To go to Île-de-Ré, you first go to La Rochelle (map).

Île-de-Ré is connected to the mainland at La Rochelle by a 3-km (2-mile) rather expensive toll bridge.

Airport

Flights by easyJet, flybe, Hop!, and Ryanair arrive at Aéroport de La Rochelle/ Île-de-Ré (LRH) from Ajaccio, Brussels, Lyon, numerous airports in the UK and Ireland, Portugal and Switzerland.

Trains

The Gare de La Rochelle SNCF serves fast TGV trains from Paris and also regional TER trains.

TGV trains cover the distance between Paris's Gare de Montparnasse and La Rochelle in about 3.5 hours; to or from Bordeaux in 2.5 hours. From La Rochelle, Les Mouettes regional buses connect to Île-de-Ré.

Bus

Les Mouettes is the Keolis-operated regional bus network linking La Rochelle, Île-de-Ré, Rochefort, Île d'Oléron, Niort, Saintes, Surgères and other towns in the Charente-Maritime département. More...

Ligne 3 Bus

Les Mouettes buses on Ligne 3 offer 6 daily departures in summer (09:40, 10:40, 12:40, 14:40, 16:40, 19:40) from the Gare de La Rochelle SNCF to the 10 villages on Île-de-Ré: Rivedoux Plage, Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, La Flotte, Saint-Martin-de-Ré, Le Bois Plage, La Couade-sur-Mer, Loix, Ars-en-Ré, Saint-Clément des Baleines, and Les Portes-en-Ré.

An additional 7 departures on weekdays go as far as Saint-Martin-de-Ré.

The trip from the Gare de La Rochelle to Saint-Martin-de-Ré takes one hour (12 to 16 stops); all the way to the tip of the island at Les Portes-en-Ré nearly two hours (37 stops).

Ré Express

Ré Express buses are Les Mouettes buses scheduled to connect with train arrivals at the Gare de La Rochelle SNCF: you leave the train, board the bus, and 19 minutes after train arrival the bus starts for Île-de-Ré.

Navette du Pont-de-Ré

A shuttle bus service operates across the 3-km (2-mile)-long Pont-de-Ré bridge that connects Île-de-Ré to the mainland. You can board the shuttle at the Belvédère parking area near the mainland end of the bridge, or at the Sablanceaux parking area at Rivedoux Plage at the island end of the bridge. The 8-minute ride costs 1€.

Navette de Village

Île-de-Ré also has three Village Shuttle Bus Navette de Village) lines:

—Saint-Martin-de-Ré<—>La Couarde-sur-Mer<—>Loix

—La Flotte<—>Coquereau

—Sainte-Marie-de-Ré<—>La Noue Crapaudière<—>Chapelle

Ferryboat

From April through September, Croisières Inter-Îles ferryboats connect the mainland ports of La Rochelle and La Tranche sur Mer with Saint-Martin-de-Ré on the Île-de-Ré on weekdays. The 1-hour voyage costs 15.50€ one-way (single) per adult, with reduced prices for youth 4 to 11, and children 3 and younger. More...

---

Île-de-Ré Hotels & Flats What to See & Do About Île-de-Ré Tourist Information About La Rochelle La Rochelle Transport Poitou-Charentes Transport Poitou-Charentes Region