Porquerolles

Porquerolles floats a Mediterranean daydream off the Hyeres coast: the largest of the Iles d'Hyeres, essentially car-free, its single village giving way to pine and eucalyptus forest, organic vineyards and a north shore of pale-sand coves - Notre-Dame and La Courtade chief among them - lapped by water in improbable gradients of glass green. Most of the island belongs to the state and sits within the Port-Cros National Park's care, which is why the interior stays wild scrubland threaded with cycling tracks rather than villas; bicycles are the island's engine, rented by the hundreds at the harbour each morning. Art arrived too - the Fondation Carmignac shows contemporary collections in a villa sunk beneath a Provencal garden. Concerned for its own success, the island now caps summer arrivals at six thousand visitors a day, so the high-season boat needs forethought - and the reward for planning is the Riviera as it looked before the coast road.

What you actually see

• Notre-Dame beach - the pine-backed cove of pale sand and green-glass water.
• The cycling tracks - forest and vineyard trails crossing the car-free interior.
• The lighthouse and forts - the southern cliffs' viewpoints over open sea.
• Fondation Carmignac - contemporary art beneath a Provencal garden.

When to go

May, June and September hit the sweet spot - swimmable water, open cafes, boats below the cap. July and August are beautiful but rationed and booked; winter closes much of the village while leaving the trails gloriously empty.

Honest expectations

In high summer the 6,000-a-day visitor cap is real - reserve the ferry ahead or be turned away at La Tour Fondue. The island has limited shade inland, bikes book out by mid-morning in season, and beach facilities are minimal by design; carry water. Day-trip prices - ferry, bike, lunch - add up fast.

Nearby

Port-Cros island's trails, the Giens peninsula and Hyeres' old town.