Ile de re - summer holidays

[Huxxle]

Has anyone been to ile de re? If so, what was your experience? Where should we stay? We want somewhere clean and comfortable. What should we include in our itinerary? Top tips please! Thanks.

Family, couple, kids, budget?
Walking , cycling, driving ?

Cycling! Also be aware of heavy traffic leaving mainland heading over bridge at weekends in summer.

Good day trip into La Rochelle, lots of cycling routes on island, lovely beaches, gets busy in summer usually with people leaving Paris etc.

It is expensive compared to mainland in terms of accommodation (I have a house about forty minutes away near coast) but very peaceful at times.

Any questions let me know

Love it - been loads of times but we camp or stay in mobile homes so might not be what you are after.
Top coast is gorgeous ports, bottom coast is beaches and dunes. It's only about 2 miles wide so you don't really need an itinerary, as you can do everything.
We don't bother going off the island as don't want to pay the bridge toll twice!

Thanks. This is a family trip with 3 DC under 7.

Should we drive? Where should we book - not camping but somewhere clean and cost effective.

I would drive, or fly to La Rochelle then taxi. Aim to stay in the middle third of the island, from Ars to La Flotte.
Can't recommend hotels as always camped, sorry.

I’m afraid l didn’t like it. It was just too crowded.

Accommodation was expensive, and there wasn’t that much to see unless you drove across the bridge.

The bridge we got held up in traffic for 3 hours.

I love it there. For me it's more about soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the island rather than doing loads of things. In your shoes, I would consider staying on a campsite in a luxury mobile home - they are really nice in France (dishwasher etc) and the age your DC are at, they will absolutely love being on the campsite. If you are staying within walking distance of a beach you can just spend all day pottering round, and have easy access to the mobile home for naps and snacks. Heavenly!

You don't really need a car if you are staying in the middle of the island, you can cycle or get a bus.

Yes I agree, if you're planning on staying on the island most of the time then a car isn't really necessary. It's a great place but as others have mentioned does get VERY busy! In august especially!

There are many places near by (further down the coast) that I would recommend, miles of Sandy beaches etc and less crowded!

For accommodation it will either be campsites, mobile homes , or a Gite. Things book up very quickly in this area of France especially since covid as many French people are staying in the country.

I would like to recommend Ile d'Oleron - its the island below Ile de Re, has no toll bridge and is a bit cheaper - it's more rustic as it's a working Island rather than purely touristic. We had every childhood holiday there from 4 years old to 16 years old and I still adore going back! Tonnes for kids to do - free and paid for!

Zoo on the mainland, wildlife park on the island, boat trip to Ile d'Aix or around the island, rock pooling (our favourite activity!), lighthouse to climb, gorgeous beaches, le petit train that runs to a beach, parks, cycling paths galore!

We stayed in Novotel St Trojan for childhood holidays but now stay here Here

Happy to email over a load of stuff if needed :) It's a great place for young kids!

Also we always drive but flying to La Rochelle is a good option too!

I've only been for the day, about 15 years ago, was not with children. Only thing I suggest is hopefully one of you speaks a reasonable amount of French, it is really appreciated. May save you being asked about Brexit or Mr Johnson!!

Posted this on another thread but would highly recommend the accommodation here... www.mv-lodge.com/
It is really nice.
We went a few years back in early September and the island was pleasantly busy without being crowded. Nice buzz about the place. I believe it's a different story in August when all of France are on holidays though.
We didn't experience any traffic jams either getting onto the island or on the island itself (we used the car to get from place to place rather than cycling),

Île de Ré is wonderful! Only been once but would love to go back. We drove, spent a few days near La Rochelle, then camped for a couple of weeks on the Île. We hired bikes and one of those little pull-along bike carriages for the dc - it was great.

We went when ours were quite small (2&4) and stayed in an Airbnb. We said if we went again we would do the campsite thing as they were just about OK but it was on the verge of being a bit boring for them and a pool and playground would have been good. I loved it- beautiful, fab beaches, but it was very expensive.

We went in May and it was roasting hot, to be aware of if you want to cycle a lot- it was a bit much, although it was a freak heat incident. The aquarium in La Rochelle was also a big hit, really excellent.

(We flew to La Rochelle and pre booked a taxi. If you are going to stay on the island I don't think you need a car if you have bikes. There is a regular bus to La Rochelle)