Hyeres (Port Cros and Porquerolles)
Hyères (Port Cros and Porquerolles) 23-26 September 2021
How did I end up visiting Hyères (Port Cros and Porquerolles)
Ever since my visit to Pyrenees National Park in May, I have set a goal visit all the 8 National Parks in France (excluding those of oversea departments) while I am in Paris pursuing MBA.
Port-Cros National Park WIKIPEDIA
Port-Cros National Park is one of the 8 France national parks (excluding those in oversea departments). It is the first national park in Europe that unites terrestrial and maritime protection zones
We have come to the end of Summer. I knew if I do not visit Port Cros in the September, it will be too cold to swim there the next few months. On the other hand, Cevennes, Mercantour, Forets, Vanoise - all the remaining 4 national parks can wait, they would still welcome hikers outside of Summer.
The trip highlights
It was a short 4 days 3 night trip. School has started, and we were at the tail end of Summer when weather started to turn cold. It was hard to convince any other friends to come along. So, here I went, a solo adventure in Hyères (Port-Cros and Porquerolles).
Around the region, there are three main islands, Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Le Levant. I have decided to visit the first two.
I started to survey the accommodation way back in early August. Accommodations on the 2 main islands were very limited. Besides, main boat operator (TLV) did not offer any service to move from one to another directly. I still need to depart from the mainland Hyères. With that in mind, I booked a small apartment at Port De La Gavine. Perhaps it was already off-peak, the 4 beds apartment only cost 188 Euro for 3 nights stay.
23 September I left campus early in the morning to Gare De Lyon. The direct train took 4 hours 51 minute to reach Hyères Gare. Google Map didn't show any bus service to connect to my accommodation in Port Hyères area, which is about 5-7km away. To save the energy for Island tour, I took a UBER.
The accommodation is at a very strategic location, within the vicinity of Port Hyères. A strip of beach is just a walk away. After taking lunch and touring the port area, I spent some times doing assignment, and reading book.
After some checking, I learned that there is a bus service in Hyères area. And the bus also serves the route between Port Hyères and Tour du Fondue (i.e. the departure point to Porquerolles).
24 September Porquerolles - I woke up early. I was already at the nearby Bus Stop by 7am waiting for the bus. 2 euro a ticket, from Port Hyères to Tour du Fondue. Once arrived at the Tour du Fondue, I quickly went over to the counter to buy boat return ticket, and headed straight to the big vessel (boat).
Sitting at the upper deck of the stern, I was accompanied by the cold breeze and sunrise view throughout the sail to the Porquerolles.
The first thing I checked on the Island, was the mountain bike (MTB) rental price offered by the different shops. It turned out that the prices are harmonized across.
So I rented a MTB for a full day, and started my tour on Porquerolles with a backpack on my back, and a map in my jacket. I can't be happier seeing how clear was the water, and the mixture of turquoise, blue, cyan and green colors at all the stops I made along the Island shoreline.
One of the best stops I made on this island was at the Gorges du Loup. The view from the top was unreal. However, no one was swimming in the water, despite how clear and beautiful the gorge was. I couldn't resist the chance to swim in this beautiful Gorges, and so I took a dip. In daily life, if I see no one in a restaurant or designer brand shop, I will be hesitant to go in, especially if it is my first time there. If I have the same mindset this time around, I am sure I would have missed out a lot of underwater beautiful scenes. Well, the moment I came out from water, a few other tourists were ready to dive in.
The slope down to the water is slippery, and made up by sharp rocks. Be extra careful if you decide to walk down.
Back from a short swim, I continued my cycling tour on the Island. Eventually, I headed to Plage Notre-Dame. It is one of the most popular beaches on Porquerolles Island. There were many seaweeds near to the shore. Again, I dipped into the ocean, swimming with fishes near the seaweeds.
[DO YOU KNOW: Seaweed is found to be a very effective carbon sucking agent / carbon sequestration. Many countries have ventured into commercial seaweed farming to help remove the carbon]
I left the Island at 4pm. I wouldn't mind spending days on this island during Summer, as it offers what calms my mind and what makes me appreciate the beauty of the nature.
25 September Port-Cros It was even easier to visit to the Port-Cros. The boat departs from Port Hyères, where my accommodation was. However, the weather was not as favorable on the 25 September. It didn't deter my spirit though. Port-Cros island was fully gazetted as a National Park area. On this Island, visitors can only go around on foot.
My first stop was at Plage de La Palud - quite a popular place for snorkeling. I went into the ocean, but the water was quite cold, partly because it wasn't as sunny on that particular day.
From Plage de La Palud, I moved on to Plage du Sud at the other side of the island. It was about 40 minutes walk from the jetty.
On this second stop, I decided to skip the swimming part, as I didn't want to get into hypothermia.
After spending an hour relaxing at Plage du Sud, I made my way back to the Jetty area and got myself ready to return to Hyères.
26 September It was time to go. After checking out from the accommodation at 11am, I walked as slow as possible to the airport (Toulon-Hyères airport), which is only 1.5km away. Still, it took only less than half an hour walk even with my slowest pace.
My transports, accommodation, and F&B
Transportation
- Oui train ticket (Gare de Lyon - Hyères) 49 euro
- Uber from Hyères Gare to Accommodation - 11 euro
- Bus ticket on the island - 2 x 2 euro (Port Hyères - Tour Fondue)
- Easy jet (Hyères to Orly Airport) - 30 euro
- TLV Boat return ticket (Tour Fondue to Porquerolles) - 22 euro
- TLV Boat return ticket (Hyères to Port Cros) - 29 euro
- MTB rental at Porquerolles - 18 euro
Accommodation
- A 4 beds apartment at Port de La Gavine - 188 euro
F&B
Expect to spend around 40 - 50 euro a day for the meal. I bought some of my meal from the grocery store nearby the accommodation. Taking a meal on the Island will cost more.
My 3 Plus and 2 Minus:-
3 things I like about this trip:
- There are various transportation options from Paris to Hyères. I have chosen to travel there by Train, and return by Flight as this combination gave me the best offer.
- Porquerolles. Yes Porquerolles. The island has so much to offer, and I still can't believe how beautify is the Gorges du Loup.
- The TLV boat service charges a very reasonable price. You can check out the link below for the price and schedule.
2 thing I would do differently if I can turn back the clock:
- Bring a better underwater camera case, instead of using a plastic pouch type. The plastic pouch can't withstand the pressure underwater.
- Check out public transportation services in more details. I was fully dependent on google map until the moment I saw a bus stop near the apartment. For those of you who like to use bus services, you can check out the website below.
https://www.reseaumistral.com/fr/
Surprise learning/ discovery of the trip
"We must not count on Google Map alone" - there are times when Google Map doesn't list down the bus services