The Île de Ré, in Charente-Maritime, is one of the Atlantic coast’s most sought-after islands, a few minutes from La Rochelle via a bridge of about three kilometres. About thirty kilometres long, it charms with its white villages and green shutters, salt marshes, vineyards, fine sandy beaches and the hollyhocks that bloom along its lanes.
Saint-Martin-de-Ré, its port fortified by Vauban and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Ars-en-Ré, Les Portes-en-Ré and the Phare des Baleines lighthouse at the western tip are all unmissable stops. More than a hundred kilometres of cycle paths let you tour the island by bike, among dunes, forest and marshes, stopping for oysters, fleur de sel or new potatoes.
Open all year round, the Île de Ré can be explored in a day or over a stay of several days. In spring and autumn, the light is particularly beautiful and the crowds gentler than in high summer.