The island is 18 miles long and has 2 to 3 miles in width. Since it is off the Atlantic Coast of France, the island is a popular tourist destination. With beautiful vineyards, beaches, and Quaint villages, it is the perfect paradise for your getaway. Here is what to do while visiting the Island of Re!
Explore the 10 Villages
The Island of Re is also known as the White Island, as it is dotted with ten unique villages. Each village has its character and is filled with traditionally built white houses. They also have wooden shutters, and the alleys are beautifully flowered. Finding the island of Ré Rentals here is a win for you. As mentioned, most of the houses here are white and single-storeyed. Their limited colour palette makes them more uniform and charming. Visiting and staying here on the island of Ré Rentals gives you a view of the most natural colours of the villages, the sky, as well as the sea and sands. While visiting, some of the villages you must include in your bucket list are Saint-Martin-de-Ré, La Flotte, and La Courde-Sur-Mer. The Saint-Martin-de-Re is known as the island’s mini capital. Inside the village is a star-shaped fort that became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008. You can view it early in the morning while staying on the island of Ré Rentals. La Flotte is near Saint-Martin-de-re and is referred to as the most beautiful village in France. It is popular for its tiny harbour and long sandy beach where you can relax with your family and friends. If you are looking for an all-in-one village, La Couarde-Sur-Mer is your best bet. It has beautiful sandy beaches, vineyards, and salt marshes to explore.
Learn About the Salt on the Island and Relax on the Beaches
The Island is among the few with the 4 S’s: the sun, the sea, the salt, and the sand. It has close to 400 hectares of salt deposits in marshes. Here, it is referred to as white gold. In fact, if you check for it on Google Maps, you will see that the marshes cover over 18% of the island. In the Middle Ages, salt was extracted through traditional methods using ancient techniques. While it has been outdated, there are still a few people who practice it on the island. To learn more about the salt in the area, you can always visit Pick Sel Marsh. The salt makers here will educate you on everything you desire to know about the salt marshes and the harvesting. Don’t forget to carry a few jars of salt as a souvenir. Considering it is an island, Ile de Re is surrounded by beautiful sandy beaches. You get a chance to experience the golden sand with blue seas. These make a perfect combination of relaxation and water activities. If you love taking walks or biking along the beaches, the best ones are on the south and west coast of the island. This is because they are well-cushioned with forests and dunes. The beaches on the northern coastline are rockier and have small caves for those who love to explore. For those who love the adrenaline that comes with water activities, head straight to Plage de Gros Jonc. It has a reputation for being the best surfing beach on the island. If you do not have the proper equipment, you can always hire and take lessons.
Sample the Wine of the Island
Besides the exploration, most of us travel for good food and drinks. When visiting the Island of Re, you are lucky as France has a great reputation for making the best wine globally. You will get to see many different vineyards. There seem to be rows and rows of vines on every path you move onto. On the Island, the vineyards extend for hundreds of hectares since the land is rich in marine alluvium and limestone. These two minerals are crucial for wine production; you get a variety of wines from white to red. Whether you love ugni-blanc, chardonnay, or sauvignon, you can find it all here. You can plan to visit different vineyards so you can learn more about wine production, as well as tasting techniques. While you can do it alone, having a guided wine-tasting tour will save you a lot. Evidently, there is no shortage of activities on the Island of Ré. From the ten villages to the wine and the beaches, you can surely have a great day on the island. Depending on preference, you can either self-explore or have a guided tour. With the latter, you get better logistics and planning for the activities. Schedule your trip today and explore the beauty of Île de Ré.