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Réunion🇷🇪 | best townsDiscover the 10 Best towns Across Réunion

Réunion packs three worlds onto one volcanic island: the dry, sun-baked west coast with its beach towns, the wet, green east with cane fields and vanilla, and the cool highland cirques smelling of woodsmoke and curry. Prices are French, so mid-range, and the bus network is patchy. Independent travelers trade crowds for hairpin roads and fast-changing weather.

By Johan Kruseman 🇳🇱 | Updated October 23, 2026
Explore the best villages in Réunion

Why go?Key Factors That Shape the Experience

Réunion is a French department in the Indian Ocean, and that shapes everything about its towns. Creole, Tamil, Malagasy, Chinese and Indian communities share the same streets, so you smell cari simmering, hear Creole shouted across market stalls, and pass Hindu temples beside Catholic churches. The island is a single volcanic cone, so settlements cling to a narrow coastal strip or sit at the end of vertiginous roads inside collapsed craters. Distances look short on a map but take hours, and the interior gets cloud and rain by midday. Euro prices, good roads and French-standard services make life easy, yet public transport is thin, and a rental car matters. Cyclone season brings heavy rain and the occasional road closure, so plan around the weather and not against it.
Why These Made the Cut
The list of best towns in Réunion is created based on charm, local culture, atmosphere, hidden gems, and visitor appeal. If you feel a town is missing in this list, please let us know.

When to go?Seasonal Guide to Visiting

Best Months: The best months are May to October, the austral winter, when skies are clear, humidity drops and hiking days stay dry. Coastal temperatures sit around 22 to 28°C, while highland towns can fall to 5 to 10°C at night, so a fleece earns its space.Shoulder and Peak Seasons: November and April are shoulder months with warm seas, fewer visitors and lower flight prices. July and August plus the December holidays fill rental cars and accommodation, and prices can climb 20 to 40 percent, so book weeks ahead. January to March is cyclone and heavy-rain season, with humid heat above 30°C on the coast and road closures possible. The east is rainy year-round, often 3,000 mm or more annually, while the west stays drier and sunnier.

town hoppingOptimizing Your Multi-Stop Itinerary

Time Needed: A trip combining several towns needs 7 to 10 days, and two to three nights per stop works best. Allow 1 to 2 hours by road between neighboring regions and up to 2.5 hours into the cirques, where the road twists through hundreds of bends.Direction and Clusters: Group the west coast with the southwest, then loop through the south and east before climbing to the highlands. Use Saint-Denis or Saint-Pierre as transport hubs, where buses and car rentals are easiest. Travel clockwise or counterclockwise, but save the cirques for the clearest forecast.Common Mistakes: Travelers often pack in too many stops, underestimating winding roads and afternoon fog. Plan only one mountain leg per day, start before 8 a.m. while the air is clear, and leave buffer time for traffic around Saint-Denis.

The ListThe Best towns of Réunion

1 Saint-Gilles-les-Bains

Boucan Canot surf, harbor boats, reef aquarium

Take a surf lesson at Brisants, join a whale or dolphin outing from the port and finish the day at the grills.

2 Cilaos

Lentil terraces, 400 hairpins, thermal baths, Roche Merveilleuse

Climb above the cirque rooftops for the view, then soak tired legs in the mineral springs and taste local wine and lentils.

3 Salazie

Bridal Veil falls, Hell-Bourg villas, fizzy iron spring

Walk Hell-Bourg's wooden Creole houses, fill a bottle at the sparkling spring and climb to the Piton d'Anchain viewpoint before cloud arrives.

reunion-city-salazie
© Google |

4 Saint-Pierre

Saturday market, Tamil temple, harbor promenade

Browse spices and samosas at the waterfront market, visit the Tamil temple and walk the harbor at dusk where fishermen unload.

reunion-city-saint-pierre
© Google |

5 La Saline-les-Bains

Shallow lagoon, pale sand, filao picnics

Snorkel the reef in calm morning water, then eat samosas under the filaos with families who fill the lawns on Sundays.

6 Saint-Leu

Paragliding launch, turtle lagoon, sugar-factory museum

Fly tandem from the hill to the beach, then snorkel the lagoon among turtles or tour the old sugar factory above town.

7 Entre-Deux

Creole verandas, Dimitile ridge, weekend market

Wander streets of old wooden houses, hike the ridge above the canyon and fill a bag at the Saturday and Sunday market.

8 L’Étang-Salé

Black sand, casuarina forest, lava blowhole

Swim in the supervised zone, walk the shaded forest behind the beach and watch waves burst through the blowhole on the lava coast.

reunion-city-letang-sale
© Google |

9 La Plaine-des-Palmistes

Highland rain forest, tree ferns, village bakeries

Walk misty trails through tamarind and fern forest at the plateau's edge, then warm up with fresh bread, cheese and honey from the bourg.

10 Saint-Joseph

Langevin waterfall, Sunday market, volcano gateway

Hike to Langevin's cold pools and waterfall, then pick up vanilla, lychees and rum at the Sunday market before heading toward the volcano.

11 Petite-Île

Grand Anse pool, Cap Méchant cliffs, vanilla and wine slopes

Swim at Grand Anse, watch waves explode on basalt at Cap Méchant, then taste vanilla and volcanic-slope wine in the hills above.

12 Sainte-Rose

1977 lava flow, Notre-Dame-des-Laves, Anse des Cascades

See the church spared by the 1977 lava, then picnic by palms at Anse des Cascades and watch surf pound the headlands.

13 Le Tampon

Geranium farms, turmeric producer, 600-meter air

Smell scented geranium at the surrounding farms, taste turmeric at a small producer and stroll the market in cool highland air.

