Porto-Vecchio

Crowded Upper Town

Hidden behind the mountains and barely visible from the sea, the citadel sits high above the harbor, In the 16th century it was destroyed and rebuilt three times and expanded in 1769. The fortress is protected by several bastions in all directions. In addition, there were towers from which the area and possible enemies were spied. Today, only some of the old walls remain, and they are busy and crowded, especially in the summer. Then the upper town is car-free and guests squeeze through the narrow streets with boutiques, stores selling coral and Corsican specialties.

The central point is the Place de la République, where the church Saint-Jean-Baptiste from 1868 is located. Until late at night, life is raging in the alleys and the restaurants and bars. It is much quieter in the off-season and after the vacation season Porto-Vecchio seems sleepy and deserted.

However, the upper town offers beautiful views at any time of the year. From the city gate Porte Génoise has my beautiful view over the city, the port and the coast. From the upper town you can also see the salt works, which once played an important role for Porto-Vecchio. However, salt is no longer extracted.

Quiet harbor area

Much quieter than the upper town is the harbor district, which is divided into two areas: The central marina has room for 500 boats. It is lined with a few restaurants, which, in keeping with the location, mainly serve fish, but are just as expensive as the restaurants in the upper town. The large ferries from Italy and France dock in the commercial port a little further out.

Ferries to Porto-Vecchio

Corsica's third largest city has one of the most important ferry ports in Corsica with direct connections to France, Italy and Sardinia. The shipping company Corsica Ferries offers routes to Toulon, Nice, Golfo Aranci and Porto Torres, another route to MAreseille is offered by the two shipping companies Corsica Linea and La Meridionale.

[land_routes destination='Porto-Vecchio' mode=destination port]

By car you can reach the ferry port via the N198 or N196 roads (follow the signs to the port). Figari airport is the closest to the ferry terminals of Porto Vecchio. It is 18 km away and about 30 minutes by car or cab.

Directions

From both the south and north, the T10 leads to Porto-Vecchio. From the southwest, the D859 runs west to east and joins the T10 just before Porto-Vecchio.