Southern Corsica: a week from Ajaccio to Bonifacio
South-west Corsica is a coast with hardly a road along it: granite bays, Genoese towers and villages that are easier to reach by boat than by car. A loop of about 115 nm from Ajaccio: the Gulf of Valinco, Bonifacio on its limestone cliff and the Lavezzi islands in the middle of the strait, then back along the same shore. Most legs take two or three hours, but there is one long day of 32 nm; the route suits a crew that is comfortable in a fresh breeze.
Day by day
Ajaccio (Port Charles Ornano)
- Ajaccio (Port Charles Ornano)41.926, 8.740
Ajaccio airport is fifteen minutes from the marina. Take over the yacht at Port Charles Ornano, a few minutes' walk from the old town; provision at the market on the Place Foch or at a supermarket. The evening below the citadel, in the town where Napoleon was born.
Ajaccio → Propriano
- Propriano41.676, 8.904
South out of the gulf, round Capo di Muro and into the Gulf of Valinco to Propriano, a small port with a long beach and the hill villages of the Sartenais rising behind it. The first Corsican dinner: brocciu cheese, figatellu sausage and the reds of Sartène.
Propriano → Campomoro → Tizzano
- Campomoro41.631, 8.810
- Tizzano41.537, 8.860
Across the gulf to Campomoro: a Genoese tower on the headland and a bay of granite boulders, the best place of the week for lunch at anchor and a swim. Then south to Tizzano, a hamlet with a single quay. The coast is wild, with no road along it.
Tizzano → Bonifacio
- Bonifacio41.387, 9.159
South-east past the stone lion of Roccapina and round Cap de Feno to Bonifacio: white limestone cliffs, the town on their very edge and a fjord harbour cut into the rock. Arrive early — berths in the old port go fast in season. In the evening, up the King of Aragon's Stairs to the upper town.
Bonifacio → Lavezzi → Sant'Amanza
- Lavezzi Islands41.337, 9.255
- Sant'Amanza41.420, 9.240
The morning in the Lavezzi islands, a reserve of pink granite and turquoise water in the middle of the strait, with Sardinia on the horizon. After lunch, round to the bay of Sant'Amanza on the east side; if you need supplies, Porto-Vecchio is about twenty minutes away by taxi.
Sant'Amanza → Roccapina → Campomoro
- Roccapina41.490, 8.940
- Campomoro41.631, 8.810
The longest day: back through the strait under the Bonifacio cliffs, lunch in the bay below the Roccapina lion, then north past Tizzano to Campomoro for the night. About six hours under way, usually under sail with the afternoon westerly.
Campomoro → Ajaccio
- Ajaccio (Port Charles Ornano)41.926, 8.740
A last leg north round Capo di Muro and into the Gulf of Ajaccio past the Sanguinaires islands. Refuelling and handover at Port Charles Ornano.
Coordinates are approximate, for the harbour or bay. Paste them into Google Maps or a chartplotter, and check the chart and pilot book before you moor or anchor.
Good to know
- The Strait of Bonifacio is where the wind lives: the mistral and the libeccio funnel through it at 25–30 knots with a short, steep sea. On such a day you stay in Tizzano or Campomoro and wait, or reach Bonifacio by road from Propriano, about an hour and a half. The Lavezzi day is the one most often moved: it goes to the first calm morning.
- The Lavezzi islands are part of the Bonifacio strait nature reserve: some zones are closed to anchoring and landing, and the posidonia meadows are protected. Check the current rules and zoning at the base before you set out.
- Berths: Bonifacio is one of the most sought-after marinas in the Mediterranean — in July and August book ahead and expect to pay for it. Campomoro, Tizzano, Roccapina and Sant'Amanza are anchorages; Propriano and Ajaccio are full-service ports.
- Season: the best months are May, June and September, when the wind is gentler and the bays emptier. Corsica is France and Schengen, so there are no formalities on this route; Sardinia is in sight from Lavezzi, but the route does not enter Italian waters.
When to go and what it costs in France
Median € per berth per week from the agent's latest check, monohulls; each month's page has both boat types, a chart and boats departing that month.
Discounted boats in France
All boats in France
How long is the Ajaccio — Bonifacio route and where do you stay overnight?
7 days and about 115 nautical miles in a loop, starting and finishing in Ajaccio. Overnight stops in order: Ajaccio (Port Charles Ornano), Propriano, Tizzano, Bonifacio, Sant'Amanza, Campomoro. The longest leg is day 6, 32 nm.
When is the best time to sail the Ajaccio — Bonifacio route?
France's season runs May to October. July and August are the busiest and most expensive months; June and September bring warm water and fewer people. In any month the route is planned around the mistral, which can blow up to 30 knots for several days. By the agent's latest checks (monohulls), the cheapest month is November: a median of €246 per berth per week. The most expensive is January, at €310. The most boats with 20% off or more are in October: 6%. The agent checks the current month and the next five; each month has its own page with the numbers.
How much does a yacht for this route cost?
A whole boat in France for a week starts from €1,548 in the agent's current selection: the cheapest discounted week departing in the next three months. Prices per berth by month are higher up the page; the boats are under “All boats in France”.
Do I need a licence to charter a yacht?
For a bareboat charter (no skipper or crew provided), yes: a skipper's licence and, as a rule, a VHF radio certificate. Without a licence, we add a skipper, paid separately from the boat price.
What's included in the boat price?
Just the boat, for a week. Usually paid separately: transit log and final cleaning, fuel, marina fees, the security deposit (or deposit insurance), a skipper, cook and hostess if you need them, and extras (SUP board, on-board Wi-Fi, coffee machine, child safety netting).
