To fully enjoy your week in Reunion, it is important to plan your itinerary in advance. Here is an overview of the organization of my road trip.

The 7-day itinerary that I present to you below allows you to discover breathtaking landscapes, fascinating culture and preserved nature.

Which company to go to Reunion?

It is difficult to choose between the airlines that serve Reunion: Air France, Air Austral, Corsair, French Bee, Air Mauritius, Air Madagascar or XL Airways France.

Because of this complicated Covid period, I looked for airlines that have flexible cancellation policies for flights to Reunion Island. In fact, there are only 3 companies that have removed their change and cancellation fees: Air France, Air Australe and Corsair. But when we simulate the reservation, cancelable and modifiable tickets are much more expensive.

After comparing the different companies, it was with Corsair that I decided to go to Reunion (return flight from Toulouse to Saint Denis at 576 €).

Why did I choose the month of July for this trip?

The best time to enjoy Reunion Island is between the months of June and September. So the month of July is favorable. It is also a good time to be able to see the Dolphins and whales in Reunion !

In fact, the period to avoid at all costs to go to Reunion is from November to April. Indeed, during this period, there is a risk of cyclones in the southwest of the Indian Ocean, especially in January and February.

Why visit Reunion in one week?

In July, I only have a short week of vacation and I was looking for a sunny destination with beautiful landscapes but not on the other side of the Earth. Indeed, for a week, I didn't want to waste too much time on formalities, flight time and not have too much jet lag.

However, just like theMauritius which I have already had the chance to visit, Reunion Island met my expectations thanks to its assets:

• Sun and heat in July;
• Only 2 hours of jet lag with France (ideal for short stays);
• Night return flight (thus saving time to make the most of the island);
• No Visa formality: for French nationals the national identity card is sufficient for sightseeing in Reunion;
• No compulsory vaccine.

To know that I liked this island so much that I went back there in 2022. This time, I visited Reunion in 15 days.

Is a week enough to visit Reunion?

Yes, the dimensions of Reunion Island make it easy to visit it in 7 days by taking a car tour. But, one week is not enough to enjoy the many hikes that this mountainous island offers.

In one week, it is therefore possible to discover the main centers of interest on Reunion Island by car:

• To the northwest : Seaside resorts with beautiful beaches along the lagoon, ideal place to swim with whales;
• In the center : Piton Maïdo, the volcano of Piton de la Fournaise and the cirque of Mafate;
• South : Wilder landscapes and the magnificent Grande Anse Beach;
• To the East : The Cirque de Salazie in Hell-Bourg, reliefs, waterfalls.

With my circuit presented below, it is possible to go around Reunion with a few stops inland to visit all these essential sites.

What to visit in a week in Reunion?

To make the itinerary for my road trip to Reunion, I selected only the essential visits on the nature side, volcanoes, hiking and the beach side!

Here are the 12 visits that my circuit allows you to do by going around the island by car in a week:

• Hell Bourg (ranked among the most beautiful villages in France)
• Circus of Salazie
• Mafate Circus
• Laves route
• Paradise beach of Grande Anse
• Piton de la Fournaise
• Bois Court Belvedere
• Grand Bassin village
• Route of the 400 bends which leads to Cilaos
• Circus of Cilaos
• Etang salé chasm
• Hermitage Beach (renowned as the most beautiful in Réunion)

In which direction should you go around Reunion Island?

With my itinerary which allows you to visit the interior and go around the island, the question arises as to which way to do it? For my part, I preferred to schedule tourist visits and hikes from the start of my tour.

So, I saved the seaside part on the most beautiful beaches of Reunion Island for last. I thought it would be better to end with some relaxation on the beautiful beaches near the lagoon. Especially since from Saint Gilles les Bains, you can take a sea excursion to swim with the whales.

Tour to visit Reunion by car

The island's roads offer spectacular panoramic views at every turn. Here is the Google map route that you can follow to do this tourist circuit:

Program and itinerary of my road trip to Reunion

Discover now, in more detail, this one-week itinerary in Reunion by car:

• Day 1 (July 25): Arrival at 10:45 am at Roland Garros airport in Saint Denis. Rental car recovery at the airport. 1 hour 20 minutes drive towards the Salazie circus. Visit of the village ofHell Bourg classified among the Most Beautiful Villages of France. Installation Le Cimendef hotel in Grand Ilet.
• Day 2 (July 26): Very early departure by car towards the Mafate Circus. Parking at Col des Boeufs car park, then Mafate circus hike (6 to 7 hours round trip). 1h journey to the hotel in Bras-Panon.
• Day 3 (July 27): Discovery of South of Reunion : Route des Laves and paradisiacal beach of Grande Anse. Installation hotel in the Plaine des Cafres (near the Piton de la Fournaise).
• Day 4 (July 28): Departure at 5 a.m. for ascent to the crater of Piton de la Fournaise. Back toPlaine des Cafres hotel
• Day 5 (July 29): Departure for the Bois Court lookout + village of Grand Bassin. Journey along the winding (400 bends) and panoramic road that leads to Cilaos. point of view The Wonderful Rock + hiking. Hotel installation at Cilaos.
• Day 6 (July 30): Early departure around Etang salé chasm. Then check in at the hotel facing the Hermitage beach and its dream lagoon!
• Day 7 (August 1): Lazy day at the hotel (see excursion to swim with whales). Then at the end of the afternoon: Airport to return the car. Corsair flight departure for France at 21:30 p.m.

Which hotels to visit Reunion by car?

When you only have 7 full days to visit Reunion, you don't have to ask yourself a single hotel or more.

Indeed, booking just one hotel and flitting around has a big drawback: you spend hours on the road going back and forth and you waste time! Especially since at certain times, I have read that the traffic is heavy and sometimes very congested.

The best is to find accommodation close to the stages of the route to optimize precious time and better enjoy the sites or beaches!

For accommodation, I chose inexpensive hotels or cottages except for the last night when I wanted a hotel with my feet in the water facing the lagoon!

Here is the list of hotels that I have already booked for my 7-day circuit in Reunion :

• Night 1 : Hotel Le Cimendef in Grand Ilet (€60 per night) See on Booking
• Night 2 : Vien a Zot' in Bras-Panon (€50 per night) See on Booking
• Nights 3 and 4 : Hôtel l’Ecrin in La Plaine des Cafres (€115 per night) See on Booking
• Night 5 : Snow Hotel in Cilaos (€106 per night) See on Booking
• Night 6 : Hotel Lux Saint Gilles at l’Hermitage (€220 per night) See on Booking

What budget for a week in Reunion?

By booking everything in January, 6 months before the departure date, the budget to visit the meeting in 1 week is not very high. In fact, the total budget including flights for a 7-day circuit in Reunion is established at 989 € per person (excluding meals, gasoline and whale watching).

Here is the detail below:

1 week in Reunion Island - Airline budget

The return plane ticket from Toulouse with Corsair cost me €576.

1 week in Reunion - Budget hotels

The total budget for hotels is 666 € for 6 nights which brings the cost of housing down to 333 € per person.

1 week in Reunion - Budget car rental

I booked a rental of one Volkswagen UP with the Sixt agency for €161 the 7 days either 80 € per person.

Other ideas for dream destinations? Why not the Canary Islands, The Maldives, Seychelles ou Polynesia ?