Itinerary · Corse
Road Trip in Corsica: Citadels and Museums, 6 Days
A road trip at the heart of the island, from Ajaccio to Bastia via Sartène, Bonifacio, Aléria and Corte — through Genoese citadels, archaeological sites and Baroque religious heritage, designed for one stop a day behind the wheel.
6 days · 10 stops · Road trip
Overview
Numbers follow the order of the route, day by day — the dashed line is indicative, not a precise driving route.
Day 1
Ajaccio, in Napoleon's footsteps
First stop at Napoleon Bonaparte's birthplace, restored in 2026, then the Palais Fesch and its collection of Italian painting — one of the richest in France outside the Louvre, assembled by Cardinal Fesch, the Emperor's uncle.
The Emperor's birthplaceMuseum · Ajaccio
Maison Bonaparte
National museum located in the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte in Ajaccio, South Corsica. The museum is recognized as one of the Houses of Famous Persons and…
Major Italian collectionMuseum · Ajaccio
Musée Fesch
The Fesch Palace is a fine arts museum located in Ajaccio, in South Corsica. It preserves collections of paintings covering periods from the Primitives and the…
Day 2
Sartène, megalithic Corsica
A two-hour drive south to Sartène, where the museum of Corsican archaeology holds ten thousand years of island settlement, led by its standing stones and Mediterranean megaliths.
Day 3
Bonifacio, the citadel on the cliff
The citadel of Bonifacio towers over the alabaster cliffs from a Genoese promontory, cobbled lanes and coat-of-arms façades included; a short walk away, the church of Sainte-Marie-Majeure, the city's oldest, still holds the relics of Saint Boniface.
Perched on the cliffsCastle · Bonifacio
Citadelle de Bonifacio
La Citadelle de Bonifacio est une fortification médiévale édifiée sous l'influence génoise, perchée sur un promontoire rocheux dominant les falaises d'albâtre…
The city's oldest churchChurch · Bonifacio
Église Sainte-Marie-Majeure de Bonifacio
L'église Sainte-Marie-Majeure est un édifice religieux situé au cœur de la Haute-Ville de Bonifacio, en Corse-du-Sud. Construite probablement au XIIe siècle…
Day 4
Aléria, the ancient colony
A long drive up the east coast to Aléria, where the archaeology museum, housed in the Fort de Matra, traces fifteen centuries of the ancient colony and its necropolises — an archaeological detour far from the coastal crowds.
Day 5
Corte, the island's historic capital
Inland to Corte, the island's historic capital: the citadel, built in the 18th century along Vauban's defensive principles, overlooks the Restonica and Tavignano valleys; within its walls, the Musée de la Corse holds the Corsican ethnography collection assembled by Father Louis Doazan.
Views over Corsican valleysCastle · Corte
Citadelle de Corte
La citadelle de Corte, construite au XVIIIe siècle autour d'un château du XVe siècle, est une fortification située au cœur de la Haute-Corse, à mi-chemin entre…
Island ethnographyMuseum · Corte
Musée de la Corse
The Museum of Corsica, opened in June 1997, is located in the Citadel of Corte, in Upper Corsica. It houses the ethnography collection assembled by Father…
Day 6
Bastia, Baroque by the old port
Final stop in Bastia, where Baroque religious architecture overlooks the old port: the cathedral Sainte-Marie, seat of the Ajaccio diocese, then the church Saint-Jean-Baptiste, the largest in Corsica, built between 1636 and 1666 in the Terra Vechja district.
The diocese's Baroque cathedralChurch · Bastia
Cathédrale Sainte-Marie de Bastia
La cathédrale Sainte-Marie de Bastia est un édifice religieux de style baroque situé en Haute-Corse. Elle est le siège du culte catholique dans le diocèse…
Corsica's largest churchChurch · Bastia
Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Bastia
L'église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Bastia est la plus grande église de Corse. Édifiée dans le quartier de Terra Vechja, elle est de style baroque et sa…
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