14 La Possession

Sentier Marin, Mafate rim, working waterfront

Follow the coastal path along black rock, stroll the Ravine à Marquet seafront or start the steep Scout trail toward Mafate.

15 Bras-Panon

Vanilla cooperative, Rivière des Roches, black-pebble coast

Visit the cooperative where vanilla pods are cured, then follow the river to basalt pools and a waterfall that roars after rain.

16 Trois-Bassins

Three basins, geranium slopes, Cap Homard, Sunday stalls

Chase waterfalls along the ravine after rain, look down over cane fields from old trails and taste bonbons piment at the village market.

17 Sainte-Suzanne

Cascade Niagara, sugar estate, vanilla orchids

Stop at the roadside waterfall, tour the Grand Hazier estate and watch growers hand-pollinate vanilla orchids on nearby plantations.

18 Le Port

Harbor quays, cargo cranes, produce market

Watch fishing boats and container ships from the quay, browse litchis and chilies at the morning market and learn dockside history at the museum.

Think you know Réunion?

Prove you’re a true local — uncover 8 lesser-known towns in Réunion that locals tend to keep to themselves.
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Expert viewTips and Advice from Travelers

How Many Towns: I advise three to four towns over a week. Roads are slow and winding, and each place deserves a full evening of market food and a morning wander before the clouds roll in. More than that, and you spend the trip behind the wheel.Which Kind to Prioritize: Beach lovers should favor the dry west coast, with sunsets over the lagoon and cheap grilled fish at snack stands. Hikers belong in the highland cirques, where you wake to cold air, woodsmoke and trails starting at the door. Culture seekers should pick the south and east, where Tamil temples, spice markets and vanilla sheds give each street a different smell. Cirque nights end early, so pack a headlamp.What It Costs: Budget US$55 to 100 a day (€50 to 90) for a shared room or basic gîte, market lunches, and a rental car. Dorms … read more 👉
How Many Towns: I advise three to four towns over a week. Roads are slow and winding, and each place deserves a full evening of market food and a morning wander before the clouds roll in. More than that, and you spend the trip behind the wheel.Which Kind to Prioritize: Beach lovers should favor the dry west coast, with sunsets over the lagoon and cheap grilled fish at snack stands. Hikers belong in the highland cirques, where you wake to cold air, woodsmoke and trails starting at the door. Culture seekers should pick the south and east, where Tamil temples, spice markets and vanilla sheds give each street a different smell. Cirque nights end early, so pack a headlamp.What It Costs: Budget US$55 to 100 a day (€50 to 90) for a shared room or basic gîte, market lunches, and a rental car. Dorms are rare, and a gîte bed runs about €25 to 45. Car rental costs €25 to 45 a day, fuel adds €8 to 15 daily, and buses cost €1.80 to 3 per ride, but service thins out after late afternoon. A snack stand meal with rice and curry is €6 to 10, while a restaurant dinner runs €18 to 30. Most town centers are free to wander, and guided hikes cost €40 to 80.Safety and Culture: Réunion is safe by backpacking standards, with petty theft at beaches and trailheads as the main concern, so lock the car and take valuables. Shark bans on swimming outside protected lagoons are enforced, and you should respect the flags. Greet shopkeepers with “bonjour” before asking anything, because it matters. Mountain roads flood and slide in heavy rain, so check Météo-France alerts each morning. Sunday means closed shops in many towns, so shop for supplies on Saturday.

✈️ The backpacker research shortcutRéunion Travel Guide

An offline-friendly backpacking guide with optimized travel routes, ranked highlights, transport advice, and the best areas to stay.
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The digital guide (232 pages) contains:
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🛏️ Where to stay?Best Places to Stay in Réunion

Réunion has only a handful of true hostels, so budget travelers mostly sleep in gîtes, chambres d’hôtes and mountain gîtes with dorm bunks, where a bed runs roughly €18 to 30 and a private double €50 to 80. Saint-Gilles-les-Bains on the west coast has the widest spread of cheap rooms, close to the lagoon beaches and the island’s liveliest bars, though weekends get loud and prices rise in peak season, while Saint-Pierre in the south offers a strong restaurant and nightlife scene with easier access to the volcano and the wild south coast. For hiking, the cirque villages of Cilaos and Hell-Bourg are quiet, cool and right at the trailheads but go silent after dinner, and Saint-Denis works best for … read more 👉
Réunion has only a handful of true hostels, so budget travelers mostly sleep in gîtes, chambres d’hôtes and mountain gîtes with dorm bunks, where a bed runs roughly €18 to 30 and a private double €50 to 80. Saint-Gilles-les-Bains on the west coast has the widest spread of cheap rooms, close to the lagoon beaches and the island’s liveliest bars, though weekends get loud and prices rise in peak season, while Saint-Pierre in the south offers a strong restaurant and nightlife scene with easier access to the volcano and the wild south coast. For hiking, the cirque villages of Cilaos and Hell-Bourg are quiet, cool and right at the trailheads but go silent after dinner, and Saint-Denis works best for a first or last night near the airport, with good transport but empty streets after dark.

If you enjoy meeting fellow travelers, consider choosing hostels with high ratings for atmosphere. On the other hand, if you prefer having your own space, a hotel might be a better option.

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Johan, backpacker and founder of TakeYourBackpackHi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.

This site is built on a combination of firsthand travel experience and carefully curated insights from other backpackers. Many guides are based on places I’ve personally visited, while others bring together tips, observations, and practical advice shared by trusted travelers I’ve met along the way.

The goal is to provide realistic, experience-driven guidance — not generic itineraries — so you can explore destinations with better context, clearer expectations, and more confidence.