Chemin des Douaniers (Customs Officers' Path) — Cap Corse

The Chemin des Douaniers, or Customs Officers' Path, is a historic clifftop footpath tracing the perimeter of the Cap Corse peninsula in Haute-Corse, originally walked by customs officers patrolling for smugglers between the Genoese watchtowers that punctuate the coastline every 15 to 20 kilometres. The full circuit covers over 60 kilometres and can be completed as a multi-day route, but the majority of visitors walk individual day sections of 5 to 12 kilometres accessible from villages along the peninsula's single coastal road. The section near Nonza, beginning from the village perched above Corsica's distinctive grey-sand beach, is among the most photographed and offers northward views across the straits toward Bastia and southward along the volcanic coastal cliffs. The northern sections between Centuri and Tollare are particularly dramatic, with the path hugging exposed granite headlands, descending to small fishing coves, and passing towers at close range. The terrain is predominantly well-trodden earth and rock with some loose sections on headland edges; wind exposure on the northern cape can be significant and persistent, making a windproof layer essential even in summer. The path traverses private land in a handful of places with brief road links between coastal sections. Accommodation along the cap — small gîtes, chambres d'hôtes, and village options at Macinaggio and Ersa — is limited and requires advance booking in season. On clear days from the northern tip of the cap, views extend to the Italian island of Elba and the Tuscan coast — a panorama unique in the whole of Corsica.