Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ÎLES D'HYÈRES & ÎLES DU FUN
Legend says gods turned a bunch of swimming princesses into the Îles d'Hyères - and they
are magical. Their mica-rich rock, which glitters and gleams in the sunlight, gives them
their other name, the Îles d'Or (Islands of Gold).
Porquerolles, at 7km long and 3km wide, is the largest; Île de Port-Cros, in the middle, is
a national park; and its eastern sister, Île du Levant, is both an army camp and a nudist
colony. Wild camping and cars are forbidden throughout the archipelago.
Dubbed the Îles du Fun, Bendor and Embiez, west of the Îles d'Hyères off Toulon's
shores, are more sub-Disney than the stuff of myth.
Islanders refer to the rest of France as the 'continent'.
Getting There & Away
ÎLES DE PORQUEROLLES & DE PORT-CROS
Mainland ports are La Tour Fondue,
Hyères and Le Lavandou. June to September boats also go to/from Toulon, St-Tropez, Port
Miramar, La Croix-Valmer and Cavalaire-sur-Mer.
ÎLE DU LEVANT
Ten minutes by boat from Port-Cros. Frequent boats sail year-round
from Le Lavandou and Hyères, and in July and August from Port Miramar, La Croix-
Valmer and Cavalaire-sur-Mer.
ÎLE DE BENDOR
Boats sail year-round from Bandol (€8 return); contact
04 94 10 75
93.
ÎLES DES EMBIEZ
Boats (
www.les-embiez.com
;
€13.50, 10min) sail year-round from
Le Brusc, 5km south of Sanary-sur-Mer. June to September four daily boats (return €10)
sail to/from Bandol and Sanary-sur-Mer.
FERRIES Transport Littoral Varois
(TLV; 04 94 58 33 76;
www.tlv-tvm.com
)
Year-
round boats link
La Tour Fondue
with Île de Porquerolles (return €18, 50 minutes), and
Port d'Hyères
with Île de Port-Cros (return €26, one hour) and Île du Levant (return €26,
90 minutes); going to two islands costs €28. From June to September, weekly boats sail to/
from Toulon, St-Tropez, Le Lavandou and Port Miramar near La Londe.
Vedettes Îles d'Or et Le Corsaire
( 04 94 71 01 02;
www.vedettesilesdor.fr
;
15 quai
Gabriel Péri)
From
Le Lavandou
,
Cavalaire-sur-mer
and
La Croix Valmer
, seasonal
boats run to/from Île du Levant (return €27, 35 minutes), Île de Port-Cros (€27, 35 minutes)
