Iles de Lerins Area Guide

A very short distance from the Croisette, just across the Bay of Cannes and clearly visible from the luxury apartments and homes along its length are the two enchanting Islands of Lérins, St. Marguerite and St. Honorat, for which ferries depart from Cannes throughout the day. In addition to the historic and cultural treasures these islands hold, the beaches and pristine azure sea are glorious and treasured by the people who know them. It is possible to walk right around either island and find private beaches and magical coves with nobody there, or very few. The heavenly bays are enjoyed by many private boat owners who moor for the day in summer.

To pack a picnic lunch with a cold bottle of local rosé and head for the islands in a hire boat or on the ferry is a wonderful way to spend a day.

The nearer island Isle St Marguerite is named after St. Honorat’s sister of that name who lived here with a group of nuns in the 5th century. Close to the dock where the boat lands is the Fort de l’Ile, built by Spanish troops from 1635 to 1637. Below that is the 1st-century-B.C. Roman town where the unlucky man immortalized in the story of The Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned. He remains one of French history’s most perplexing mysteries, a prisoner of Louis XIV who arrived at Ste-Marguerite in 1698. Dumas popularized the theory that he was a brother of Louis XIV, but whoever he really was he died in the Bastille in Paris in 1703. A visit to his lonely cell where one can stand listening to the sound of the sea, brings home what a forlorn outpost this must have been.

Also worth a visit is the Musée de la Mer which traces the history and homes of the island with exhibits of artefacts of Ligurian, Roman, and Arab civilizations, plus remains discovered in excavations, including paintings, mosaics, and ceramics.

Ile St-Honorat is less than 2km long, but even richer in history. It remains the site of the oldest working monastery in Europe whose origins go back to the 5th century. Today the Abbaye de St-Honorat combines medieval ruins and early-20th-century ecclesiastical buildings and is home to a permanent community of about 30 Cistercian monks. If space is available, outsiders can visit overnight for prayer and meditation only, an interesting experience for visitors, with extremely simple fare, and catered for by the monks themselves. Most visitors however come to wander through the pine forests on the island’s western side, to buy the highly regarded wine still made by the monks in age-old fashion and tradition, and to sun themselves on its quiet and lovely beaches.

Highlights & Attractions

Restaurants

La Guerite

World renowned and frequented by celebrities and locals alike, the exceptional location of La Guerite and beach chic atmosphere sets it apart from the rest. Most guests arrive by speed boat to this jewel amongst the cliffs on Ile Sainte-Marguerite, with fabulous views back towards Cannes. Excellent food paired with some of the best wines from the region make this a spot to enjoy long afternoons with live music, dancing and an atmosphere you won't forget.