Île de Ré Totally Explained

Everything about Le De R totally explained

Île de Ré (formerly also Île de Rhé; in English Isle of Rhé) is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait.
The island is 30 km long, 5 km wide, and a 2.9 km bridge, completed in 1988, connects it to La Rochelle on the mainland.

Administration

Administratively, the island is part of the Charente-Maritime département, in the Poitou-Charentes région.
The island is divided into 10 communes, from East to West: Rivedoux-Plage, La Flotte, Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, Saint-Martin-de-Ré, Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, La Couarde-sur-Mer, Loix, Ars-en-Ré, Saint-Clément-des-Baleines, Les Portes-en-Ré.

History

During Roman times, Île de Ré was an archipelago made of three small islands. The space between these small islands was progressively filled, by a combination of human activity (salt fields gained from the sea) and siltage.
In the seventh and eighth century the island, along with Oléron, formed the Vacetae Insulae or Vacetian Islands, according to the Cosmographia. Vaceti being another name for the Vascones, the reference is evidence to Basque (Gascon) settlement or control of the islands by that date. In 1627, an English invasion force under the command of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham attacked the island in order to relieve the Siege of La Rochelle. After three months of combats and sieges, the Duke was forced to withdraw in defeat.
The main port, Saint Martin, was fortified by Vauban in 1681, and was later used as a depot for convicts on their way to the penal settlements of New Caledonia and French Guiana. During World War II, the beaches of Île de Ré were fortified by German forces with bunkers, in order to block a possible seaward invasion. Many of the bunkers are still visible, in a more or less derelict state. Several scenes of the 1962 movie The Longest Day were filmed on the beaches of Île de Ré.

Connection to the continent

In 1987, a 3 kilometer bridge was built to connect the island to the continent. Heretofore, the island was connected through roll-on roll-off transit ships (called "Bacs"), which could accommodate vehicles and passengers. In peak summer time periods, the waiting time to board a ship could reach several hours. The bridge was built by Bouygues. Since then, touristic activities on the island have developed considerably, with real estate prices reaching very high levels. The easier transportation system has stimulated the purchase of holiday homes by people from Paris, who can even visit for week-ends. The Paris-La Rochelle train trip takes just 3 hours, and then taxis can be taken to drive to the island.

Life on the island

The area is a popular tourist destination. It has approximately the same number of hours of sunshine as the famous southern coast of France. The island is noted to have a constant light breeze, and the water temperature is generally cool. The island is surrounded with gently sloping, sandy beaches, which are a real treat for families and tourists.
   The island has a resident winter population of approximately 16,000 residents and a resident summer population of about 160,000. Since the local population is distributed all over the island, it never gets too crowded. The island is covered by bicycle tracks, with many residents rarely using cars for transportation. Camping grounds and hotels abound on the island, as well as large supermarkets and all modern amenities. Most families stay on the island for the duration of their vacations.
   Night life consists of going to Saint Martin, the main port, or to La Flotte, to walk along the quays and to potter around the shops, which are open very late. Restaurants abound. At night, visitors can also watch the buskers, have a drink and enjoy the island's delicious artisanal ice cream, all set in a family-friendly atmosphere.
   The island has its fair share of celebrities, including Lionel Jospin, who was Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002 and who is known to go there regularly for his holidays. Johnny Depp has also been spotted there. Oysters and fresh fish are always available. There is also a tradition in which the fishermen, upon return from the sea, sell a small quantity of their catch directly on the quays, enabling themselves to buy a drink. Markets are open on a daily basis in the main towns and are a popular place to shop, taste and chat. Even the vendors in the markets come to the island on their holidays. Generally, they work only in the mornings, enabling themselves to enjoy the remainder of the day. Shopping affords a large variety of items, such as comics, books, African articles, ceramics, clothes, artifacts, food, local specialities, tools and souvenirs, in other words, something for every taste.

Miscellaneous

Nearby Fort Boyard, an ancient maritime fort, is currently used for a television game show series of the same name.

Further Information

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