8-Day Corsica Yacht Charter Itinerary from Ajaccio Around the Island

Board the yacht in Ajaccio, Napoleon Bonaparte's birthplace, and take the morning to settle in. Maison Bonaparte and the old town's markets and back streets are an easy first stop before lunch, without needing to rush straight out to sea.

In the afternoon, run out to the Iles Sanguinaires, a small archipelago about six kilometres offshore with a 19th-century lighthouse on the outer island. The anchorage on the lee side holds well in a westerly, and the volcanic rock turns deep red as the sun goes down, making it one of the best first-night anchorages on the whole route.

Head north from Ajaccio into the Golfe de Porto, a UNESCO World Heritage coastline where the Calanques de Piana drop straight into the sea in walls of red granite. This stretch deserves its own day rather than a rushed pass-through on the way to somewhere else.

By late afternoon, continue to Girolata, a fishing hamlet with no road access at all: the only way in is by boat or on foot over the hills. Anchor for the night in one of the most self-contained, quietly dramatic settings on the route.

The Scandola Nature Reserve, right next to Girolata, is one of the most protected stretches of coastline in the Mediterranean. Fishing, diving, landing, and anchoring are all restricted inside its boundaries, so the charter yacht itself stays outside the reserve; the way to actually see the volcanic cliffs, sea caves, and osprey colonies up close is a licensed local guide boat, usually run from Girolata or Porto.

Once the guided visit is done, continue by yacht up to Calvi for the night: a long crescent-shaped bay below a Genoese citadel, with beaches and cafes lining the shore.

Give Calvi a full day rather than a fly-through stop. The Genoese citadel above the bay has real presence, with the Baroque St-Jean-Baptiste Cathedral inside its walls, and the beach and marina below make an easy, sociable afternoon.

Calvi has long claimed to be the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, and a plaque in the citadel makes the case; most historians place his birth in Genoa instead, and the claim remains disputed. Either way, it is a good story for the walk up to the ramparts.

This is the longest sea day of the charter: rounding the rugged Cap Corse peninsula, with its watchtowers and steep, dry hillsides, on the way to Bastia. It is an unavoidable passage on a full-island route, and a scenic one in its own right.

Bastia's Terra Vecchia old port is worth the crossing: a citadel above, bars along the Quai des Martyrs below, and a good excuse to try a glass of Cap Corse, the island's well-known aperitif.

Head south down the east coast to Porto-Vecchio, home to some of the palest sand and clearest water on the island. Palombaggia, backed by umbrella pines and red rock, is the standout swim stop, and Santa Giulia's lagoon-like sandbank is worth a second look in the afternoon.

Porto-Vecchio's own Genoese citadel and old town give the evening some structure, with restaurants and bars lining the port.

The Lavezzi Islands and neighbouring Cavallo sit inside the Reserve Naturelle des Bouches de Bonifacio. Anchoring on the protected seagrass beds is banned, so yachts pick up an official mooring buoy instead, with one boat per buoy strictly enforced by rangers. Swim and explore the granite coves before continuing on.

By afternoon, arrive in Bonifacio: one of the most striking harbours in the Mediterranean, with the old town balanced on limestone cliffs above the marina. It is a proper dockside night to close out the south coast leg of the route.

Head north along the west coast toward Ajaccio, with Roccapina as the natural stop along the way: a white sand beach watched over by a granite rock formation shaped like a crouching lion, and a Genoese watchtower above. The bay is well protected except from southerly winds, making it a reliable last swim stop.

Propriano makes a good option for lunch or a final stretch ashore, and is the usual gateway for a shore excursion inland to the Filitosa prehistoric site if the schedule allows. From there, it is a straightforward run back into Ajaccio for a calm, unhurried disembarkation.