Last updated: May 2026.
Tucked just off the west coast of France lies a little slice of family holiday heaven: Île de Ré. An island that’s effortlessly charming, it feels like France’s best-kept secret. While many think of the South of France for summer escapes, this laid-back island is a strong rival.
👉 Don’t have time to read the whole article? See what accommodation Île de Ré has to offer.
We recently spent a blissful few days on Île de Ré over Bastille Day with our baby, staying with friends and their little one in the postcard-perfect village of La Flotte. From early morning market pram strolls (to pick up some of the best pain au raisin I’ve ever had) to a family-centric bike culture like nowhere I’ve seen (and I’ve been to Amsterdam!) — this island offers everything a family break needs.
In this guide, I’ll share why Île de Ré is a brilliant destination for families with babies and young children, and why it’s one of the most underrated spots in France.
Île de Ré with kids: why it’s perfect for families
This charming, family-friendly French island is only 30km long, yet features over 100km of cycle paths, beautiful sandy beaches, and relaxed towns with genuinely lovely shops. It reminds me a lot of Devon and Cornwall with better weather and all the best parts of French culture: patisseries on every corner, a slow-pace way of life, and more bread and seafood than you could know what to do with. It truly felt like a friendly and safe destination for travel with young children.
Only an hour flight from London, La Rochelle airport is one of the smallest I’ve ever been to, yet has daily flights from London with Ryanair and EasyJet, and also has regular flights from Bristol, Manchester and other parts of the UK.
The trip onto the island is a mere 10 minutes from the airport (albeit expect to pay 16€ in bridge tolls in a car during the summer), with everywhere under an hour — so no long transfers here. A bus from La Rochelle is also an option, as is cycling believe it or not!
Once you’re on the island, there’s a free shuttle minibus which hops between the villages and towns — although they are very small buses!
Car-free and carefree
Cycling is a given on the island and you’ll see as many (if not more) bikes on the paths that run to the side of the roads than cars themselves. With a just-6 month old, we rented a car — we’d recommend searching for the best car hire rates with Auto Europe — but it wouldn’t be much longer before we could utilise the toddler carriages that were in abundance. I actually yearned to be able to cycle everywhere, but it didn’t really matter that we weren’t able to join in as we could walk and drive everywhere we wanted to go.
Where to stay in Île de Ré with kids
We stayed in the port village of La Flotte, but also spent time in Saint-Martin-de-Ré. Both make fine bases with bakeries, butchers, ice cream shops, supermarkets, beaches, restaurants and shops. Both felt very pram-friendly (albeit expect cobbled paths), but I thought La Flotte was particularly good for toddlers and young children with a nice seafront promenade, a daily market, and several play parks and trampolines.
Saint-Martin-de-Ré
The island’s main town, with the most amenities, best restaurants, and a beautiful fortified harbour. Walking distance to the beach and very well set up for families. A good all-rounder for all ages.
- Hotel de Toiras — the island’s most celebrated 5-star, with beautifully appointed rooms and an exceptional location right on the port. Better suited to settled toddlers than very young babies given the grown-up feel, but genuinely special.
- La Baronnie Hôtel & Spa — a 4-star with a lovely pool, garden, and spa, a short walk from the port. Well reviewed by families and a good balance of style and comfort.
- Le Clos Saint-Martin Hôtel & Spa — another strong 4-star option with a pool, consistently praised by families. A quieter, more residential feel than La Baronnie.
La Flotte
Quieter than Saint-Martin, with a beautiful beach, a weekly market, and a lovely promenade that’s perfect for pushchair walks. This is where we stayed and it felt particularly well suited to babies and younger toddlers.
Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré
Home to the island’s longest beach and some of the shallowest water — great for toddlers. Generally more budget-friendly than Saint-Martin.
- Hôtel L’Océan — a popular family hotel with a pool and wellness centre, 800m from the beach. The restaurant gets good reviews and it’s a solid mid-range option.
Les Portes-en-Ré
The most unspoilt and remote part of the island, at the far northern tip. Quieter, wilder, and particularly beautiful — worth the drive.
- Le Phare — a boutique hotel near the lighthouse that’s popular with families visiting this end of the island. This is consistently one of the most searched-for stays on the island among LBA readers, so worth booking early in peak season.
Sainte-Marie-de-Ré
- Hôtel Atalante Relais Thalasso — a spa and thalasso hotel with a heated seawater pool. More of a treat stay, but the pool and wellness facilities make it appealing for parents who want a bit of relaxation built in.
A unique alternative
- Les Vignes de la Chapelle — an eco-friendly Relais du Silence hotel on the edge of a nature reserve. Quieter and more unusual than the standard hotel options, with a pool and vineyard setting. A lovely choice if you want something away from the tourist trail.
Family accommodation in peak season typically runs €100–250/night. Villas and holiday rentals are also very popular on the island — search all Île de Ré accommodation here.
Things to do on Île de Ré with kids
One of the best things about Île de Ré is that most of the best activities are free, outdoors, and naturally paced — perfect for families with babies and young toddlers. Here’s a quick rundown of what to do.
- Hire bikes — the island’s 138km of dedicated cycle paths are flat, well-maintained, and lined with salt marshes and vineyards. Bike hire shops (including Beach Bikes and Les Vélos de l’Île de Ré in La Flotte) all offer baby seats and pull-along toddler trailers. One of the highlights of any trip here.
- Explore the salt marshes — the flat gravel paths around the marais salants are perfect for prams and you’ll often see working salt farmers tending their pools. Pick up some fleur de sel from a roadside shack while you’re there.
