Hiring a car, and driving

This is the one line of the budget not to economise on. The trailheads, pools, belvederes and cirques are not served by public transport, and the timings the weather imposes — leaving before seven — fit no bus timetable.

Réunion is a French department: your French or EU licence is enough, the signage is the same, you drive on the right, and fuel prices are posted by the litre as in mainland France.

How much, and where

Reckon about two hundred to two hundred and fifty euros a week for a compact, excluding fuel, and more in high season or booking late. Local hire firms are often cheaper than the international chains, with service that matches.

Most agencies deliver to Roland-Garros airport in the north, or Pierrefonds in the south. Check before booking your flight: landing in the north and staying in the south adds an hour of driving on arrival.

• Book as soon as the flights are taken, especially June to September and in December.
• A small car is enough everywhere: no 4×4 is needed on any road open to the public.
• Check the excess and the state of the tyres — mountain roads wear them quickly.
• Fuel runs around €1.80 a litre; reckon €40 to €70 a week for normal touring.

What is particular about driving here

The main roads are in good condition and fast. It is the secondary roads that ask for attention: narrow, very winding, often edged with ravines and no barrier. You do not drive them fast, and average speed on the island rarely exceeds fifty kilometres an hour.

In the Hauts, the custom is to sound the horn before blind bends and to pull over for locals, who know the road and go faster. This is not aggression, it is a convention.

Traffic is the real trap. Around Saint-Denis, Saint-Paul and Saint-Pierre the main roads saturate in the morning between half past six and half past eight, and again in the late afternoon. Getting from north to south can then take two to three hours instead of an hour and a half.

The roads to know

• <strong>RN1</strong>, the north and west coast, Saint-Denis to Saint-Pierre, doubled by the Route des Tamarins.
• <strong>RN2</strong>, the east coast, Saint-Denis to Saint-Philippe via Saint-Benoît — it becomes the Route des Laves in the Grand Brûlé.
• <strong>RN3</strong>, the crossing by the Plaines, between Saint-Benoît and Saint-Pierre. This is the volcano road.
• <strong>The cirque roads</strong> — Cilaos and Salazie — narrow, spectacular, and to be driven in daylight.

From the east everything runs on the RN2 and the RN3: that is what puts most sites within thirty minutes and the volcano under two hours.

Parking

Free almost everywhere, including at trailheads. The exceptions are the town centres of Saint-Denis and Saint-Pierre. At busy sites — the Maïdo, the Pas de Bellecombe, the big waterfalls — the car park fills early at weekends, which is one more reason to arrive at first light.

Never leave belongings visible in the car at a trailhead car park. It is the only security advice genuinely worth giving on the island.

Frequently asked questions

Written in Saint-Benoît, where we rent the bungalow, and updated on September 13, 2026. Access and swimming rules change: we always point to the authority in charge rather than speaking for it.