France · Corsica
Yacht Charter Corsica
Crewed charter across the Strait of Bonifacio — Bonifacio, the Lavezzi islands and the west coast, from the Sardinian fleet.
Corsica is an hour of water from the largest base in this fleet, and it is a different country in every sense that matters on a boat: French rather than Italian, mountainous rather than low, and empty in a way Sardinia stopped being some time ago. Most weeks here start on the Sardinian side and cross, because that is where the yachts are.
Bonifacio is the reason people cross
The town sits on a chalk cliff above an inlet shaped like a fjord, and the approach from seaward is the most theatrical entrance in the Mediterranean — you round the headland and the harbour opens up beneath a wall of white rock with houses on the lip of it.
The harbour is deep, narrow and completely sheltered, which is why it has been fought over since antiquity. It is also small: in August it wants booking, and in June it does not.
Just offshore, the Lavezzi and Cavallo islets sit in the middle of the strait — a granite marine reserve, shallow and clear and almost lunar above the waterline. Most crossings stop there on the way through rather than pressing straight on.
Two coasts, and they are not alike
The east coast is flat, agricultural and has few natural harbours: it is a delivery route rather than a cruising ground. Everything that makes Corsica worth the crossing is on the south and west.
Porto-Vecchio and Santa Giulia in the south-east have white sand and shallow turquoise, and are the closest thing here to the Costa Smeralda. West of Bonifacio the coast turns red — Piana and the Calanques, granite towers going straight into the sea, which is a UNESCO site and looks like nowhere else in Europe.
North again, Ajaccio and Calvi are the two proper towns, both with citadels and both a comfortable day apart. A week that takes in Bonifacio, the Lavezzi and the west coast as far as Piana is a full one, and going further north makes it a delivery.
How the yacht gets there
No yacht in this fleet is based in Corsica. What sails here comes from Olbia, an hour and a half across the strait, where thirteen boats sit — the widest choice of any base we have.
That is an advantage rather than a compromise: it means the boat is chosen from a real fleet rather than from whatever happens to be in Ajaccio that week. It also means the week is usually a round trip from Sardinia, and the passport goes aboard.
⚠️ The Strait of Bonifacio funnels wind and can be lively by the afternoon. Crossings are made in the morning, and a skipper who knows the water is worth what he costs here more than almost anywhere.
Practical notes
- Sailed from Olbia, an hour and a half across the strait — thirteen yachts at that base, the largest in this fleet
- It is a border crossing: passports aboard, simple paperwork, not optional
- The strait funnels wind and builds through the afternoon; crossings are made in the morning
- Bonifacio harbour is small and wants booking in August; in June it does not
- The east coast is a delivery route — the south and west are what the week is for
Reached from: Olbia
Where to dine
A table by the water
The Bonifacio marina front
BonifacioThe restaurants sit under the cliff at the head of the inlet, and you walk to them from the passerelle.
Santa Giulia
Porto-VecchioTables on white sand at the head of a shallow bay. Lunch here is the reason most weeks come this far north-east.
Porto-Vecchio old town
Porto-VecchioUp the hill inside the Genoese walls, and it is where the island eats when it is not feeding visitors.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The Lavezzi islands
A granite marine reserve in the middle of the strait, shallow and almost lunar. Most crossings stop here rather than pressing on.
The Bonifacio calanques
The white chalk inlets west of the town, best seen from the water in the morning light before the wind gets up.
Rondinara
A near-circular bay between Bonifacio and Porto-Vecchio, shallow, sheltered and shaped like a shell.
Piana and the Calanques
Red granite towers going straight into the sea, a UNESCO site, and a long day north — worth planning the week around.
The fleet
Yachts available for Corsica
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Itineraries
Yacht charter itineraries in Corsica
What a week here actually looks like, day by day.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Corsica
- Do you have yachts based in Corsica?
- No, and it is better this way. The boats are at Olbia, an hour and a half across the strait, where thirteen of them sit — so you choose from a real fleet rather than from whatever happens to be in Ajaccio that week.
- Can we combine Corsica and Sardinia in one week?
- That is the usual shape of it, and the two are close enough that neither gets shortchanged: La Maddalena and the Costa Smeralda on the Italian side, Bonifacio and the Lavezzi on the French. It is a round trip from Olbia.
- Is the Strait of Bonifacio difficult?
- It funnels wind and can be lively by the afternoon, which is why crossings are made in the morning and why a crew who know it earn their keep. It is not a passage to improvise on a whim.
- Which coast of Corsica should we sail?
- South and west. Porto-Vecchio and Santa Giulia for white sand, Bonifacio for the approach, and the red granite of Piana and the Calanques further north. The east coast is flat and harbourless and is a delivery route, not a week.
- What does a yacht charter in Corsica 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. Send us your dates and party size.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter in Corsica
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.