Ile Sainte-Marguerite: the hidden swimming spots locals love
Our guide to the secret swimming spots, the underwater museum, and everything we do every time we visit.
Fifteen minutes by ferry from Cannes, there is an island covered in pines and eucalyptus, fringed by turquoise coves where you can swim without seeing another soul. And yet, most tourists stay on the beach next to the ferry dock.
Ile Sainte-Marguerite is the largest of the Lerins Islands. It measures 3 km end to end, you can walk around it in two hours, and it hides a dozen swimming spots that even some locals do not know about. It is our favourite day trip - we go at least once a month in summer, with a picnic bag filled at Marche Forville that same morning.
Where are the secret swimming spots?
The rule is simple: the further you walk from the ferry dock, the more beautiful and empty it gets. Most visitors stay on the Sainte-Anne beach to the left of the jetty, or around the Fort Royal. The real spots are on the southern coast, facing the open sea.
🌊 The Dragon coves
The best spot on the island. On the south-west coast, small turquoise coves bordered by pines that provide natural shade. An old blockhouse serves as a viewpoint. In summer, this is where we set up for the day.
🪨 The high rocks (south-east)
Natural rock platforms perfect for sunbathing and diving in. This is the favourite spot for beginner cliff jumping - the rocks are 2 to 3 metres high, no more, with deep clear water below. Few people even in August.
🛌 Portet cove
Closer and more accessible, near the Maison Forestiere. Large flat rocks that children love. The water is calm and shallow - our spot when we visit with family.
💡 Our picnic tip
Buy your picnic at Marche Forville in Cannes before boarding the ferry. Cheese, bread, olives, ham, a chilled rose. Find a deserted cove on the southern coast. It is the best lunch of your life for 15 euros.
The underwater museum
This is the thing most people miss entirely. Since 2021, six sculptures by British artist Jason deCaires Taylor have been submerged a few dozen metres off the island's southern coast, at 3 to 5 metres depth.
The sculptures represent masked faces - a nod to the Man in the Iron Mask who was imprisoned in the Fort Royal on the island for 11 years. They are made from ecologically neutral material that encourages marine colonisation. Over the years, they become covered in algae and shellfish.
The best part: you only need a mask and snorkel to see them. No scuba diving required, no need to be an experienced swimmer. You swim about 100 metres from the coast and find them. The water is clear, the depth is accessible, and it is free.
🏊 Snorkeling practicalities
Bring your own mask and snorkel (no rental on the island). The spot is on the south of the island, off the Maison Forestiere path. Go in the morning for the best visibility. It is the first underwater eco-museum in France and the Mediterranean.
Practical information
How to get there
Two ferry companies depart from Quai Saint-Pierre at the Vieux Port: Trans Cote d'Azur and Riviera Lines. 15-minute crossing, return ticket around 18.50 euros. From April to October, departures are regular (roughly every hour). Off-season schedules are reduced - check before you go.
From our apartment in the Californie neighborhood, the Vieux Port is about a 20-minute walk. We make the first ferry of the morning.
What to bring
There is almost nothing to buy on the island (two restaurants, no shops). Bring everything: water, picnic, sunscreen, towel, water shoes (the beaches are rocky), and a mask and snorkel if you want to see the underwater museum. A rubbish bag to take your waste home.
📅 The last ferry
Check the time of the last return ferry before you go. They leave earlier than you think, especially off-season. The last boat is usually around 5:30-6pm in summer and 4:30pm off-season. Nothing worse than missing the last boat.