Holiday rentals and lettings in Île de Ré

Table of Contents

• At a glance: What should you know about renting a holiday letting in Île de Ré?
• Holiday lettings in Île de Ré: find your perfect retreat
• Exploring Île de Ré: our top recommendations
• Activities: What are the top things to do and see in Île de Ré?

• Whitewashed island homes: Low houses with green shutters and hollyhocks, from studios in the harbour villages to garden houses a short walk from the sand.
• Ten villages to choose from: Saint-Martin-de-Ré for history, La Flotte for its market, Ars-en-Ré for salt marshes and Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré for beaches.
• Guests rate the island highly: Recent stays in La Couarde-sur-Mer, Saint-Martin-de-Ré and Rivedoux-Plage score between 9.6+ and 9.9+ for comfort and location.
• Late spring and September shine: July and August are busy and pricey with French holidaymakers, while winter is quiet and many places close.
• Cycling, salt and oysters: Around 100 km of cycle paths, fleur de sel from the marshes, oyster huts and the Phare des Baleines lighthouse.

Most lettings on Île de Ré are low, whitewashed island houses with green shutters, tucked into village lanes or set behind a walled garden. You will find small studios above harbour cafés, family houses with a terrace for long lunches, cottages in Île de Ré in the quieter hamlets and apartments in the centre of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, alongside larger villas for groups. For stunning views, stay at beach villas in Île de Ré or the pitches at local campsites.Whatever the size, a few features make island life easier.

• A walled garden or terrace for breakfast out of the Atlantic wind
• Bike storage, since cycling is how most guests get around
• An outdoor shower or rinse tap for sandy feet after the beach
• Parking, which is scarce inside the village walls in summer
• Sea views

Book early for the summer weeks — the island's stock is small and fills months ahead.

What are the best areas to stay in Île de Ré?

Saint-Martin-de-Ré suits most first-time visitors, with its Vauban fortifications, harbour and shops within walking distance. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests consistently praise how easy the island is once you have a bike and a base in a village. Ratings cluster high across Île de Ré, with several recent stays scoring 9.6+ or better for cleanliness, location and the welcome from hosts. Reviews mention short walks to the beach, gardens for evening meals and how quickly you can reach Saint-Martin-de-Ré or La Rochelle.

Here are our top-rated holiday lettings from the past year:

1. Single-story house with garden for 6 people, near beach - 9.9+: A single-storey house with a garden and parking in La Couarde-sur-Mer, minutes from the sand and the island's main cycle path.
2. Pretty house in residence with swimming pool - 9.9+: A pet-friendly house in a Saint-Martin-de-Ré residence with a shared pool, well placed for the ramparts and the harbour.
3. La Terrasse, Rivedoux Beach House - 9.6+: A studio for two in Rivedoux-Plage with parking and a kitchen, the first village you reach after the bridge.

Île de Ré lies off the coast of Charente-Maritime in western France, linked to La Rochelle by a 3 km toll bridge.

✈️What is the best way to get to Île de Ré?

For most British visitors, flying to La Rochelle or Nantes and hiring a car is the quickest route. Here are the most common ways to get to the island:

• Plane: La Rochelle–Île de Ré airport sits about 20 minutes from the bridge and has seasonal routes from the UK in summer. Nantes Atlantique and Bordeaux–Mérignac run year-round and are roughly two to two and a half hours away by motorway. Hire a car at the airport, as bus links to the island are limited and awkward with luggage.
• Train: Take the Eurostar to Paris, cross to Montparnasse and pick up a TGV to La Rochelle, which takes around two and a half hours. From La Rochelle station, buses run over the bridge to the island's villages in summer, or you can pick up a hire car at the station and be at your letting within half an hour.
• Car and ferry: Ferries from Portsmouth, Poole or Dover reach Caen, Cherbourg or Calais, followed by a long drive south of roughly six to nine hours. The island is reached only by the toll bridge from La Rochelle, which charges per car and costs more in high season. Once there, most guests park up and cycle.

