Lérins Islands ferries and boat trips

Two islands, one short crossing from Cannes

The Îles de Lérins sit just off Cannes, close enough that they are visible from La Croisette on a clear day, yet far enough that stepping off the ferry feels like leaving the Riviera behind for a couple of hours. The crossing leaves from the port at the foot of Le Suquet, not from Nice, and takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes to either island. That short distance is the whole appeal: no long transfer, no early start required, just a boat, pine trees, and a lot less noise than the mainland.

The two islands are not interchangeable. Sainte-Marguerite is the larger, more visited one, built around Fort Royal and its pine-covered walking paths. Saint-Honorat is smaller, quieter, and organised around a working monastery rather than a fort. Most visitors pick one per trip; combining both is possible with an early start, but it turns a relaxed half-day into a fuller day. This guide covers how to choose, what each island actually offers on the ground, and how the islands differ from a coastal cruise toward the Esterel, which is a separate kind of outing covered on its own page.

Getting there: it starts in Cannes, not Nice

This is worth stating plainly because it trips up a fair number of visitors staying in Nice: ferries to the Lérins Islands depart from the port of Cannes, at the western end of La Croisette near Le Suquet. There is no direct boat service from Nice. If you are based in Nice or further east, the plan is to reach Cannes first, by train along the coast or by road, and then board a boat at the Cannes port.

Regular ferry operators run frequent crossings to both islands, with departures roughly every 30 to 45 minutes in the height of summer and a reduced schedule outside the season. Sainte-Marguerite, being closer and more popular, tends to have more frequent service than Saint-Honorat. Exact timetables shift with the season and the operator, so this guide does not promise fixed departure times: check the boards at the port on the day, or book a crossing in advance during July and August, when the first boats can sell out.

For visitors who want more flexibility than a scheduled ferry, a private boat trip to the Lérins Islands sets its own timing and can loop around both islands without waiting on a fixed return crossing, which suits anyone trying to see Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat in a single outing.

Sainte-Marguerite: fort, cell, and pine walks

Sainte-Marguerite is the busier of the two islands, and for most first-time visitors, the obvious choice. At its centre stands Fort Royal, a 17th-century fortress that later served as a state prison. Its best-known feature is the cell associated with the Man in the Iron Mask, the unidentified prisoner held here in the late 1600s whose story has never been fully resolved. The cell and a small museum inside the fort can be visited for a modest entry fee, and the displays give useful context on the island’s military and penal history without requiring much time.

Outside the fort, the island’s real draw is its pinewood paths. A network of shaded trails circles the island, with intermittent sea views back toward Cannes and, on clear days, across toward the Esterel headland. A full loop takes around an hour and a half at an easy pace; a shorter walk to the nearest viewpoints and back is closer to 45 minutes. There is no sand beach worth planning around, but rocky coves along the shoreline work for a swim if the sea is calm, and small seasonal cafés near the landing point sell drinks and light food.

Sainte-Marguerite works well as a half-day trip: fort and cell first, then a walk, then a swim or a coffee before the return boat. It is the more social, more visited of the two islands, which also means it can feel crowded around the landing point in peak summer.

Saint-Honorat: the abbey island

Saint-Honorat is the smaller island, and a different kind of visit altogether. There is no fort, no museum in the conventional sense, and comparatively few visitors even in summer. The island is centred on the Abbaye de Lérins, home to a small community of Cistercian monks who have lived here, on and off, since the 5th century. The monks farm the island’s vineyards and produce their own wine and spirits, sold at a shop near the landing point; a tasting or a bottle to take home is one of the few “activities” on offer, and it fits the island’s pace.

Scattered around the coastline are the ruins of several older chapels, remnants of the monastery’s earlier history, connected by a quiet coastal path that circles the island in under an hour. There is one restaurant, run by the abbey, serving lunch in season; beyond that, plan to bring water and anything else you might want, since options are limited.

Saint-Honorat suits visitors looking for something closer to a retreat than a sightseeing stop: fewer paths, fewer facilities, and a slower rhythm set by the monastery rather than by a ferry schedule. It rewards sitting still more than it rewards covering ground.

Choosing between the two, or combining them

	Sainte-Marguerite	Saint-Honorat
Main sight	Fort Royal, Man in the Iron Mask cell	Abbaye de Lérins, monks’ vineyard
Pace	Fort visit plus a walk, more active	Slower, contemplative
Walking	Full loop around 1.5 hours	Coastal loop under 1 hour
Food	A few seasonal cafés	One abbey-run restaurant
Crowds	Busier, especially midday in summer	Noticeably quieter
Good for	Families, history, a beach-and-walk half day	A calmer, shorter visit

If time is short, pick based on what you want from the afternoon: Fort Royal and a walk on Sainte-Marguerite, or a quieter wander and a wine tasting on Saint-Honorat. Combining both islands in one day is realistic if you start with the first morning boat, but it means less time on each and a tighter eye on return crossings, since the two islands are served by separate landing points and not by a boat that shuttles directly between them on every run. A Lérins Islands private boat tour from Cannes removes that scheduling pressure, since the boat waits on your timing rather than the other way round.