- Beach days — most of the island’s beaches have calm, shallow water ideal for little ones. Plage de l’Arnérault near La Flotte is walkable and shady; Les Portes-en-Ré is quieter and wilder; Plage de la Cible is lovely with good parking. Check tide times before you go as they make a real difference.
- Morning market strolls — La Flotte’s daily market is one of the best on the island for fresh produce, pastries, and local wines. Go early, wander slowly, and stop for a coffee at the port. Saint-Martin also has a good market.
- Visit the Phare des Baleines — the lighthouse at the tip of the island is worth the drive and the surrounding nature reserve is great for a walk. The lighthouse itself involves a climb so better for older children, but the grounds are lovely for little ones.
- Drive to Les Portes-en-Ré — the most unspoilt part of the island and worth the trip for the beaches, the light, and the general feeling that you’ve found somewhere special. Have lunch at the restaurant overlooking the sea while you’re there.
- Ice cream at La Martinière — with locations in La Flotte and Saint-Martin, this artisan glacier is a genuine highlight. The caramel with local sea salt is non-negotiable.
- Play parks and trampolines — dotted around La Flotte and Saint-Martin. Toddlers will find them; you don’t need to seek them out.
Our itinerary: a few days on Île de Ré with a baby
One of the joys of Île de Ré is how it offers gentle, outdoors-first adventures that encourage you to slow down and soak up the moment with your little ones. Here are some of our favourite things we actually did with a baby on Île de Ré:
1. Where to hire bikes in Île de Ré
Exploring Île de Ré by bike is a rite of passage and one that is surprisingly family-friendly. The island is mostly flat (the tallest part is only 20m above sea level!) with 138km of dedicated cycle paths that meander through salt marshes, past vineyards, and along sandy coastlines.
There are many shops renting bikes (I saw Beach Bikes in numerous locations, and the photos in this article are of Les Velos in La Flotte) and it’s the done thing to add a baby seat or a pull-along toddler trailer.
2. Stroll through Île de Ré’s salt marshes
One of the island’s most famous delicacies is its fleur de sal — fresh salt harvoured from the many salt marshes (marais salants) that border the island. Aside from enjoying it in locally-made caramel ice cream or on fries, you can buy it from shops or from shacks along the salt marsh paths (we got ours from Le Sel d’Isabelle).
The flat gravel paths are perfect for a pram, and we saw plenty of working salt farmers tending their pools.
3. Morning pram strolls to the market, boulangerie and port
I really enjoyed filling the first wake window of the day with a morning walk through the cobbled streets of La Flotte, pushing the pram past blue-shuttered houses and picking up pastries from the boulangerie. Meander through the market before it’s busy, with fresh produce (including fabulous cheeses, choux pastries from Les Nuages de Ré, and local wines including rosé from Domaine Arica). Make your way to the port and stop for a coffee, watching boats bob in the early sunlight. It’s the kind of start to the day that makes you feel like a local.
4. Beach swims
Île de Ré’s beaches are ideal for little ones as they are clean, with calm water, and rarely overcrowded. Some beaches, like Plage de l’Arnérault, are walking distance from La Flotte and offer shady picnic spots and shallow water. We liked the quiet Les-Portes-en-Ré and had a brilliant lunch after in the restaurant overlooking the sea, and Plage de la Cible was also lovely (with a nice looking restaurant too) — both with free parking. I noticed most beaches had pram-accessible boardwalks a lot of the way down, which was useful. Check the tide times, as it can make a big difference to whether you can swim or not!
Must-eats on Île de Ré: family-friendly restaurants
La Flotte port has many bars and restaurants to choose from, but some of the places that made our stay extra special include:
- La Martinière artisan glacier (ice cream), with locations in La Flotte and Saint-Martin and more flavours than you could possibly try (including daily specials). The caramel with local sea salt is a must, but I also really liked the unique fruit flavours like blueberry or blackcurrant and violet.
- Oyster shacks, with many around Loix and the salt marshes (like La Cabane de l’Huître du Saunier and La Cabane du Grouin).
- La Cabane de la Patache — for some fantastic fresh seafood.
- Bakeries — we loved the pain au raisin from Ô Pain du Pêcheur but Boulangerie Feuillette also had queues on some mornings. The choux buns from Les Nuages de Ré were also delicious.
Our review of Île de Ré
If you’re new here, we use a scoring system to rate destinations out of five stars, across four criteria.
1. Getting there — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Plenty of quick flights from major UK airports with various low cost airlines. Our captain said it was 1h 8 mins on the way out and 1h 12 on the return.
- Very quick journey to and from the airport — from 10 minutes depending on where you stay on the island.
- No need for a car, should you wish to make use of the strong cycling setup, public transport, and free buses around the island. If you do want a car, Auto Europe is a good place to compare rates.
2. Pramability — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Many cobbled pavements, but nothing the travel pram couldn’t handle.
- Parking was always free and close to where we were going, although took some finding around La Flotte (but we always found somewhere). Paid car parks do exist but were not needed.
3. Adult fun factor — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- More of a laid back holiday — there was lots to do but it’s not got the jam-packed culture of somewhere like Mallorca or Bergen. Lots that your baby could tag along for, but better with slightly older children if you wanted to cycle with them.
- Restaurants were all very child-friendly, and there were lots of kids and fellow pram-pushers around!
4. Cost — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Affordable car rental — we paid £200 for 5 days. We’d recommend searching for deals with Auto Europe to compare all the main providers.
- We stayed with friends but there’s plenty of Airbnbs available at a range of price points.
- Many of the activities we did were outdoors, so free.
- Food prices were reasonable, and supermarkets (both small shops in towns and larger out of town ones) offered a lot of choice.
Île de Ré is a haven for families in the know, with its slow-paced charm really quite special. Don’t spread the word too loudly!
Allie, Jack & R x
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