Cap Corse que faire ?
Cap Corse que faire ? You will discover the wildest sites of the island between remote villages, small fishing ports and hikes in the maquis. Located at the northern tip of the island, Cap Corse is a condensed version of everything the island has to offer.
Together, we will discover the top 10 things to do or see alone or with others during an organised trip to Northern Corsica and more precisely to Cap Corse.
1 - The beaches
Les plage de sable fin :
- La Marine de Pietracorbara: here you will find a beautiful bathing bay with fine sand.
- Barcaggio: a fine sandy beach over one kilometre long. This beach is perfectly suitable for young children because of the shallow water. You can even be accompanied by cute, harmless cows who are also enjoying the sun.
- La plage de Tamarone qui est sûrement la plus belle plage de sable blanc du cap Corse. Cette plage est accessible en voiture et est le point de départ du Sentier des Douaniers.
Do you prefer pebble beaches?
- Located north of Nonza, the beach of Albo offers a long, wide stretch of shingle (about 300 metres long and up to 200 metres wide in places).
- Vous ne pouvez pas passer par Nonza sans vous baigner sur sa plage de galets noirs dûs aux rejets de l’usine du Canari. En prenant de la hauteur, vous pourrez même lire les messages des touristes faits avec des galets blancs.
Et tout le long de votre visite au Cap Corse, vous trouverez également de jolies criques sauvages qui n’attendent que vous.
What to do in Cap Corse?
What to do in Cap Corse?
2 - Water sports and thrill-seeking activities
Cap Corse que faire autre que la farniente au bord de l’eau ?
On the west coast you can (re)discover water sports and thrills. The sea is often rougher than on the east coast: diving, snorkelling, towed buoys, water skiing...
- Centuri: divers love this area between the small island of Capense and the "mainland" where the seabed is magnificent.
- Beach of albo: it offers a wild and preserved setting.
On the east side, you can go kayaking at Erbalunga or paddle boarding.
What to do in Cap Corse?
What to do in Cap Corse?
3 - Hiking
The Mediterranean island of Corsica offers a variety of landscapes: chic coastal towns, dense forests and rugged mountains.
Almost half of the island's territory is classified as a natural park where it is possible to hike, notably on the GR20, renowned for its difficulty.
Au Cap Corse, vous aurez la possibilité de participer à des randonnées organisées de difficultés variées (du débutant au confirmé).
Here are the two most famous paths of Cap Corse:
- Macinaggio is where the Sentier des Douaniers (Customs Officers' Path) begins - or ends - and leads around the northern tip of the cape to the town of Centuri (19 km).
- The Sentier des Crêtes will allow you to see the maquis and the lush vegetation as well as the strong identity of the region with its culture. This 48-kilometre long trail, marked with a red rectangle, is a route for experienced walkers.
- Pietracorbara offers you a refreshing walk up the river of Pietracorbara and its many pozzi (water holes).
Cap Corse que faire
Cap Corse que faire
4 - Historical monuments and places
With its strong history, the landscape of Cap Corse reminds us every day of Genoa's control over the island of Beauty.
Along your journey through the beautiful towns of Cap Corse you will be surprised by all the historical memories that are part of the landscape.
- The town of Nonza offers you nuggets of Corsican history
- Saint Julie's Church and its Spring
The patron saint of Corsica, Saint Julia, also comes from Nonza. She was martyred in 303 AD because she refused to participate in a pagan festival. She was tied to a stake, her breasts were cut off and she was strangled. Where her breasts had been thrown, two miraculous springs flowed.
- The Convent of Saint Francis, impassive on its promontory, defies time and the sea, from the height of its almost 800 years.
- The Paoline Tower is one of the most important historical monuments in Corsica. The Genoese towers were part of the Genoese defensive system.
- The Serra Pass and its Mattei Mill which advertises the aperitif of the same name.
- Morsiglia: the village has several fortified residential towers dating from the Genoese period.
- Macinaggio and its Santa Maria tower.
- The Giraglia Tower is listed historic monument. You can see it on the island of Giraglia, north of the commune of Ersa.
Cette liste bien sûr n’est pas exhaustive. A vous de prendre le temps de découvrir d’autres magnifiques témoignages de l’Histoire Corse.
que voir au cap corse
que voir au cap corse
que voir au cap corse
que voir au cap corse
5 - Local trade and crafts
Chaque village que vous allez traverser organise des marchés typiques et traditionnels où se retrouvent les produits locaux de l’agriculture, de l’élevage et de l’artisanat. Essayez de passer par le marché artisanal d’Erbalunga un jeudi. A change of scenery guaranteed.