Travellers who want the islands as part of a wider loop, rather than as the only stop, sometimes add a run past Cap d’Antibes on the same outing; a private boat trip to the Lérins Islands and Cap d’Antibes covers both in a single afternoon on the water.

Not the same trip as the Esterel coast

It is worth separating this outing clearly from a boat trip along the Esterel coastline, which is a common source of confusion because both leave from ports near Cannes and both are sold as “Cannes boat trips.” An Esterel cruise stays along the mainland shore, showing the red volcanic rock formations and the Corniche d’Or between Cannes and Saint-Raphael, without landing anywhere. A Lérins Islands trip does the opposite: it crosses open water to an island and puts you ashore, with walking, a fort or an abbey, and a return crossing later. If you want red cliffs and coastal scenery from the water, the Esterel trip is the one to book; if you want to set foot on an island with its own history, this is it. Both are worthwhile, and neither substitutes for the other.

Practical notes for the day

• Footwear: Sainte-Marguerite’s paths are dirt and gravel, and Saint-Honorat’s coastal path crosses rocky, uneven ground in places. Comfortable shoes work better than sandals.
• Water and shade: both islands are largely pine woodland, which helps in summer, but facilities are limited, so carry water, particularly on Saint-Honorat.
• Timing: last return crossings tend to be mid to late afternoon outside peak summer, and slightly later in July and August. Confirm the last boat before you land, so you are not stuck overnight.
• Money: card payments are not guaranteed everywhere on the islands, especially at small seasonal stalls, so carrying some cash is sensible.
• Combining with Cannes: since the boat leaves from the Cannes port, pairing the islands with a morning in the old town or an afternoon on La Croisette makes efficient use of a day trip from Nice.

For visitors approaching this as part of a longer Riviera itinerary rather than a single outing, Cannes and the islands pair naturally over two days with Antibes; the Cannes boat and jet ski trip toward Mandelieu is a different, faster-paced option for travellers who want time on the water without the island stop, worth knowing about even if it is not the focus of this page.

Getting to Cannes first

Most visitors reading this are based in Nice, and the simplest way to reach the Cannes port is the coastal train, which runs frequently along the Riviera and takes roughly 40 minutes from Nice-Ville to Cannes. Driving is an option too, though parking near the port fills up quickly in summer. For a fuller sense of how a Lérins Islands trip fits into a day away from Nice, including timing for the crossing and time on shore, see the wider guide to day trips from Nice. Travellers weighing this against other Cannes day trip options, or comparing it with a walking route through Cannes itself, will find both covered separately.

Frequently asked questions about visiting the Lérins Islands

Do boats to the Lérins Islands leave from Nice or from Cannes?

From Cannes. The port at the foot of La Croisette and the Suquet is the departure point for both islands; there is no direct service from Nice, so factor in the drive or train to Cannes first.

How long is the crossing to Sainte-Marguerite or Saint-Honorat?

About 15 to 20 minutes from Cannes to either island by regular ferry. Exact schedules and frequency change with the season, so check the current timetable at the port rather than relying on a fixed time.

Can you visit both islands in one day?

Yes, if you start early and keep the visits focused: a couple of hours on Sainte-Marguerite for Fort Royal and a pinewood walk, then a shorter, calmer stop on Saint-Honorat. Doing both properly, with time to sit still on Saint-Honorat, is easier over a longer half-day.

What is there to see on Sainte-Marguerite?

Fort Royal, which houses the cell associated with the Man in the Iron Mask, a small museum, and pine-shaded paths that circle the island with sea views toward Cannes and the Esterel.

What is there to see on Saint-Honorat?

The Abbaye de Lérins, home to a small community of Cistercian monks who also make wine, plus chapel ruins scattered around the island and a coastal path. It is a place for a slower pace rather than a checklist of sights.

Are the Lérins Islands the same as an Esterel boat trip?

No. Esterel cruises stay along the mainland coast to show the red volcanic cliffs between Cannes and Saint-Raphael, without stopping on an island. Lérins trips land you on Sainte-Marguerite or Saint-Honorat, which is a different kind of outing.

Is there food and water on the islands?

Sainte-Marguerite has a handful of seasonal cafés and restaurants near the landing point. Saint-Honorat has one restaurant run by the abbey; options on both islands are limited, so carrying water is sensible, especially in summer.

Anyone planning the rest of the coast around this stop can also look at Villefranche and Cap Ferrat boat tours, the Esterel coast boat trips page for the mainland cruise alternative, Cannes boat tours and yacht cruises for other options leaving the same port, or the Sainte-Marguerite island and the Man in the Iron Mask background piece for more on the fort’s history. The Cannes, Antibes and the Lérins Islands in two days itinerary sets this trip inside a fuller western Riviera plan, and the Lérins Islands and Cannes destination pages cover the surrounding area in more depth. For general orientation on the coast, the Nice and best beaches in Nice and the Riviera pages are useful companions when planning which coastal days to prioritise.