Punta Spanu from Algajola

A very pleasant short hike between the maquis and the seaside. Apart from the section through San Ambrogio, the trail is very pleasant and offers beautiful views of the citadel of Calvi and Pointe de la Revelata.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.05 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 90 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 88 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 53 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Depart from the Route de la Marine de San Damiano, which can be reached from the T30 roundabout (formerly N197) near Algajola. Park on the side of the road shortly after the roundabout.

(S/E) Head west on the red-marked trail. Reach the railway line, walk along it on the right-hand side, cross it (be careful!) and then walk along it on the left-hand side.

(1) You will come out at the San Ambrogio marina and cross the residential neighbourhoods via Avenue des Lauriers Roses.

(2) At a left-hand bend, take a path that descends to the right and joins another road further down. Follow this road to the left until you reach a roundabout.

(3) At the roundabout, take the second lane on the left. The road climbs slightly, turns right and joins the railway line.

(4) Cross the railway line at the level crossing and ignore the turnings on the left. The road gives way to a track that joins the railway line and runs alongside it.

(5) Continue straight ahead instead of following the red markings that lead off to the left. This will take you to Punta Spanu, which you should walk around along the shore. Enjoy the pleasant surroundings.

(6) Cross the railway line again (be careful!) to descend to Portu Algajo.

(7) At the seaside, take the path on the right. Stay on the path that runs along the shore.

(8) At the western tip, take the path on the right towards the Genoese tower.

(9) Pass at the foot of this tower and continue along the path, which becomes difficult to follow at times. Use the cairns to find your way.

(10) The path leads to a small cove, Cala Sttellla. A staircase allows you to climb back up and return to the marina. Come out onto a road and follow it to the right. At the T-junction, turn left. After about a hundred metres, turn right to reach the tennis courts.

(11) Follow the road to the right and at the next junction, continue straight ahead along Avenue des Coteaux. At the roundabout, turn right.

(3) At the roundabout you took on the way there, continue straight ahead. Follow the same route as on the way there to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 39 m - Route de la Marine de San Damiano
  2. 1 : km 1.1 - alt. 23 m - Marina de San Ambrogio
  3. 2 : km 1.44 - alt. 16 m - Trail start
  4. 3 : km 1.98 - alt. 16 m - Crossroads of the circular
  5. 4 : km 2.6 - alt. 41 m - Level crossing
  6. 5 : km 3.4 - alt. 38 m - Intersection
  7. 6 : km 3.92 - alt. 33 m - Railway line to cross
  8. 7 : km 4.17 - alt. 3 m - Portu Algajo
  9. 8 : km 6.08 - alt. 6 m - Punta Spanu - West Point
  10. 9 : km 6.6 - alt. 21 m - Genoese tower
  11. 10 : km 7.76 - alt. 1 m - Calla Stella
  12. 11 : km 8.28 - alt. 14 m - Tennis courts
  13. S/E : km 11.05 - alt. 40 m - Route de la Marine de San Damiano

Worth a visit

Depending on the time of year, you can go swimming at Punta Spanu!

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 20 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 25195523

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A peaceful hike, but it's a shame you have to walk along the tarmac road. It could have started in Algajola, otherwise avoid the wild boar hunting season. The hunters are friendly.

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yannick
yannick
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike done with the family with three teenagers aged 11 to 15. No difficulty, goes well. The start of the route is mostly on tarmac. Two spots where the children swam to cool off. Done at a leisurely pace with breaks, taking 2½ hours for 11.75 km
Part of the route along the coast is tough going with the bushes and is rather poorly described. We had to search a bit for the route but with the map we quickly found the right path

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User 3326054
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Only the second third of the hike is interesting, with superb views of the rugged coastline and turquoise waters between points 5 and 10
The first and third thirds feature long stretches through residential areas (before point 5 and after point 10) and are uninteresting.

There are no particular difficulties, except for a steep climb between two private properties to leave the hiking trail and return to the road at point 10.

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Wasp-Swap
Wasp-Swap

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

While the first 8 kilometres are relatively pleasant (even if there is too much tarmac for my liking), it is a different story from point 9 onwards. In addition to the lack of signage up to the cove, the worst is yet to come at point 10, where the staircase is closed, making it impossible to access the rest of the trail unless you climb a dangerous side slope (closed to the public) littered with debris. The rest of the hike is then uninteresting until you reach the end.

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Marilyn DESBRAUX
Marilyn DESBRAUX

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, slight difficulty finding the path between points 9 and 10, but with the help of the trail on your mobile phone, you'll be fine.

The only issue upon ARRIVING at point 10 is that the staircase leading up to the marina leads to private property, but fortunately the entrance is closed off by a chain that can be stepped over. If this chain were to be replaced by a gate in the future, it would not be possible to reach the road. At the top of the stairs, there used to be a non-private path, but it has been closed for safety reasons.

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ROTHERA
ROTHERA

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike offering landscapes of rare beauty. We walked it backwards, between points 11 and 10, where a sign prevented us from taking the path (danger). We went around it as a precaution and found ourselves on a small, very overgrown path, which was not at all pleasant for our calves. Once we reached the cove (10), we resumed the normal route.

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Op31
Op31

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This hike is simply superb.
We extended this hike at stage 7 to take in Calvi.
At stage 10, the path narrows, so be careful with your legs (scratches)!

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Amélie73
Amélie73

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route with magnificent views of Calvi and La Revelata.
We started at point 4, and the trail was fairly quiet until point 7. After that, it got a little busier until point 9.
However, the path was very difficult to find and a little steep between points 9 and 10. Fortunately, we had the GPS route and met a gentleman who guided us.

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tegnaf
tegnaf

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely walk by the sea, but the section leading to the steps is not well marked and the steps are in very poor condition. Otherwise, very pleasant.

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Gene59.33
Gene59.33

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Everything was perfect
A very beautiful hike, well detailed, with magnificent views

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Gene59.33
Gene59.33

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Everything was perfect

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arthur34
arthur34

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk that took 3 hours and 10 minutes. The elevation gain is +110m, not +400m as stated in the description. The trail is not very clear between points 9 and 10, after the tower, to reach Cala Stella.

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Joselerossignol
Joselerossignol

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Thank you for this lovely walk, which we completed in its entirety. The start of the walk, which takes you past residential properties along the road, is not particularly interesting. In my opinion, it is better to start between points 4 and 5, especially as there is plenty of parking available. Otherwise, it is a very pleasant walk with opportunities to swim in some beautiful spots.

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caouec
caouec

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

pleasant route, best done early due to the heat, swimming spot
start between points 2 and 3 rather than Algajola
due to vegetation, we couldn't reach Cala Stella point 10, navigating by sight to get back on the road that goes to Spunta Spano

in fact, there are people from the Punta Spane car park around 9 and 7
no one in the circular

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cloclo2b
cloclo2b

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike done during the week in February, very few people around. You really are alone in the middle of the scrubland...
Apart from the sections on tarmac roads, the coastal path offers beautiful views of the citadel of Calvi and the Pointe de la Revelata (a hike that I also recommend).

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