Bonifacio cliffs

Bonifacio sits at the southern tip of Corsica and is the southernmost commune of mainland France. The upper town (Haute Ville) perches on a limestone cliff about 70 m high, undercut by the sea, so that the houses along the edge seem to hang over the water. It looks most impressive from the water; the classic harbour boat trip along the cliffs takes about an hour.

From the harbour the Montée Saint-Roch leads up to the Porte de Gênes. The Escalier du Roi d'Aragon, 187 steep steps in the southern cliff, can only be reached from above; legend has it that Aragonese troops cut the staircase into the rock in a single night in 1420, but it in fact led to a freshwater well. Visit early or late in the day to avoid the crowds. Parking near the harbour is difficult in summer, and a car park on the edge of town is often the better choice (as of October 2026).