It all began when I read an article back in the winter about the “most beautiful beaches in France.” From Normandy to the Cote d’Azur, there was photo after photo of sublime seascapes and sandy coves that made you want to cry. But of all these enchanted places, the one that really stood out to me was Corsica. Because first of all, where was Corsica anyway? You never really hear much about it…so I was pretty intrigued. Second of all, the idea of a vacation with idyllic beaches and French food seemed too good to be true. Don’t get me wrong; I know that France and other Mediterranean countries have lovely beaches, even on the mainland. After all, I grew up spending summers on Egypt’s North Coast, which boasts kilometer after kilometer of powdery sand and stunning blue waters. But these photos of Corsica showed the crystal clear, calm waters that I’d associated with Southeast Asia or the Caribbean. I know that sometimes travel photos make a destination look dreamier than it really is, but I chose to believe that this magical place existed and filed it in my brain under please someone take me there now.

Let me fast forward to late Spring when we were trying to plan a vacation/reunion with 3 other couples. There were threads on messenger and whatsapp with suggestions including renting a house with a pool in the Spanish Pyrenees, spending time in the Cinque Terre, or checking out Sicily. If you’ve ever tried to plan a trip with a group, you know it can be like herding cats. Finally one couple surprised the rest of us by announcing that they had booked 5 days in Italy’s Lake Garda, specifically Sirmione. It was not a destination we had discussed, but we were all more than happy to have a concrete plan laid down. To make a long story short, Ed and I planned to spend 5 days driving to Italy via the South of France, 5 days with our pals in Sirmione, and a few days in Corsica.

We made the mistake of booking a car rental from Barcelona (where we live) for the last two weeks of July, with plans of stopping in Marseille, Nice and Menton along the way. If travelling was food, you could describe Ed and I by saying that sometimes our eyes are bigger than our stomachs (actually you could probably say that about us when it comes to food as well). After booking all of our accommodation, as well as our Corsica ferries to and from the mainland, we found out by pure chance that when renting a car from Spain, you are not allowed to take it on any ferries or across any bodies of water. Luckily we had enough time to shuffle our plans: we would fly to Italy and rent a car from there, where there were no restrictions on taking the car on ferries. Since we cut out the Cote d’Azur portion of the trip, we decided to spend 5 days in Sardinia after Corsica. We opted to fly roundtrip to Alghero, Sardinia and rent the car from there; that made the most sense since Sardinia would be our final destination and we wanted to have the car for the duration of the trip (read more about the endless delights we found in our post about Sardinia). The moral of the story is be sure to ask about restrictions on where you can and can’t take your rental car in Europe, as well as what permits are needed to cross borders.

Boring rental car nonsense aside, let’s talk about Corsica. We took the ferry from Genoa on the Italian mainland into the port of Bastia and then drove along windy roads curving their way through coastal shrub. It was a beautiful but rugged landscape, reminding us very much of the California coast. Our first destination was L'Île-Rousse and the first order of business was to head to the beach. And right there the turquoise waters of our Corsican dreams had materialized into actual sand and sea. It was absolute heaven.

After several hours of languishing in this liquid dreamscape, we were ready to explore the town of L'Île-Rousse and dive into some traditional Corsican food. The culinary delights of the island are many, but I would say the highlights were its fresh fish, meats and all things chestnut. Chestnuts are abundant in Corsica and the flour is used to make all sorts of goodies. For our dinner at the fabulous Osteria Isula Rossa, we chose to start with a charcuterie platter and chestnut fritters, followed by a hearty veau aux olives (a stew of veal and olives). Not to sound too cliche, but the best food is simple, fresh and local and this is exactly what Corsican food tastes like.

*Eye-poppingly delicious chestnut fritters.*

Following dinner, we strolled around L'Île-Rousse’s historic center: a small network of cobbled streets arranged around a main square and bordered by a promenade along the beach. It’s a tiny old town, but full of charm and cute-as-can-be shops selling straw baskets, beach hats and Corsican honey.

We woke up in morning ready to repeat, and we spent the next couple of days on the eastern side of the island between Palombaggia and Santa Giulia, two of Corsica’s most beautiful beaches. They are only 10km apart, so staying somewhere in the area was convenient. Both beaches were paradise found: soft, sandy shores with warm waters of turquoise and emerald.

I’d like to acknowledge that these pictures do not do justice to these divine beaches. Let me explain that these photos were quick snaps taken with my 4 generation old iphone 6s, and to be honest we were so focused on enjoying the moment that we practically forgot to take any pictures of the moment. Speaking of enjoyable moments, what does one eat on a French island beach with Italian influences? Our midday Corsican picnics consisted of an assortment of local crackers, tapenades and fruit, complimented with our booty from the Italian mainland: taralli and perhaps the best culinary find of the entire trip, pistachio paste from Nino & Friends in Venice.

In the evenings we would head to Porto Vecchio for dinner and stylish people watching. Corsica felt refined in general, but Porto Vecchio was the perhaps the most glamorous of all. As we strolled around the lively little town, everyone looked as though they had either stepped off of a yacht or out of a Ralph Lauren ad. Not in an over the top manner, but rather with that casual yet impossibly chic way that the French are so damn good at. We were lucky enough to get the last outdoor table at the highly rated La Table de Nathalie, where Nathalie herself recommended the day’s catch: rascasse or Mediterranean scorpion fish (and supposed secret to the flavors of bouillabaisse). This small monster proved to be one of the tastiest meals of our two week trip.

*Merci, Monsieur Rascasse, for being so délicieux.*

On our fourth and last day in Corsica we made our way down to Bonifacio, a port town on the southern tip of the island. From there we would take the ferry to Sardinia, our next destination. The old town is perched on a limestone cliff, surrounded by the walls of a 9th century citadel. It’s a great place to spend a couple of hours before the ferry and stroll through winding alleys, grab an ice cream, browse delightful shops and enjoy stunning views of the Strait of Bonifacio from above. Don’t forget to buy some canistrelli (chestnut biscuits) for the ferry! If you have a full day or two, Bonifacio is a great jumping off point from which to explore the Lavezzi islands, an archipelago of pristine beaches and a protected marine reserve.

*The old town of Bonifacio sitting dreamily above the port.*

*If you buy one thing from Corsica, make it a straw basket or beach bag.*

On a final note, if you’ve heard that Corsica is not cheap, this is true. Our trip wound up costing more than planned because we changed our itinerary after we arrived and had to book last minute accommodation at premium prices. We had originally planned to visit a few more towns/beaches, but then decided we were rushing from place to place and preferred to slow down and spend more time in the Porto Vecchio/ Palombaggio/ Santa Giulia area. My advice would be to book your accommodation way in advance for the best prices. Another way to make your trip more budget friendly is to buy delicious, Corsican snacks for breakfast and lunch while reserving eating out only for dinner. The fresh baked goods, fruits, cheeses and spreads are to die for, cost a fraction of restaurant dining, and are a special way to experience the local culture.

I hope you get to visit this Mediterranean paradise and I hope that Ed and I will be back soon because there’s so much more to explore on the island. In the meantime I will be dreaming of its sandy shores, turquoise waters and chestnut biscuits.

Corsica: Paradise in the Mediterranean

Best of Sardinia

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