Have you heard about Porquerolles Island in the south of France? No? If not, let me tell you a bit about this fabulous paradise and entice you to go next time you are in the French Riviera.
Porquerolles Island, located off the coast of Hyères, is the perfect escape for nature lovers and beachgoers. Here’s your ultimate guide to spending a brilliant day on Porquerolles Island.
We spent two lovely days in Marseille, (check Marseille Day 1 and Day 2) but it was time to move on to our next destination. After breakfast at Hotel Hèrmes, we checked out and headed to Hyères, the nearest town to get the ferry to Porquerolles Island.
We were travelling independently in France with a car as we are confident travellers and speak a bit of the language. However, if you prefer to be part of a tour and to have everything organised for you, I advise you to book a complete tour with Tourradar.
Tourradar has different kinds of tours that will fit your time and budget. If you book it via my links you can get a discount by using this code: RoseG50.
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To get to Hyères from Marseille by car is about 1 hour via the A50 and we arrived there at about 10:30 am. We went straight to Hotel Ibis Thalassa Hyères Plage, our hotel for the night. As the check-in was only after 2 pm, we only left our luggage in their holdings and went to spend the day at Porquerolles.
We had visited Porquerolles Island before, when our kids were small, and we have lovely memories of cycling around the island’s scenic bike paths and relaxing on some of the best beaches in the French Riviera with our children.
Cars are not allowed on the island, so the only option is to park your car at one of the parking areas at “La Tour Fondue” and take the ferry. We parked at “Parking Porquerolles”, which was very close to the ferry station.
Soon, we were at the ticket office, buying our tickets for the next ferry to cross to the island. If you have a yacht or boat, I’m sure you will be able to dock on the island as well!
There is an interesting tour by boat that will take you to Porquerolles Island from the port in Hyères and will guide you through the island. On land you will have a guided tour or you can visit the island the way you want. You can book this tour HERE.
PORQUEROLLES ISLAND OVERVIEW: History, Beaches & Natural Beauty
Porquerolles is the largest island in the Hyères Islands archipelago, located in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. Known for its pristine beaches and natural beauty, it is a perfect destination for travellers seeking outdoor adventures and relaxation in the heart of the French Riviera.
The island is 7 kilometres long and 3 kilometres wide, with a main village with about 200 inhabitants. The rest of the island is wild, with beaches with turquoise sea waters that offer an idyllic setting to spend a day or many days.
The village was established in 1820. The island was purchased in 1912 by François Joseph Fournier to his wife as a wedding present. In 1971, the state bought 80% of the island, and now most of the island is a nature conservation area.
There are some historical monuments on the island, monuments such as the “Lighthouse”, the “Moulin du Bonheur” and the Sainte-Anne Church.
There are also two forts on the island, Fort du Grand Langoustier and Fort Sainte-Agathe, that were built to defend the island.
There is also an art gallery called Villa Carmignac that holds exhibitions throughout the year. However, the best thing to do on the island is to hire an electric bike and explore the beaches and the historical monuments scattered around the island. Cycling in Porquerolles is the best way to explore the island.
Below is a map showing the places we visited in Porquerolles Island:
WHAT TO DO IN PORQUEROLLE ISLAND: Beaches, Biking & Historical Sites
The ferry crossing to the island is about 15 minutes. When we arrived on the island, we looked for a place to hire a bike. There are various bike-hiring shops in the centre, and on Rue de la Douane, there were three of them.
On that street, there was also a restaurant called “Le Fly Deck” that had a board in front suggesting lovely dishes, so we decided to have lunch there before getting the bikes and starting our explorations.
We had a lovely lunch there, and with our bellies full, we collected our bikes and cycled in the direction of “Plage Notre-Dame”. It is a very wild beach, with no facilities, but it is so beautiful! We wandered around the beach, and after some lovely photos, we returned to the centre of town.
Back at the centre, we looked around the main square where the Sainte-Anne Church was and, after, pressed on in the direction of “Jardin Emmanuel Lopez”. This garden features typical plants from the Mediterranean but also plants from other parts of the world that adapt well to the climate of the region.
There are olive trees, laurels, cacti, various types of palm trees and many others. We enjoyed the visit to the garden, but to be honest we thought the garden was a bit abandoned, not very well looked after. It was a nice visit anyway as we like plants and gardens.
Continuing on our electric bikes (it was the first time I rode one and I loved it!), we went next to “Plage d’Argent” (Silver beach). It was another beautiful beach, but this one was busier than the other one we went previously. Maybe because it had a restaurant facing the sea.
We only visited “Plage Notre-Dame” and “Plage d’Argent” as we had a limited time and heard these were the best beaches in Porquerolles Island.
We sat on a table on the restaurant terrace and had a beer watching the people enjoy the beach. After strolling on the beach and some more photos, we returned to the centre.
