Overview

There are 2 islands just off Cannes, which can be visited by a step free boat ride from Cannes. Saint-Honorat Island is the smaller of the two and has a monastery with Cistercian monks. On the island visitors can see the church and/ or attend a service. On the island are vineyards. There is a restaurant (open all year round), snack bar (only open in the summer season) and a shop which sells the wine the monks make on the island. This review is about Ile Saint-Honorat only.

Transport & Parking

Boats to Saint-Honorat leave regularly throughout the year from Vieux Port at Cannes. There is step free access and spaces for wheelchair users. The boat trip takes about 15 minutes but check the schedule for the last boat of the day and be mindful there is a gap in the schedule over the lunchtime. On route to the island there are impressive views of La Croisette and the French Riviera coastline. Please note tickets for the ferry can be bought online or at the kiosk at Vieux Port, which is accessible via stairs, although there is a step free route to boarding the bus. I visited in early October and was surprised at the length of the queue to buy or collect tickets for the boat ride. I was worried that I would miss my planned boat (they are only once every hour) but the boat waited until everyone who was travelling was aboard so it left a few minutes late. This was my experience so don't assume they will do that when you are wanting to travel so please arrive early. On the Cannes side the ticket kiosk and boat are located through a car park, just off a road where buses go by.

Access

Arriving at Saint-Honorat there are either steps or a sloping path onto the main pathway. I have a mobility disability and walk with a crutch, and I found the paths doable. Most of the pathways are firm earth with pavement pathways just surrounding the buildings. The land is mostly flat, with wide shady paths, however I didn't explore the entire island. There are useful leaflets with a map of the island with timings between distances which the ferry company have and there is a big map when you arrive on the island. However I didn't notice much signage. There's paths which follow the outskirts of the island, along the coastline, and paths which cut across the island to the Abbey. The pathways are wide and shaded by trees. The paths run along side vineyards. This area is like a nature reserve. The main building is the monastery and the Abbey church. These historic buildings are set in delightful flower and tree filled gardens. There is a small step into the church and inside is relatively simple in style, which is in keeping with the monastery. There are various buildings including small chapels, tower, gateways, ruined remains which are also worth discovering. I saw one of the chapel's and that wasn't open so not sure about access. I didn't visit the tower, shop or restaurant/ snack bar so unable to comment about them.

Toilets

I didn't use these while I was on the island. When I disembarked off the boat I followed the signs to the toilet. These toilets were in a little hut with separate ones for men and women. I went into the ladies and found they had 2 cubicles both were the standing toilet variety, so with a mobility difficulty I would have struggled with this so I ended up not using them and waiting until I was back in Cannes. However there are other toilets on the island, however I'm unable to comment on them as I didn't see them. I've left the score blank for this one as I'm unsure what else is available. The toilets I saw were not suitable but the other ones may have been much better.

Staff

The staff with the ferry company were very friendly. welcoming and helpful. One of them seeing my crutch told me about the choice of stairs or path when I arrived at the island. On the island itself there's no staff around until you arrive at the restaurant or entrance to the monastery. The lady who let me through to the church service was very polite and welcoming.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Ile Saint-Honorat provides a peaceful and welcome retreat from the decadence of Cannes. The first thing that strikes you when you arrive is the peace and solitude. It's a very special place to visit and is well worth travelling over by boat if you are looking for peace and solitude. There is a charge for the ferry but there is no admission costs once on the island.

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