Discover Saint-Denis from 539 €
Formalities
Before leaving, you will need :
- a valid identity card
- or a valid passport
Information on customs and police formalities is given for guidance only. Corsair cannot be held responsible if you are not in compliance with the authorities.
To prepare your trip, we suggest you contact the island’s tourist office in Paris:
Reunion Tourist Office
90 rue La Boétie, 75008 Paris
Telephone : +33 (0)1 40 75 02 79
Website : www.reunion.fr
Worth knowing
There are no obligatory vaccinations. However, you should bring sunscreen, sunglasses and mosquito repellent.
Shopping hours
Shops are open from 08:00 to 17:00.
Transport
In Réunion, a single bus company covers a substantial part of the island with its yelow buses. However, depending on your travel routes, renting a car may be a more practical choice.
Security
Take care when swimming, as there can be sharks in some places. Make sure before taking hiking trails that they are well marked.
Services
Most services are open from 08:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday, and on often on Saturday morning.
Celebrations and public holidays
- Choca festival in Entre-Deux from 1st to 31st July
- Sakifo Music Festival in Saint-Pierre from 4th to 8th August
- Vacoa and palm festival in Saint-Philippe from 6th to 15th August
- Pilgrimage from Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette to Saint-Leu on 19th September
- Aïd-el-Kebir (Eid al-Adha or Tabaski) on 17th November
- Fête caf' (Festival of the Cafres) on 20th December
- Cavadee Festival in Saint-Leu, Saint-André and Saint-Louis from 19th to 21st January
- “Réunion d’aventures” race from 8th to 15th May
The essentials
Not to be missed
The city of Saint-Denis has an extraordinary historical heritage. Its monuments, parks, museums and Creole houses are a living illustration of its history.
Le Barachois, La Roche Ecrite and the Saint-Denis Cathedral are definitely among the essentials of Saint-Denis de la Réunion.
Strolling through the centre of Saint-Denis
As you pass the Prefecture and old city hall, you will discover the old Creole houses of rue de Paris, especially Villa Déramond Barre and Maison Carrère. You can then look around the Grand Marché and Petit Marché.
Monuments and museums
Among the many monuments, be sure to visit Saint-Denis Cathedral, the old city hall, Noor al Islam Mosque and the Saint-Jacques district church.
Léon Dierx Museum (housing a large Impressionist collection), the Natural History Museum and the Dodo beer house are also very interesting.
Parks and gardens
The State Gardens offer a fantastic collection of fruit trees and exotic species. They are also the setting of the Reunion Natural History Museum. Colorado Park is one the city’s main parks, a meeting place and celebration venue for all the inhabitants of Saint-Denis.
A natural area a few minutes from Saint-Denis
Colorado Park is a large natural area set slightly higher up (300 m). A start point for many walks or mountain bike rides, it also has a golf course.
Gastronomy
A mainly Creole cuisine, but with an Indian influence
Although you can find Indian, Chinese and of course French restaurants, Reunion’s cuisine remains primarily Creole. In the tasty, often spicy dishes with big helpings, you can detect a clear Indian influence.
The recipes are also reminiscent of Madagascan and African dishes.
Some typical dishes
Among the island’s typical dishes we can mention: chicken cari, fish cari (“cari” is a mainstay of Reunion cooking), stews (cockerel and duck), as well as Creole paté. This generally comes in tart form, along with a garnish such as stuffed chicken, pork, and spiced tomatoes.
Produce and markets
Local produce largely makes for the originality of Reunion cuisine. Some fruits, picked green, are primarily cooked as vegetables. Once matured, they are used as fruits.
The markets are overflowing with fruits: pineapples, mangoes, avocados, bananas, coconuts, peaches, bananas, carambola, passion fruit, guava, lychee, mango or papaya will knock you out with their freshness.
Drinks
You can find good quality French wines at a decent price. You can also try out “new world” wines, e.g. South African, which are often very good quality.
Don’t forget to try out vanilla coffee. The supermarkets stock “Pause Café” (coffee break) bottles, which are actually vanilla coffee punches, with a coffee liqueur flavour.
Watch out for restaurant opening times
Restaurants generally close early at lunchtime and in the evening.
Climate
Tropical influence
The island has a tropical oceanic climate. Tempered by the proximity of the ocean, the temperature on the coast varies between 18 and 31 °C. The cooler dry season runs from May to November (infrequent rain and mild temperatures), and the warmer wet season runs from November to April. In October and December, the season is spring-like with resplendent vegetation. www.meteofrance.com
Cooler at higher altitudes
At higher altitudes, the temperature can fall to 4°C, rarely exceeding 25 °C. The thermometer can even drop below zero in the mountains. At 1800 m, frosts are frequent in July and August, particularly at night.
