Ile de Re beaches
What can you do on Île de Ré off La Rochelle? Enjoy exploring the island’s long sandy beaches, of course! The beaches have golden sand and turquoise water, perfect whether you like to relax or go out and do some watersports.
Beach… just one word for an entire world of joy and relaxation with family or friends; five letters that encompass so much emotion and so many experiences to be enjoyed in any of the four seasons and at the high and low tides of the Île de Ré. Take advantage of your stay at La Baronnie Hôtel & Spa**** to discover one of the 15 beaches listed on ‘Ré la Blanche’.
The beaches of the Île de Ré
The beach the way you want it, when you want it…
The 100-km of coastline and beaches on the Île de Ré offer a wide variety of landscapes and activities. You can bask in the sun on the warm sand while your children set about building the world’s best sandcastle or prepare to build a fortress to prevent the inexorable advance of the rising tide! Out on the water aboard a boat – in this paradise for sailing dinghies and catamarans – or in the water for a swim; and even somewhere in between, if you go foraging on foot in search of clams, cockles and razor shells. There’s something for every age and every taste. And when the wind rises, lifting the foam from the waves and making the sea gulls dive and swoop in a random ballet, you can fill your lungs with the fresh salty air of the Atlantic. An invigorating breath of fresh air as you take in the beautiful natural spectacle. Lastly, back to La Baronnie Hôtel & Spa**** for a soothing spa experience and a drink at Bar 1721. Quite simply bliss!
The best beaches on the Île de Ré
Lively and family-friendly to the south
On the Île de Ré, everything starts with the beach. As soon as you’ve crossed the bridge, you’ll find Rivedoux, a destination for kitesurfers where they swoop and twirl over the water as if by magic. To the south, the wild coast of Sainte-Marie is the go-to place for surfers and foragers for shellfish, when the foreshore of the Pertuis d’Antioche is revealed. Further along, the 12 km of beach that connect the villages of Le Bois Plage – Les Gollandières and Gros Jonc – and La Couarde sur Mer – Prises, Pergola and Peu-Ragot. All these beaches offer amazing play spaces which are supervised in summer and equipped with events infrastructure and sailing schools; in winter, they become the perfect place to take a relaxing walk.
On the other side, Arnérault Beach opens onto La Flotte and the Pertuis Breton. It is located just beside the centre of the village and stretches for 500 metres. A little further north, still on the Pertuis Breton side, Saint-Martin-de-Ré has one beach, La Cible, not far from the Vauban ramparts. You can get there in just in a few minutes from La Baronnie Hôtel & Spa****.
Foraging for shellfish, serious relaxation, high winds or gentle summer breezes, at high tide or on the foreshore… The beaches of the Île de Ré can be enjoyed all year round.
La Conche des Baleines Beach
From the Phare des Baleines lighthouse to the Pointe du Lizay – Les Portes-en-Ré village – the beach at La Conche des Baleines stretches as far as the eye can see. Bordered by the dunes of the Lizay Forest, access to which is regulated to protect them, it opens onto the Atlantic Ocean with the promise of a distant horizon. This is a popular place for swimming (two sites are supervised), for flying kites in the high winds, for kitesurfing, surfing the waves, paddleboarding, sea wading and for long walks on the sand at sunrise when the beach at low tide is yours and yours alone.
In the past, the beach was also part of the Atlantic Wall. And today some of the place names – Kuni, Klara, Kitty – recall the German past. Ironically, these defensive and heavily armed batteries were never used. But American filmmakers were not mistaken about the exceptional character of the site when in 1962 they used it to shoot some of the legendary scenes from the film The Longest Day which told the story of the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944 in Normandy.
It is now said to be the best beach on the island. See for yourself!
To the north, wild beauty
The atmosphere is totally different towards the northern part of the island. After the village of Les Portes-en-Ré, continue on your way until you reach the end. Here, you are on the edge of the little Bois de Trousse Chemise which features in a song by Charles Aznavour. Just a short walk through the pine trees with the needles crunching softly under your feet will lead you to the beach. The wide-open spaces of La Conche give way to small coves overlooking the Fier d’Ars. Between the land and the sea, there is Trousse-Chemise and La Patache, but beware the current, known as the ‘mao’, that will carry you to the other end of the beach, while out at sea is Le Banc du Bûcheron. From the sand, the view changes constantly as the tides rise and fall and boats come and go from the port of Ars. In the sky, you might see a flight of cormorants or, in autumn, of shelducks come to spend the winter in the mild climate of the Île de Ré. To fully enjoy these remote beaches, leave early and take one of the electric bikes from La Baronnie Hôtel & Spa****.