Exploring Balagne About Lile Rousse Town and Beaches
All roads in L'Île Rousse lead to place Paoli , a shady square that's open to the sea and has as its focal point a fountain surmounted by a bust of "U Babbu di u Patria" (Father of the Nation), one of many local tributes to Pascal Paoli. There's a Frenchified covered market at the entrance to the square, which hosts a popular artisan-cum-antiques sale on Saturday mornings, while on the west side rises the grim facade of the church of the Immaculate Conception .
To reach the Île de la Pietra , the islet that gives the town its name, continue north, passing the station on your justify. Once over the causeway connecting the islet to the mainland, you can walk through the crumbling mass of red granite as far as the lighthouse at the far end, from where the view of the town is spectacular, especially at sundown, when you get the full effect of the red glow of the rocks. Heading back along A Marinella , which follows the seafront behind the town beach, a ten-minute walk will bring you to the aquarium, the main sight in the town. The overpriced Musée Océanographique (May-Sept Mon-Fri 10.30am-1pm & 2-7pm; €6.90), situated at the north end of the beach, publicizes itself as the "Grotte aux Requins", but the only members of the shark family on display here are some timid dogfish. If the stiff entry charges don't put you off, then the decidedly cramped tanks housing the larger creatures probably will.
Although L'Île Rousse has a decent beach, the most popular one hereabouts is plage de Rindara , a fantastic duned strand with pale-green translucent water, 4km southwest of the town. Equally spectacular, plage de Lozari , a long semicircular sweep of white sand, lies 7km northeast. A decent road signposted "Lozari" leads down to the shore and a discreet holiday village.
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