Bastia

Described as the cultural and commercial capital of northern Corsica, Bastia is a port town of character, one built on centuries of Genoese, French, and Italian influences that come together beautifully along the harbour front of ochre and salmon-paint facades. A designated town of art and history by France and the second largest on the island, Bastia is a much sought-after charter destination. The Terra Vecchia, the Old Town quarter, is home to a web of winding streets and shuttered 18th-century buildings centred on the Place du Marché, where a daily farmers’ market takes place beneath the imposing 16th-century Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste. The Vieux Port is (unsurprisingly) the social hub of the town, featuring a sheltered harbour filled with bars and restaurants which offer a view across to the church belfries that’s so beautiful, it’s likely been painted and photographed more than any other location in Corsica. Above the old port, the 14th-century citadel district houses the former Governor’s Palace, now the Municipal Museum, alongside the Church of Sainte-Marie de l’Assomption and the baroque Oratoire Sainte-Croix. Outside of the town itself, charterers will enjoy visiting the Étang de Biguglia, the largest lagoon on the island and an excellent spot for birdwatching, with over 100 migratory species recorded there. The Cap Corse peninsula lies to the north and offers some of the most lovely cruising grounds, with a coastline dotted with fishing ports, clifftop villages, and Genoese towers. Bastia’s location, directly facing the Tuscan archipelago and within easy reach of the Italian mainland, means it’s also an ideal gateway for more extended charter itineraries connecting Corsica with Elba, Sardinia, and the broader Tyrrhenian Sea.