Last Updated on July 24, 2025 by Colin Le Conte

Île de Ré is not really an island as there is a bridge connecting it to the mainland at La Rochelle, built in 1984.

You can get a cheap bus to La Rochelle which has good train and air connections with Easyjet and Ryanair flights to the UK, so it’s good for crew switchovers or for friends to join.

It is know as Little Paris, and gets very crowded in summer but is a magical place.

There are 2 main marinas, St Martin and Ars de Re.