Ile de Re

[sidepod]

Anyone?

Hints/tips/Do's/Dont's.

Ta v much.

 

[GrannyJen]

Lovely.

Crowded.

 

[WelshGas]

Anyone?

Hints/tips/Do's/Dont's.

Ta v much.

Take your bikes although plenty of rental places. South side has sandy beaches, north side less so. Very popular mid-July and August - French summer holidays.
10 villages to cycle round, very flat and very, very cycle friendly.
Campsites near Toll bridge onto Island very busy.
Saint Martine, harbourside village, very picturesque, good restaurants cafes etc:, very popular.

 

[blakeley]

What ever you do, avoid July and August

 

[nezzler]

Great place, don't forget the bikes!

Many of the sites get booked up early. We try to book a bigger pitch than needed to give you more personal space.

La Rochelle is well worth a visit too, but try to do it on the way there, or on the way off (or even cycle!) as every time you leave the island you have to pay €16 for the bridge toll.

La Flotte has some good relaxed bars/restaurant whereas Saint Martin is a little more formal on an evening and booking a table is a must.

Great morning markets for fresh fish/bread etc...

Have experienced mixed weather at the end of August, with stormy weather. Dries up quickly though.

Definitely a place to go though!

 

[nezzler]

What ever you do, avoid July and August

A bit difficult when the better half is a teacher!

 

[Jabberwocky]

Beautiful! Bikes a must. Crowded after end of June until mid September. Can be expensive - especially restaurants and St Martin. Great place to chill. Enjoy!

 

[snowy55]

Try the Ille d'Olleron a few miles further south.
Just as nice and bike friendly without the "chic" bullcrap.
Not as busy and no tolls to get there!

 

[Jabberwocky]

What about Noirmoutier just up the coast a little. Very quiet/peaceful. We are thinking of going there in the summer. Early July.

 

[hirsty]

We went at the end of May once (motorbike, before van) and it was a bit chilly / windy - pleasant enough to sit outside a bar during the day, but no chance in the pool.

Lovely quirky place, perfect for off-season tootlers & if you like seafood (I don't) I'm sure it'd be fabulous.

As others have said though it must be Hell in August.

 

[sidepod]

Top Intel. Poss Easter venue. Weather dependant.

Ta

 

[Ciarán o flynn]

we went to Ille d'Olleron a few years ago in july worst mosquito bites my kids ever got .

 

[snowy55]

we went to Ille d'Olleron a few years ago in july worst mosquito bites my kids ever got .

We were there in June and not a hint of a mosquito.

 

[JohnnyP]

Anyone?

Hints/tips/Do's/Dont's.

Ta v much.

Go even if you cant avoid school holidays and you wont regret it, the Island is busy but I found it less busy in the North if this is a concern. There were some empty pitches on the site even in August (Camping Les Baleines).

There are some fantastic beaches (even in the North) but the best ones are not dog friendly (Plage de la Conche de Baleines has miles of golden sand and accessible from multiple locations along cycle path).

 

[Salty]

What about Noirmoutier just up the coast a little. Very quiet/peaceful. We are thinking of going there in the summer. Early July.

Ile de Re is lovely, noirmoutier is as well, but more down to earth.

 

[fordyski100]

Campsites were crowded and pitches extremely small so didn't have a great ambience on site . However Ile De Re itself was really nice if slowly cruising around on a pushbike . As others have said restaurants v. expensive but superb! We stayed on Il De Re for 3 nights from memory whilst touring around france and to be honest that was long enough for us , however we would recommend.

 

[Victor]

As lovely as it is, i personally would suggest a day visit especially in the summer, it is very expensive over there and as mentioned above the campsites pack you in like sardines. Possibly different outside of peak season but it sounds like you don't have that option.

 

[Gavinskii]

When my kids were much younger, we stayed on the main land during the summer holidays at a site called Camping Les Biches (outside Challons) and did day trips out to Ile de Rey and Noirmoutier. The whole area was lovely, but I wouldn't want to be on the island for the whole holiday, its just a tourist magnet and the mainland has plenty to offer in the Vendee. We took bikes with us and I recall it was fairly flat with good cycle paths.

 

[Jez]

We've found this is the minimum you have to drive South to start getting the warmer Med weather, it's expensive to eat out but that's for hotel tourists, markets and supermarkets are BBQ heaven for us, we booked early this year and have a large pitch so we have room and will remember to bring bike lights for the dark ride home which we did last year with 1 led torch 2 kids and 2 "merry" parents!

 

[BALLANGER Fred]

Hello, I live (blue point) not far from the il de re, and in my department, this island has remained the most beautiful and the most typical. Everything is to be visited, the beaches and the villages are beautifull. Bikes are essential.
In summer, there are people as on all the Charente coast, and this island is reputed a little rich ... but really beautiful. During the euro of football in France, the team of Spain took his place there.
Good trip in view and maybe even we will cross !!! Do not forget to visit La Rochelle !!!

 

[fido]

Try the Ille d'Olleron a few miles further south.
Just as nice and bike friendly without the "chic" bullcrap.
Not as busy and no tolls to get there!

Mr brothers lives in La Rochelle, I was born 60km far from the island, went a lot, mainly from sea. I cannot agree more.

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[fido]

Also agree on visiting La Rochelle.

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