Things to do in Saint-Denis
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Saint-Denis
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, dry trails, clear mornings and a warm lagoon, with September to November the connoisseur window.
Whale season, humpbacks calve off the west coast and boats run from Saint Gilles under approach rules.
French school holidays, superb hiking weather but everything bookable books out and prices peak.
Hot wet season and cyclone season, with the highest cyclone risk from January to March.
Lychee season and the greenest waterfalls, at the price of summer rain.
What's on
- Grand Raid October
The Diagonale des Fous ultra trail crosses the island and finishes in Saint Denis at La Redoute stadium.
- Fête des Lentilles October
The lentil harvest festival in Cilaos, the cirque that grows the famous lentils.
- Dipavali October/November
The Tamil festival of lights, with processions and illuminated temples across the island.
- Grand Boucan June
The Saint Gilles carnival on the west coast, ending with the burning of King Dodo on the beach.
- Fête des Goyaviers May-June
Guava festival at Plaine des Palmistes on the road to the volcano.
- Chinese New Year January/February
Celebrated island wide and visibly in Saint Denis, with dances, processions and Chinese Creole food.
- Fèt Kaf 20 December
The island day marking the abolition of slavery in 1848, with maloya music and street parties.
Best things to do in Saint-Denis
Rue de Paris
The grand Creole avenue from the seafront to the botanical garden, lined with varangue houses and the tourist office.
Maison Carrère
A late 19th century Creole house on Rue de Paris housing the tourist office and exhibitions, the right first stop in town.
Le Barachois
The city seafront promenade with old cannons and ocean views, at its best at sunset with a drink from a kiosk.
Cathédrale de Saint-Denis
The listed cathedral on Avenue de la Victoire, one stop on a walk through the mosques, temples and churches of five cultures.
Musée Léon Dierx
Fine art in a Rue de Paris mansion, with Picasso and Cezanne alongside Reunionnais and Indian Ocean work.
Jardin de l'État
The historic botanical garden at the top of Rue de Paris, shaded tropical trees and ponds where the city breathes.
Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle
The island oldest museum inside the botanical garden, a primer on the geology and endemic wildlife of Reunion.
Grand Marché
The covered craft market for Malagasy woodwork, embroidery, spices and vanilla, if you compare stalls before buying.
Where to stay in Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis centre
culture, food and short stays
Walkable Creole old town with the museums, markets and best restaurant choice, but no swimming beach.
Sainte-Clotilde / Montgaillard
families, drivers and airport access
Greener hills above the centre, quieter at night and handy for Gillot airport and the east coast road.
Saint-Gilles-les-Bains / L'Hermitage
the lagoon and a resort week
The west coast resort base with lifeguarded lagoon beaches, diving, whale boats, golf and the liveliest evenings.
Cilaos
serious hiking
A mountain village at 1200 m for the Piton des Neiges, Fleurs Jaunes canyoning and the Mafate crossing.
Hell-Bourg
heritage and Salazie hiking
The prettiest village in the east, gateway to Belouve forest, the Trou de Fer viewpoint and the Col des Boeufs.
Think twice about
- Le Chaudron and Les Camélias
Housing estate districts east of the centre with no visitor accommodation and local reporting of recurring unrest and a drug problem.
- Airport and industrial fringe
Beyond an early flight night you will drive everywhere, eat in chains and see none of the city.
- North and east coasts as a beach base
There is no lagoon there, the sea is open ocean and swimming is not the activity.
Best restaurants in Saint-Denis
L'Ère des Mets
A small evening only tasting restaurant, foie gras, tartare and risotto, the special occasion dinner in the capital.
Côté Seine
Seasonal market cooking in an old bourgeois house near the Petit Marche, 14 years running and quietly refined.
Villa Angélique
Local produce menus served in the garden of a Creole case on Rue de Paris, the prettiest dining setting in town.
Le Reflet des Îles
The Creole reference address in the centre, caris and rougails in a Creole house at mid range prices.
Lé Gadiamb
A lively Creole restaurant bar for caris and grills, the mid range pick for a group night out in town.
Le Coin des Bons Amis
A neighbourhood favourite for French traditional cooking, house desserts, a shaded terrace and honest prices.
Le Vieux Kréole
A traditional Creole hot buffet of caris, rougails and gratins, the cheap feast where office workers lunch.
Ti Chouchou
The chouchou restaurant in the cirque that grows it, gratins and cari menus at honest prices in a full room.
