Best Bike Tours

Île de Ré has more than 60 miles of bike paths crisscrossing the island, which is itself flat as a crêpe, making for ideal biking conditions. They connect the ten quaint villages and snake through beautiful landscapes, including vineyards, salt flats, forests, fruit orchards and fields of wildflowers.

Three of the most scenic routes are:

• Ars-en-Ré to Les Portes: 4.7 miles, traversing the stunning Lilleau des Niges nature reserve
• Le Bois Plage to Saint Clement des Baleines: 9 miles, ending at the Baleines lighthouse
• Martin de Re to La Loix: 7 miles, with a lunch stop at La Cabane du Feneau

Indagare Tip: En route through the salt flats, you pass by many self-serve stands that sell small pouches of salt. For centuries, this was the island’s major product. Today, a mere 2,000 tons is produced in the salt pans that dot Ré, and the small pouches make lovely gifts to bring home.