Ile de Ré

We discovered this small island by chance, looking for a place to go for 2-3 days at the seaside, somewhere warm in May, so Normandy was excluded from the start:)

Ile de Ré is convenienly situated at 5 hours driving from Paris, near La Rochelle, on the west coast of France.
The island is connected with mainland by a spectacular 3km long bridge, which has dedicated bike paths. The island is so tiny ( 30 km long, 5 km wide) that you are surrounded by sea from all sides- if you cross the road, you are already on the other side of the island:))

We stayed in Rivedoux, one of the 10th villages of  the island, in a cosy “maison des pecheurs”, 100 meters from a sandy beach.
The center of the village is charming, typical for French countryside, with  the well-known trio: La Mairie, L’église  and Le marché -where you can buy fresh products( fruits, fish, seafood).

Ile  de Ré is a paradise for bikers, having more than 100 km of bike routes, approximately half of them being “voies vertes”-dedicated only to bikes. You can hire a bike for 14€ a day and explore safely the island. We have visited two of the most beautiful villages in France-St Martin de Ré- with a citadel from 17th century, and La Flotte-a charming harbour.

















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