What to see and do on Aix Island, a charming place in the West of France

On your trip around the charming medieval town of La Rochelle, western France, you can visit a very small island where nature and history are the main protagonists.

With just 130 hectares of extension, it is an island without cars, which you must visit on foot or, much better, cycling.

I mean the Aix island.

In my last trip through western France I had the opportunity to visit the island of Aix with bike tour, which is easy on an island that is barely 3 kilometers long and 700 meters wide.

Curiosities history island of Aix

Located south of the much more famous island of Re, and not far from the historic enclave of Fort Boyard, Aix island It is especially known because Napoleon He took refuge there for two days before being arrested and then exiled to Santa Elena.

But the first writings where reference is made to the Aix island They date back to the year 1070, when at that time it housed a monks priory.

Later, in 1614, king Louis XIV He set up an arsenal on the island.

In fact Aix became one of the islands where the famous fortifications of Vouban to protect the ships that were built in Rochefort.

The most notable historical moment was, as I mentioned before, when in 1815 Napoleon spent three nights in the old Governor's house before surrendering to the English.

What to see when visiting the island of Aix (western France)

That house currently houses a small museum dedicated to Napoleon.

The year 1925 was also key in the history of this small island, as it was when some barons bought the island and recovered it from its former use as a military camp.

Napoleon Museum on the island of Aix

They were the promoters of the aforementioned napoleon museum and another dedicated to Africa.

Now you also find the mother of pearl museum, which includes the works of the last artisan in France dedicated to working with this substance.

And the French emperor is also a protagonist on the island, giving its name to the Napoleon Hotel, a small design establishment that has been open since 2010, which is the only one on the island, where there is also a hostel.

Without a doubt, the best way to knowing the island of Aix is ​​by bicycle, for which you have a couple of establishments to rent the bikes., which in high season it is advisable to do before your arrival.

Fort Leidot on the island of Aix

In your bike ride on the island of Aix you will leave the small town that is a sample of the country architecture of the region, and you will reach a forest of pines and cypresses where the fortification of Fort Leidot.

As a curiosity, this fort for a time it was a cárcel in which, between 1956 and 1962, the Algerian independence leader, later president of Algeria, was imprisoned, Ben Bella.

Map: how to get to the island of Aix by boat

For reach the island of Aix, throughout the year you have a ferry what comes out from the town of Fouras, which is half an hour away by car south of La Rochelle.

La ferry crossing from Fouras it lasts 20 minutes, and the price of the ticket is in high season, from April to September, 14,50 euros for adults, and the rest of the year, 9,40 euros.

In high season you have other alternatives from other places in the area; here you can consult the information on ferries to the island of Aix.

Photos Aix island west of France

Here you have more photos of the island of Aix, which you can visit near La Rochelle, western France.