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.