Holiday in Île de Ré

What makes Île de Ré special as a destination?

Île de Ré, connected to La Rochelle by an elegant three-kilometer bridge, is the favorite island of Parisians and embodies the French art of living in its entirety. Only 30 kilometers long and five kilometers wide, this flat island in the Atlantic offers white sandy beaches, green salt marshes, fragrant hollyhock-lined avenues, and whitewashed villages with green shutters. Saint-Martin-de-Ré, the main town with its Vauban-fortified harbor (UNESCO World Heritage Site), enchants with cobblestone streets, artists' studios, and lively cafés around the fishing harbor. Ars-en-Ré, with its black-and-white church tower, is among the 'Plus Beaux Villages de France.' La Flotte offers the most beautiful medieval market on the island under hundred-year-old plane trees. Île de Ré is a paradise for cyclists: over 100 kilometers of bike paths crisscross the island, connecting villages, beaches, and the famous salt pans, where Fleur de Sel is still harvested by hand today. You can observe the salt workers (Sauniers) at work and buy the precious salt directly. The Phare des Baleines, a 57-meter-high lighthouse at the northern tip, offers a panoramic view of the entire island and the Atlantic after 257 steps. Oyster farming, potato cultivation (the famous 'Primeur'), and fishing shape the character of the island. Île de Ré is a place of deceleration — elegant, authentic, and unhurried.