Sommaire / Summary
The Lérins Islands are two islands, Sainte Marguerite and Saint Honorat, off the coast of Cannes. Accessible by boat, they are very popular in summer. Many yachts drop anchor between the two islands. There are also a number of restaurants.
Please note: there are no garbage cans on site. You must take your garbage home with you.
Lérins Islands : Sainte Marguerite
Sainte Marguerite is the larger of the two islands. It's also the most visited. The island's unspoilt nature, the Fort Royal and the Iron Mask Museum are all of interest. This island has been inhabited by Ligurians since antiquity (6th century BC). The Romans built a port here, the remains of which (houses, mosaics, shipwrecks) are now underwater. The island served as a defense for the Counts of Provence, and never again left this military role, not even under the Spanish.
Preserved nature
The island of Sainte Marguerite is 3km long and 900m wide at its longest point. It is almost entirely covered by eucalyptus and pine forests. A botanical garden features cypresses, cedars of Lebanon, palms, banana trees, numerous citrus species, fig trees, almond trees and, of course, olive trees. The garden is also planted with flowers, giving it a thousand colors in the summer months.
Paths criss-cross the island, allowing you to walk around it in about 3 hours. Numerous educational panels provide information on the flora and fauna.
Gorgeous coves dot the coast, where rocks, turquoise-blue water and the green of pine trees blend.
Royal fort
The Fort Royal was built by Richelieu (17th century), then reinforced by the Spanish, then by Vauban. It remains in a good state of preservation.
To ward off potential enemies, two furnaces were built to red-hot cannonballs. It was used to heat the cannonballs, which caused fires in addition to the usual damage.
It housed the defending armies, then later, when the threat disappeared, it was transformed into a priison, until 1880.
Thus, Protestants (after the Edict of Nantes, 1685), the Iron Mask (from 1687), Algerian political prisoners, including Abd-El-Kader's smala (from 1843), were locked up here in turn. The island also boasts a small Muslim cemetery.
All this history is still present. Visitors will discover the rooms that have become cells, as well as a number of objects and information panels on these events.
Note also that the terrace offers a magnificent panorama.
Eco-musée sous-marin des îles de Lérins
An underwater eco-museum is the artistic work of Jason deCaires Taylor. He created giant faces, copied from real Cannois faces. They were imerged
Musée du masque de fer
The Iron Mask (? - 1703) was imprisoned at the Fort Royal from 1687 to 1698. This enigmatic prisoner wore an iron mask at all times, so that no one could see his face. No one knows who he is. Adulterous brother of Louis IV? The conspirator François de Vendôme, Duc de Beaufort, suspected of being the real father of Louis XIV? Molière? Nicolas Fouquet, Superintendent of Finances? Count Ercole Mattioli, Secretary of State to the Duke of Mantua? A lover of the queen? All hypotheses have been put forward, but there is no historical evidence to identify the prisoner.
There is also no evidence that the prisoner wore this mask all the time, which could have caused him a variety of illnesses.
What seems certain is that he was an important and refined figure. Music was played in his cell. He wore fine, elegant clothes, according to Voltaire.
He was in the custody of Saint Mars, who transferred him with him to the Bastille, where he died.
The Lérins Islands: Saint Honorat
Isle Saint Honorat is smaller than Saint Marguerite. It is around 1km long and less than 500m wide. It has been inhabited by monks since the 6th century. Saint Honorat became an important center for the dissemination of Christian thought. The monks built a fortified monastery in 1863.
The monastery tower overlooks two cloisters (15th century). It housed not only the monks' activities, but also, on the upper floor, the military personnel in charge of the island's defense. The Cistercian monks produce a locally renowned wine and liqueurs.
The island also boasts a number of chapels (10th century), 7 in all, other buildings (11th century) and 2 furnaces for reddening cannonballs (1794), which visitors will discover as they wander around the island.
Practical information
Please note: There are no garbage cans on the islands. Visitors must bring their own garbage with them and not leave it to the local authority. It's not complicated, just remember to bring a bag or box for this purpose.
- Departures from Cannes, all year round
quai Laubeuf - Summer departures from Nice, to Sainte Marguerite (not Saint Honorat)
Quai des Docks (on the Château hill side)
Book your boat from Cannes
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Informations Côte d'Azur
Jean-Marc Foulquier