Plan your visit
Îles de Lérins is one of France’s great natural sites — bring good shoes and a camera. Locate it on the map, book a room nearby in a click, or add it to your travel list to build your itinerary.
About Îles de Lérins
Just a short boat ride from the glamour of Cannes, the Îles de Lérins offer a startling contrast of pine-scented calm and deep history. On Sainte-Marguerite, the larger island, shaded trails wind through eucalyptus and Aleppo pine to the Fort Royal, where the mysterious Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned — his cell still shown to visitors. The smaller Saint-Honorat has been home to monks since the 5th century; a community of Cistercians still lives there, tending vineyards that produce a celebrated wine, around a fortified monastery rising straight from the sea. Car-free, wooded and lapped by clear water, the Lérins islands are a serene, historic haven floating just offshore from the bustle of the Riviera.