The call of the sea | Destination Île de Ré

Walks around the Ile de Ré

Cast off!

Depending on the weather and tide times, you can set sail at any time from April to October.
While the Ile de Ré and La Rochelle are linked by sea, you can also venture out to the Ile d’Aix or get up close and personal with the famous Fort Boyard! Closer excursions offer a stroll along the island’s north coast towards the Pertuis Breton, departing from the ports of La Flotte or Saint-Martin de Ré and lasting from 2 to 4 hours, or even a full day. Depending on conditions, your skipper may even suggest you take a dip! Fresh and invigorating!

Discover the landscapes of Ré by boat

Cruising along the island’s north coast is an ideal way to admire the Retais countryside from the sea. It’s a chance to revel in the island’s natural beauty, and to enjoy unspoilt countryside and landscapes combining ocean and sandy beaches as far as the eye can see. It’s a firework display of color, with striking contrasts between the azure blue and the green of the pine forests, as in Trousse Chemise, with a colorful and changing spectacle in the salt marshes depending on the time of day. Natural scenery is at its most beautiful when the sky takes on vibrant colors as the sun declines.

Moments of life at sea

We don’t often think about it, but the sea is an incomparable place to celebrate moments in life.
Choosing to mobilize your teams for a corporate event, or celebrating a family event at sea, will make your memories even more memorable. Imagine taking a break from the hustle and bustle, or enjoying a coffee in the proud Ars with family and friends? Get creative, too, by organizing a birthday party or bachelor party on the ocean.
When you’re on Ré, treat yourself if you love sailing. Whether you bring your own boat or rent one, the harbors of Ars-en-Ré, La Flotte, Rivedoux-Plage and Saint-Martin-de-Ré offer launching areas or visitor moorings, with prior approval from the harbor master’s office.

The ocean in everyday life

The ocean is intimately linked to the daily life of the people of Rétais, through its culture and gastronomy, and more simply in everyday life. Understanding this link allows you to immerse yourself more deeply in the art of living à la rétaise, and to better appreciate your stay.

A dream routine by the ocean

You can’t count the hours you spend by the sea, whether it’s playing, swimming, surfing, picnicking or even invigorating strolls in cooler weather. Walking along the seafront between villages is an established custom, and one that visitors naturally indulge in.
Fishing is also practiced year-round, taking into account the weather and respecting the exceptional environment. The wilder beaches with their rocky foreshore add to the poetry of the area.

Discover a marine biodiversity as beautiful as it is fragile

The sea around the Ile de Ré is home to a rich and varied biodiversity, including salt marshes, wetlands and reefs. These ecosystems play a crucial role in preserving marine biodiversity, and are essential to local activities such as saliculture (salt production). These natural areas are fragile, and it’s important for visitors to play their part in preserving them through simple gestures such as using the access roads provided to get to the beach, or respecting the ecosystems when walking along the foreshore.

Retais gastronomy influenced by the sea

Seafood, fish, oysters and mussels are the basic ingredients of Retais cuisine. Traditional recipes have been handed down from generation to generation. Aquaculture, particularly oyster and mussel farming, is a major component of the local economy. Oyster beds shape the island’s coastal landscape. The same is true of salt farming in the north, where the sea has favored the development of salt marshes.

Did you know?

The island of Ré is also renowned for its fish locks, long horseshoe-shaped seaside walls and local stone traps built along the coastline to catch fish at low tide. These traditional structures are still in use today, and bear witness to the maritime know-how of the island’s inhabitants.

Some maritime terms

Foreshore
Part of the coastline that is exposed at low tide. It’s a natural area that’s home to a great deal of biodiversity, whose balance is fragile. To find out more, click here.
The "pertuis" of the Ile de Ré
These are narrow maritime passages between the islands and the mainland on France’s Atlantic coast.
The Pertuis d’Antioche: located between the islands of Ré and Oléron, it links the Atlantic Ocean to the port of La Rochelle. It is an important maritime route for local shipping.
The Pertuis Breton: between the Ile de Ré and the mainland, this is used by pleasure boats to access the region’s ports, notably La Rochelle and Rochefort.
Note that the Pertuis Breton is not used for commercial or fishing purposes, but only for pleasure boating.
Le fier d'Ars
Le fier is an inland sea. These basins are stretches of salt water that communicate with the sea via channels or narrow passages, often influenced by the tides. Fier play an important ecological role as transition zones between marine and terrestrial environments, providing habitats for a variety of plant and animal species.
The Fier d’Ars is surrounded by salt marshes, meadows and dunes. It is renowned for its rich biodiversity, attracting numerous species of migratory birds.
Lighthouses on the Ile de Ré
The island is famous for its lighthouses, notably the Phare des Baleines and the Phare de Chauveau. The Phare des Baleines, built in 1854, is an iconic landmark, standing 57 m tall and guiding many a ship through the rough waters of the Rochebonne plateau.

Celebration s

Island-wide festivities highlight the island’s maritime history and heritage from May to September, such as the sea and shellfish festivals in Saint-Martin, or the harbor festivals in La Flotte and Ars with the sardine festival. These get-togethers strengthen the ties that bind us to the local culture.

Did you like this content? Please share it with others!

On the same subject

Vue Aerienne Littoral Estran Petit Bec Les Portes En Re Edouard Salmon Skystudio

The foreshore, the unsuspected treasure of the tides

Beaches in tune with the seasons

Marais Salant Fier Ars Ile De Re Edouard Salmon Skystudio

The salt marshes