Sainte-Marguerite Island trail

A loop around the largest of the Lérins Islands, 15 minutes by boat from Cannes. The trail runs along the shore to the salt pond of Batéguier, where birds nest, then to the Pointe du Dragon. Next come a grove of huge stone pines and a forest of Aleppo pines on the south shore. The Allée des Eucalyptus leads back to the pier.

Where

Cannes, France

Length

4.5 km

Time

2 h

Difficulty

easy

Route

loop

Difficulty colour

green run

Up and down

↑ 70 m · ↓ 70 m

Colours work like ski runs and match the app: they come from the length, the climbs and the steepness. Highest point: 37 m.

Where to start

Sainte-Marguerite Island pier. Boats to the Lérins Islands leave from the Old Port of Cannes; the crossing takes about 15 minutes. There are also boats from Golfe-Juan, Juan-les-Pins, Mandelieu-la-Napoule and Théoule-sur-Mer.

Before you go

Boat timetables change with the seasons. Before your walk, check the time of the last boat back.

The whole island forest is a biological reserve. No cycling or kick scooters, no picking plants, no smoking and no fires. Don’t let dogs run loose. Don’t go near the banks of Batéguier pond.

From mid-June to the end of September, access to the forests of the Alpes-Maritimes depends on the daily fire risk map by commune: risque-prevention-incendie.fr/alpes-maritimes. On a “red” day, entering the forest is banned all day.

Facts checked on 26.10.2026.

Sources

• Randoxygène, Alpes-Maritimes Department — “Ile Sainte-Marguerite” (4.5 km, +50 m, 2 h, easy)
• Order of September 26, 2006 on the biological reserve of Sainte-Marguerite Island (152.51 ha, rules for visitors)
• Cannes Tourist Office (Côte d’Azur France) — “Forêt de l’Ile Sainte-Marguerite”
• Côte d’Azur France — “Ile Sainte-Marguerite”: Batéguier pond, artesian well, bird reserve
• Côte d’Azur France — Horizon boat to Sainte-Marguerite Island from Quai Laubeuf in Cannes (15 minutes)
• Alpes-Maritimes Prefecture — order 2025-101: summer access to forests according to the risk map for each commune (summary, May 2025)
• Daily fire risk map by commune for the Alpes-Maritimes