Porto-Vecchio isn't a town you visit for the town itself. You come for the beaches around the corner, the marina, the mountains half an hour inland, and the evenings on the Place de la République. But while you come for what surrounds it, the town itself usually lingers longer than you expected.

Porto-Vecchio: old harbour, new bustle

Porto-Vecchio sits on a deep bay on the south-east coast of Corsica, half an hour from Bonifacio and 25 km from Figari airport. With just over eleven thousand residents it's a modest town — until July and August, when that number quintuples and the marina is taken over by sailing yachts and motorboats from across Italy.

The town was refounded in 1539 by the Banco di San Giorgio of Genoa, on a spot that had been a port since Roman times. Hence the name: "old harbour". For centuries Porto-Vecchio fought malaria — the surrounding hinterland was marshland — and the town was virtually uninhabitable in summer well into the twentieth century. Only after the wetlands were drained in the 1940s could tourism take hold.

Tip Don't sleep in the town centre if you want a quiet base. The campsites and hotels around Palombaggia and Santa Giulia are 15-20 minutes' drive away, but considerably calmer in the evening than the marina.

The old town

The old centre, the Vieille Ville, sits on a hill above the marina and is still largely surrounded by Genoese fortifications from the sixteenth century. Walk up from the harbour through the Porte Génoise or via the steps on the western side. At the top you stand on a compact plateau of narrow streets and a handful of squares.

The Place de la République is the social heart. Under the old plane trees, terraces fill up in the evening — more than in any other south-Corsican town, this is the place for a drink before dinner. The Église Saint-Jean Baptiste from the seventeenth century stands on the square and is plain inside but worth a quick look.

From the Bastion de France at the edge of the plateau you get the best view over the marina and the bay. Once a defensive position; now a sunset favourite.

Tip Thursday and Sunday mornings there's a market on Place de la République. Local produce, cheeses, charcuterie, bread. Go before ten — quiet enough that you can actually talk to the stallholders.

Beaches around the corner

What makes Porto-Vecchio so popular are the beaches around it. Three of them appear regularly on any list of Europe's finest:

• Plage de Palombaggia — fifteen minutes south. White sand, umbrella pines, red rocks at each end. Crowded in peak season, magnificent early in the morning.
• Plage de Santa Giulia — ten minutes south. A shallow lagoon with turquoise water. Caribbean in feel. Family-friendly.
• Plage de Rondinara — twenty minutes towards Bonifacio. A round bay with clear water; despite its fame, often calm outside July and August.

Plus smaller bays like Tamaricciu, Cala Rossa and Plage de Pinarellu — each ten to twenty minutes' drive.

Not sure which one suits you? The decision guide helps you choose.

The marina and the eating

The Port de Plaisance below the town is the busiest part of Porto-Vecchio in summer. Four hundred berths, yachts under Italian and French flags, and a row of restaurants and bars along the quay. Prices here are higher than in the old town, and quality is uneven — some places coast on the view, others actually try.

For better food, go up into the old town. Ristorante A Cantina for pasta with local charcuterie, Le Tour de Sel for fish, and the bistros around Rue Borgo for honest value. Book in July and August — walk-ins almost never work.

Tip Want cheap and local? Drive out to Lecci or Sainte-Lucie de Porto-Vecchio, fifteen minutes inland. That's where Corsicans eat themselves: short menus, half the prices.

Inland from Porto-Vecchio

What many visitors forget: Porto-Vecchio is also a great base for the interior. Half an hour to an hour's drive away you find:

• The Aiguilles de Bavella — granite needles, hiking trails, cool in summer.
• L'Ospédale — mountain lake and forests, perfect escape from the heat.
• Cucuruzzu and Capula — prehistoric sites with Bronze Age stone torres.

Plenty of visitors never drive up there. That's a missed opportunity, especially on the two days in July that high heat makes the coast unbearable.

Practical

• Getting there: Figari airport (24 km), or via the N198 from Bastia (2 hrs) or Bonifacio (30 min). Ferries dock in Porto-Vecchio itself.
• Parking: July and August it's paid in the centre and at most beaches. Allow €5-10/day at the more famous beaches.
• When to go: May, June and September are ideal. July and August is busier and pricier.
• Sleeping: from beachside campsites to luxury hotels in the hills. In peak season book well ahead — sometimes as early as March.
• Sardinia link: in summer, ferries run from Porto-Vecchio to Santa Teresa Gallura. A day trip is also possible from Bonifacio, where the crossing is only an hour.