Our guide to planning your visit to the Sanguinaires Islands (Ajaccio): access, attractions and practical tips

The Sanguinaires Islands are a striking group of rocky islets off the western coast of Corsica, near Ajaccio, France. Located at the entrance to the Gulf of Ajaccio, the archipelago is known for its rugged coastline, dark-red porphyry rocks, and spectacular Mediterranean views.

Best visited at sunset to see them at their most photogenic (and their most red giving them their name), the islands are a designated reserve for sea birds and other wildlife and have a fascinating and diverse habitat with many plant species not found on the Corsican mainland.

Discover the Sanguinaires Islands on a popular 4-hour sunset cruise departing from Ajaccio. Enjoy wine tasting, live music, and Corsican dishes aboard a comfortable vessel with a backdrop of the vivid Mediterranean sunset.

Discover the beauty of the Sanguinaires islands near Ajaccio in Corsica and find advice to visit them by boat.

An original flora, with over 150 species on Mezu Mare, the main island, some rare or even absent from the rest of Corsica, including the spectacular arum mange mouche. The Bloody Islands also have a rich and mysterious past.

The Îles Sanguinaires are an archipelago of four rocky islets off the Pointe de la Parata at the western end of the Gulf of Ajaccio in Corsica, celebrated for dramatic sunsets and sweeping coastal panoramas.

Rugged, mysterious, and bathed in light, the Sanguinaires Islands form one of Corsica’s most iconic landscapes. The Sanguinaires archipelago can be explored from the Parata Peninsula or, between April and October, on a boat tour.

From here, you get a clear, uninterrupted view of the picturesque rocky islands called Îles Sanguinaires. This is a popular spot for walking or hiking, with well-marked trails that wind along the coast and up to the old Genoese tower.

C'est avant tout , un site naturel exceptionnel réputé pour ses couchers de soleil flamboyants. Les îles Sanguinaires, c'est un archipel de quatre îles rocheuses d’origine magmatique composées d’une roche sombre, la diorite et d’une roche plus claire, un granite monzonitique.