As I walk deeper and deeper into the sea, the water is so clear that I can still see my toes as if through glass, even when the waves are lapping my chin. The beach at L’Ile Rousse in northern Corsica is one of my favourite beaches in the world.Â
The soft white side forms a gently sloping seabed and every time I have visited this beach it has never been anything other than beautiful and calm.
Exploring L’Ile Rousse
Just off the beach is the town square surrounded by charming cafés and restaurants where you can sit in the shade of one-hundred-year-old plane trees and watch the world go by. The parish church overlooks the square in front of which giant date palms provide shade for the occasional game of petanque.
Leading off from here are a number of lovely little cobbled streets running parallel to the coast where you’ll find a traditional covered market, more wonderful restaurants, a few souvenir shops and some stylish boutiques. Yet more great restaurants can be found on the beach itself.
The market is filled each morning with stalls selling local honey, bread, charcuterie, fruit and vegetables and is the perfect place to pick up some provisions for a picnic.
The square plays host to numerous events throughout the year including Fête de La Musique held every 21st June and occasional antique markets.
Find a hotel in L’Ile Rousse.
If you ever tire of L’Ile Rousse, which seems highly unlikely, there’s a little train that runs along the coast to the village of Algajola and the larger town of Calvi, either of which makes a very picturesque day out. The views along the way are fabulous. You can hop on and off at a number of different lovely villages and beaches. Another train heads off in the other direction up into the mountains and the town of Corte. More stunning views await.
Looking for a hotel in Corsica? Check out reviews, prices and availability on TripAdvisor.
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Thanks a lot for this beautiful image ! If you need any information on L’Ile-Rousse, visit our
website http://www.ot-ile-rousse.fr
The tourist office of L’Ile-Rousse
This beach… and a town, a market, restaurants, all nearby? Sounds delightful, as is the image, itself!
Thanks Andrew – it really is a lovely town and beach
Is it busy in September? Looking for somewhere not too quite and not too busy? Thanks ! 🙂
I’d expect it is still fairly busy at the weekends when the locals use it but quieter during the week. September is a lovely time of year to visit the island.
What a gorgeous photograph – am dreaming of being on that beach, especially since we’ve just had our second dollop of snow here in Sussex…
Thanks Suzanne. No snow in this part of Sussex but has been bitterly cold!
How beautiful! This is a refreshing sight as I sit in my icy winter wonderland in the north of the States…
Hoped it warmed you up!
It’s pretty cold here too in southern England but no snow here yet, although I saw plenty in London last weekend. I’m looking forward to Spring 🙂
what beautiful colors..I’ve seen some of the most inviting shades of blue/green/turquoise but this one beats them all. summer is still some time away but this one makes it seem to come sooner.
On a different note,I emailed u the only pic I could find of kumarakom (houseboat).Did u get that or did it go on your spam ?
Ah ha! Yes it was in the spam folder. Thank you so much!
The sea around Corsica is wonderful but the colours and clarity of the water at L’Ile Rousse somehow just seem that little bit more extreme. Don’t think I’ll get back there again for a while but I hope it isn’t too long.
Take me with ya!
When I get that lottery win I’ll buy a villa and you can all come and stay… sigh… we can but dream but as they say ‘dreams can come true’ 🙂