Lérins islands: which island to choose, and how to get there
The short answer
Both islands are a fifteen minute boat ride from the Vieux Port in Cannes, and they are nothing alike. Sainte-Marguerite is the larger and livelier: forest, coves, the Fort Royal of the Man in the Iron Mask, and an underwater eco-museum you visit by swimming. Saint-Honorat belongs to the Cistercian monks of the Lérins abbey, who make wine and liqueurs there: you go for the quiet, not for the bustle.
Sainte-Marguerite, the large one
The larger of the two, covered in pines and eucalyptus, with paths that circle it and coves where the water stays clear. The Fort Royal holds the legend of the Man in the Iron Mask, the prisoner whose name no one ever learned.
Since February 2021 the island has held an underwater eco-museum, freely accessible by swimming about a hundred metres off the beaches: submerged sculptures you discover with a simple mask. It is free, and unique on this coast.
Saint-Honorat, the monks’ island
Smaller, occupied for centuries by the Cistercian community of the Lérins abbey. The monks farm the vines and make wine and liqueurs, which can be tasted during the vine and wine days held through the year.
The island is walked round in an hour and a half, and its coastal loop is enough to understand why people come: there is nothing to do, and that is precisely the point.
What to know before you go
The boat leaves from the Vieux Port in Cannes, 1.3 kilometres from the Montfleury district, a quarter of an hour on foot. Times and fares change with the season and the operator: check them on the day on the tourist office site. They are deliberately not copied here, because a stale fare is worth less than no fare.
Both islands have public toilets and drinking fountains, but the tourist office asks visitors to carry their rubbish back to the mainland: there is no collection. A picnic is therefore packed at home, which a full kitchen makes easy, and carried back whole.
Questions that come up
- How long is the crossing?
- About fifteen minutes from the port of Cannes according to the tourist office, for either island. The port is 1.3 kilometres from the apartment, a quarter of an hour on foot.
- Which island with children?
- Sainte-Marguerite: it is larger, its coves are sheltered, the fort can be visited and the underwater eco-museum is discovered by swimming with a mask. Saint-Honorat, more contemplative, suits a quiet half day better.
- Can you swim at the Lérins islands?
- Yes, and the tourist office ranks the island beaches among the finest in Cannes, with clear water and sheltered coves. Two Sainte-Marguerite beaches, east and west, carry the Blue Flag in 2026.
Dates taken from Office de tourisme de Cannes on 2026-09-21. Office de tourisme de Cannes
The Montfleury apartment
Four guests, a terrace over the gardens and a parking space included, 700 m from the beaches and 1.3 km from the Palais des Festivals. Rated three stars.