A trip with my dog to Île de Porquerolles (Hyères)

This April, I took a trip with my dog to Hyères, and while we were there we took a day-trip to Île de Porquerolles, a beautiful rugged island just off the coast of Giens.

Porquerolles is the largest of the Îles d’Hyères and is roughly 7km by 3km in size. It features a number of beautiful beaches as well as

Unfortunately dogs are not allowed on the dreamy beaches, but don’t despair: The island is 100% worth visiting with your dog nonetheless. It is absolutely gorgeous! Both myself and my pup had a great time there and I highly recommend visiting Porquerolles with your dog.

If you are looking to spend a few days around Hyères, I can recommend the apartment that I stayed at. If you’re interested you can find more information on where to stay in Hyères with your dog here.

HOW TO GET TO PORQUEROLLES WITH YOUR DOG

In order to get to Porquerolles with your dog, you need to take a ferry from Tour Fondue on the Giens Peninsular near Hyères. Parking lots are available right next to the ferry terminal. I paid 6.70 EUR for 6 hours parking which I found fair.

Ferries run from early morning until late afternoon, you can consult the ferry schedule here. Your dog is allowed on the ferry and even travels free of charge! For myself, I paid 22 EUR for the return trip, not bad.

My dog was initially a bit scared on the ferry but she quickly calmed down. On the way back, she was already totally relaxed and curled up under my seat as if nothing special was happening.

HOW TO EXPLORE PORQUEROLLES WITH YOUR DOG

There is a lot to explore on Porquerolles, so I definitely recommend you to get there early in the day to have enough time to do everything that you are interested in without being stressed.

Initially I thought we would maybe spend 1-2 hours on the island, but once I got there I realized: No way! We ended up spending nearly 6 hours there and it still was not enough. I wish we would have had more time.

Next, I definitely recommend you to rent a bicycle. You can explore Porquerolles by foot, but especially if you plan to go to Cap de Mèdes (and you really should!), a bike is almost indispensable. Theoretically, you can walk, but it will take you a long time to get there and back.

So how do the bike and the dog go together? Well, you just have to be a little creative. I rented a bicycle with a little cart that is meant for kids, but it worked great for my dog too.

We were definitely the hit of the island, with lots of people commenting on the dog on the bike!

My pup is used to traveling in a cargo bike back home, so she was happy to sit there and be driven around. The bike came with seatbelts that I was able to attach to her harness to make sure that she is safe.

I can definitely recommend this setup, but I would encourage you to rent an electric bike with a cart. They are available! I just got a regular bike because I thought going electric was not necessary. Looking back, I should have gone for it. The terrain is hilly and rugged and especially with the extra load of the cart I struggled to even move sometimes. So: Go electric if you can. This bike cost me 30 EUR for 1/2 day.

With the logistics figured out, we can get started exploring the island.

WHAT TO SEE ON PORQUEROLLES

We did not get around to seeing the whole island, but starting from the port you basically have three choices:

• You can head west towards Langoustier and see beaches like Plage d’Argent (Money Beach!) and Bon Renaud on the way
• You can head south towards Phare de Porquerolles
• You can head east towards Cap de Mèdes

Honestly, even with a full day available, I am not if it is possible to see everything. All across the island, you will find beaches, coves and other beautiful spots, so you almost cannot go wrong, no matter where you go.

Personally, I decided to see a small part of the west side with Plage d’Argent and Bon Renaud but then head east to Cap de Mèdes. I was very excited about seeing that and wanted to make sure that I have enough time. And it was absolutely beautiful. But one thing at a time…

First off: Please remember that your dog is not allowed on the beaches and should remain on their leash at all times!

No problem though, you can often see the beaches from above and to be honest, the beaches that I passed were beautiful but often also quite packed. And this was on a Monday in April, not exactly peak time. I can only imagine how busy it will be on a weekend in summer…

We did come across a few coves though where water access was possible for my pup. Since it explicitly said that dogs are not allowed on the “plages”, I figured any place that was not called “plage” and did not say “beach access” or anything similar was alright to visit. Please make your own choices on this, I cannot conclusively say if that was correct but I did the best I could with the information that I had.

My dog had a little bath at Bon Renaud. This was the first time that she really went into the sea beyond just getting her paws wet. She properly went in on her own volition and it was so beautiful to see.

The view at Bon Renaud was also a sight to behold. You can see the island until its eastern-most point, Cap de Mèdes, which we will still visit later. And the sea has a fantastic colour. It’s even more beautiful in real life!

Apparently there is also a fort near Bon Renaud, but somehow we missed that. Make sure to get yourself a map when you pick up your bike, it helps a lot with navigating the island but even then you might miss a spot here or there.

The western side of the island also hosts the island’s winery, so you will actually pass some vineyards.

If you’re keen on wine, why not arrange a tasting while you’re there? I did a wine tasting with my dog in St Hippolyte in Alsace and we had lots of fun!

After getting a small taste of the western side of Porquerolles, we started heading east towards Cap de Mèdes.

The whole way there, you will find different viewpoints, beaches and coves. I would estimate that in total travel time, it took me around 40 minutes to reach Cap de Mèdes. However, I suggest that you take your time to enjoy the way there, no need to rush!

On the final approach to Cap de Mèdes, I had to relent and leave the bike. The path gets extremely rocky while still going uphill… With the bike cart attached, there was just no way that I was getting up there!

So we did the last part of the ascent on foot and I would recommend you to do that too. Even if you can manage, it’s no fun driving across these rocks, especially for your pup in the back!

On the contrary, I think my dog was quite happy to get a chance to stretch her paws and get walking after spending most of the trip in the cart so far.

My pup loves climbing, so rocky terrain is exactly her thing. She likes going up and done any kinds of stones and walls, so she was completely in her element here. Overall, it was like one big playground for her!

Cap de Mèdes was a breathtaking spot. The first thing that you’ll notice is that there are seagulls everywhere. Lots of them. It was quite the sight. The views are also gorgeous. Flowers on one side, rocks, water in all shades of blue. Simply beautiful.

Aside from seagulls, Cap de Mèdes also seems to be popular with divers. I can only imagine the beauty that can be found at the bottom of the sea there. Maybe next time I will discover it from below too!

HOW LONG IT TAKES AND WHO IT’S FOR

You can spend as little or as much time as you want on the island, the only limitation is the ferry schedule. I would recommend planning at least a half day, better a full day to visit Porquerolles with your dog. There is lots to see and enjoy.

The terrain on the island is quite rugged and hilly. If you plan on cycling and moving your dog in a cart, you need a reasonable level of fitness. I would suggest getting an electric bicycle to make it easier for you.

Of course you can also walk, but again: It is hilly, so I think walking would also be somewhat strenuous. I definitely saw more people on bikes than on foot. On the other hand, I don’t remember seeing a single pram. Make of that what you will!

THE BOTTOM LINE

To me, a visit to Porquerolles is a must-do with your dog if you are in the Hyères area. We had a fantastic day on the island and would have loved to spend even more time there. One of my favorite trips with my dog so far!