The town owes its name to the Tuscan marquis Boniface, who founded it in 828 to combat the Moorish invasions decimating the island's coastline. However, it was the Genoese, now masters of Corsica, who made Bonifacio an impregnable stronghold to control the Corso-Sardinian strait. The city withstood the onslaught of King Alfonso V's armies in 1420. Legend has it that the 189 steps of the so-called "King of Aragon's Staircase" (listed as a historic monument) were dug out of the crumbly rock in one night. It seems that this access was intended to enable the inhabitants to refuel at the Saint-Barthélemy well below. Mystery surrounds the narrow streets of the upper town, which boasts a rich architectural heritage with its cliff-side houses. Access is via the montée Saint-Roch, whose chapel commemorates the plague that decimated the town in the 16th century. Bonifacio is home to five churches with Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and neo-Byzantine influences, as well as a number of confraternities that stage processions during religious festivals, culminating in Holy Week. A stroll along the hillsides is not complete without a visit to the morning cemetery, the Sainte-Trinité hermitage or the Etendard bastion. Bonifacio is home to a Ligurian dialect distinct from Corsican. Bunifaziu in Corsican, Bunifazziu in Bonifacian, but never "Bonifatch".

What to visit Bonifacio?

When to go to Bonifacio?

When to go to Bonifacio? If the crowd of tourists annoys you, avoid the very tourist season, from the beginning of July to the end of August. Prices are quite high at this time of year. It is best to visit it from April to June, and from September to November. Especially since Bonifacio's climate is pleasant from April to November, and the great sunny weather is guaranteed from May-June to mid-September.

Precious indication: the average sea temperature is 15°C in winter and 25°C in summer (it often rises above 26°C in July and August).

Weather at the moment

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Weather all year round

Bonifacio enjoys a Mediterranean climate, pleasant all year round. The city, like the island in general, enjoys 300 days of sunshine per year and an average temperature ranging from 15.5°C in winter to 28°C in summer. In autumn, maximum temperatures are around 26°C in September, 20°C to 22°C in October and 17°C in November. Spring is also pleasant with 17 °C in April and over 24 °C to 26 °C in June.

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Pictures and images Bonifacio

Escalier du roi Aragon. Samuel Borges Photography - Shutterstock.com
Le port de Bonifacio XAVIER BONNIN
Vue sur Bonifacio. Irina Kuzmina - Shutterstock.com
La citadelle de Bonifacio Cyril Bana - Author's Image

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When to travel?

When to go to Bonifacio? If the crowd of tourists annoys you, avoid the very tourist season, from the beginning of Ju...
Read more about it

Weather forecast

Bonifacio enjoys a Mediterranean climate, pleasant all year round. The city, like the island in general, enjoys 300 d...
Read more about it

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