Outdoor things to do in Saint-Denis
Piton de la Fournaise
The active volcano hike from Pas de Bellecombe across lava fields to the Dolomieu crater viewpoint, about 12 km.
Tunnels de Lave
Helmet and headtorch walks inside lava tubes left by Fournaise flows, led by a speleologist guide.
Piton Maïdo
The 2190 m balcony over roadless Mafate, essential before 9am and the trailhead for hikes down to La Nouvelle.
Piton des Neiges
The 3071 m summit climbed by headtorch from the Caverne Dufour refuge for sunrise above a sea of cloud.
Fleurs Jaunes
The signature Cilaos canyoning descent, abseils and slides ending with a 55 m abseil facing the Piton des Neiges.
Corail Hélicoptères
Helicopter flights from Gillot over the three cirques, the Trou de Fer gorge and the volcano, from about 290 euros.
Plage de l'Hermitage
Seven kilometres of white sand and a shallow reef lagoon with lifeguarded zones, the island family swimming beach.
Golf du Bassin Bleu
An 18 hole hillside course above Saint Gilles, ocean views on the front nine and eucalyptus forest on the back.
Best hotels in Saint-Denis
Villa Angélique
A small charm hotel and restaurant in a Creole garden house on Rue de Paris, as luxurious as Saint Denis gets.
Dina Morgabine Saint Denis
A modern seafront hotel with a rooftop pool and sea views, the best value full service base in the centre.
Maison Le Patio
A seven room guesthouse with a jacuzzi, the honest cheap bed in the capital at guesthouse rather than hotel scale.
Hôtel Exsel Créolia
A large hillside hotel above the centre with a big pool, gardens and parking, calm for families and drivers.
LUX* Saint Gilles
The island flagship five star, Creole villas in coconut gardens directly on the Hermitage lagoon.
Hôtel Le Récif
Creole villas in tropical gardens 200 m from the beach, two pools and the same lagoon as the five stars.
Les Aigrettes
A simple two star above Saint Gilles with a heated pool and views, ten minutes on foot from the resort.
Hôtel des Neiges
The established village hotel in Cilaos, built for trailheads, early breakfasts and the Piton des Neiges climb.
Is Saint-Denis expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €140 a person |
| Splurge | €300 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Tunnels de Lave: a few days ahead
- Piton des Neiges: weeks ahead
- Fleurs Jaunes: a few days ahead
- Corail Hélicoptères: weeks ahead
- Golf du Bassin Bleu: a few days ahead
- Golf de Bourbon: a few days ahead
- Paragliding in Saint-Leu: a few days ahead
- Villa Angélique: a few days ahead
- Book the Caverne Dufour refuge and Mafate gites weeks ahead in season.
- Book the Gillot helicopter early in your stay so weather can rebook you.
- Book canyoning, guided volcano hikes, weekend fine dining and Ti Chouchou ahead.
- Book rental cars and west coast mid range hotels ahead in school holidays and whale season.
Is Saint-Denis safe?
- Swim only inside the lagoon or a flagged supervised zone and obey beach flags absolutely.
- Never swim or surf outside designated areas, at river mouths, at dawn or dusk, or in murky water after rain.
- In the lagoon wear reef shoes, touch nothing and never pick up a shell, because stonefish and cone shells live there.
- Trails close by prefectural order after heavy rain and in cyclones, and the volcano enclos closes in eruptions.
- Leave nothing visible in a parked car, especially at trailheads, and call 112 in an emergency.
Saint-Denis travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Basing the whole trip in Saint Denis and spending it in traffic to everywhere else.
- Paying resort prices for a north or east coast sea view and expecting to swim.
- Buying vanilla at the first Grand Marche stall without comparing grades and pods.
- Combo day tours that promise Mafate or the volcano and Cilaos in a single day.
- Visiting Maison Folio without the guided tour.
- Starting for the high ground at midday when cloud has already filled the views.
Getting around Saint-Denis: public transport and more
- Rent a car at Roland Garros Airport and book ahead in French school holidays, about 25 to 45 euros a day for a small car.
- Saint Denis to Saint Gilles is 45 minutes on a good run and over an hour in rush hour, the volcano about 2 hours and Cilaos 2 to 2.5 hours.
- Car Jaune buses run roughly 06:00 to 18:00, but the cirques and volcano effectively require wheels.
- In Saint Denis the centre is walkable and parking is scarce, so a car is a liability in town and a necessity out of it.
Who Saint-Denis suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Saint-Denis your trip
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