Belle-Ile-en-Mer Le Palais, France
14
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Frequently Asked Questions
By tender. Ships anchor off the roadstead and land passengers at Le Palais, the island's main town. You step ashore in the middle of the village, with cafes and shops right there.
A star fortress begun in the sixteenth century and reworked by Louis XIV's engineer, occupying the whole northern headland of the roadstead. It takes an hour to wander through casemates, hanging gardens and rampart walks; a museum traces the island's turbulent history, coveted by English and Dutch fleets.
Either the citadel and Le Palais on foot, or a coach loop out to the wild coast. You have to choose: the island measures about seventeen kilometres by nine and cannot be covered in one call.
Pyramids of dark rock rising out of a foaming sea, which is where the name comes from. These are what Claude Monet painted in 1886: he came for two weeks, stayed more than two months and brought back thirty-nine canvases. The site is about ten kilometres from the tender pier.
Tour coaches run two to four hour loops to the main sites. Taxis and electric-assist bicycles fill in the gaps; the terrain is hilly, which rules out an ordinary bicycle over long distances.
A white lighthouse, islets and sea meadows at the island's northwest tip, about eight kilometres from the port. The actress Sarah Bernhardt made it her summer retreat for thirty years; her small fort survives and can be visited. In clear weather the view reaches the islands of Houat and Hoëdic.
In rough weather, stay on the marked paths: the gusts catch out even experienced walkers. The ocean side is cliff coast, with no railings at most viewpoints.
Yes, and you lose little: the market, the climbing lanes and the terraces facing the basins easily fill half a day. The arrival into the roadstead, between narrow quays and tall houses with coloured shutters, is one of the finest on the Atlantic coast.
A windbreaker, even in summer, and proper shoes if you plan to walk the coast. The Goulphar lighthouse, one of the most powerful in Europe, stands over moorland where the wind never quite drops.
The euro and French. Cards work in Le Palais; carry some cash for small shops and the village bike rentals.
