CAMPSITE LES PORTES-EN-RÉ

During your stopover in Portes-en-Ré, nicknamed “the end of the island”, you will enjoy strolling around the small village square with its shops and café-restaurants, its summer market and its lively atmosphere. It is the meeting place for holidaymakers and bikers who flock to the town centre in large numbers during the summer!

From the Place de la Liberté, you can stroll along the charming alleyways of this former village of sauniers with its white walls and flowery houses decorated with green shutters. There is no doubt that you are in the heart of an authentic village in the Rétais! If you like good things, go to the Portes-en-Ré market. It is the perfect opportunity to bring back from your camping holidays on the Ile de Ré local specialities and artisanal products such as the oysters from Trousse Chemise, the famous early potatoes with a buttery and hazelnut taste or the Fleur de sel delicately skimmed by the sauniers. During your escapade, make a short stop around the church of St Eutrope whose origins date back to the 12th century. It houses an ex-voto (a square three-masted dry-canvas), but also an atypical painting of Byzantine inspiration representing the Virgin and Coptic sailors.

The village is surrounded by a dozen beaches sheltered by the dunes, each as beautiful as the next. If you are camping with your children, the Plage du Gros Jonc is ideal with its leisure club for children from 3 years old. The Petit Bec beach, the Lodge beach or the Trois Cailloux are also very popular with campers looking for seaside fun and relaxation! Following the state-owned forest, you will arrive at the Trousse-Chemise beach, a large sandy area bordered by maritime pines which directly overlooks the Bûcheron bench, the perfect place for a picnic!
If you’re a keen surfer, then head for Le Lizay, one of the best surfing spots on the Ile de Ré, along with Diamond Head and Petit Bec. Specialists will tell you that there is a fast, even dangerous wave on the left and a bit soft on the right. The surf school “Ré Surf” organises initiation or improvement courses on this spot, which is very popular with surfing enthusiasts.

A true haven of peace where nature is queen, the Lilleau des Niges nature reserve spreads out in the heart of the salt marshes. It is a paradise for migratory birds which stop over there every year in their hundreds of thousands. The Reserve can only be discovered on foot or by bicycle, cars are forbidden. A cycle track and footpaths punctuated with observation points will allow you to cross the whole site and stop as you wish to observe the wild and preserved fauna and flora. During your walk, don’t hesitate to visit the Maison du Fier dedicated to the natural heritage of the Ile de Ré!

• The chapel of the Redoubt (17th century) created by Vauban to protect the village and the entrance to the Prou d’Ars. Destroyed by the Germans during the Second World War, this former powder magazine was rebuilt identically in 1986.
• The Grand Marchais lock, the only fish lock in the Portes-en-Ré, is still maintained and in working order.
• The wood of Trousse Chemise, the most famous forest on the Ile de Ré, sung by Aznavour! Situated on the edge of an ornithological reserve, this wild place is home to a remarkable biodiversity (orchids and eagle-owls in particular).
• The Maison de la Dune, a small museographic space, will tell you all the secrets of the dune environment, its ecosystem and its biodiversity, with an exceptional view of the Conche and the Whale Lighthouse as a bonus!