Saint-Gilles between the harbor, market, and nature

Saint-Gilles offers several sides of a stay in Réunion: activities on the water take center stage at the harbor, while the market, Ravine Saint-Gilles, and Plage des Brisants offer other ways to spend your vacation days. You can plan your stay around whether you’re especially interested in water sports, nature, local products, or beach tennis. This selection can also help guide your search for a holiday rental: consider which of these experiences you’d like to shape the rhythm of your stay.

From the harbor onto the water

From the Port de plaisance de Saint-Gilles, you can go surfing, diving, deep-sea fishing, take boat trips, explore the underwater world, sail, ride jet skis, and go sea kayaking. The range spans everything from activities on the surface to underwater exploration and outings at sea. The specific options may vary by provider.

Catamaran trips, swimming with whales and other marine mammals, whale watching, and dolphin safaris are also offered at the Port de Saint-Gilles. For planning purposes, it makes a difference whether you want to be active yourself or observe marine mammals: these different focuses lead to different ideas for a day on the water.

Market, nature, and activity

The market in Saint-Gilles-les-Bains takes place on Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fresh produce such as fruit, vegetables, and “gâteaux péi” sits alongside local and Malagasy crafts. The market therefore appeals to both culinary and craft interests. Its hours give you a specific point of reference for planning your week. Since market hours and vendors can change, check the details locally.

Ravine Saint-Gilles is home to a wide variety of plant species. Allow two hours for the round-trip hike through the ravine; conditions may vary. This gives you a clear time frame for fitting a nature outing into your day.

Plage des Brisants attracts beach-sports enthusiasts who meet on the white sand to play beach tennis. This sporting focus makes a visit to the beach different from a hike through the ravine. If you’d like to divide your vacation days between plant diversity and beach tennis, the two places offer different ideas.

More nature and culture

In the wider region, you’ll find Jardin d’Eden, an ethnobotanical garden in the west of Réunion. It is home to more than 700 endemic, native, and exotic species. This adds a second nature-focused attraction to the plant diversity of the ravine: a botanical garden featuring species from three groups that together offer a different perspective on Réunion’s plant life. Its location in the west of the island makes it a regional point of interest as you plan the rest of your trip.

The tourism information lists the penultimate Sunday in June as the date of the Creole carnival Grand Boucan in Saint-Gilles-les-Bains. This information may help you choose when to travel; check the details of the event in question in advance before planning your stay around it.

Discover more destinations: L'Ermitage-Les-Bains, La Saline-Les-Bains, Saint-Gilles Les Hauts, Saint-Paul, Saint-Leu, Carosse, L'étang-Salé Les Bains.

Go to the main travel overview: Saint-Paul.