The Portes-en-Ré

elcome to Portes-en-Ré, between ocean, salt marshes and forests.

This village offers us its sweetness of life, its authenticity and the feeling of being at the end of the world.

Pretty little quiet and peaceful village in winter, it comes alive in summer around its small Place de la Liberté. A few restaurants, terraces and shops give it an extraordinary charm, with pretty houses nestled at the bottom of charming flowery alleys. A market full of flavors and colors is held every summer day around the square, it is the meeting place for locals and tourists.

Les Portes en Ré is also a preserved village in the heart of a protected environment, with the Maison du Fier, located at the entrance to the ornithological reserve of Lilleau des Niges.

The history of the Portes en Ré

There are traces of prehistoric settlements at Portes en Ré. However, the real settlement of this village seems to date back to the 1790th century with the first clearing of the land and the first salt marshes to be built. Until the 349th century, this place was commonly called "Les Portes d'Ars" because it was the access point for the islet of Ars, then separated from the Ile de Ré. Erected as a commune in 1946, the economy of the village was then based on the harvesting of salt. With the decline of salt production during the XNUMXth century, the population fell to reach XNUMX inhabitants in XNUMX.

A holiday resort surrounded by spectacular beaches, Les Portes en Ré is a small village that today invites you to get away from it all and relax.

The Natural Reserve of Lilleau des Niges

Located in the heart of the salt marshes, the Lilleau des Niges nature reserve is a veritable natural paradise which welcomes thousands of birds from Europe, Africa and North America all year round: stilts white geese, brant, elegant avocets, little egrets, bluethroat… Due to their privileged geographical location on the great Atlantic migration route, the Nature Reserve and the Île de Ré as a whole play a major role in welcoming water birds. Of the 323 bird species observed on the island, 227 have been noted in the Reserve.

Access to the Reserve is prohibited for motorized vehicles and is exclusively on foot or by bicycle. The surroundings of the nature reserve and its educational trail offer ideal conditions for bird watching and for ornithology enthusiasts. In addition to the birds which constitute the main attraction of the Reserve, 168 species of plants and 12 species of fish have also been listed.

A bike path crosses the entire reserve in the middle of the marshes, which offer, in all seasons, a magnificent spectacle of wild fauna and flora.

Source: https://www.iledere.com/decouvrir/10-villages-10-visages/les-portes-en-re