Plan your visit
l’Ile du Beurre 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 l’Ile du Beurre
On the Rhône south of Lyon, near Condrieu, the Île du Beurre is a peaceful nature reserve protecting a rare surviving fragment of the great river's wild floodplain — a mosaic of backwaters, wooded islands and reed beds where the Rhône once ran free. Once threatened by damming and development, this green refuge is now a sanctuary for wildlife: beavers gnaw the willows at dusk, herons and kingfishers haunt the still channels, and migrating birds throng the wetlands. A visitor centre and an observatory hide let walkers watch the reserve's animals without disturbing them, along easy paths through the riverside woods. Tranquil, richly alive and easily reached, the Île du Beurre is a lovely window onto the natural heritage of the Rhône and a fine spot for birdwatching and quiet family walks.