Saint-Florent and the Agriates

Saint-Florent

Saint-Florent lies on the west side of Cap Corse, on the Gulf of Saint-Florent. Place des Portes and Place Doria, with its frog fountain, form the heart of the town, and the church of Sainte-Anne dates from the 17th century. The harbour is home to yachts and to the boats that run to the beaches of the Agriates.

The citadel dates back to the 15th century. It is listed as a Monument historique, and its keep is classified. In 1795 Pasquale Paoli left Saint-Florent for exile in England.

Sainte-Marie, the former cathedral of the Nebbio, stands 800 m from the centre. It was a bishop’s church until 1789 and has been classified as a Monument historique since 1840.

If you want to set off early for the beaches, it is best to stay in Saint-Florent itself. For places to stay in Bastia, see Where to stay.

The Agriates

West of Saint-Florent lie the Agriates, a stretch of coast and hills protected since 1979. Of its 15,000 ha, 5,500 ha belong to the Conservatoire du littoral, the public body that protects the French coastline.

You can reach the beaches on this coast on foot, by boat or by 4x4 along dirt tracks. The same rules apply on every route: camping, bivouacking and fires are prohibited, you take your rubbish away with you, and motor vehicles must stay on the tracks. Drinking water is only available at Saleccia.

On foot to Lotu and Saleccia

The path starts at Plage de la Roya, which you reach from the centre along a footbridge. It takes 4 hours 45 minutes to Lotu, and another hour from Lotu to Saleccia. Along the way are the ruins of the Tour de la Mortella, the only tower on the Agriates coast, just under three hours from Saint-Florent.

Lotu has a boat landing in summer. The beach at Saleccia is more than 1 km long. In 1943 the submarine Casabianca landed weapons there, and in 1961 scenes for the film The Longest Day were shot there.

The round trip on foot to Saleccia takes almost twelve hours. On a day trip, most people therefore walk one way and take the boat the other.

The Sentier des Douaniers in the Agriates

The path to Lotu and Saleccia is the first section of the coastal path through the Agriates known as the Sentier des Douaniers. It runs 35 km from Plage de la Roya to Ostriconi and is not a loop. Walking the whole route means at least one night on the way. At Ghignu there are basic shelters, the paillers, with no drinking water.

This path is quite separate from the Sentier des Douaniers at the tip of Cap Corse between Macinaggio and Centuri, which is 19 km long and runs round the northern tip of the cape.

By boat or 4x4

In season, boats run daily from Saint-Florent harbour to Lotu and Saleccia, a crossing of about 20 minutes. There are also beach taxis and boats to Malfalcu, RIB trips, kayak and paddleboard hire, catamarans, boat hire with or without a licence, and a diving school.

By 4x4, one track runs from Casta to Saleccia and another from the Col de Vezzu to Ghignu and Malfalcu. From Casta there are also 4x4 shuttles to Lotu. Motor vehicles are prohibited off these tracks.

Patrimonio and its wine region

Around Saint-Florent, in the Nebbiu, lies the Patrimonio wine region, at the foot of Cap Corse and open towards the Gulf of Saint-Florent. Its heartland is the Conca d'Oro. In 1968 it became the first area in Corsica to be awarded AOC protected designation of origin status. Only still wines are made here: white, red and rosé.

The region covers seven communes: Barbaggio, Farinole, Oletta, Patrimonio, Poggio-d'Oletta, Saint-Florent and Santo-Pietro-di-Tenda. Coming over the Col de Teghime, you can already see the church of Saint-Martin in Patrimonio. In the village stands the statue menhir U Nativu.

In the late 18th century ships carried the wines, as vini navigati, from Saint-Florent round the cape to Bastia. Since 2017 the Conca d'Oro, the wine region and the Gulf of Saint-Florent have jointly held the Grand Site de France label.

From Bastia to Saint-Florent

A regional bus links Bastia and Saint-Florent twice a day in each direction from Monday to Friday, departing from Bastia bus station. Seats must be reserved in advance, and there is no bus at weekends. By car, the road leads over the Col de Teghime and past Patrimonio.

For travel to Bastia by air or ferry, see Getting there.