Palombaggia Beach (Corsica) – Visit Tips + photos

Why visit Palombaggia Beach in Corsica?

Virtual tour - video

Before I give you info, tips and photos to plan your visit, here is a short video to give you a feel for the place.
This was shot early morning and outside Summer, so I was lucky to be almost alone on the beach!
(Sadly it does not look like such a paradise in the middle of the day in Summer...)

More photos after the planning tips.

Where is Palombaggia in Corsica - How to get there? Map

Location of Palombaggia Beach - Map

The beach of Palombaggia is located in South Corsica, at the South end of the island.

• Porto-Vecchio to Palombaggia - 20min drive
• Bonifacio to Palombaggia beach - 40min drive
• 10min from main road T10 via 'Route de Palombaggia'

The region is accessible by car from Ajaccio (3h) or you can fly directly into the Figari airport.

It is a 2km stretch of beach (actually 3 beaches) near the village of Palombaggia.
However, Palombaggia is often referring to the entire peninsula and includes the famous Tamaricciu beach just South-west of it.

Below is a map to help you get oriented:

This highlight is included (with GPS coordinates and practical tips) in my travel Guide eBook that helps you easily plan your Corsica road trip:

By Car - The best way to visit all the amazing beaches and other locations in South Corsica is by car. There is so much to see. My eBooks includes all the practical tips and the GPS coordinates of of free and paying carparks.

By Taxi - A taxi from Porto-Vecchio should cost you between 35 and 45 euros.

By Bus - In summer only (From 1st July to 31st of August), touristic buses are set up. They tour the campsites to and drop people at Palombaggia (morning, early afternoon, late afternoon) - For a fee - info here

Walking - If you have booked a stay in one of the accommodations nearby (see further in the article), you can walk there within 10 to 30minutes.

Renting a car in Corsica is definitively the best way to visit the region.

This part of the coast has not been heavily built. So, on the beach, apart from a few beach restaurant, there are not buildings, just pine trees.

Need to rent a car in Corsica?
My tips:

• Compare prices on my favorite platform: Discovercars.com - one of the best rated comparison sites!
• Choose the car and company you prefer (not too big but with enough power for mountain roads)
• Consider their full coverage option - I always take it for peace of mind! 
• Book early to have a large choice of vehicles!

See my 36 tips about renting a car in Corsica

Tips to visit Palombaggia Beach, Corsica

Since Palombaggia is considered one of the best beaches in Europe, it is totally overcrowded in Summer. You definitively won't feel the magic in the middle of the day, with the Summer heat and all the vendors trying to sell you stuff you don't need.

But if you are ready to wake up very early or are able to travel outside of the Summer months, then you will get to enjoy the beautiful scenery it has to offer.

Anyway, whatever the month, the best time to visit the beach of Palombaggia is early morning or late afternoon. When the sun is low, it hits the pink granit, intensifying the shades of pink, red and orange of the rocks.

Palombaggia has one free carpark. It is located at the North-East end of the beach.
The road to get there is OK, but the carpark itself is bumpy and a little bit confusing as to how to circulate.

Note that in the middle of the day in Summer there is little chance to find a spot. It fills up very quickly.
But it is free, so that's great. And I think it is near the most beautiful part of the beach - so perfect!

There are other carparks along the 2km beach however you will have to pay a fee as they belong to restaurants.
Often it is a flat fee for the whole day.

You can find several beach restaurants located along the beach (North, middle and South).
The stretch of sand is not very large, so seating is limited. Get there early!

Most of them serve seafood, salads and light meal options. Some serve pizzas.
Of course, be prepared, prices are set up according to the popularity of the location...

Palombaggia beach hotel & accommodations

Swimming at Palombaggia

Snorkeling & Water sports

Snorkeling at Palombaggia is an excellent idea.
With the many rocky stacks and clear waters, you can see a lot. Especially as fishing is regulated (it is part of the protected natural reserve of les Bouches de Bonifacio).
Mask and tuba are sufficient to see many species of fish. Some a good at protecting themselves and disappear with the sand while others have the colors of tropical fish.

Not far from the free carparks, you can also rent equipment for snorkeling, windsurfing, kayaking, pedal boating, and diving.

Palombaggia in pictures

East end

When reaching the beach from the carpark, head left to the large promontory of pink granite.
It is a lot of fun to explore and gives you a little bit of height to see the beauty of the bay.

You can climb around and see the different layers of pink granite.
And when looking back towards the beach, you notice how it is protected by dunes and stunning stone pines.

I really enjoyed that section, and you can see the whole arch of beaches, the whole bay all the way to the South head of Corsica

East end - Middle

Another area that will be loved by photographer is more towards the middle. When arriving from the free carpark, head right.
The rock formation is smaller but trees have grown right above it. 
And it looks like it is spraying over in the water.
I love the perspectives you can shoot.

Plus you can easily walk over the rocks that have been rounded and smoothed by the water and erosion. It is quite fun.

Towards West

You can keep going South West (right when facing the water). The further away from the parking you get, to more space on the beach you can get (wider and fewer people). However, it also has a lot less beautiful red rocks. 

The famous cove between Palombaggia and Tamaricciu

Actually some of the most famous pictures are Palombaggia are with white rocks and with a Pine Tree.
These pictures are taken in the same place as mine below:

This is a cove located between Tamarriciu beach and Palombaggia beach. It is part of the Palombaggia peninsula, but for me it is more representative of tamaricciu beach rather that Palombaggia beach.
Anyway, you can reach it from the South-West end of Palombaggia, just walk past the tip to reach it.
It looks quite different from the pictures taken at the other end, don't you think?
See more photos of Tamaricciu.

Alternative beaches to Palombaggia

Palombaggia is definitively the most famous beach in the region, but there are many other ones to visit.
Sadly, all get overcrowded in Summer

One of my favorite is Rondinara Bay. I love love love rocks and colors and found a top spot there.
This beach offers different evironnments depending on what you are looking for.
In the middle is a large stretch of white sand and shallow turquoise water.
At the South end are small coves and stunning colorful rocks while in the North you can find a lagoon right behind the beach.

It is located South of Palombaggia, mid-way between Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio. 
Check out my article about Rondinara Beach.

People who enjoy spending the day at the beach and doing many kinds of activities really love Santa Giulia.
It has all the amenities right by the beach.
Lots of sand, turquoise water, rocks, kayak, stand-up paddle, snorkeling, diving... you can do it all!

Want to see more of the best Corsica has to offer?

• 35 best places to visit in Corsica - read article
• 21 best beaches in Corsica - read article
• 9 best things to do in Corsica - read article
• 35 of the most beautiful Corsica landscapes in photos - read article
• How to plan a road trip in Corsica - read article
• Tips to drive in Corsica - read article
• Where to stay in Corsica - read article
• The famous Calanques de Piana - read the article
• The tour of the Cap Corse - read the article
• Best things to do in Bonifacio - read the article

Planning a trip to Corsica?

Check out my travel guide to help you plan:

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