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Bréhat, Batz, Embiez ... These car-free French islands with the air of paradise

2021-04-29T02:40:33.273Z


From the Channel to the Mediterranean, the only means of transport are walking and cycling. To the delight of tourists in search of tranquility. Head for the islands!


Going to an island is often looking for calm, a change of scenery and sometimes, fleeing the noises of the continent.

In several islands of Brittany, the Channel or the Mediterranean, the car is almost non-existent, to the delight of tourists and the (rare) people who live there year-round.

Walking and cycling then become the only modes of transport to travel these stretches of land more or less distant from the coast.

A way to appreciate, without hurrying, the fauna, flora, beaches and other curiosities that abound in these places.

Batz, Houat, Frioul ... Our selection in France of ten car-free islands a few miles from the coast.

Read also: Twelve “most beautiful villages in France” accessible without a car

The island of Bréhat (Côtes d'Armor)

From Ploubazlanec, a few kilometers from Paimpol, the stars reach the island of Bréhat in ten minutes.

First listed natural site in France (in 1907), Bréhat owes its nickname of "flower island" to the presence of several colorful or exotic varieties (agave, eucalyptus, agapanthus ...) which flourish in a mild microclimate in winter.

Covered with pink granite, the 3.5 km long and 1.5 km wide island is divided into two parts with the village to the south and wilderness to the north.

Access:

Vedettes de Bréhat departing from Pointe de l'Arcouest in Ploubazlanec all year round, departing from Saint-Quay-Portrieux, Binic and Erquy in season.

Read also: From Paimpol to the Bréhat archipelago, a charming Brittany along the water

The Big Island of Chausey (Manche)

The Norman archipelago of Chausey, in the English Channel, deserves to be sailed there at the time of high tides.

Jérôme HOUYVET - Latitude Manche

17 km from the Channel coast, the Chausey archipelago constitutes an island district of Granville.

7 km long and 5 km wide, the Big Island is surrounded by some 350 islands, islets or rocks, only about fifty of which are submerged at high tide.

Accessible in 45 minutes with the stars of Jolie France, this archipelago, the largest in Europe, is distinguished by its white sand beaches, its high tides and its lighthouse listed in the inventory of historical monuments.

Endowed with remarkable flora and fauna, Chausey is a privileged place to observe birds, gray seals and bottlenose dolphins.

Already a journey in itself.

Access:

Jolie France speedboats departing from Granville.

Read also: Discover Chausey during a tide

The island of Batz (Finistère)

The Georges Delaselle garden or colonial garden is an exotic garden presenting a botanical collection from five continents.

Arnaud Robin / Le Figaro Magazine

In Batz (pronounced Ba), visitors are more likely to see tractors pass by than cars.

The island opposite Roscoff indeed lives largely on agriculture.

At the south-eastern tip of the island, the Georges Delaselle garden houses an exceptional botanical collection of 2,500 species imported from five continents.

Another place to visit at the western tip, the 44-meter high lighthouse at the top of which offers a panorama of Roscoff and the channel.

If the boat crossing takes fifteen minutes, it is possible to reach the island on foot a few days a year during high tides.

Access:

Vedettes de l'Ile de Batz departing from Roscoff.

Read also: Where to sleep in Brittany?

Our ten favorite hotels on the Armorican Peninsula

The island of Molène (Finistère)

Populated by 200 inhabitants, Molène is located halfway between the mainland and the island of Ouessant.

Nicolas job

Halfway between the mainland and the island of Ouessant, Molène, in the Iroise Sea, is above all a fishing island.

Currents and shoals create an environment conducive to the development of fish and algae.

Enough to whet the appetite of birds and marine mammals, including the gray seal and the bottlenose dolphin, many of which occupy the shore bordered by turquoise water.

Access:

Penn ar Bed shipping company departing from Brest or Le Conquet.

Read also: Wild and spectacular, five good reasons to go to the island of Ouessant

Houat and Hoedic islands (Morbihan)

The island of Hoëdic is located about fifteen kilometers from the bay of Quiberon.

David Lefranc / Le Figaro Magazine

Flowery moors and wild dunes characterize the islands of Houat and Hoëdic ("duck" and "duckling" in Breton), located about fifteen kilometers from the Quiberon peninsula.

In

Houat

, the tour in a few hours by a coastal path of 17 km which passes in particular by the point of En Tal and its fort of the 19th century overhanging a convex beach.

Smaller than its neighbor,

Hoëdic

, populated by only 120 inhabitants, impresses with the beauty of its white sand beaches.

Fort d'Hoëdic, in the center of the island, provides information on the flora, fauna and historical heritage of the area.

