Corsica family holidays and breaks

Corsica is a perfect family holiday destination: adventurous (think sailing, diving, rafting, riding and hiking) but with plenty of opportunity to relax too, on wonderful beaches or over a Mediterranean feast. The island has only been French for 200 of its 4000-year history, so it offers something rather special: it's a wild, mountainous, beautiful place but one with the sophistication of many French resorts.

Flying Time	2.25 hours
Carbon Footprint	1.11 tonnes CO2
Timezone	GMT +1
Local Currency	Euro

What to Do

Corsica excels as an extreme sports destination, though activities can be easily modified for children. The best pursuits for little ones are sailing from any number of beaches and riding up into the hills or along the coast. For family holidays with older kids, there's white-water rafting and excellent fishing and diving.

Beaches around L'lle-Rousse and Calvi are not only some of the most beautiful on Corsica but also have the best family facilities, though they do get packed in the height of summer – in which case, try Campomoro or La Liscia, where the watersports are superb and there are good cafés.

Don't miss Les Calanques de Piana, a spectacular landscape of red granite cliffs carved into bizarre shapes by nature, spiralling 300m over the sea.

Though Corsica is a place for physical rather than cultural pursuits, try to make time to explore some of the fascinating towns.

Where to Stay

A huge selection of accommodation suited to family holidays is available on Corsica, from luxury hotels and villas to secluded hillside apartments.

For a great family friendly resort, why not try the San Lucianu with Mark Warner, or an all-inclusive option would be Club Med's Sant' Ambroggio. If you are looking for a self-catering family holiday, Simpson Travel offer a great range of villas.

Thomson Holidays offers holidays to around 45 resorts on the island, while Simply Travel offers a selection of luxury hand-picked private villas.

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When

The best time to schedule family holidays on Corsica is May–early July and Sept/Oct. Late July and all of August are very busy, particularly with Italian and French holiday-makers.

May to Oct, daytime temperatures usually exceed 21°C, climbing to 35°C or more during July and August.

How

Family holidays in Corsica are made simple by flights from numerous UK airports to Bastia on the north-east of the island. Direct scheduled flights are frequent and prices competitive - check out our recommended flight partners on our flight deals page.

You might also fly to Nice, Marseilles or Toulon in the South of France or Genoa in Italy and then take a Mediterranean ferry to Corsica.

See also our family-friendly car-hire page.

Eat

Corsican cuisine, influenced by French and Italian cooking, is fabulous – and indeed will be a highlight of many family holidays here. There are enough familiar dishes to satisfy even the fussiest children, though often they come with a local twist.

This a fertile, lush island with wonderful local ingredients and acclaimed wines. The chestnut, described as the most important ingredient in island cuisine, features in delicious sauces and stews, while local cheeses, meats and fish are superb.

Cost

You can pick up a bargain family holiday package in a self-catering apartment from as little as £115pp from Thomson, or really splash out on a luxury secluded villa on Corsica from Simply Travel.