Curious why no one mentions the Îles d’Hyeres, they came up in an article of where the French like to go? in the forum there’s nothing recent, that i saw.
Posted by
New York
158 posts
I would be interested to hear more about forum members' experiences in Porquerolles. I have never been there, but years ago I read My Friend Maigret by Georges Simenon. Part of the book is set on the island, and the location seemed idyllic--except for the murder of course!
Posted by
Paris
7347 posts
Being very familiar with the Toulon area, I finally went to Porquerolles as a day trip 2 or 3 summers ago, and while the landscape is pretty, I was a bit disappointed:
- Narrow, busy beaches, with boats moored close to shore
- Dusty, not particularly pretty main village
- Questionable food options
Now, I went in August. Perhaps it is better outside of peak summer, and/or if you stay overnight (but the hotels seem to have mixed reviews)?
Posted by
Washington DC
28689 posts
I found the island OK but not overwhelming--a not-infrequent experience for me in Europe. It often takes a good bit of time to get to an island, because the boat departure point is frequently a town you wouldn't otherwise have visited. If the island isn't really great, I question the time spent. In this case, I found the town of Hyeres attractive and not very touristy (this was 2017), so I don't really regret the effort to get to Porquerolles. The island has biking opportunities on traffic-free trails, which could be a plus for active visitors. As for me, I walked along one of those bike paths, tripped at a narrow spot edged by rocks, fell and gave myself a black eye. Let's just say you couldn't pay me to ride a bike on those trails!
I have a theory about European islands: One significant reason some of them get a lot of attention despite unexceptional terrain, etc., is that they have beaches--often sandy beaches. It usually takes extra effort to get out to an island, so the beaches are typically a lot less crowded than beaches on the mainland. Europe is densely populated, and a lot of that population lives in areas with few beach-going opportunities. They naturally gravitate to a sandy beach and are thrilled to be there if the sun is shining; not much else is necessary to make them happy. Many folks from the US have beach-going opportunities at home and access to much less crowded beaches. In many cases we are looking for more than a sandy beach.