about 1.5 hours there and back.
Free time: Time before dinner free in Calvi
Activity: Sant'Antonino and Pigna are hill villages of steep stone lanes and steps.
Across to Bastia and home
Calvi via L'Île-Rousse and Ponte-Leccia to Bastia, then Bastia-Poretta Airport or the ferry port
- Breakfast
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we leave Calvi for Bastia, about two hours across the north of the island by L'Île-Rousse and Ponte-Leccia. Bastia is Corsica's busiest port and feels like an Italian town: tall shuttered houses around the old harbour and churches with baroque fronts. We start in Place Saint-Nicolas, the wide square facing the ferry quays, where a marble statue shows Napoleon dressed as a Roman emperor, then walk the lanes of the Terra Vecchia down to the old port, with time for a coffee and a last look at the fishing boats. Around 1 pm the van takes you to Bastia-Poretta Airport (BIA), about 25 minutes south, or to the ferry port for a sailing to Nice, Marseille or Toulon. Book a flight leaving after about 3:30 pm. If you fly from Calvi Sainte-Catherine Airport (CLY) instead, we drop you there after breakfast, about ten minutes from the hotel, and your guide says goodbye in Calvi.
Included
- Drive from Calvi to Bastia with your guide
- Place Saint-Nicolas and the old port of Bastia
- Drop-off at Bastia-Poretta Airport (BIA), the Bastia ferry port or Calvi Sainte-Catherine Airport (CLY)
Activity: Book a flight from Bastia leaving after about 3:30 pm, or an afternoon or evening ferry.
- Ajaccio1 night
- Bonifacio2 nights
- Corte2 nights
- Calvi2 nights
- Bastiaend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May, June and September are warm on the coast, usually in the 20s °C, and cooler in Corte and the mountains, where snow can lie near the Lac de Melo into June. The sea is warmest from late June into September. Strong wind can stop the Lavezzi boats, and in hot, dry spells the authorities can close mountain paths for fire risk.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want Corsica's coast and mountains in one week without trekking hut to hut
- Easy to moderate walkers who like a choice of a shorter or longer walk
- Anyone who wants two nights in most places and a free afternoon or evening in most of them
- Solo travellers who want a fair single price and a small group
Not for you if you want
- Hikers looking for the GR20 or long days on high trails
- Step-free access: old towns, cliff stairs and mountain paths are steep and uneven
- Travellers who get badly carsick on winding roads
- A beach week in one resort
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Ajaccio1 night
- Bonifacio2 nights
- Corte2 nights
- Calvi2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights: 1 in Ajaccio, 2 in Bonifacio, 2 in Corte and 2 in Calvi
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms and air conditioning; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Hotel city taxes
Transport
- Pick-up at Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport (AJA) or the Ajaccio ferry port, and drop-off at Bastia-Poretta Airport (BIA), the Bastia ferry port or Calvi Sainte-Catherine Airport (CLY), at set group times
- Our own minibus and driver for the whole trip, small enough for the mountain roads
- The boat from Bonifacio to the Lavezzi islands and back
- The Balagne coastal train from L'Île-Rousse to Calvi
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 8
- Local guides where a site requires them
Activities
- Ajaccio: the morning market, the old town, the cathedral and the Maison Bonaparte
- The Pointe de la Parata, facing the Îles Sanguinaires
- Filitosa prehistoric site
- Bonifacio: the boat along the cliffs and to the Lavezzi islands with a landing on Lavezzu, the old town, the Escalier du Roi d'Aragon and the marine cemetery
- Porto-Vecchio old town
- The Col de Bavella and the walk to the Trou de la Bombe
- The Restonica valley and the walk to the Lac de Melo
- Corte: the old town and the Musée de la Corse
- Saint-Florent and the Désert des Agriates
- Calvi: a guided walk in the citadel
- The Balagne villages of Sant'Antonino and Pigna
- Bastia: Place Saint-Nicolas and the old port
Meals
- 7 breakfasts
- 6 lunches: near Filitosa, in Bonifacio, at the Col de Bavella, in the Restonica valley, in Saint-Florent and in a Balagne village
- 2 dinners: a welcome dinner in Ajaccio and a farewell dinner in Calvi
Not included
- International flights or ferries to Ajaccio and from Bastia or Calvi
- Travel insurance
- Visa or travel authorisation fees, if any apply to your passport
- Lunches on days 1 and 8, and dinners on days 2 to 6
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities you choose on free afternoons, such as sea kayaking in Bonifacio or a boat trip from Calvi
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 850 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Seven nights in central hotels with city taxes, 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 2 dinners, transfers at both ends, our own minibus and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, the boat to the Lavezzi islands, the Balagne coastal train, and every entry in the day plan, including the Maison Bonaparte, Filitosa, the Escalier du Roi d'Aragon and the Musée de la Corse.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That fits one minibus on Corsica's narrow mountain roads, one boat to the Lavezzi islands, one table at lunch, and a pace where everyone hears the guide and nobody waits long on a trail.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the welcome briefing in Ajaccio to the last drop-off in Bastia or Calvi, and leads every walk. Local guides join us where a site requires one, and the boat to the Lavezzi islands has its own crew.
How fit do I need to be? Is this a hiking trip?
No, it is a touring trip with easy mountain walks. The longest walk is about 2 hours to the Lac de Melo and back, with about 340 m of climbing over rock. Most days mean 2 to 4 hours on foot on steep lanes and stairs, and every walking day has an easier choice.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own is from CAD 850 more, about 17 percent of the price, shown before you book with no surprise at checkout. Solo travellers join the same group, the same table and the same day plan as everyone else.
When is the best time to go to Corsica?
May, June and September. The sea is warm enough to swim from June, the mountain paths are mostly clear of snow, and the roads and beaches are quieter than in July and August. In May and early June snow can still lie near the Lac de Melo, so we may stop lower down.
What happens if the boat to the Lavezzi islands cannot sail?
The boats do not go out in strong wind. If day 3 is too rough, we move the trip to the morning of day 4 and leave for Corte a little later. If the sea stays rough, we refund the cost of the boat and your guide plans a walk on the cliffs instead.
Can I get to Corsica by ferry from Nice or Marseille?
Yes. Ferries sail to Ajaccio from Marseille, Toulon and Nice, and from Bastia back to Nice, Marseille and Toulon, some overnight with cabins. We meet set ferry arrival times in Ajaccio and drop off at the Bastia ferry port on the last day. Flights also reach Ajaccio from Paris, Nice, Marseille and Lyon.
How long are the drives?
Most days are under three and a half hours, and we publish the wheel time for every day. Day 4, Bonifacio to Corte, is the exception at about four and a half hours, over our four-hour cap, because the roads from the south to the mountains are slow. It is split by Porto-Vecchio, the Bavella walk and a sit-down lunch.
Do I need a visa for Corsica?
Corsica is part of France, so the Schengen rules apply. Canadian and US passport holders do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180. The EU's Entry/Exit System registers fingerprints and a photo at the border, and ETIAS authorisation was scheduled for late 2026; we confirm what applies on your dates when you book.
How does booking work?
Pick your start date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until then. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes: the small group starts from CAD 4,995 and the private trip from CAD 8,990.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private trip is the same route for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, transfers and boat.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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