Ile de Re

Re is about thirty kilometres long and almost entirely flat, which with roughly a hundred kilometres of dedicated cycle path makes the bicycle the obvious way to move; families ride between the ten villages, which are held to a strict code of whitewashed walls, low roofs and green or grey shutters. Salt has been harvested here since the Middle Ages and the pans still work in the north of the island, producing coarse salt and fleur de sel. Saint-Martin-de-Re is fortified by Vauban and UNESCO listed with his other works. Donkeys were once dressed in striped trousers to protect them from marsh flies, a habit the island keeps as a curiosity.

What you actually see

• The cycle network - about a hundred kilometres of flat dedicated path.
• The whitewashed villages - uniform low houses with green shutters.
• The salt marshes - working pans and fleur de sel harvesting in the north.
• Saint-Martin-de-Re - a Vauban-fortified port town on the UNESCO list.

When to go

May to June and September; July and August bring severe crowding, bridge queues and high prices. Salt harvest runs through summer. Winter is windy and quiet.

Honest expectations

The bridge toll is high in summer and the queue can be long. August accommodation is expensive and books months ahead. Village parking is restricted and charged.

Nearby

La Rochelle lies east; the Ile d'Oleron is south.