Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica, sits on the island's western coast with its back to granite mountains and its face to the Mediterranean. This is Napoleon Bonaparte's birthplace, a fact that shapes much of the town's identity, though the turquoise beaches and the old Genoese quarter give visitors plenty of reasons to linger beyond the history.
The town makes a practical base for exploring southern Corsica. You're five kilometres from the airport, close enough to the prehistoric site at Filitosa, and within reach of some of the island's finest beaches. The self-catering gîtes near Ajaccio put you in range of both the town's museums and markets, and the wild coastline that defines this part of the island.
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About Ajaccio
Ajaccio grew under Genoese rule in the 15th century, though its most famous son arrived in 1769, just a year after France acquired Corsica. The Bonaparte legacy runs through the town: his birthplace is now Maison Bonaparte, a museum that draws visitors in their thousands, and Place d'Austerlitz commemorates one of his victories with a monument and sweeping views over the gulf.
The old town clusters around the citadel and the Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta, where Napoleon was baptised. Narrow streets open onto squares lined with plane trees, and the waterfront promenade stretches along the bay. The Fesch Museum holds one of France's most important collections of Italian paintings, built on Napoleon's uncle's acquisitions.
Modern Ajaccio spreads inland, but the core remains compact and navigable on foot. The town has working ferry links to Marseille and Toulon, a busy market that trades in Corsican charcuterie and cheese, and a rhythm that slows considerably in the heat of the afternoon. People stay in the gîtes around Ajaccio for the combination of access—both to the town itself and to the beaches and mountains beyond—and for the chance to live at a Corsican pace, which is slower than the mainland's.
Things to do near Ajaccio
Maison Bonaparte takes you through the family home where Napoleon spent his early years, with period rooms and memorabilia that sketch his rise. The Fesch Museum, a short walk away, houses over a thousand Italian paintings collected by Cardinal Fesch, including works by Botticelli and Titian. The Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta is a modest baroque church notable for its connection to the Bonaparte family.
A Cupulatta, around 20 kilometres north of Ajaccio, is a tortoise and turtle sanctuary with over 170 species in naturalistic enclosures—a worthwhile trip if you're travelling with children. Further afield, the Prehistoric station Filitosa is an open-air site scattered with Bronze Age menhir statues, the carved stone warriors that predate written Corsican history by millennia.
The beaches are the main draw for many. Plage Terre Sacrée and Plage Trottel lie within easy reach of the town centre. Plage de Barbicaghja and Plage de Cala d'Orzu, slightly further along the coast, offer clearer water and fewer crowds. Place d'Austerlitz, on a hilltop just outside town, gives you views over Ajaccio and the gulf, with a statue of Napoleon in Roman dress presiding over the scene.
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Food & drink
Corsican food leans heavily on charcuterie—prisuttu, coppa, lonzu—made from semi-wild pigs that forage in the maquis. Brocciu, a fresh sheep's cheese, turns up in everything from omelettes to pastries. The island produces robust red wines from Sciaccarellu and Niellucciu grapes, mostly in the Ajaccio and Patrimonio appellations.
Ajaccio's covered market, near the town hall, is the place to stock a gîte kitchen with local produce: citrus, honey, chestnut flour, and vacuum-packed meats that travel well. For eating out, La Plage d'Argent offers beachside dining with a solid reputation. The larger supermarkets—E.Leclerc at Baleone and Carrefour Ajaccio 2—handle weekly provisioning, though neither will give you much sense of Corsican particularity.
Getting there
Ajaccio airport sits just five kilometres from the town centre, with direct flights from Paris, Nice, Marseille, and a handful of UK airports in summer. If you're driving from mainland France, you'll need to factor in a ferry crossing—Marseille and Toulon both run services to Ajaccio, with overnight sailings taking around 12 hours. The alternative is to fly into Bastia, 69 kilometres north, though the mountain road between the two airports takes over an hour.
Paris Gare du Nord lies 919 kilometres away, which makes Eurostar a non-starter for reaching Corsica directly. Most visitors arriving from Britain fly or drive to a southern French port, then take the ferry across.