Hybrid boat for the Golden Isles

What to do during your stopover at Porquerolles ? Follow the guide!

After enjoying your boat trip to Porquerolles and your guided tour on our hybrid boat, you will arrive at the port for your one-day stopover on the island of Porquerolles.

Crossing with Escale à Porquerolles

The island of Porquerolles is the largest but also the most inhabited of the 3 islands of Hyères. Porquerolles is definitely protected by the status of National Park since 2012.

Commonly called the pearl of the Golden Islands, this island measuring 7 km long and 3 km wide, has several faces:

  • To the south, a steep coastline, dominated by cliffs where a few coves are hidden and deserve to be seen.
  • In the north, Caribbean atmosphere with fine sandy beaches and turquoise waters.
  • In the center, the cultivated plains where the vineyards and the plant collections of the national botanical conservatory are spread out.

The Village of Porquerolles

At the end of the landing stage, you will find the village of Porquerolles. Take advantage of your stopover to discover the village of Porquerolles: it is the center of the island with about 300 inhabitants all year round. The village of Porquerolles is built around a large square, and its church "Sainte-Anne". Stroll through its narrow streets and colorful houses, enjoy its many restaurants, cafes and stores. At the entrance of the village, after passing the port, you will also find the Tourist Office.

Then go explore the island!

There are several hiking trails throughout the island, offering spectacular views of nature and the Mediterranean Sea. To make the most of your stopover at Porquerolles, we recommend that you get around on foot or by bicycle. The island is easily accessible on foot from the port and there are many bike rental stores near the landing stage. Since cars are not allowed on the island, it is a great place to get around by bike and discover the many hiking trails.


You have the chance to stop over at Porquerolles ?

Discover all that this island paradise has to offer during a busy day! Whether you're a nature, culture or landscape lover, there are many things to do on the island of Porquerolles during a day trip. Here are a few suggestions:

The Forts

If today the island of Porquerolles seduces the lovers of nature and relaxation by its beauty, it was not always so. Indeed, the island has known an eventful history of which it still keeps the traces. To fight against the various invaders, several forts were built:

  • The Saint Agathe Fort
  • The Forts of Lequin and Alycastre
  • The Fort of Repentance
  • The Forts of Langoustiers

The Lighthouse

The lighthouse of Porquerolles is one of the most powerful lighthouses in the Mediterranean!

Built in 1830, it stands 84 meters high and its white light has a range of 54 km. Moreover, the lighthouse is today the only inhabited lighthouse in the Mediterranean. It takes 45 minutes on foot and 15 minutes by bicycle to get there.

You will enjoy a view on the steep coast of the South of the island!

The Happiness Mill

At 200 meters from the fort Sainte Agathe, you will also find the Moulin du Bonheur, a typical Provencal windmill built at the beginning of the 18th century and recently restored.

Erected above a magnificent olive grove, you will enjoy a panoramic view of the village of Porquerolles and the bay of Hyères!


Take advantage of your stopover at Porquerolles to visit:

With free access or by reservation, other places of Porquerolles can be visited. You can choose between nature, culture or history!

Fort Sainte Agathe

Fort Saint-Agathe is an ancient military fortification built in the 17th century to protect the village of Porquerolles against invasions by Barbary pirates.

After a half hour walk, you will be amazed by the panoramic views of the island and the Mediterranean Sea that Fort Sainte Agathe offers!

The Emmanuel Lopez Garden

Open all year round and in free access, we find there typical plants of the Mediterranean basin, but also an exotic flora (cactus, agaves and aloes) adapted to the climate of the island.

Before your visit, don't hesitate to enter the National Park house at the entrance of the Garden, where you can admire, depending on the season, the bat nesting box installed above and displayed on a screen.

The Carmignac Foundation

Located in the heart of the Domaine de la Courtade, the Villa Carmignac is a museum of contemporary art. It is a place of discovery and contemplation that combines art and nature in a harmonious way.

Visitors can admire the works of art inside the villa, as well as in the gardens and outdoor areas, which offer a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean Sea.

Website: www.fondationcarmignac.com/

The Botanical Conservatory

Created in 1979, the Mediterranean National Botanical Conservatory of Porquerolles was approved as a "national botanical conservatory" in 1990.

Located in the plain of Porquerolles, free access, we find seeds and crops of wild plants of the Mediterranean basin in the process of disappearance, allowing to fight against the impoverishment of the genetic heritage.


Vineyards

The island of Porquerolles is home to two wineries, Domaine de la Courtade and Domaine de l'île, where visitors can taste the local wines and learn more about wine production.

Domaine de la Courtade

Located behind the beach of La Courtade, this 35-hectare estate produces Côtes de Provence AOC in all three colors in organic farming.

Website: lacourtade.com/

Domaine de l'Île

Historical domain of Porquerolles and today property of the house CHANEL. The estate produces rosé and white wine certified in organic farming. It adopts an approach to preserve biodiversity

Website: www.domainedelile.com/


The Beaches

Porquerolles is famous for its beautiful sandy beaches and turquoise waters. Among the most popular are:

The Silver Beach

Located a little less than 2 km west of the village, it is a beautiful white sand beach, with turquoise waters and well sheltered from the mistral. Count 45 minutes on foot or 15 by bike.

With a beautiful pine forest in the back beach, it is the only beach of the island with a Bar-Restaurant and a first aid post open in summer. This also makes it one of the most frequented !

Notre Dame Beach

Voted most beautiful beach in Europe in 2015 (European Best Destinations), it is a beautiful beach of fine sand, lined with pines and oaks, which create an intimate atmosphere behind the beach.

It is one of the largest beaches on the island, but also one of the most distant from the village. It takes 1 hour on foot or 25 minutes by bike to walk the 3 km to the village.

La Plage de la Courtade

It is the closest beach, about 800 meters east of the village of Porquerolles. But it is also the largest beach on the island. It takes 15 minutes on foot and 5 minutes by bike to get there.

Its sand is not the finest, but its shallow waters and the shade of the Pines and Eucalyptus trees, make it the most familiar.

The Beaches of Langoustier

Located at the extreme west of the island and distributed on both sides of the isthmus, these two small beaches are very different.

  • The white beach to the north, with white sand, is sheltered from the east wind but does not offer any shade.
  • The black beach, in the South, whose red/black sand brings a tone of originality around a beautiful pine forest and offers some shade.

Both are located 4.4 km away after a more difficult 1.5 hour walk or 45 minute bike ride, not recommended with children.


These sites are just a few of the many treasures that Porquerolles has to offer. Feel free to ask our crew for some tips, and explore the island at your leisure to discover all its hidden wonders! There are many things to see and do during your day on the island of Porquerolles. Something to satisfy the interests of all visitors!

Regulations

  • No camping or bivouac.
  • No motorized vehicles except for service or authorized vehicles.
    (including electric scooters, hoverboards, gyropods, and single-wheelers)
  • Please pick up your garbage: containers are available along the access roads to the beaches
  • Access to the beaches is forbidden to any animal, even if it is on a leash.
  • Gathering and sampling prohibited
  • There is no water on the island. No water outside the village. Be prepared.
  • Fires and cigarettes prohibited outside the village

In addition, the forest areas of the island of Porquerolles may be closed to the public. Traffic, whether on foot or by bicycle, is then only authorized on access roads to the beaches. The information map for the access to the forest areas exposed to the risk of forest fires is published every day, at 7 pm, for the next day on the website https://www.risque-prevention-incendie.fr/var/


Book your boat now for Porquerolles