Tourist Places to Visit in Saint-Gilles, Saint-Paul, Reunion, French
Saint-Gilles is a tourist favor village, belonging to the commune of Saint-Paul in Reunion Island, an overseas territory of France. It is the most famous beach destination in Reunion, located along the west coast of the island and is situated around 35 km southwest of Saint-Denis, the capital of Reunion. There are many surfing sites in Saint-Gilles, of which Boucan Canot and Roches Noires are the prominent ones, drawing a large number of overseas tourists during dry months. Other highlights of Saint-Gilles are casino, sea aquarium, botanical garden, waterfalls, port and carnival. Saint-Gilles coordinates with 21°2′56″ S latitude and 55°16′9″ E longitude.
How to access Saint-Gilles?
Saint-Gilles is served by the Roland Garros Airport, with scheduled flights services from Marseille, Johannesburg, Paris, Mauritius, Bangkok, Chennai and many other European, Asian and African cities. Air Austral is the main airline serving Roland Garros Airport and other major airlines include Air France, Air Mauritius, XL Airways France and Interair South Africa. The airport is located around 45 km away from Saint-Gilles.
Buses generally ply between Saint-Gilles and the airport and for more comfort, visitors can choose an airport taxi or pre-booked private transfer.
Food and Shopping in Saint-Gilles:
Being a beach destination, Saint-Gilles houses plenty of shopping options ranging from cloth stores to sport equipment shops to gadget showrooms, with a wide selection of products.
Restaurants are dozens in number in Saint-Gilles and some well known and authentic restaurant options in Saint-Gilles are listed below:
- La Varangue du Lagon Chez Denis
- Marie B. Glacier
- Le Beau Rivage
- La Case Bambou
What to do in Saint-Gilles?
- Cycling tour
- Boat tour
- Visiting casino and clubs
- Surfing
What to see in Saint-Gilles?
Beaches in Saint-Gilles:
Beaches are the highlights of Saint-Gilles, receiving a larger proportion of international tourists during the summer months. The famous beaches in Saint-Gilles are Boucan Canot, Beach of Hermitage and Roches Noires. Surfing is the most popular activity among visitors here.
The Garden of Eden:
The Garden of Eden or Jardin d’Eden is a striking botanical garden in Saint-Gilles, open for visitors on all days of the week from dawn to dusk. The garden is well maintained and informative, transferring the real feature of the nature to visitors’ heart.
Port of Saint-Gilles:
The Port of Saint-Gilles is a very goose-flesh site, offering a striking view of blue waters and it also houses sea aquarium that features many typical sea creatures’ native to island.
Waterfall at Bassin Aigrettes:
The Waterfall at Bassin Aigrettes is an eye-catching scenic site, receiving waters from the Saint-Gilles River. For easy exploration of the waterfall, visitors can contact Elefant Tours.
List of other places of interest in and around Saint-Gilles includes:
- Casino of Saint-Gilles
- Beach of Hermitage
- Roches Noires Beach
- Beach of Boucan Canot
- Shai Ena
- Bleu Marine Reunion
- Jet Ski Attitude Locatio
- Cubana Club
- Albacore Fishing Club
- Le Cinquieme Element
- Submarine Plongee
- La Villa Club
When to travel Saint-Gilles?
Generally tourists choose dry months between May and October to visit Saint-Gilles as when the weather remains pleasant and supportive for outdoor activities.
Accommodation options in Saint-Gilles:
Hotels in Saint-Gilles have a great hand in serving overseas tourists with a wide range of modern amenities. Other than facilities and services, visitors can also enjoy mouthwatering French, Indian and Chinese delicacies in such hotels. Some upgraded hotels in Saint-Gilles are as follows:
- Le Saint Alexis
- Hotel Boucan Canot
- Le Saint Michel
- Hotel Les Creoles
- LUX Ile de La Reunion
- Appart Hotel Marina
- Hotel Le Recif
- Novotel Saint-Gilles La Reunion
- Tama Hotel
- Blue Beach Hotel la Reunion
- Le Grand Bleu
- Alamanda Hotel
- Les Palmes
- Hotel La Villa du Soleil
- Hotel Boucan Canot