More of Corsica is off the road than on it.
An entire UNESCO listed reserve has no land access at all. The best beach in the north is a boat ride or a four and a half hour walk. The cliffs at Bonifacio only make sense from below. This is an island where the boat is not an excursion, it is how you see the half you came for.
Where each of these sits is in my complete guide to Corsica.
The four trips worth taking
Scandola and the Calanques, from Porto. Four to five hours, the full circuit with a stop at Girolata. The only way into the reserve, and the best boat day on the island. Detail in Scandola and the Gulf of Porto.
The Lavezzi islands, from Bonifacio. Roughly €25 to €40 for the crossing alone, about €65 for a half day of four hours including the cliffs and caves. Granite islets and water clear enough to see sand at ten metres.
The cliffs and caves, from Bonifacio. About an hour, and the cheapest worthwhile boat on Corsica. If you do nothing else on the water, do this, because the town from below is a different thing entirely. See Bonifacio.
Saleccia and Lotu, from Saint-Florent. About 25 minutes each way into the Agriates. Most operators will drop you at one beach and collect you from the other, with an hour’s walk over the headland between them, which is the best version of the day.
The Lavezzi islands
A protected archipelago in the strait between Corsica and Sardinia, all low rounded granite and no trees.
Boats leave you for two or three hours. The swimming is exceptional and the walking between the boulders is easy. There is a small cemetery here for the roughly 700 lost when the frigate Sémillante struck the rocks in 1855, which gives the islands a weight the water does not prepare you for.
Nothing is sold there. No shop, no bar, no drinking water, and shade is whatever rock you can find. Take more water than you think.
The caves
Along the Bonifacio cliffs and around the Gulf of Porto, the rock is riddled with them.
The good ones glow. Light comes up through the water outside and reflects off the sand, so the inside of the cave is lit pale blue from below rather than from above. Small boats go inside; larger ones pass the mouth. If the caves matter to you, ask before booking which the operator does.
Which departure port for what
| From | Reaches | Time | |—|—|—| | Porto | Scandola, Calanques, Girolata | 4 to 5 hours | | Bonifacio | Lavezzi, cliffs, caves | 1 to 4 hours | | Saint-Florent | Saleccia, Lotu, Agriates coast | 25 min transfer | | Calvi | Scandola, Girolata | Full day, long transit | | Ajaccio | Scandola, or Sanguinaires sunset | Full day, or 2 hours | | Porto-Vecchio | Southern coast, Cerbicale islands | Half day |
Departure port matters more than operator. Going to Scandola from Calvi or Ajaccio means most of the day is transit. From Porto it is twenty minutes to the reserve.
Practical, and the one that catches people
The wind cancels sailings. The libeccio from the southwest blows up at any point in the season and shuts the west coast down, sometimes for two days. This is the single most common way a Corsica trip goes wrong.
So do not book a boat for your last morning. Leave a spare day. If the west is blown out, the east coast is usually calm.
Book a day or two ahead in July and August, and go in the morning, which is calmer as well as cooler.
Take a jacket even in August. On the water at speed it is genuinely cold, and the caves more so.
Small boat or big boat. Small boats reach the caves and carry ten or twelve people. Large catamarans are steadier, better if anyone gets seasick, and cannot go inside anything. Neither is better, but they are different days.
Choosing an operator, and the questions that actually matter
Prices barely vary. What varies is the boat and the route, and neither is obvious from a listing.
Does it go inside the caves, or past them? The single most useful question, and the answer depends entirely on hull size. Ask it before you pay.
How long is the stop? A Scandola trip that lists five hours may be four and a half of cruising with a thirty-minute pause at Girolata, or it may give you ninety minutes ashore. Both are sold as the same trip.
Is there commentary, and in what language? Some boats run a guide throughout, some play nothing at all. On Scandola, where the geology is the whole point, a guide genuinely adds to it.
Is it a semi-rigid or a catamaran? A semi-rigid inflatable is fast, wet, exciting and hard on backs. A catamaran is stable, shaded and cannot enter a cave. Anyone with a bad back or a tendency to seasickness should take the catamaran and accept the trade.
What to take
More water than you think, especially for Lavezzi, where nothing is sold.
A jacket or windproof layer. This is the thing people get wrong in August, and on a fast boat at sea it is not marginal.
Reef shoes if you are landing at Lavezzi or Girolata, both of which are rock and coarse gravel rather than sand.
Cash, because some of the smaller operators at the quay still prefer it, and the ticket huts are not always card-friendly.
Sun cover that is not just cream. There is no shade at all on most of these boats and the reflection off the water doubles what you get.
What it costs
- Bonifacio cliffs and caves, about an hour: €20 to €30
- Lavezzi crossing: €25 to €40
- Lavezzi half day with cliffs and caves: around €65
- Scandola and Calanques from Porto, four to five hours: €55 to €80
- Saint-Florent to Saleccia return: €25 to €40
Children are usually half price. Almost none of these include food, so bring lunch.
Read also
Bonifacio: The Town on the Cliffs | The Best Beaches in Corsica | Victoria’s Complete Guide to Corsica
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best boat trip in Corsica?
Scandola and the Calanques de Piana from Porto, four to five hours including a stop at Girolata. It is the only way to see the UNESCO reserve, which has no road or footpath access, and the departure port keeps the transit short.
How much are boat trips in Corsica?
Roughly €20 to €30 for the Bonifacio cliffs and caves, €25 to €40 for the Lavezzi crossing, about €65 for a Lavezzi half day, and €55 to €80 for Scandola and the Calanques from Porto. Food is rarely included.
Where do you get the boat to Saleccia beach?
Saint-Florent, about 25 minutes each way. Many operators drop you at Saleccia and collect from neighbouring Lotu, with an hour’s walk over the headland between the two beaches.
Do boat trips in Corsica get cancelled?
Frequently, because of the libeccio wind from the southwest, which can shut the west coast down for a day or two at any point in the season. Never book a boat trip for your last morning, and leave a spare day in the plan.
Can you go inside the sea caves in Corsica?
On small boats, yes, around Bonifacio and the Gulf of Porto. Larger catamarans pass the entrances but cannot enter. Ask which the operator does before booking if the caves are the reason you are going.
