Corsica is not the place for accidental naturism – the island’s star beaches are strictly textile and policed by municipal decree. What Corsica offers instead is something rarer: the longest officially decreed naturist coastline in France, a strip of nine-plus kilometres of continuous sand on the Costa Serena, plus a sailing culture that turns half the island’s roadless coves into clothing-optional territory by unspoken maritime custom.
The Linguizzetta Strip: France’s Great Legal Naturist Coast
On the Costa Serena, between Aléria and the coast of the Linguizzetta commune, French mayors did something unusual: they designated naturism by formal municipal decree along more than nine kilometres of continuous beach. The zone encompasses the beaches of Bain de Diane, Riva Bella, Bagheera, Tropica and Club Corsicana. Boundaries are signed, lifeguards and resort security operate in peak season, and families mix with long-time naturists on wide, gently shelving sand. For a first naturist beach holiday with zero legal ambiguity, there is nowhere better in France.
The Naturist Resorts of Corsica
- Riva Bella Village Naturiste & Spa (Aléria): the island’s flagship – a four-star naturist resort with its own thalassotherapy seawater spa, bungalows and campsite, oceanfront restaurant, tennis, archery, children’s club in July and August, and even a llama and donkey park. Naturist operation runs April 1 to November 5; grounds stay open year-round.
- Domaine de Bagheera (Linguizzetta): an eco-resort of wooden chalets and camping pitches inside a 100-hectare eucalyptus forest, with a five-kilometre naturist beach, watersports and a beachfront restaurant. Open mid-April to October.
- Club Corsicana and Tropica (Linguizzetta): apartment and bungalow complexes directly on the naturist strip, with restaurants and tennis.
- Village Naturiste La Chiappa (Porto-Vecchio): 60 hectares of pine-forested headland facing the Cerbicale Islands, with two naturist beaches, two pools, a sailing and windsurfing school, diving center and camping. Its beach holds official municipal approval. Open May to October.
Myth-Busting the Corsican Beach Lists
This is where most online guides mislead. Palombaggia and Tamaricciu are not naturist beaches – they are world-famous textile beaches where municipal decrees explicitly prohibit nudism. Saleccia and Rondinara are strictly textile in their main bays, with naturism only informally tolerated at the far, rocky margins. “Guagno” is not a naturist beach at all – it is an inland thermal village, routinely confused with Italy’s Guvano cove. And “Pérhèchju” appears in naturist listicles without any traceable decree. If a beach is not in the Linguizzetta-La Chiappa framework, treat it as textile unless proven otherwise.
The Wild Coves, Tolerated
Where naturism is customary rather than decreed: the far northern cove of Capo di Feno near Ajaccio, away from the surf school end; the outer ends of Saleccia and Ghignu in the Agriates desert, reached by 4×4 track or boat; and the magnificent Plage d’Erbaju near Roccapina – two kilometres of white sand behind dunes, a 30-40 minute hike from the road or reached by boat, with no services and no shade. All are wild-leave-no-trace territory.
Naturist Sailing: Corsica’s Real Secret
With 1,000 kilometres of coastline dominated by roadless gulfs, Corsica is one of Europe’s great naturist sailing destinations. Bareboat and skippered charters base out of Ajaccio, Propriano and Porto-Vecchio, and clothing-optional swimming is standard custom at quiet anchorages from the Agriates to the Lavezzi and Cerbicale archipelagos. The one firm rule of maritime etiquette: cover up entering harbors, marinas or crowded textile anchorages.
Getting There
Bastia-Poretta (BIA) is the airport for the Costa Serena resorts, about 45 minutes from Riva Bella. Figari (FSC) serves the south and Porto-Vecchio, 30 minutes from La Chiappa. Ajaccio covers the west coast. Ferries from Toulon, Nice and Marseille (Corsica Linea, La Méridionale) and Savona and Livorno in Italy (Corsica Ferries) bring cars across affordably – and a car is effectively mandatory, as public transport barely touches the naturist coast.
Flying in? Bastia (BIA) serves the Costa Serena naturist strip; Figari (FSC) serves Porto-Vecchio and the south. Search and compare fares on Kayak. Disclosure: affiliate link – if you book through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Etiquette
The usual French rules apply – towel always, photos never – plus Corsican specifics: respect the signed boundaries between naturist and textile zones, and treat the wild beaches as protected habitat. Carry out everything, stay off the dunes, and mind the fire bans in the dry maquis.
Where to Stay
Riva Bella, Bagheera, Corsicana and La Chiappa all book direct – as with most naturist resorts, no OTAs. If you’re touring Corsica more widely, the map below is centered on Riva Bella at the heart of the naturist coast:
Disclosure: this map contains affiliate booking links. If you book through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
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