Ajaccio Audio Guided Walking Tour with 18 Historic Insights

This beautiful all-white church, in neo-Byzantine style, is the Sacred Heart Church, located right in the center of the foreigners' district.

This huge yellow building, which you are now walking along, is the Lycée Fesch. In 1805, an imperial decree ceded this former Jesuit house to the city, which then transformed it into a college.

You are on the huge Place du Général-de-Gaulle, delimiting the old town from the new districts of Ajaccio. The one that was called Place d'Armes at the time when the soldiers used it for their training is now commonly called Place Diamant.

This beautiful yellow neoclassical building that you see in the middle of its tropical garden is the seat of the prefecture of Corsica. Its construction was authorized by royal ordinance in 1822 and completed in 1830.

You are on Cours Napoléon, the main artery in the city center. Designed by Napoleon I, this street was at the heart of his major project to beautify his native city.

Let's talk a bit about Cardinal Fesch here. You went up his street and arrived in front of his statue, the museum named after him and the imperial chapel that we owe to him. But who is this famous cardinal?

Commonly called the Place des Palmiers, the Place du Maréchal Foch was created in the early 19th century to be the departure of the suburb that led to the old town of Genova. Overlooking the square, with its gaze fixed on the sea, stands the statue of Napoleon, guarded by a fountain with four lying lions.

You certainly see a few people in this narrow street, that's normal, you arrive in front of Napoleon Bonaparte's house. On August 15, 1769, the future French emperor was born here.

Here you are at the old port of Ajaccio, Port Tino Rossi! Yes, the city was not the only place where Napoleon was born! It is an ideal place to enjoy the charms of Corsica.

The pier of the Citadel brings you face to face with the horizon. It is the ideal place to immortalize the old port. Located in the Gulf of Ajaccio, the port includes 3 basins, separated by a cruise ship.

Don't be fooled by its small size, this pretty Baroque cathedral, with its ochre facade and its blue gray dome is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.

You now pass in front of the small Saint-Erasme church. This former Jesuit chapel was dedicated to the patron saint of sailors when it resumed worship after the Revolution.

You now have a good unobstructed view of the silhouette of the Citadel of Ajaccio overlooking the sea. Note that since 2021, the Citadel, for the first time in 5 centuries, has been open to the public!

There is nothing like a bay to have a beautiful view of a beach. You have Saint-François beach in front of you, bordered by its palm tree promenade.

You pass in front of the Casino d'Ajaccio peacefully located facing the bay. It deserves attention for a few moments, if only because it is the only casino in Corsica!

We find our view of the sea again with the very popular Place Miot. This great advance on the Mediterranean is an ideal place to try your hand at panoramic shots and why not, at petanque tournaments!

Arriving at Place Austerlitz immediately sets the mood. Here, we are here to pay tribute to Napoleon Bonaparte.

The beautiful, extravagant facade that you admire at the corner of the street is that of Cyrnos Palace. In 1870, a rich Scottish woman, Miss Campbell, travelled to the islands of the Mediterranean and fell under the spell of Ajaccio.