Ile d'Yeu

This island of 23sq km, where time appears to have stood still, is an hour’s boat-ride off the coast, going west from St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. This little island is paradise for walkers and cyclists but has plenty of other charms. The houses are topped with pretty weather-vanes which give the impression of being bleached by the sunshine that beats down on them; the beaches and creeks give a Mediterranean feel; the pine forests mingling their scents of resin with exhilarating salty sea air. Port-Joinville, also known as Port-Breton, once enjoyed relative freedom by being exempt from duties and taxes which lead to the smuggling of salt and tobacco.