From there, we cycled to Fort Sainte-Agathe. The fort was constructed in 1531 by King François to protect the inhabitants and the coastline of the island. From the top terrace, there are amazing views of the island and the ocean.
The fort is administered by the Parc National de Port-Cros and it is open to the public for visitation. It also houses permanent and seasonal exhibits on the premises. It is a nice place to visit when on the island.
After the fort, we cycled to the “Moulin du Bonheur” (Happiness Mill in English) which is only 200 metres away from Fort Sainte-Agathe. The mill was restored by the Parc National de Port-Cros to show how the Provençal windmills used to be.
There are guided tours of the mill on Wednesdays and Fridays, but as we were visiting on a Thursday, there weren’t any tours available. We could still walk around the mill and admire the views from there.
We wanted to go to Villa Carmignac next, but looking at the time, it would be very tight to go and get back in time to hand over the bikes and rush to the last ferry at 5:00 pm.
So, we decided to cycle back to the centre and stop somewhere for a drink until it was time to board the ferry back to Hyères again.
It was a shame we didn’t have more time to explore more of the island. I regretted not having booked a night on the island instead of in Hyères, but now it was too late. Next time, this is what I intend to do stay one or two nights on the island to fully explore all of its beaches, historical landmarks and stunning nature trails.
Below there are two reels from The Travelling Surveyor Instagram account with more photos of the day. Check it out and follow me on Instagram as well.
We checked in at the hotel just before 6 pm. Our room was very good, spacious and well decorated, with a balcony. The communal areas of the hotel were also nice, but the building looked a bit old-fashioned and in need of some modernisation on the outside. We were only staying for a night though.
In the evening, we had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. Dinner was OK, but nothing special. After dinner, we withdrew to our room and relaxed while watching some French TV, before sleeping.
The next day was promising to be as nice as all the days we had so far. We would visit Saint-Tropez, Port Grimaud and Grimaud before heading to Cannes, where we would stay for the next three days. Hold on for the next post.
I hope this post will give you some idea of what can be done in a day at Porquerolles Island and will help you plan your own visit there.
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TRIP TO PORQUEROLLES
Below you will find a list of what to visit, where to stay and where to eat at Porquerolles. I classified each place as follows:
BOLD – Visited, tried and recommended
NOT BOLD – Not visited or tried, but planning to visit or try and heard very good reviews
RED – Visited and tried but do not recommend, avoid or be cautious
*** – Excellent
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** – Good
* – OK
£££ – Expensive
££ – Fair and affordable
£ – Cheap
PLEASE NOTE: Every hotel, restaurants and attractions I mention on my blogs are not sponsored reviews and we always paid the full price when visiting. We give our own opinion of the place and detail our experience, good or bad.
THINGS TO DO AT PORQUEROLLES ISLAND
ATTRACTIONS IN PORQUEROLLES
1 – Plage Notre-Dame – ***
2 – Jardin Emanuel Lopez – **
3 – The village centre and Saint Anne Church – ***
4 – Plage d’Argent – ***
5 – Forte Sainte-Agathe – ***
6 – Moulin du Bonheur – ***
7 – Villa Carmignac
8 – The Lighthouse
9 – Other nice beaches
WHERE TO STAY
ACCOMMODATION IN PORQUEROLLES
1 – Hotel Residence Les Medes – 3* – ££
2 – Hebergements Bateaux a Quai – ££
3 – L’Oustaou De Porquerolles – 3* – ££
4 – Hôtel Le Porquerollais – ££
5 – L’Arche de Porquerolle – ££
6 – Auberge des Glycines – ££
If you prefer to look for your own accommodation, search and book via the below widget:
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BEST PLACES TO EAT AT PORQUEROLLES ISLAND
RESTAURANTS IN PORQUEROLLE
1 – Le Fly Deck – ££ – ***
2 – Restaurant La Plage d’Argent – ££ – ***
3 – L’Oustaou de Porquerolles – ££
4 – Il Pescatore – ££
5 – Le mas de Langoustier – £££
6 – Le Pradeau Plage – ££
If you tried any of my recommendations above, please send me a message and tell me about your experience good or bad, so I can update the list accordingly. Thanks!
If you enjoyed reading this post you might also like to read:
On this trip to France:
1 – Lyon – Day 1
2 – Lyon – Day 2
5 – Porquerolles Island
6 – Saint-Tropez/PortGrimaud/Grimaud – Coming Soon
7 – Monaco – Coming Soon
8 – Cannes – Coming soon
9 – Aix-en-Provence – Coming Soon
10 – Arles – Coming Soon
11 – Camargue – Coming Soon
12 – Avignon – Coming Soon
13 – Dijon – Coming Soon
14 – Fontainebleau – Coming Soon
15 – Paris – Day 1 – Coming Soon
16 – Paris – Day 2 – Coming Soon
17 – Paris – Day 3 – Coming Soon
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