What to see in Île de Ré ?

Île de Ré operates by its own rules: bicycles, blue shutters and salt marshes. It's not a postcard island frozen in time, it's an agricultural and oyster-farming territory that has managed to resist tourist pressure without losing itself. The village of La Flotte with its paved streets or the fishermen's cabins at La Couarde harbour set the tone: understated, Atlantic-facing, rooted in a real economy.

The best window runs from mid-May to late June, before the island's toll bridge becomes a traffic jam and the cycle paths turn into an obstacle course. Allow three to four days to cycle round without rushing—the only sensible way to get around here. Avoid bike rentals at the foot of the bridge in Saint-Martin-de-Ré: prices are inflated and choice limited, better to book in advance from the mainland.