The Christmas markets in Brando and Bastia are magical and will put stars in your eyes.
Red, white and rosé wines, cutlery, pottery and ceramics, coppa and other delicatessen products, Corsican citron or ewe's milk cheeses, Sisco saffron .... The Corsican Cape is full of surprises!
6 - Entertainment
In August, the Erbalunga Music Festival welcomes big names in Corsican music and French variety. Don't miss the Cap sur le Rire Festival (July).
La ville de Patrimonio vous propose ses nuits de la guitare au mois de juillet.
A great way to have a good time with music between two dives.
7 - Restoration
All along the D80, Cap Corse is full of small restaurants, bars and other food trucks that are well worth a visit.
If the seafood makes your mouth water, we advise you to sit down in the restaurant Le Langoustier (Centuri). The owner, Fernand, fishes himself with his boat Laura for his fabulous lobsters.
Fancy an ice cream like no other? Go to the Raugi ice cream parlour (Bastia). A restaurant with an atypical environment? Eat in the middle of the ruins of the Sassa convent (Nonza)
que voir au cap corse
Cap Corse que faire
8 - The wine road
Wine lovers will be delighted with their tour of Haute Corse.
The wines of Patrimonio have had an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) for over 40 years.
They are recognised as some of the best wines in Corsica. Indeed, the limestone hills of the valley are ideal for producing a high quality wine.
This vineyard produces powerful red wines with notes of red fruit and wood, one of the best rosé wines in Corsica and dry and subtle white wines.
To discover this vineyard, you can follow the Patrimonio wine route which passes through Farinole and enjoy tastings directly at the producers.
9 - Fishing ports and marinas
The Cap Corse is littered with pretty, picturesque harbours. Some are completely abandoned or are used as anchorages for pleasure boats and tourists.
- Macinaggio is the northernmost village on the east coast. The village has the largest marina in the Cape, which can accommodate no less than 600 boats.
- Centuri est le village la plus septentrionale de la côte Ouest. Son joli port de pêche est encadré par de pittoresques maisons colorées dont les toits sont couverts d’ardoise verte de la région. La pêche à la langouste est leur spécialité.
10 - The fauna and flora of the region
Corsica is not called Île de Beauté for nothing.
The maquis or "macchia" is the most characteristic vegetation of the Mediterranean regions. It is made up of evergreen shrubs and bushes. In Corsica, it covers almost half of the island.
We find 78 endemic species, i.e. plants specific to Corsica and 42 varieties of orchids.
- The garrigue: here you can find, for example, the kermes oak or broom oak, rosemary, thyme, lavender, sage and some tuberous plants.
- The Corsican forests are largely composed of the following trees: laricio pine (26%), holm oak (22%), maritime pine (20%), beech (18%) and cork oak (5%).
- Travelling to Corsica means meeting the immortelle. The smell of this plant is emblematic of the Corsican maquis.
Cap Corse que faire
Cap Corse que faire
At Cap Corse, the flora is much more diverse than the fauna. Nevertheless, there are some endemic species and subspecies such as the Corsican salamander, the Corsican newt and the Corsican discoglossus.
Among the mammals, the Corsican mouflon is emblematic of the island. To see them, however, you need to be very lucky and particularly enduring.
Semi-wild domestic pigs are not rare. Their diet comes mainly from scrubland and forests and only a small part from fodder.
Wild cows can be seen lying on the beaches of the northern Cap Corse.
When walking along the coast, one often encounters Hermann's turtle, a few harmless snakes, but no poisonous snakes.
Cap Corse que faire
The green and sparsely populated island also offers good living conditions for birds. Stop for a moment and enjoy their beautiful songs.
At sea we meet our friends the dolphin and the rorqual - which are unfortunately threatened by fishing. With a little luck, however, they can be seen from the ferry.
Cap Corse que faire
Cap Corse que faire ? Nous espérons avoir répondu à cette question et nous vous invitons à consulter nos autres articles : Visiter Bastia ou encore Visit Saint Florent qui sont les deux villes qui bordent les frontières Est et Ouest du Cap Corse.
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