What's on in Bonifacio, France through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in France, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: The libeccio and the strait (1 Nov – 31 May (usually))

Busy — Winter (February) holidays in France, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: The libeccio and the strait (1 Nov – 31 May (usually))

Busy — Winter (February) holidays in France, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Holy Week processions

  20 Mar – 25 Apr · usuallyEaster & Holy Week

  The five brotherhoods walk the upper town and the marina in hoods, carrying lantern-lit canopies. Good Friday begins at eight in the morning and the routes have not changed in centuries. Source ↗

Still on: The libeccio and the strait (1 Nov – 31 May (usually))

Busy — Spring holidays in France, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Opening

  Lavezzi boat season

  15 Apr – 31 Oct · usuallySummer season opens

  Shuttles and excursion boats to the islands run from the middle of April to the end of October, hourly at the height of summer and on a shorter trip in April and October. Tickets are sold on the quay. Source ↗

Still on: Holy Week processions (20 Mar – 25 Apr (usually)), The libeccio and the strait (1 Nov – 31 May (usually))

Peak crowds — May holidays and ponts, Spring holidays in France

• Holiday

  May holidays and ponts

  1–25 MayNational holidayCrowdedBook earlyClosures

  1 May, 8 May, Ascension Thursday and Whit Monday are public holidays, and the French bridge the gaps with a day off, the pont. Expect four-day weekends of busy trains, jammed roads and full rooms in towns that draw visitors, and near-total closures on 1 May. Source ↗

Still on: Lavezzi boat season (15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), The libeccio and the strait (1 Nov – 31 May (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Season

  Sea warm enough to swim

  10 Jun – 10 Oct · usually

  The water off the Lavezzi and the beaches east of town is swimmable from June into early October. Wind, not temperature, is what usually decides whether the day happens.

• Hazard

  Fire risk and closed massifs

  15 Jun – 30 Sep · usuallySmoke seasonClosures

  The prefecture bans fires and outdoor work across Corse-du-Sud into the end of September, and on severe-risk days closes forest massifs inland, Bavella included, to walkers and cars. Source ↗

Still on: Lavezzi boat season (15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), May holidays and ponts (1–25 May)

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Bastille Day (14 juillet)

• Holiday

  Bastille Day (14 juillet)

  13–14 JulNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  14 July is the national holiday: towns hold fireworks on the evening of the 13th or 14th, often with a firemen's ball, a parade or a concert, and banks, offices and many shops close for the day. Source ↗

• Holiday

  The August crush

  15 Jul – 31 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  The one road up to the citadel is a queue by mid-morning and the marina berths are gone from spring. Restaurants take August bookings weeks ahead and drop the shoulder-season menus. Source ↗

Still on: Lavezzi boat season (15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (10 Jun – 10 Oct (usually)), Fire risk and closed massifs (15 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — The August crush, Summer holidays in France

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Lavezzi boat season (15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (10 Jun – 10 Oct (usually)), Fire risk and closed massifs (15 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)), The August crush (15 Jul – 31 Aug)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Lavezzi boat season (15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (10 Jun – 10 Oct (usually)), Fire risk and closed massifs (15 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — All Saints (autumn) holidays in France, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Lavezzi boat season (15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (10 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Busy — All Saints (autumn) holidays in France

• Season

  The libeccio and the strait

  1 Nov – 31 May · usuallyWind seasonRiskClosures

  The strait funnels wind hard enough to cancel the Sardinia crossings and the island excursions, most often between November and May. Check the boat is sailing before planning the day around it.

Busy — Christmas holidays in France, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: The libeccio and the strait (1 Nov – 31 May (usually))