A climb up Monte Stello (1 307m) is a good introduction to the region. On clear days it commands stunning panoramic views of the entire headland (about 6hr there and back on foot). On the east coast Erbalunga's houses line the waterside of a headland..

The small creek of the former Porto Cardo is now a lively and colourful fishing port and marina which lies at the foot of the citadel and its 15C keep. Blue- and white-painted boats and fishermen mending their nets attract visitors to the quayside,..

This is the lower town, and the old Bastia, a little Mediterranean port which was once clustered around a small creek, with the fishing port of Cardo. It is a pleasure to wander through its bustling narrow streets - staircase alleyways, washing hangi..

The upper town, built on the hill dominating the old port, was transformed into a citadel by the Genoese between the 15th and 17th C.

The Chapel is decked in sumptuous rococo décor . Ceiling, with gold-covered stucco cherubs and arabesques on a blue background. The most venerated work is the Christ des Miracles , a black crucifix made in 1428. On May 3, a solemn procession honour..

The majestic interior of this church has three richly decorated pink and gold-coloured naves. It is a good example of Baroque taste from the 17th and 18th C. In the right aisle, the group of the Assomption de la Vierge, in gold, was sculpted in the 1..

Housed in the gunpowder store of Bastia's citadel, the museum showcases an ideal Corsican village constructed by René Mattei using some 10t of material and populated with moving figurines. You will see the communal oven, the sheepfold, the Genoese br..

Open onto the port, this 300-metre esplanade is surrounded by a line of plane and palm trees and high lauze-covered houses. Note the bas-reliefs on the monument to the dead representing the vocero, the Corsican mourning song. The statue of Napoleon d..

This chapel was built in 1604 and decorated by master Ligurians. The retable of the altar is by the Florentine Giovanni Bilivert. Processional statue processionnelle of Saint Roch and Genoese woodwork. The walnut organ case houses an organ dating bac..

There is something solemn about the church's high classical façade that dominates the old port. Inside, the 18th C decor mixes marble, gold, stucco and trompe-l'oeil paintings. The papier-maché Christ on the altar is a true curiosity.

High-sided buildings with many shuttered windows surround this square with its rows of plane trees. A busy place during market hours.

At the northern exit from Bastia, the new boating port and marina with restaurants, ice cream parlours and bars stand in front of this little pebbled beach.

The seafront, lined by café terraces, links the old port with Place Saint-Nicolas. Facing the sea, note the 17C façade of the Palais Galeazzîni.

The house at number 4, with its hallway decorated with frescos, and the house opposite are supposedly the oldest houses in Bastia. Of course, they belonged to two rival families.

A church with a classical façade, former chapel of the college founded by Jesuits in 1635. Marble statues of Ignace de Loyola and François Xavier survey the entrance to this sanctuary which has long lost its painted decor except for the triumphal ret..

At the end of this jetty, there is a lovely view of the port. In the background, the mountainous Cap Corse, sometimes topped with the «cuttlebone» - a cloud that warns of a libecciada. Out to see, on a clear day, you can see the Tuscan archipelago.

Built in the mid-19th C, these majestic law courts are preceded by a colonnade of blue marble from Corte.

On the slopes leading to the citadel, a little breath of fresh air - a winding path leads through palm trees, laurels, pines and plants to a viewpoint overlooking the old port and the houses of Terra-Vecchia.

The buildings next to the keep inside this small fort stand alongside a small courtyard and some gardens. This was the palace of the Genoese governors from the 15C-18C, and then the seat of the Upper Council created by Louis XVI. The building was bad..

The Museum of Corsican Ethnography has some interesting documents relating to Corsican history, and archaeological and ethnographical objects. The upper courtyard has the conning tower from the submarine Casabianca .