Location Information

Saint-Denis, Reunion
Language: English, French
Currency: Euros

Réunion is an island located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200 km south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.

In the 1640s, Réunion was occupied by the French, displacing the Portuguese, who in 1513 had been the first European arrivals on the island. The island became prosperous during the 18th century, along with nearby Mauritius, when it lay on the shipping routes which carried trade between Europe and Asia. Sugar plantations, worked by slaves imported from Africa, formed the other main economic sector. Réunion was ruled as a colony until 1946 when it was granted the status of an Overseas Department of France, under which it is an integral part of the French State, which is represented on the island by a commissioner.

Reunion has a hot tropical climate. Temperatures are cooler in the hills, occasionally dropping to freezing point in the mountains at night. The cyclone season (January to March) is hot and wet.

The capital, Saint-Denis is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has several places of interest, including the Natural History Museum and the Léon Dierx Art Gallery with its collection of French Impressionist paintings. There are various temples, a mosque and a cathedral, a sign of the cultural and religious variety of the island population.

A special feature on Réunion is the so-called cirques – large volcanic valleys surrounded by mountains, creating a natural amphitheatre of about 10km (6 miles) in diameter.

There are tours to the island’s still-active volcano, La Fournaise, which erupted three times in 2005. St Paul also has an interesting street market (Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings) and there are numerous traditional Créole houses.

Réunion does not have extensive beaches, but those on the leeward west coast are beautiful with yellow, black or white sands. Some of the best beaches are to be found at Saint-Gilles, Saint-Leu and Étang-Sale. These are mostly shallow coral, running out to the reef. The Coral Turtle Farm near Saint-Leu is an interesting place.

A variety of excellent restaurants, some run by hotels, offer good French cuisine and Creole specialties. There are about 10 first-class restaurants in Saint-Denis. Seaside restaurants in particular serve authentic local cuisine – a mixture of African, Chinese and Indian cooking. A full range of alcoholic drinks are available. Licensing hours are largely unrestricted.

Saint-Denis is the administrative capital of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean.

Saint-Denis was founded by Étienne Régnault in 1669 and became the capital of Réunion island in 1738.

Reunion has a hot, humid, typically tropical climate, so you can travel to Saint-Denis at any time of year and be assured of a warm welcome.

Saint-Denis, a picturesque town flanked by three mountains and situated at the mouth of the Saint-Denis River. Saint-Denis is a mixture of sophisticated French-style restaurants, bars and nightclubs (with Parisian prices), and more traditional sights and sounds.

Saint-Denis boasts a fascinating mix of religious architecture, from mosques, Tamil and Buddhist temples, to its Cathedral, illustrating the diversity of the island. There are several quaint old buildings, an interesting Natural History Museum, a Modern Art museum named after the poet Léon Dierx and the facades of old East India Company buildings. It is also well worth getting out of town and climbing one of the three surrounding peaks for a gorgeous view.

Medical Precautions:

Compulsory Vaccinations:
Yellow Fever

Recommended Vaccinations:
Hepatitis A
Tetanus