Île de Ré

⚠️ Timetables, opening hours, prices and access conditions may change without notice, for reasons beyond our control (season, weather, decisions by operators, venues or local authorities). Before every trip, check the information with the relevant authorities and service providers. Entry requirements and local rules (reserves, quotas) are subject to the same caveat.

Île de Ré, nicknamed “Ré la Blanche”, stretches for some thirty kilometres opposite La Rochelle, linked to the mainland since 1988 by a bridge almost 3 kilometres long. Ten villages of whitewashed houses with green shutters, salt marshes, oyster beds, pine woods and long sandy beaches make up a flat landscape that is perfect for cycling. Visitors come for the UNESCO-listed Vauban ramparts of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, the Baleines lighthouse, the Lilleau des Niges bird reserve and the café terraces of little harbours such as La Flotte and Ars-en-Ré.

Where is Île de Ré?

Île de Ré lies in the Atlantic Ocean off La Rochelle, in the Charente-Maritime department of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Around thirty kilometres long but only a few kilometres wide, it covers about 85 km² and has close to 18,000 year-round residents, a figure that multiplies in summer. Since 1988 the Île de Ré bridge, 2.9 kilometres long, has linked it to the mainland between La Rochelle and Rivedoux-Plage. The Pertuis Breton strait separates it from the Vendée coast to the north, and the Pertuis d’Antioche from Île d’Oléron to the south.

Its ten villages run from east to west: Rivedoux-Plage, Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, La Flotte, Saint-Martin-de-Ré, Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, La Couarde-sur-Mer, Loix, Ars-en-Ré, Saint-Clément-des-Baleines and Les Portes-en-Ré. Saint-Martin-de-Ré, the old fortified town, acts as the island’s small capital. There is hardly any relief, the highest point barely reaching twenty metres. In the west the coastline curls around the Fier d’Ars, a large inland bay fringed by salt marshes and the Lilleau des Niges nature reserve, while the north-western tip ends at the Baleines lighthouse.

History and culture

Once a cluster of islets gradually joined together by salt marshes, the island lived from the Middle Ages on salt and wine, traded with ships from northern Europe. Cistercian monks founded the Abbaye des Châteliers in the twelfth century, and its ruins still overlook the coast near La Flotte. Strategically placed opposite La Rochelle, Ré was attacked in 1627 by English troops under the Duke of Buckingham, who were driven back by Toiras’s garrison. From 1681 Vauban gave Saint-Martin its ramparts and citadel, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.

Saint-Martin’s citadel became a prison: convicts sentenced to hard labour sailed from here to New Caledonia and later French Guiana, and it still houses a penitentiary today. Island culture remains deeply rural and maritime, with salt makers, oyster farmers, winegrowers and market gardeners still shaping the landscape. Low whitewashed houses with green or blue shutters, framed by hollyhocks, are part of the island’s identity, as are the famous donkeys in trousers and the quichenotte, the traditional bonnet once worn by women working in the marshes and fields.

What to see on Île de Ré

In Saint-Martin-de-Ré, stroll around the lively harbour and quays, then follow the ramparts to the citadel, which can be admired from outside. The Ernest-Cognacq museum, housed in the Hôtel de Clerjotte, tells the story of the island. La Flotte, listed among the Most Beautiful Villages of France, charms with its harbour, narrow lanes and old-style market, a short walk from the ruins of the Abbaye des Châteliers. Further west, Ars-en-Ré can be spotted from afar thanks to the black-and-white spire of its church, long used by sailors as a landmark.

At the end of the island, the Baleines lighthouse, first lit in 1854, rewards its 257 steps with a sweeping view over the ocean and the Pertuis Breton; the Vieille Tour, built in 1682, stands right next to it. In Loix, the salt-marsh ecomuseum explains the salt makers’ work, and several producers open their marshes to visitors at La Couarde and Les Portes-en-Ré. Birdwatchers should head for the Lilleau des Niges nature reserve, a major wintering ground for migratory birds. To see the island from a different angle, nothing beats a catamaran trip from Saint-Martin or La Flotte.

Beaches, sea and nature

The south coast, facing the open ocean, is lined with long sandy beaches backed by dunes and pines, such as Le Gros Jonc at Le Bois-Plage or Les Prises and Le Peu Ragot at La Couarde. In the north-west, the Conche des Baleines is one of the wildest beaches on the island. The more sheltered north coast offers family beaches and coves, for instance at Rivedoux or Le Grouin near Loix. The main beaches are lifeguarded in summer; elsewhere, take care with currents and with the tide, which uncovers wide stretches of foreshore.

The island is also a large protected natural area. The Lilleau des Niges nature reserve, at the far end of the Fier d’Ars, hosts thousands of birds every winter, including brent geese, avocets and waders, easily watched from the cycle paths and dykes. The salt marshes of Loix, Ars and Les Portes form a chequerboard of water and salt where black-winged stilts and egrets feed. At low tide, families go shore fishing on the foreshore, respecting minimum sizes and quotas. Finally, the pine woods of the north-west offer welcome shade to cyclists in summer.

Getting there and getting around

From Paris, TGV high-speed trains link Montparnasse station to La Rochelle in about 2 hours 45 minutes on the fastest services. From the station, regional bus line 150 serves all ten villages year-round, costing €2.50 per journey as a guide, with extra lines 151 and 152 in summer. La Rochelle-Île de Ré airport mainly receives Ryanair and easyJet flights from Lyon, Marseille, Geneva, the United Kingdom and Ireland. By car, the bridge carries an eco-toll paid on the way in: for a car, €4 in winter, €8 in mid-season and €16 in high season, as a guide.

On the island, the bicycle rules: an extensive network of cycle paths links villages, beaches and marshes, and rental shops in almost every village offer classic bikes, e-bikes, tandems and trailers, often with delivery. The bridge can be crossed free of charge on foot or by bike, on separate lanes. From April to September, the Compagnie Interîles passenger shuttle links La Rochelle’s Old Port to Saint-Martin-de-Ré in about an hour, with bikes accepted on booking. In summer, traffic and parking are difficult. Timetables and fares change regularly, so check them with the operators before you travel.

Best time to go, budget and entry requirements

Île de Ré enjoys a mild oceanic climate and plenty of sunshine. High season runs from mid-June to mid-September: the sea is at its warmest, but villages and cycle paths are very busy and accommodation is booked far in advance. May, June and September are ideal for cycling, café terraces and the marshes at a gentler pace. Crowds pick up again during the spring school holidays and the long May weekends. In winter the island returns to village life, with many shops closed but lower prices, including at the bridge toll.

Île de Ré is one of the most expensive destinations on the Atlantic coast: as a guide, expect from €80 to €90 a night in a small hotel out of season, much more in summer, and around €20 to €30 for a campsite pitch. Bike rental starts at about €12 to €15 a day. The currency is the euro and cards are accepted almost everywhere, although some oyster huts prefer cash. French and other EU citizens only need a valid identity card; other nationalities follow the usual Schengen rules and should check what applies to them. A tourist tax is added to accommodation prices.

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Nearby islands: Île d’Oléron, Île d’Aix, Noirmoutier and Île d’Yeu.

Photo : Paul Schrepfer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons