7 days, 7 beaches between Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio in peak season

In July and August, the beaches of Southern Corsica undoubtedly reveal some of their most beautiful colours, but they are also at their busiest. At Palombaggia, Santa Giulia and the other iconic beaches between Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio, arriving at the wrong time can completely change the experience. Over the years, we have therefore learned to organise our days differently: setting off early when we want to enjoy the larger beaches, choosing a more secluded cove in the afternoon, sometimes packing a picnic and being prepared to walk a little to get away from the crowds. From a holiday home in Sotta, this way of enjoying the coast works particularly well. We are not tied to any one beach: every morning, we can choose our direction, our timing and the atmosphere we are looking for. So this is not a ranking, but rather our idea of a perfect week of beaches in peak summer, between Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio.

The iconic beaches, but at the right time

We would happily start the week at L’Acciaro, near Palombaggia. We love this beach for its balance: beautiful water, soft sand, a genuine summer atmosphere and, above all, the possibility of having lunch right by the sea. Parking costs around €5, but in peak season this small convenience can make the day much easier. We prefer to go in the morning and stay until early afternoon, before the crowds and the heat become too intense. It is a wonderful way to begin the week and immediately rediscover the light and colours that make the beaches around Porto-Vecchio so distinctive.

Another morning would be devoted to Palombaggia, but with a slightly different approach. We particularly like the Playa Baggia area, especially for its shaded parking. Parking costs around €20, but the fee is covered if you have lunch at the restaurant. In August, we would certainly not try to arrive at midday: Palombaggia is best enjoyed early. In the morning, the light is softer, the sea is often calm and the atmosphere is completely different from the middle of the day. We would stay until lunch or the very beginning of the afternoon before heading peacefully back towards Sotta.

And of course, it would be impossible to imagine this week without Santa Giulia. Once again, the secret is not to search for an unknown beach, but simply to change your timing. We try to arrive before 10 am. This is when you can really appreciate this vast lagoon and its shallow turquoise water, before the car parks and beach begin to fill up. After a few hours in the water, we have lunch there and then head home. In peak season, staying until 5 or 6 pm does not necessarily add much to the experience: we would rather return to the pool, the peace and the maquis at Bella Sotta while others are only just beginning to look for somewhere to park near the sea.

Alternating with coves and wilder beaches

This is probably what changes our approach to Southern Corsica in August the most: we do not try to spend seven days on the most famous beaches. Some days are deliberately devoted to simpler, wilder places. The coves of Figari are perfect for this. There is no restaurant, no organised beach and no paid parking: we simply take some water and a few essentials and tend to come in the afternoon. The atmosphere is completely different from Palombaggia or Santa Giulia. The rocks, maquis and wind around Figari give the landscape a much wilder character, and the water immediately makes you want to reach for a mask and snorkel.

We would do something similar with Balistra. The beach is vast and wild, there is no restaurant and parking is free. We particularly enjoy going there in the afternoon, on days when we have no desire to get up early and compete for parking spaces at the busiest beaches. Even in summer, its surroundings give you more space and the feeling of already being somewhere a little more remote. The wind can, of course, completely transform Balistra, so this is typically a beach we choose according to the day's weather rather than planning it a week in advance.

Another day could combine two very different atmospheres. We would start the morning at Maora, near Bonifacio, aiming to arrive before 10:30 am to make the most of free parking. After swimming and lunch, a short drive is enough to completely change the scenery and reach Cala Longa in the afternoon. We really like the idea of not necessarily staying on the same beach towel for eight hours. In peak season, moving around can sometimes help you rediscover some peace and quiet precisely when the best-known beaches are reaching their busiest point of the day.

Walking a little, escaping the crowds and returning to Sotta in the evening

Finally, we would keep one day for Carataggio, which many people nickname Tahiti Beach. This one requires a little more effort, and that is precisely part of its charm. We set off in the morning with a picnic in our bags, so we can enjoy the walk of around forty minutes before the sun gets too high. The path is already part of the experience: the maquis, the heat gradually beginning to rise, and then the first glimpse of the water after the walk. You have to be prepared to carry everything you need and do without a beach restaurant, but in the middle of August this small constraint also acts as a natural filter. Those willing to make the effort discover an experience very different from beaches that can be reached directly by car.

Ultimately, this is what we enjoy about this kind of week: never looking for exactly the same thing two days in a row. A morning at Santa Giulia for its almost unreal water, lunch with your feet in the sand at L’Acciaro, a wild afternoon at Balistra, a mask and snorkel in a Figari cove, a picnic day at Carataggio… In peak season, trying to avoid the crowds altogether would be unrealistic. But it is entirely possible to avoid having them dictate your holiday.

This is also where Bella Sotta really comes into its own. We are located between Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio, rather than directly beside a single beach that would dictate all our days. Depending on the time, the wind or simply our mood, we can head north, south or west. And when the coast becomes particularly busy in the middle of the afternoon, we are always happy to take the road back to Sotta, to the silence of the maquis and the pool. In August perhaps even more than in June or September, staying slightly inland can paradoxically be one of the best ways to enjoy the sea.

Getting there from Bella Sotta

This week deliberately has no single address: instead, it traces a route between Porto-Vecchio, Figari and Bonifacio, with Bella Sotta as the starting point. Depending on the beach you choose, allow generally between 15 and 35 minutes by car. Santa Giulia is around 15 minutes away, Palombaggia and L’Acciaro around 20 to 25 minutes, while Balistra, Maora, Cala Longa and the starting points for reaching Carataggio take a little longer. The coves of Figari are also easy to reach from Sotta without having to drive through Porto-Vecchio. In July and August, our main advice is not to think only in terms of kilometres: your departure time matters even more. For the iconic beaches, we leave early; for the wilder beaches, we adapt our plans according to the wind and the crowds. That is one of the real advantages of staying in Sotta: being able to choose your beach at the last minute rather than organising your entire holiday around a single stretch of coastline.