With its glittering harbour, dramatic perch atop creamy white cliffs, and a stout citadel teetering above the cornflower-blue waters of the Bouches de Bonifacio, this dazzling port is an essential stop. Just a short hop from Sardinia, Bonifacio has a distinctly Italianate feel: sun-bleached townhouses, dangling washing lines and murky chapels cram the web of alleyways of the old citadel, while, down below on the harbourside, brasseries and boat kiosks tout their wares to the droves of day trippers.
CitadelHISTORIC QUARTER
(Haute Ville)
Much of Bonifacio’s charm comes from strolling the citadel’s shady streets, several spanned by arched aqueducts designed to collect rainwater to fill the communal cistern opposite Église Ste-Marie Majeure. From the marina, the paved steps of montée du Rastello and montée St-Rochbring you up to the citadel’s old gateway, Porte de Gênes, complete with an original 16th-century drawbridge.
SPMBBOAT TOUR
Don’t leave Bonifacio without taking a boat trip around its extraordinary coastline, where you’ll get the best perspective of the town’s precarious position on top of the magnificent chalky cliffs. The one-hour itinerary (adult/child €17.50/12) includes several calanques (deep rocky inlets), views of the Escalier du Roi d’Aragon and the Grotte du Sdragonato(Little Dragon Cave), a vast watery cave with a natural rooftop skylight.
AIR
A taxi into town from Aéroport de Figari-Sud-Corse (www.2a.cci.fr/Aeroport-Figari-Sud-Corse.html), 20km north, costs about €45.
BOAT
Sardinia’s main ferry operators, Moby (www.moby.it) andSaremar (www.saremar.it), run seasonal boats between Bonifacio and Santa Teresa Gallura (Sardinia); sailing time is 50 minutes.
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