Réunion is the Indian Ocean island for people who get bored on a sun lounger. A French overseas department roughly 200 km south-west of Mauritius, it packs an active shield volcano, a 3,000-metre peak, three vast collapsed calderas called cirques, waterfalls, sugar-cane plains and a coral lagoon on the west coast into an island you can drive across in about two hours. Much of the interior is protected as the UNESCO-listed Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island.

This guide focuses on a seven-day Réunion itinerary specifically for first-time visitors with a rental car who want comfortable hotels and big-landscape day trips rather than multi-day treks. It works on its own or as an add-on to a beach stay in Mauritius, just 45 minutes away by air.

Planning Basics

Réunion is part of France and the European Union, so the currency is the euro, roads and signage follow French standards, and EU roaming rules usually apply to European phone plans. Long-haul flights arrive at Roland Garros Airport near Saint-Denis from Paris (around 11 hours), and there are frequent short hops from Mauritius. A rental car is essential for this itinerary; public buses exist but will not get you to viewpoints at sunrise.

• Driving: mountain roads are narrow and winding. The road to Cilaos famously has around 400 bends; allow extra time and avoid driving tired.
• Swimming safety: because of shark risk, swimming outside protected lagoons and designated areas is restricted. Stick to the west-coast lagoon at L’Hermitage, La Saline and Saint-Leu, and follow local signage.
• Early starts: clouds build over the mountains by late morning. Plan viewpoints and hikes for sunrise and the first hours of the day.
• Language: French and Réunionnais Creole are spoken. English is understood in larger hotels but less so in the mountains.

Where to Stay: Three Bases

Rather than changing hotels every night, use three bases. The table below lists our recommended areas and the kind of hotel you can expect in each.

The west coast offers the island’s most polished hotels, including LUX* Saint Gilles on the L’Hermitage lagoon and Le Saint Alexis at Boucan Canot. In the cirques, accommodation is simpler but full of character, and dinners of Creole curries (carri) by a log fire are part of the experience.

Days 1–2: West Coast Lagoons

Arrive, collect your car and drive the coastal expressway to Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, about an hour from the airport. Spend the first afternoon settling in and swimming in the calm, reef-protected lagoon at L’Hermitage. On day two, snorkel the lagoon in the morning when the water is clearest, then drive up to the Maïdo viewpoint in the late afternoon if the clouds have cleared: from the rim at over 2,000 metres you look straight down into the Cirque de Mafate. Alternatively, try tandem paragliding from the slopes above Saint-Leu, one of the best paragliding sites in the world thanks to steady sea breezes.

Dinner options are best in Saint-Gilles, where restaurants serve grilled fish, rougail saucisse and French-Creole fusion. Watch the sunset from Boucan Canot beach first.

Day 3: Piton de la Fournaise Volcano

Leave before dawn. Drive south and inland through the Plaine des Cafres to the Route du Volcan, crossing the Plaine des Sables, a rust-red lunar landscape that feels like another planet. At Pas de Bellecombe, the viewpoint overlooks the enormous Enclos Fouqué caldera and the cone of Piton de la Fournaise, one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. When conditions and authorities allow, a marked trail descends into the caldera; the round trip to the summit crater takes five to six hours. Check the access status before you go, as the trail closes during eruptions.

Return via the south coast, stopping at the lava flows that cross the coastal road in the Grand Brûlé area, where you can walk on recent black lava and see new vegetation colonising it.

Days 4–5: Cilaos and Mafate

Drive the dramatic road to Cilaos, timing it for the morning to avoid fog. The village sits in a huge natural amphitheatre ringed by cliffs and is known for its thermal springs, embroidery, lentils and local wine. Spend the afternoon on a short hike to the Roche Merveilleuse viewpoint or the Bras Rouge waterfall.

Day five is for Mafate, the cirque with no roads at all. Its hamlets are reached only on foot or by helicopter. For most first-time visitors, the best options are a scenic helicopter flight, which also passes the spectacular Trou de Fer waterfall gorge, or a half-day hike over the Col du Taïbit for a taste of the cirque. Fit hikers can continue to the hamlet of Marla, but that is a long day; book a night in a Mafate gîte if you want to do it properly.

Days 6–7: Salazie and the Wild South

Cross back to the east via the coast and drive up into the Cirque de Salazie, the wettest and greenest of the three, with dozens of waterfalls streaming down the cliffs. Stop at the Voile de la Mariée (Bridal Veil) falls and continue to Hell-Bourg, classified among the most beautiful villages in France, with pastel Creole houses and gardens. Stay the night and visit the old thermal-spa ruins.

On the final day, if your flight is in the evening, drive the east coast toward the airport, visiting the Anse des Cascades waterfalls and the Notre-Dame-des-Laves church that lava flows famously stopped short of. Return the car at Roland Garros with time to spare.

What to eat along the way

Réunion’s food is one of its quiet pleasures, mixing French, Indian, Chinese, Malagasy and African influences. Carri (curry) of chicken, pork or fish, served with rice, lentils from Cilaos and a spicy tomato rougail, appears on almost every table. Samosas and bouchons (steamed dumplings) make good roadside snacks, and the Saint-Paul and Saint-Pierre markets are excellent for tropical fruit, vanilla and spices to take home. In the cirques, try the local rum infusions (rhum arrangé) after dinner, and in Cilaos, a glass of the island’s small-production mountain wine.

Adapting the itinerary

• Travelling with children: skip the long volcano hike and walk the short trails around Pas de Bellecombe instead; spend an extra lagoon day at L’Hermitage.
• Keen hikers: swap one west-coast day for a two-day Mafate trek with a night in a gîte, or climb Piton des Neiges for sunrise from the Caverne Dufour refuge.
• Honeymooners: add a night at a clifftop south-coast hotel and book a private helicopter flight over the cirques.
• Short on time: with five days, combine the cirques into one base at Cilaos and drop Salazie.

Best Time to Visit and Budget

May to November is the dry austral winter and the best period for this itinerary: clearer mountain views, cooler hiking temperatures and lower cyclone risk. Coastal days remain warm. December to April is hot and humid, with heavy rain in the mountains and possible cyclones from January to March. October is popular for the Grand Raid ultra-trail race, so book accommodation early that month. Official event and travel information is available from Réunion Island Tourism.

Budget-wise, Réunion is priced like mainland France. Expect higher rates on the west coast, good-value guesthouses in the cirques, and helicopter flights to be the single biggest activity cost. Rental cars are reasonable if booked in advance.

Planning a wider Indian Ocean trip? Combine Réunion with a beach week using our Mauritius luxury resort guide and best beaches in Mauritius, or add the quiet charm of Rodrigues Island. If you love volcanic hiking islands, our Madeira 5-day itinerary follows a similar format in the Atlantic.

Rates, schedules and policies change; confirm details with each property or operator before booking.