🥗Where to eat in Île de Ré?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, L'Ecailler is the best rated restaurant in Île de Ré. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest traveller Emma recommends the Ré Ostréa in Île de Ré: an oyster bar on the edge of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, where you eat trays of oysters looking straight out over the beds they came from.

☀️When is the best time to visit?

The island is genuinely seasonal. Late spring and September are the sweet spot: warm enough for the beach, quiet on the cycle paths and cheaper for lettings. July and August bring French holidaymakers in numbers, with busy villages and peak prices, while much of the island closes down over winter.

Late spring (May to June)

• Best for: Cyclists, walkers and anyone who wants the salt marshes and beaches largely to themselves.
• Weather: Mild and often sunny, with sea breezes and temperatures usually in the high teens to low twenties.
• Atmosphere: Villages waking up for the season, markets busy but unhurried and plenty of tables free at lunch.

Summer (July and August)

• Best for: Families and beach holidays, when every shop, restaurant and bike hire on the island is open.
• Weather: Warm and bright, tempered by Atlantic wind, with long evenings for eating outdoors.
• Atmosphere: The island at its busiest, with queues at the bridge, packed markets and lettings booked far in advance.

Autumn and winter (October to April)

• Best for: Off-season walkers, birdwatchers and couples after a very quiet break.
• Weather: Cooler and windier, with bright, clear days between Atlantic fronts and mild frosts inland.
• Atmosphere: Many restaurants, shops and rentals close for the season, leaving empty beaches and village life to the locals.

⭐Our Hosts' recommendation: Our Île de Ré local expert, the host team at La Terrasse, Rivedoux Beach House recommends coming to visit the salt marshes between Ars-en-Ré and Loix on a bike, early in the morning. The light on the water is at its best, the paths are empty, and you can stop at a salt farmer's hut to buy fleur de sel straight from the pans before riding on to the beach for the rest of the day. You can read more about local tips on the host team's page.

1. Cycle the island end to end
2. Walk the Vauban ramparts
3. Climb the Phare des Baleines
4. Taste oysters and fleur de sel
5. Beach days on the Atlantic sand

1. Cycle the island end to end

   Around 100 km of flat, waymarked cycle paths link every village on Île de Ré, and hiring a bike is the normal way to get about. Ride from Rivedoux-Plage through La Flotte and Saint-Martin-de-Ré, then out across the salt marshes to Ars-en-Ré, with vineyards, pine woods and oyster beds along the way. Nothing is steep, so it suits families, and most lettings have somewhere to lock the bikes up overnight.

2. Walk the Vauban ramparts

   The star-shaped fortifications around Saint-Martin-de-Ré were built to Vauban's design in the 17th century and are listed by UNESCO. You can walk the grassy ramparts in about an hour, looking down over ditches, gateways and the harbour full of masts. Afterwards, the quay is the place for an ice cream or a drink, and the narrow streets behind it are full of small galleries and shops selling local salt and wine.

3. Climb the Phare des Baleines

   At the island's western tip, the Phare des Baleines rises above the dunes at Saint-Clément-des-Baleines. Climb the 257 steps for a view that takes in the whole island, the Atlantic and, on a clear day, the mainland. The site has a small museum in the old keeper's buildings, and the wild beaches below are good for a blustery walk. It pairs well with a run north to Les Portes-en-Ré and the bird reserve.

4. Taste oysters and fleur de sel

   Île de Ré lives on salt and shellfish. Stop at an oyster hut along the Fier d'Ars for a dozen straight from the beds with a glass of local white, then visit a salt farmer to see how fleur de sel is skimmed by hand. The markets at La Flotte and Saint-Martin-de-Ré sell both, along with island potatoes and pineau. Wine lovers can carry the theme onward to the vineyards near villas in Bordeaux.

5. Beach days on the Atlantic sand

   The south coast has the long, gentle beaches — Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré and La Couarde-sur-Mer are the family favourites — while the north and west are wilder, with dunes and surf at Conche des Baleines. Sheltered Trousse-Chemise is the pick on a windy day. If you want more of the same coastline, the mainland dunes around campsites in Vendays-Montalivet and the rivers near villas in the Dordogne make an easy add-on.