Île de Ré

Today I took the bus to Les Portes-en-Ré on the Île de Ré. This takes about 2 hours and actually I wanted to take my bike with me. However, you have to register the bike at least one day in advance and I didn't.

So I asked the bus driver and she would have taken it anyway as an exception, but the central one forbade it on request. I didn't let that stop me and rented a bike on the island without further ado.

The Île de Ré is a French island located in the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of Aunis, directly located next to La Rochelle.

Part of the Charente archipelago, it is the fourth largest island in metropolitan France, after Corsica, the Île d'Oléron, and Belle-Île. Formerly part of the province of Aunis, it is now part of the department of Charente-Maritime and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Since March 2015, it has formed a single canton: the canton of Île de Ré.

The island's historic center is Saint-Martin-de-Ré, which, together with the neighboring town of La Flotte, forms the urban area of ​​La Flotte, with a population of 5302 in 2013. However, the most populated town is Sainte-Marie-de-Ré (3363 inhabitants).

Île de Ré is separated from the mainland by the Pertuis Breton strait and lies north of the islands of Aix, Oléron, Madame, and Nôle, and north of Fort Boyard, Fort Énet, and Fort Louvois, located in the Pertuis d'Antioche strait to the south. Since May 19, 1988, it has been connected to the mainland by the Île de Ré bridge. The island is nicknamed "Ré la blanche" (White Ré) because of the characteristic white color of its traditional houses.

I cycled around at the "far" end of the island and explored the endless beaches. It is really a beautiful place and in addition to the typical destinations such as the lighthouses, there are still lonely corners where only a few paraglides get lost.

At the end of the island, the center is covered with rapeseed fields and basins, where oysters are farmed. These can also be bought at the roadside.

So I definitely can recommend the island for a day trip as well as if you want to stay longer. I definitely used the day for a crêpe aux framboises 😋 .Read more