Most of the south coast of Ile de Ré is beach but the mother of all beaches is Plage de la Conche on the western end of the island. Wide and sandy and child-friendly, especially when the tide is out, this plage is worth a drive or a bike ride every day.
The Germans fortified Ile de Ré on this beach and their bunkers remain - now tilted and silted and covered in colourful artwork but cool inside when the sun is hot. The film The Longest Day was shot here, by the way.
Go west to the end of the island.
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