Santa Giulia

Santa Giulia is the lagoon of the south Corsica coast. Just down from Porto Vecchio, it curves into an almost enclosed bay where the water stays shallow, warm and calm a long way from shore, glowing bright turquoise over soft white sand. If Palombaggia is the dramatic, rocky postcard, Santa Giulia is the gentle, glassy one, the bay you picture when you imagine wading out for ages with the water still at your waist. That shape and that shelter are exactly why it is one of the most loved family beaches on the island.

For young children and nervous swimmers it is hard to beat. The shallow shelf means little ones can paddle safely in warm calm water, and the soft sand is kind underfoot all the way in. Around the bay sit beach restaurants, watersports outfits offering paddleboards and other kit, and hotels, so you can build an easy comfortable day without carrying much, eating lunch over the lagoon and renting whatever you fancy on the sand.

The honest trade is character and crowds. Santa Giulia is more developed and resort like than the wilder, emptier bays further round the coast, so if you are chasing a raw, untouched Corsica you will feel the difference. It is also popular, and in the height of August the bay and its parking get busy. None of that spoils the water, which remains its lovely warm self, but it does mean the beach feels lively and serviced rather than secluded. For many families, that comfort is precisely the appeal.

Who should skip it: anyone seeking a wild, undeveloped cove or deep water for proper swimming, as this is a shallow resort bay. Who should go: families, paddlers and anyone who wants warm calm water with everything to hand. Pair Santa Giulia with the famous pines and red rocks of Palombaggia just up the coast, the near perfect bay at Rondinara toward Bonifacio, or the wilder sands at Roccapina.

Santa Giulia lies south of Porto Vecchio, around fifteen minutes away by car. As across most of this coast, public transport is sparse, so the easiest way to reach the bay is to drive and use the paid parking near the sand, which fills early on hot summer days. A hire car also lets you combine it with Palombaggia and the beaches further south in a single trip.

Bring what your group needs for an easy day, though the beach restaurants and watersports on the sand mean you can travel fairly light. The shallow warm water is at its calmest and quietest in the morning, before the day visitors and the watersports get going. June and September give the best mix of warm sea and space, while August is the busiest stretch for both the bay and the parking.