France · South Corsica
Yacht Charter Bonifacio
A town on a chalk cliff above a fjord, and the most theatrical arrival in the Mediterranean.
Bonifacio sits on a spur of white limestone at Corsica's southern tip, with the houses built right to the edge of a cliff that overhangs the sea beneath them. The harbour is an inlet a kilometre long, narrow and deep and completely hidden until you are level with it — which is why the approach from seaward is the arrival everyone remembers.
The inlet and the town
The entrance is a gap in the cliff barely wider than it needs to be, and it opens into a natural fjord with the old town on the rock above and quays along both sides. It has been fought over since antiquity for exactly this reason: it is deep, narrow and impossible to attack from the sea.
In the upper town the Escalier du Roi d'Aragon cuts a hundred and eighty-seven steps down the cliff face to sea level, reputedly in a single night in 1420. It was actually a route to a freshwater spring, which is a better story than the siege.
The strait and the islands
The Lavezzi and Cavallo islets lie in the middle of the Strait of Bonifacio, a granite marine reserve, shallow and clear and almost lunar above the water. Sardinia is visible across the channel and La Maddalena is under an hour from them.
The chalk cliffs run west from the town for several kilometres, undercut into caves — the Grotte du Sdragonato has a hole in its roof shaped like Corsica, which sounds invented and is not.
Practical notes
- Sailed from Olbia, an hour and a half across the strait, where thirteen of this fleet's yachts sit
- The harbour is a deep natural inlet a kilometre long, completely sheltered, and wants booking in August
- The Lavezzi islets in the middle of the strait are a granite marine reserve and the usual stop on the crossing
- Figari airport is twenty-five minutes by road; it is a border crossing, so passports come aboard
Reached from: Olbia
Where to dine
A table by the water
Da Passano
BonifacioOn the quay in the inlet, doing Corsican cooking with the cliff directly overhead.
Stella d'Oro
BonifacioIn the upper town inside the citadel, in a stone room that has fed the rock for generations.
Cantina Doria
BonifacioA cellar in the old town serving charcuterie, brocciu and the island's wine, and nothing that needs a menu.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The inlet
A natural fjord a kilometre long, narrow and deep, invisible from seaward until you are level with the entrance.
Escalier du Roi d'Aragon
A hundred and eighty-seven steps cut down the cliff face to the sea, built as access to a freshwater spring.
The Lavezzi islands
A granite marine reserve in the middle of the strait, shallow and clear, and the usual stop on the crossing from Sardinia.
Grotte du Sdragonato
A sea cave west of the town with a hole in its roof shaped like Corsica, entered by tender.
The fleet
Yachts available for Bonifacio
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Bonifacio
- What makes the arrival at Bonifacio special?
- The entrance is a gap in a white cliff that stays hidden until you are level with it, and it opens into a fjord a kilometre long with the town on the rock above. There is no approach like it in the Mediterranean.
- Is the harbour easy to get into?
- Deep, narrow and completely sheltered once inside. In August it is small enough to want booking; in June it does not.
- What does a yacht charter at Bonifacio cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
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Enquire about a charter at Bonifacio
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.