Your next vacations on l'Ile d'Yeu

A large diversity of landscapes

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L'Ile D'Yeu or the island of Yeu lies 10 kilometres off St. Jean de Monts on the North Vendéen coast. Even though it is a small island it has all of the landscape features of the Vendée. The east coast of the island has sandy beaches and dunes backed by pine forests, a feature typical of the mainland coast. Along the west coast sandy coves are dotted amongst low granite cliffs, which bear a striking resemblance to those on either side of Les Sables D'Olonne and those on the north and east coasts of the Ile de Noirmoutier. Incredibly even though it is such a small island it still has areas of marais and bocage.

 

Port-Joinville, a colourful fishing harbour, is the main town on the island. Port-Joinville buzzes with activity, fishing boats and pleasure craft are constantly entering and leaving the harbour and there is a regular stream of tourists disembarking from the ferries. The many shops, bars, cafes and restaurants that line the harbour side are a hive of tourist activity which all adds to the balance and vibrancy of this charming working town.                            

                                                                                                The ideal way to get the most out of the island is by hiring a bike, which are readily available. The Ile d'Yeu is only 10 kilometres long and 4 kilometres wide but with a 46 kilometres coastline one will not be able to dawdle if one is determined to see it all in a day. There are 3 well marked cycle routes the longest being 30 kilometres which will probably take 5 hours 30 minutes.