Hikes in Algajola

Short circular hike to the local mountain of Algajola on the northwest coast of Corsica through macchia and with a magnificent view of the bays of Algajola and Sant Ambrogio.

Departing from Algajola, a short hike around the plain of Aregno before returning along the beach.

Hiking trails through the villages of BalagneBalagne is one of Corsica's oldest and most fertile cultural landscapes. Our hiking trail through this blessed landscape touches numerous churches and monasteries as well as some pretty and scenic villages that have largely preserved their original character despite the bustle on the nearby coast. A very special treat is the possibility of traveling with the slow trains of the »Tramways de Balagne«, which connect the coastal towns of Calvi, Lumio, Algajola, and Île-Rousse.

Découvrez ce parcours Nordic walking sélectionné et vérifié par l'équipe On Piste et les locaux ! This is a discovery trail in every sense of the word.

Corsica - Coastal hike from Ghjorghju to Algajola

The Balagne, located on the northwestern coast of Corsica, is one of the island’s most tranquil landscapes. With its picturesque villages, it is certainly also considered a worthwhile hiking destination. The landscape is surrounded by rolling hills and appears exceptionally green in the spring, with its vibrant maquis and fertile farmland. Along this loop hike, we pass through several villages, most notably Sant’Antonino, which perches like an eagle’s nest on a cliff 500 meters above the Balagne.  Our loop hike begins right on the beach in Algajola 01. We follow the coastline past the large campgrounds Camping de la Plage and A Marino. Between the two campgrounds, a public path leads north toward the main road. We follow this path to the left for about 200 m to turn onto the access road to Camping Canteratu City. We hike about 1 km along the dusty gravel road until we reach the T-junction 02 past the campground, where we turn right, following the sign. Immediately after that, the hiking trail branches off to the left, leading toward Pigna. After an uphill section, we cross a gravel road at the Campu Vallina farmstead and continue to follow the signpost onto the hiking trail. After another climb, we come to a fork where the path to Pigna branches off to the left. We turn right onto this wide path to hike toward Praoli. We pass through vineyards and olive groves before reaching another fork in the trail. Now we turn left onto the dirt road that winds between stone walls and heads steeply uphill toward the village of Praoli. We reach Praoli 03 on Road D 151, which we must follow for a few meters to the right (240 m). Immediately, our route continues along a road on the southern side of the street at the Sant’Antonino signpost. This road takes us back into olive groves, where we switch to the mule trail leading to Sant’Antonino. We now have to climb more than 250 meters in elevation, overcoming rocky, affodill-covered slope edges in some places. In addition, the trail leads through the maquis with almost no shade, though it offers magnificent views of the Balagne. Just below Sant’Antonino, the trail branches off to the right toward the pilgrimage church of Aregno, the Église de la Trinité, which is one of the most significant places of worship in the Balagne and dates back to the Pisan era. We should allow about 40 minutes for this detour and return to the fork in the trail via the same route. Immediately afterward, we pass the “pagliaghiu” of Gozola, before reaching, after a good 2 hours and 30 minutes (without the detour to Aregno), the highest point of our hike: the fortified village of Sant’Antonino 04, which is picturesquely perched on a rocky outcrop 500 m above the Balagne. Even today, Sant’Antonino can only be crossed on foot. A flight of stairs leads into the village center and to the Nunziata Church, where we come upon a small piazza with souvenir shops. Small taverns built into the rocks, with cozy verandas, provide us with refreshments. At the “A Cima” viewpoint, we take turns looking out toward the sea into the Algajola Basin and up the mountain toward Monte Grosso and Monte Padro, which form the southern boundary of the Balagne Basin. After exploring the village, we descend the north side via stone steps to the parking lot, on the opposite side of which a dirt road begins leading toward the Couvent de Corbara (signposted). At the next fork in the trail, we keep to the left, passing a chapel with family graves, a “paglia­ghiu” with a threshing floor, and later a cool, bubbling spring. We hike downhill through maquis and sparse cork oak groves toward the convent, whose church tower is visible from a distance. The panoramic trail also offers beautiful views of Pigna and the Bay of Algajola. After 45 minutes from Sant’Antonino, we arrive at the Couvent de Corbara 05 (298 m), which can only be visited as part of a pre-booked guided tour. The original 15th-century building was destroyed during the French Revolution; today, this monastery belongs to the Dominicans.Just before the monastery’s parking lot, a gravel path branches off to the left, leading downhill to the D 151, crossing it, and continuing as a mule trail toward Pigna, past the pilgrimage church of Notre Dame de Lafio or de Lazio. We take a leisurely hike through olive groves and past stone walls, eventually reaching the quaint, car-free village of Pigna 06 at the lower parking lot. Pigna is one of those “swallow’s nest” villages, strategically situated on a ridge high above the surrounding landscape and offering breathtaking views. This very authentic, picturesque village with narrow and sometimes steep alleys welcomes us with a few art and souvenir shops as well as inviting bars. To explore it, we must walk straight up from the parking lot to the start of the narrow alleys.To Corbara: On the way back to the parking lot, the route branches off to the left at the path leading to the pilgrimage church, taking us to Corbara in about 45 minutes. We first walk downhill on a gravel road winding through hairpin turns until the red-marked mule trail branches off to the right toward Corbara. Accompanied by terraced fields, olive trees, and dry-stone walls, we hike almost level through the upper slopes of the Balagne, enjoying magnificent views of Algajola. In places, the trail follows the course of a pipeline. Finally, a gentle ascent awaits us on a paved path that leads into Corbara 07 (225 m). This charming village, situated on a hill between 225 and 316 m above sea level, was once the main town of the Balagne and was already settled as early as the 9th century. In the town center, the 18th-century Church of the Annunciation (Église l’Annonciation) features a Baroque high altar and a choir balustrade made of polychrome marble from Liguria. In the convent church of the Corbara Monastery, a magnificent pulpit, a marble altar, and the Savelli family’s tombstones are worth seeing.After exploring the village, we return to the cobblestone path and descend toward the washhouse with its covered fountain and the Fontaine di a Leccia spring, dating from 1559. Just before that, the marked mule trail branches off downhill toward Algajola. This classic old village trail winds through terraced fields and olive groves—sometimes a bit rocky—down into the valley basin behind Algajola. After about 30 minutes, we reach a fork in the path at the valley floor, where we keep to the left and follow the mule trail, which passes to the right of the entrance to a campground. The trail joins a dirt road and, at a gravel area, meets T-junction 02 and the access road to the Canteratu City campground, which we recognize from the start of the loop hike. We head north, reach the N 197, and return to Algajola 01 along the sandy beach, just as we did on the way there.

Hiking Ajgajola-Capu d'Occi-Lavatoggio-Aregno-Ajgajola

über occio durch berge teilweise straße 8.9 km 594 m höhe 3h12min