BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide
Corsica by boat: Lavezzi, Scandola, and where to rent
Ajaccio, Bonifacio, Calvi, Porto-Vecchio: Corsica's finest waters by the day or on a cruise, and the traps to avoid (wind, nature reserves, anchoring rules).
Corsica packs the Mediterranean's best into 1,000 km of coastline: pink granite coves, limestone cliffs, desert islands and lagoon-clear water. Are all the bases equal? No — each one opens onto very different waters.
Four bases, four playgrounds
From Bonifacio or Porto-Vecchio, head for the Lavezzi islands: thirty minutes at sea for an end-of-the-world setting. From Ajaccio, the Sanguinaires islands and the wild coast down to Capo di Muro. From Calvi or Saint-Florent, the Scandola reserve and the Piana calanques — one of Europe's great days at sea — and the Agriates desert coast.
The local rules
Lavezzi and Scandola are nature reserves: anchoring is regulated or banned by zone, buoys mandatory in places, speed limited — check at departure, the fines are real. In the Strait of Bonifacio the wind accelerates: a comfortable RIB beats a small open hull there.
When, and on what budget
July-August is superb but breezy with afternoon thermals and heavily booked: reserve weeks ahead. June and September serve the same turquoise water for 25-35% less. Expect €250-500 for a day RIB, €400-900 for a motorboat, and sail boats from €2,000 a week out of Ajaccio.
Day trip or cruise?
Day rental rules at every base. But Corsica by the week — the full loop, or the southern circuit to Sardinia via the Maddalena — is a major cruise, booked Saturday to Saturday as in Croatia. Both formats compare on Boat-Comparator, platform by platform. And if you mix sea and road to tour the island, our sister site compares campervan and motorhome rentals the same way for the overland half of the trip.
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