Islands of Light and Legend: France’s Coastal Jewels

France may be famed for Parisian boulevards, lavender fields, and endless vineyards, yet scattered along its shorelines, we’ll find islands where the sea tells its own story.

Shaped by history, softened by tides, and framed in the shifting light of the Atlantic and Mediterranean, these are places where time slows down in the salt air and stone villages glow in the morning light.

From Corsican mountains that fall into azure coves, to Breton harbors where fishing boats still tug against the current, each island holds its own wonder. Together, let’s wander through some of the most magnificent, each with its own way of captivating the heart.

Corsica

Corsica rises from the Mediterranean like a fortress of stone and pine. As the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte (in Ajaccio), the island stands apart from the French mainland.

Its people hold on fiercely to traditions shaped by centuries of independence and conflict. Roman ruins, Genoese towers, and Pisan churches still stand as reminders of those who sought to control this rugged land.

You can hike the legendary GR20 trail for vistas that reveal the island’s raw beauty, or drift down to Calvi, where a citadel overlooks a bay as clear as glass. For a taste of local life, you can try something new and pair a bowl of wild boar stew with a glass of Patrimonio wine.

You might also enjoy a few nights at La Villa Calvi, a hillside retreat where the balconies seem to float above the Mediterranean.

Île de Ré

Linked to the mainland by a graceful bridge, Île de Ré is a world apart. Its whitewashed cottages bloom with hollyhocks, and the lanes wind toward sandy beaches where bicycles are more common than cars.

Once upon a time, its harbors were bustling with trade. In fact, the island’s salt marshes have been cultivated since the Middle Ages, supplying French kings and monasteries with precious salt.

Saint-Martin-de-Ré is our favorite port town. It was fortified by Vauban in the 17th century, and is currently a UNESCO-listed port. Here, you can sip coffee on a terrace while fishing boats ease into the harbor.

This is also your chance to enjoy some oysters, pulled fresh from the surrounding beds. They’re easy to enjoy with nothing more than a squeeze of lemon.

In terms of where to stay, we can’t recommend Hôtel de Toiras highly enough. It’s a converted seventeenth-century mansion right on the waterfront. Each room carries the hush of history and the quiet comfort of endless luxury.

Porquerolles

Porquerolles is a Mediterranean dream. We consider it the crown jewel of the Îles d’Hyères. White sand beaches ease into turquoise waters, while olive groves and vineyards spread across the island’s heart.

We love its history because it’s a story of preservation. In 1912, a wealthy adventurer bought the island as a wedding gift for his wife, planting the vineyards that still exist today. Later, the French state protected much of Porquerolles, ensuring its beauty would endure forever.

Cars are rare here, so the best way to explore the island is by bicycle. You’ll trace paths that lead to hidden coves and high cliffs where gulls wheel in the wind.

See if you can stay at Le Mas du Langoustier, a historic hotel tucked into the pines, where the evenings unfold with Provençal flavors and the wines are pressed from the island’s own vines. After dinner, you can wander down to Plage Notre-Dame, often hailed as one of Europe’s most beautiful beaches.

Its waters glow in shades of blue too delicate to describe.

Île de Noirmoutier

Noirmoutier is a land of contrasts. It’s joined to the mainland by a tidal causeway that disappears beneath the sea twice a day. Its salt marshes shimmer in the sun, while long beaches stretch into the horizon.

Vikings once raided these shorelines, and the island later became a stronghold during the Wars of Religion in the sixteenth century.

In the town of Noirmoutier-en-l’Île, markets brim with sea salt, potatoes, and oysters – the island’s proudest treasures. Château de Noirmoutier is a medieval keep surrounded by quiet streets. It stands watch in the center of it all.

As for where to stay, Le Général d’Elbée Hotel is a historic mansion full of wonder and charm. You can enjoy plenty of meals right there. But, if you have the chance, dinner at La Marine will show you how local flavors can be transformed into high art.