The island of Oléron has been a
holiday destination since the development of sea bathing,
during the second half of the 19th Century.
The bridge which connects it with the mainland since 1966
has made it easily accessible. The summer months are
particularly busy but it is worth spending at least a day
of your holiday, if you are staying in the region,
visiting and discovering Oléron.
We would like to offer you on this page, information to
help with either the organisation of a day visit or
quick location of places to stay on holiday.
And above all,
remember that you can visit there all the year round, in
autumn or in the spring and at the end of winter when the
mimosa is in flower.
It is the most Southern of the islands of the French
Atlantic coast and the west coast is influenced by the
Gulf Stream.
Its climate is gentle which is shown by the presence of
the mimosas and it is sometimes called the Island of
Mimosas.
From the mainland to the island of Oleron
The point of departure from the mainland is obviously the
town of Marennes where
the D26 road leads to the bridge.
Crossing the bridge there are beautiful views of the coast,
very different from high tide to low tide, at which time
you will be able to see the oyster beds.
After crossing the three kilometres of the bridge, you
have three options: either take the westward direction Saint-Trojan-les-Bains,
or take the eastward direction Le
Château d'Oléron, or take the central D734 road
and follow this for 30 km to the lighthouse of Chassiron
at the extreme northern point of the island.
The west coast, facing the ocean, is the continuation of
the west coast of the peninsula of Arvert, Côte Sauvage
and Forêt de la Coubre.
Westward, the first place to stop is
Saint-Trojan-les-Bains, a very old seaside resort.
The
beach, with its promenade, offers a magnificent circular
view, from left to right, of the bridge of the island of
Oléron, the bridge of Seudre, the beaches and the forest
of Ronce-les-Bains.
At low tide, the sea goes out a very
long way and uncovers a vast stretch of beach.
The Grande Plage of Saint-Trojan, facing the sea on the
West , is accessible through the forest and by a tourist
railway, boarding point at the Saint-Trojan railway
station.
The national forest of Saint-Trojan, with its pines and
holm oaks, is the biggest forest on the island, and
stretches for eight kilometres, up to the beach of Vert-Bois and then
La Rémigeasse and La Perroche, which are
the beaches of Dolus d' Oléron.
After La Rémigeasse, the small coastal road continues on
to La Cotinière.
La Cotinière is the most important fishing port of the
island and one of the ‘big three’, with La Rochelle and
Royan, of Charente-Maritime. The fishermen of La Cotinière
concentrate on the principal sorts of fish, sole, sea
dace, langoustine.
Three kilometres further inland, the D274 road leads to
the "Capital" of the island,
Saint Pierre d' Oléron.
At Saint Pierre, take the D734, to go to Saint-Denis d'Oléron,
passing through Chéray
and Saint Georges d'Oléron,
to reach the most distant point North of the island and
the lighthouse of Chassiron
