City of art and historyDiscover the mysteries of Bonifacio at your own pace

Free exploration in an open-air museum

Bonifacio is a town with a long and complex history, which can be glimpsed at every street corner, on the walls of the buildings that tell the story of what shaped the Bonifacians. To discover it, all it takes is a little curiosity and a little feeling. Explanatory panels and other fun ways of uncovering the secrets of the cliff city are numerous and will help you to unravel its mysteries. Follow us: we’ll take you on a tour with or without children and teenagers!

Forget the watch

A brief tour of Bonifacio will convince you: here, art and history are absolutely everywhere. In fact, since 2019, the town has been awarded the label. But even in an open-air museum, you can move around freely, pick up information, linger over certain places, delve into a particular visit… And for that, there’s nothing better than forgetting the watch – unless you’re up for a challenge, and discovering at your own pace, with an audioguide for example. Before setting off to explore the city, we went to the tourist office to get all the information we needed. And off we went!

Heritage, with Bonifacio Autrement

Are you addicted to your cell phone? This will come in handy! On the advice of a tourist office advisor, my darling and I downloaded the Bonifacio Autrement application, which focuses on heritage. The kids chose Pif Gadget, which I’ll tell you about in five minutes. That’s a promise!

Bonifacio Autrement is a real eye-opener for those of us who like to wander around without getting carried away. On each totem pole, kiosk or lectern that quickly tells the story of a monument or place, you can scan a QR code, and then you’re entitled to all the detailed explanations. We learned a lot about the city’s military and economic history.

Zoom Citadelle Vue Aerienne Mer Fond Sardaigne Bonifacio

A timeless place

As we all know, Bonifacio is an open-air museum. The stones tell a story, the buildings are often centuries old, the plaques speak of the importance of the men who shaped the city. And everywhere, beauty and the sensation of discovering a place out of time.

Investigating with Pif

A special app for kids and teens

With a 9-year-old girl and a 14-year-old teenager, it’s not always easy to combine visits and heritage discoveries without getting bored. This time, with the Pif Mysteries app, available on App Store and Google Play, we may have found the right formula. We left the two of them to their own devices – it was great fun to watch them squabble for once, but I think we’ll do it again with them, just to see what they learn!

The app lets you unravel the mysteries of Bonifacio, by slipping into the shoes of two detectives, and following the directions of the masters of ceremonies Lupif and Charlok. As we were already in town, we settled down at a café terrace while they solved the first riddles, and then let them roam the town – never being far away – and tell us all about their discoveries. It was great to see them having fun and trying to trick us with questions!

How about an escape game?

Combining heritage discovery and competition

The boys – that’s my teenager and his dad – decided to take on a challenge while my daughter and I enjoyed a session of farniente and hot chocolate. They wanted to try out an escape game, and frankly, judging by their comments on the way back, I’d give it a go myself!

From what they told me, they had to solve no less than ten riddles, obviously trying to go as fast as possible. At the tourist office, they bought a road book, and from there, they were nowhere to be seen for almost two hours! They didn’t beat the speed record, since that’s the average time, but they had a lot of fun, with a slight advantage for the teenager who had memorized the information distilled yesterday by the Pif Mysteries app. Cheating, according to his father, who nonetheless thoroughly enjoyed the ride and the opportunity to learn more about Bonifacio in a fun way.

Stroll in freedom

The advantage of visiting Bonifacio outside peak periods is that you have plenty of time to stroll around, but also to visit the monuments as you please, without feeling rushed by the crowds. First stop for us at the Bastion de l’Étendard: the kids have a blast discovering the staircases and underground rooms, while we admire the scenery from the gardens. Incredible. We continued our historical tour with the Escalier du Roy d’Aragon, on which we gleaned information very easily. The visit is grandiose, the panorama insane, but my legs will remember: it’s sporty! We then continue on to the marine cemetery and the ramparts: here again, we’re in for a real treat, and the explanations given during the visits we’ve already made give us a good idea of the heritage on offer. The other small advantage is that Bonifacians love their town, and those we met along the way were happy to help. And that’s really nice.

Did you know?

In winter, the opening hours of certain monuments change, or are subject to the vagaries of the weather: no descent of the Escalier du Roy d’Aragon if the wind is blowing or the rain is making the steps too slippery! On the other hand, even with shorter opening hours, you’ll still have plenty of time for a leisurely visit by making an appointment with the Office for a VIP visit.

An enchanted interlude in an idyllic setting

Summer or winter, a visit to Bonifacio is a good idea. In the off-peak season, you can appreciate the town, its monuments and its heritage even more, while enjoying the refreshing peace and quiet. You can take advantage of this freedom to visit the city in complete tranquillity, strolling freely and taking your time to discover at your own pace. It’s an enchanting interlude in a city of art and history that appeals to young and old alike. We’ve been there, done that, and it’s definitely worth it.

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Escalier Roy Aragon Marches Falaises Bonifacio

L’Escalier du Roy d’Aragon