Saint-François Beach

The Saint-François beach, in Ajaccio

The Saint-François beach is a fine sand beach in the heart of Ajaccio, lined with a fine promenade of palm trees, just before the citadel. The Ajaccio audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this beach much prized by the inhabitants, one of the rare ones to offer swimming in the town centre, facing the gulf and the mountains.

The town-centre beach and seine fishing

From the bay, you have in front of you the Saint-François beach, lined with its fine promenade of palm trees. Situated just before the citadel and in immediate proximity to the port, it is a fine sand beach much prized by the inhabitants for its situation, in the heart of the town centre. To be able to swim a few steps from the shopping streets is a rare and precious privilege. It was also, formerly, a place much sought by the fishermen practising seine fishing, this very ancient technique consisting in capturing the fish near the surface by encircling them with a particular net, called a seine. With time, the beach has lost some of its width, about twenty metres, and a re-sanding has been envisaged to give it back its former extent. From the shore, the gaze carries far over the new town, nestled at the foot of the mountains, and over the curve of the gulf. Corsica is a true playground for lovers of hiking, and the view from these summits is worth the detour for those who want to prolong the discovery towards the interior of the island. Small, accessible and bathed in light, the Saint-François beach is a corner of the Mediterranean in the heart of the town. An urban beach and a promenade of palm trees, the Saint-François beach is a fine stop of the discovery of Ajaccio.

What to see

Here you discover a fine sand beach in the heart of the town centre, lined with a fine promenade of palm trees, just before the citadel and near the port, much prized by the inhabitants for being able to swim in the heart of the town; formerly a place of seine fishing, it has lost some of its width and offers a fine view over the new town at the foot of the mountains. The Saint-François beach is a corner of the Mediterranean of Ajaccio. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Saint-François beach lies in the heart of Ajaccio, on the seafront boulevard, just before the citadel and near the port, reachable on foot. It is a public fine sand beach freely accessible, lined with a promenade of palm trees. Swimming there is more pleasant in the fine season; it is best to go there in fine weather.

Why is the Saint-François beach in Ajaccio so appreciated?

Because it is a fine sand beach in the heart of the town centre, lined with a fine promenade of palm trees, just before the citadel and near the port, that allows you to swim a few steps from the shopping streets; formerly a place of seine fishing, it offers a fine view over the new town at the foot of the mountains.

Where is the Saint-François beach in Ajaccio?

In the heart of Ajaccio, on the seafront boulevard, just before the citadel and near the port, in Corsica.