The salt refinery of Ars-en-Ré was founded in 1817 by Benjamin Dubois-Fontaine, a salt merchant, to remove earthy particles from the salt and bleach it. Located opposite the salt marshes, it shapes the port landscape and bears witness to an essential activity that revived the salt trade in Ars in the 19th century.
Culture and History
The Église Saint-Étienne d’Ars-en-Ré combines pre-Romanesque, Romanesque and Gothic architectural elements in a continuous structure. Its 42 m-high black-and-white bell tower serves as a navigational landmark and guides boats towards the entrance to the Fier d’Ars bay and the harbour access channel.
Depending on the time of year, the market in Ars-en-Ré takes place either on the church square or at the port.
Nature and Water
Marais et Fier d’Ars is a natural attraction in Ars-en-Ré featuring marshes, salt marshes and a bay. In the immediate vicinity of Ars-en-Ré, the Port d’Ars-en-Ré is connected to the Fier and lies within a natural area that serves as a refuge for thousands of birds.
Access to the La Prée and La Criée basins in the Port d’Ars-en-Ré depends on the tidal coefficient and the boat’s draught.
Paths and Activities
The Ars-en-Ré tourist office offers a map showing three walks along the coast, through the historic town centre and through the salt marshes. The Balade accessible à Ars-en-Ré has been awarded the Tourisme & Handicap certification. It runs along the Chenal d’Ars on a wide, paved and completely level path, offering views of the port and the salt marshes.
Les Secrets du patrimoine salicole à Ars-en-Ré is a walk lasting approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes around the Port of Ars-en-Ré.
The Chemin gourmand du nord de l’île à vélo is a 17.1 km circular route. The circuit Circuit combiné: marais salicole et cabane ostréicole – Les secrets gourmands des marais takes visitors by bicycle along the paths through the salt marshes to learn about salt production and oyster farming, and ends with a tasting combining oysters with traditionally produced salt.
The École de voile du Cercle Nautique d’Ars-en-Ré offers sailing courses and equipment hire from March until the end of November. Activities on the Fier d’Ars include catamarans, dinghies, windsurf boards, wing foiling, foil dinghies and paddle boards.
At Découverte de la pêche à pied avec Pascal, visitors learn at the Côte Sauvage site how to identify and collect shellfish and crustaceans while respecting the environment and natural resources.
Salt and Oysters
The Coopérative des Sauniers is a place where visitors can buy salt.
Anyone planning Ars-en-Ré as a holiday destination may wish to rent a holiday apartment.
More local pages: Asnières-La-Giraud, Cramchaban, Ozillac, Saint-Sauvant, Chambon, Forges, Brives-sur-Charente, La Couarde-Sur-Mer
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