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Porquerolles and Port Cros
Updated 04.16.2006
NEW
Porquerolles and Port Cros are two magnificent wooded islands of the Hyères Archipelago. They are located in the Mediterranean sea of the French Riviera, near Toulon and Hyères and not far from Saint Tropez. But they have nothing to share with the mass tourism of the coast, they are almost entirely run as a natural reserve, and Port Cros was the first established sea park in Europe. So, never mind, you’ll not find cement and resorts. Engine vehicles are not admitted in Port Cros and there are a few ones in Porquerolles just in the village. Smoke is prohibited outside the village. Porquerrolles is a mountain biker's paradise; you can hire your bike and cycle all around the hilly island under the shadow of its magnificent Mediterranean forests. If you have a little bit of resistance you can reach shores and beaches quite lonesome. The finest beach is the Notre Dame (Plage de Notre Dame), at the northeast; it's a 20 minutes bike trip from the village, almost entirely in the shadow of a superb pines forest. From there you can reach, in other 20 minutes (a steep slope), the Medes Cape where you get a breathtaking landscape on the Island, the coast and the other islands of the Hyères archipelago (Bagoud, Port Cros and Levant). Very beautiful is also the Silver Beach (Plage d’Argent), the only one to have a restaurant, but it’s quite crowded during the season. Also worth the journey the Oustau de Dieu, the Galera and the Bregançonnet gullies (calanques), but they are wilder and quite difficult to reach, beware of sea urchins there. Snorkeling equipment is a must to fully enjoy the visit. A very good place to take a bath in days of strong north-west wind (Mistral) is the sheltered Alycastre beach. Other places with very interesting landscapes are the lighthouse (from the top a circular view over the entire island), the Semaphore and the Fort de la Repentance (a steep slope). The climate is really mild and you can take your bath also out of season, in the spring and in the fall. Please note that the water is crystal clear but not really warm. The call pier is Tour Fondue and the boat trip lasts only 15 minutes. Port Cros is also more protected, is entirely a natural park, no bikes allowed, you have to walk at the shadow of the trees to reach the few beaches and the cliffs. Motorboats are not allowed at the marine park, and there is a strict speed limitation to 3 knots all around the island. Fishing is also prohibited. The result is that there are a lot of magnificent fish that arrive to see you as soon as you put your feet in the water, and you swim surrounded by shoals of fish, is really unbelievable what the nature can do if subtracted for a few years to the craziness of men. You must try to believe this. It's obviously a diving paradise, but also snorkeling allows you to discover the beauty of the place. The shoal is formed by an immense Posidonia meadow that covers almost all the sound between the coast and the islands. The expansion of the infesting green tropical alga Caulerpa taxifolia, that's ravaging Posidonia meadows all along the French Riviera, has not yet reached Port Cros and only partially touched Porquerolles. So, if you arrive with a private boat, you are asked to pay attention not to propagate the stolons of the alga, in particular with your anchors. The call pier of the ferry is Le Lavandou (20 minutes boat trip) or Hyères (1 hour). There are only few hotels and restaurants, in particular at Port Cros. To reach the Hyeres Islands (Porquerolles, Port Cros and Levant) you can arrive at the ferry depart with your car (good parking facilities mainly at Tour Fondue) or use the bus connection from the near train station. You can also arrive at the near Hyeres Airport (cheap daily flights from Paris). Take a look at these useful resources:
The beaches are a little crowded during French school holidays (June the 30th - September the 1st). In particular, a lot of little boats reach the islands from the near coast during the weekend, also at the Notre Dame beach. Think about to visit the islands in spring or autumn, you will find a mild climate and you will enjoy the magnificent beaches and gullies in quite absolute loneliness.
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Porquerolles
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