{"id":91973,"date":"2015-05-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelstartblg.wpenginepowered.com\/tropical-france-4-hours-away\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:52:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:52:39","slug":"tropical-france-4-hours-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/tropical-france-4-hours-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Tropical France Is Only 4 Hours Away"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think of a holiday in the South of France you think of small sun-drenched villages, wooden shutters, flowers and fresh market food. But your mind also inevitably jumps to an 11 hour flight plus another hour transfer to the South by plane or 3-hour train. Actually you could be eating petits fours and swanning around french St-Denis after a mere 4-hour flight from Johannesburg. That’s shorter than driving from Johannesburg to Durban.<\/p>\n

Air Austral<\/a> offers two 4-hour flights per week leaving from Johannesburg. You don’t need a visa to visit this french department because it does not fall within the Schengen treaty zone so South Africans can enjoy 90 days visa-free. Travelstart’s Cara Wares<\/strong> gives us some advice about holidaying the french way in sunshine-filled R\u00e9union.<\/p>\n

Do you need to speak French?<\/h2>\n

\"shutters<\/p>\n

French Shutters by Miwok on Flickr<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The official language of the island is French with the majority of people speaking this and\u00a0R\u00e9union Creole. English fluency is rare.<\/p>\n

Cara says: \u201cWe got on fine without French, though there was lots of sign language and pointing. The people are very helpful and friendly and try their best to understand you.\u00a0The bigger hotel we stayed at had\u00a0English-speaking receptionists and some of the restaurants have an English-speaking waiter or an English menu.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Cafe au Lait and Pain au Chocolat<\/h2>\n

\"Chez<\/p>\n

Bienvenue.. taken by Olivier LaFuteur on Flickr<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Cuisine R\u00e9unionnaise- so good! You have your pastries, your delicious caf\u00e9 au lait each morning, your baguettes with cheese and cured meats for lunch but then there is also the delicious fish curries, exotic fruits and Indian samoosas to choose from. The patisserie Chez Loulou in St-Gilles is a must-visit. So is Le Reflet des \u00eeles<\/a>, an authentic R\u00e9union restaurant in St Denis. This is perfect for the evening you arrive as it’s located in St Denis and your Air Austral flight will land here. You can ease yourself into island life before exploring further afield. It lists its set menu for the week here<\/a>\u00a0and you can\u00a0book in advance here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cara’s favourite meal on the Island? “A delicious Creole Ginger and Lime Dorado\u00a0fish dish with a creamy sauce accompanied by noodles and veg. There are many lunch options like banana and chocolate cr\u00eapes or do as the locals do and have\u00a0a picnic with a\u00a0french baguette, Camembert and pastrami.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The Volcano<\/h2>\n

Known only as “the volcano” to the locals, La Piton de la Fournaise is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It’s an incredible\u00a0530,000 years old and it’s located within a\u00a0UNESCO World Heritage Site. It made news this week for erupting yet again. It does not pose a threat to people living on the island but when erupting is best viewed from the coastal Grand Br\u00fbl\u00e9 area or by Helicopter tour<\/a> or microlight.<\/p>\n

The highlight of Cara’s trip was driving up to the top of the volcano and walking along the ridge of the actual volcano crater, then visiting the museum afterwards to learn about how it was formed.<\/p>\n

When asked if she felt in danger when walking along the ridge of the volcano, Cara said: \u201cWhen you first arrive you think- ‘Wow! We are on a island with an active volcano!’ – but I never felt nervous about it. The locals don’t seem worried at all. It is very interesting and the main\u00a0population live on the other side of the island far from the active volcano. The lava flow usually goes straight towards the sea away from any towns.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Below a video of the volcano erupting:<\/p>\n