Port-Cros National Park
Port-Cros is a tiny jewel — one of the three Îles d'Hyères off the Var coast, and Europe's first marine national park (1963). The entire island (7 km²) and its surrounding sea (1,288 km² of marine zone, expanded in 2016) are protected. No cars, no paved roads, no large-scale development — just forested hills, coves with crystal water, and a silence broken by cicadas and waves.
- Barracuda, dentex, sea bream — large fish visible while snorkelling
- Posidonia meadows — healthy, extensive, supporting the food chain
- Underwater snorkelling trail — in the Baie de la Palud, with waterproof information panels explaining the species at each station
Seabirds
Port-Cros and the neighbouring island of Le Levant host a globally significant colony of Yelkouan shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan) — a Mediterranean endemic seabird. At dusk, the returning birds create an extraordinary cacophony as they crash through the forest canopy to their burrow nests.
Porquerolles
Porquerolles (the largest of the three islands) is administered by the Port-Cros National Park since 2012. Its northern beaches (Plage Notre-Dame, Plage d'Argent) have Caribbean-clear water, while the southern coast is rocky and wild. A landscape of vineyards, olive groves, and pine forest — car-free, bicycle-friendly.
Visiting
- Ferries: Run daily from Hyères (La Tour Fondue) and Le Lavandou. Year-round for Port-Cros; more frequent in summer.
- No accommodation on Port-Cros: Day trip only (a few rooms at the one hotel, rarely available). Porquerolles has hotels, B&Bs, and restaurants.
- Rules: No smoking outside the village. No fires. No picking plants. Dogs prohibited. No anchoring over Posidonia.
- Best season: May–June and September for quiet beaches and warm water.
Côte d'Azur — The Hyères islands are an easy day trip from the Riviera — practical details on La Porte.