Holiday rentals and lettings in Corsica

With holiday rentals in Corsica, you can book yourself a holiday rental as little as 40m from the beach in popular holiday spots like Tomino, Linguizetta and Calvi. Relax by a pool under a palm tree, or on a balcony terrace with extensive sea views of the island's beautifully rocky coastline. Or if you've a fondness for heights, find yourself a hillside getaway in the island's mountainous interior in areas such as Conca and Zonza.

Needless to say, couples and small families have plenty of options when it comes to holiday lettings in Corsica. But you might be surprised to learn that there's also a wide choice of spacious accommodation for much larger parties of up to nine, so if you like you can bring all your friends on holiday too. Whether you plump for a modern rental in a smart new part of the island or a period house in a traditional village, features such as roofed balconies and shady patios make inviting spaces to relax and take in the attractive island setting.

Surrounded by the blue seas of the Mediterranean close to Sardinia, the French island of Corsica divides into two main regions. Haute Corse, the northern part, is home to Bastia, Corsica's main port and second biggest town. This has a charming old harbour, wide squares lined with palm trees, around 10 pretty, historic gardens where you can relax in the shade, and the governor's citadel, a fortress which dates partly back to the 14th century and which now houses an interesting museum. Then there's Calvi, another pretty town, with a long waterfront overlooked by an even more lofty citadel perched on a bluff on the northwest coast.

In the Corse du Sud, the southern part of the island, you'll find Corsica's biggest town Ajaccio, as well as many other attractions. The birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, Ajaccio has an historic city centre full of grand hotels and Italianate palazzos. It's also a good place to shop, and its Routes des Sanguinaires is a long esplanade lined with glamorous villas and beaches. Both Bastia and Alaccio have airports, and the two are interconnected by Corsica's main railway line.

Reckoned to be one of the best mountain trails in the world, the GR 20 pathway runs all the way down the spine of the island from Calenza in the north to Conza in the south. The whole 112 km trail can take a fortnight to complete, and the route is dotted with rustic mountain huts where you can stay along the way. But you can jump on a train to the midway point Vizzavona if you only want to tackle the second half.

Boasting over 600 miles of coastline, Corsica has a wide choice of beaches, from remote hidden coves to popular sunning spots for all the family and some great areas for surfing and other watersports. Porto Vecchio in the south has a particularly large collection of beaches such as Palombaggia, one of France's favourite holiday destinations thanks to its white sands punctuated by dramatic granite boulders. Another prime area is the west coast. Here you'll find not only the Ajaccio shoreline but also the Valinco gulf, where there are convenient town beaches like Propriano.

There's an official list of France's most beautiful 200-odd villages, and Sant'Antonino is on it - think clusters of red-tiled villas with stunning views over valleys and mountains.

Corsica is very proud of its wide selection of goat's and sheep's cheeses, which are either served on their own or used as savoury stuffings.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, a string of coastal watchtowers were built to warn of approaching pirate ships. One of the most complete, the Torra di a Parata, is close to the town of Ajaccio.

The Maison Bonaparte in Ajaccio was the home of the Bonaparte family for generations before becoming a museum. Visitors can see the room where the famous French general was born.

The island has its own distinctive varieties of grape, and towns such as Ajaccio and Sartene are particularly known for their flavoursome local wines, especially reds and rosés. They go well with the local signature dish, wild boar casserole made with the chestnuts that grow thickly in the island's forests.