France
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
87.6km²
Area
127km
Coastline
63m
Highest point
5,426
People
18°C
Warmest sea
August
9km
To the mainland
When to go to Belle Île
Best to visit from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (18 °C) and coolest in February (10 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in Morbihan, France
Belle Île is an island in France. It covers 87.6 km², with 127 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 63 m. About 5,426 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 9 km away.
Getting there
- Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 121 km in a straight lineCar hire at NTE airport (Nantes)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesQuiberon - Le Palais (Belle-Île-en-Mer), La Turballe - Le Palais (Belle-Île-en-Mer), Port Navalo - Le Palais (Belle-Île-en-Mer), Quiberon - Sauzon (Belle-Île-en-Mer)
- 9 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Belle Île.
- 157beachesPlage naturiste, Plage de Yeyew, Plage des Poulains and 154 more
- 19viewpointsÉchauguette, Bastion du gouverneur, Pointe de Kerzo and 16 more
- 9lighthousesPhare de Goulphar, Phare des Poulains, Phare de Kerdonis and 6 more
- 4ferry terminalsLe Palais, Sauzon and 2 more
- 4marinasAvant port, Bassin de la Saline, Bassin à flot and 1 more
- 15castles and fortsEnsemble fortifié de La Ferrière, Fort de Taillefer, Citadelle Vauban and 12 more
- 9ruins and archaeological sitesMenhir Jeanne, Menhir Pierre Sainte-Anne, Menhir Jean and 6 more
- 2waymarked walking routesTour de Belle-Île-en-Mer, La vie du vallon du Stang Per d'hier à aujourd'hui
- 14campsitesspot camping sauvage, Le Clos Georges Town, Bordeneo and 11 more
- 36hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 54restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Belle Île in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Belle Île, each with its own numbers.
9beaches and covesCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
18.5°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
9 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Plage de Castoul18.5°C
- Plage de Bordardoué18.5°C
- Plage des Galères18.5°C
- Plage du Dotchot18.5°C
- Les Grands Sables18.5°C
- Plage de Port-Donnant18.5°C
- Port de Stêr Vrazcove18.5°C
- Anse du Vazencove18.5°C
1 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 40 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 78 %0–50 m
- 22 %50–200 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Le Palais2,645 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 10 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 |
| Night low (°C) | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 8 |
| Sea (°C) | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 |
| Rain (mm) | 86 | 69 | 60 | 47 | 46 | 41 | 42 | 44 | 37 | 81 | 88 | 91 |
| Wet days | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
| Sun h/day | 2.0 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 2.0 |
| Wind (km/h) | 26 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 26 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.2 | +1.0 | +1.3 | +1.4 | +1.3 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +1.3 | +1.0 | −1.0 | +0.8 | +0.6 |
| 2021 | −0.1 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.2 | −0.5 | +1.1 | +0.2 | −0.1 | +1.0 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | −0.6 |
| 2022 | −0.9 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +1.7 | +0.7 | +1.0 | ±0.0 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +1.3 | +0.4 |
| 2023 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +1.9 | +0.1 | −0.4 | +1.8 | +2.4 | +1.0 | +0.7 |
| 2024 | +0.7 | +1.2 | +1.7 | +1.2 | +1.3 | +0.5 | −0.3 | +0.3 | −0.6 | +0.1 | +0.6 | ±0.0 |
| 2025 | −0.3 | −0.2 | +0.7 | +1.5 | +1.6 | +1.6 | +0.6 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.7 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q815838) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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