Access:

Compagnie Océane departing from Quiberon all year round, Navix and the Vedettes du Golfe departing, in particular, from Vannes (in season).

Read also: Brittany and its islands: our favorite destinations

The island of Sein (Finistère)

Goulenez lighthouse, north western tip of the island of Sein.

Boris Mélinand - stock.adobe.com

Exposed to winds and waves, the Ile de Sein looks like land from the end of the world.

From Audierne, the crossing is an opportunity to see the Pointe du Raz in Cape Sizun, classified among the Great sites of France.

Once past the port of the Ile de Sein (labeled "port of heritage interest") and the narrow streets of the village, visitors arrive in the moor.

Several lighthouses stand out from the horizon, including that of Goulenez at the northwestern tip of the island.

Access:

Penn ar Bed Company departing from the Sainte Evette d'Audierne pier all year round, departing from Brest in season;

Finist'mer shipping company departing from Audierne in season.

Read also: From Quiberon to Belle-Île, a charming stopover in southern Brittany

The island of Aix (Charente-Maritime)

Aix is ​​the southernmost island on the Atlantic coast.

Franck Prignet / Le Figaro Magazine

It is the only real "island" of Charente-Maritime, Ré and Oléron being linked to the mainland by a bridge. 3 km long and accessible in 20 minutes by boat from Fouras, the island, the southernmost of the 15 Ponant islands, is distinguished by its small white houses with colored shutters. During the crossing, you can approach the famous Fort Boyard. Among the places of interest are the Napoleon Museum, housed in the house where the Emperor spent his last days before going into exile on Saint Helena, and the Maison de la Nacre, the island's specialty. Aix enjoys a semi-oceanic, semi-Mediterranean climate and daily connections with the continent. Ideal for spending a weekend.

Access:

Ile d'Aix maritime service departing from Pointe de la Fumée in Fouras (all year), Inter-island cruises departing, in particular, from La Rochelle (in season).

Read also: The island of Aix on foot, a very maritime Charente

The Frioul archipelago (Bouches-du-Rhône)

The Château d'If and the Pomègues and Ratonneau islands are accessible from the Old Port of Marseille.

Kavalenkava - stock.adobe.com

It is visible in the distance from the coast of Marseille.

The

Château d'If

served as a prison during its four centuries of activity.

Built on the initiative of François I, the fortress served as the setting for the novel

The Count of Monte Cristo

by Alexandre Dumas.

A little further,

the Ratonneau and Pomègues islands

, linked by a dike, are a paradise for hikers and water sports enthusiasts.

Part of the Calanques National Park, they offer unique views of the Phocaean City.

Access:

The Frioul If Shuttles departing from the Old Port of Marseille.

Read also: From the Blue Coast to the Calanques, the unmissable gems of Marseille and its coast

The Paul Ricard Islands: Bendor and Embiez (Var)

The island of Embiez, from the top of the Marine tower. photosjcc - stock.adobe.com

Acquired by entrepreneur Paul Ricard in the 1950s, the Var islands of Bendor and Les Embiez each have their own personality.

Bendor

, seven minutes by boat from Bandol, stands out for its cultural offer with its museum of Ricard promotional items, its museum of wines and spirits, an art gallery and its outdoor sculptures. The island of

Embiez

, located one kilometer from Six-Fours-les-Plages, is made for visitors in search of nature and sport. If walking is the best way to discover its pine forest, its flowers and its wild coves, a small train goes around the island in 40 minutes. For sea lovers, head to the Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute, with its museum and aquarium.

Access:

Paul Ricard shuttles from the Brusc pier in Six-Fours-les-Plages to Les Embiez, from Bandol to Bendor.

Read also: Destination Toulon, the beauty of the harbor

Levant Island and Port-Cros (Var)

Fort du Moulin seen from Fort de l'Estissac, on the island of Port-Cros.

Patrick Wallet / Le Figaro Magazine

Off Hyères, the Golden Islands consist of Porquerolles, Port-Cros and the Ile du Levant. On these last two, the car is almost absent. What to appreciate their exceptional nature and an authentic Mediterranean atmosphere.

Port-Cros

, the most well-preserved of the three, is at the heart of one of the first national parks in France, created in 1963. Three trails allow you to discover the natural and cultural riches of the island.

The Ile du Levant

, the easternmost of the Hyères Islands, has the particularity of being 90% occupied by a military site, the 10% being occupied by ... the naturist domain of Heliopolis. The island is indeed considered the cradle of naturism in France. A bohemian atmosphere that makes us feel far from the world.

Access:

TLV shipping company departing from Hyères all year round, Vedettes Îles d'Or departing from Lavandou and Cavalaire in season.

Read also: The islands of Hyères: Porquerolles and Port-Cros, our travel guide

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-04-29

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