Saint-Leu

Saint-Leu is a small town in the west coast of Réunion and has a bathing resort thanks to its pebble beach.

Understand

Agriculture is economically important in the village, with a focus on the production of coffee, sugar cane and geranium. Coastal and deep-sea fishing is also important. Sea turtle breeding in Pointe-des-Châteaux is now only for scientific and tourist purposes. Also important in the past was the production of lime from coral (the last lime kiln on the island was in Saint-Leu) and the extraction of sea salt (the last plant closed in 1970).

Get in

By car

Saint-Leu is on the RN 1 along the west coast, and the "Route des Tamarins" motorway, opened in June 2009, runs from Saint-Paul to L'Étang-Salé directly past the site with a junction.

By bus

Saint Leu is on bus lines A & A1 (express line on the RN1 along the west coast) and B from Saint-Denis - Saint-Paul - Saint-Gilles-Les-Bains - Saint-Leu - Saint-Louis - Saint-Pierre, total travel time for the route about an hour and a half at €4.20 (maximum fare). The yellow coloured CAR JAUNE operates the bus lines.

From the bus station in Saint-Denis there is a connection to lines F and G to the east of the island, from the bus station in Saint-Pierre line H starts (island crossing to the east of the island to Saint-Benoit) and line I to Saint -Philippe in the south of the island.

The buses run early on weekdays from around 04:30 (much later on Sundays and public holidays) until around 6 p.m. in the evening, roughly every hour.

See

• 1 Kélonia, Pointe des Châteaux, 46 Rue Gral. de Gaulle, ☏ +262 262 34 81 10. 09:00–18:00. Learn more about the turtles that live in the Indian Ocean with tours available at 10:00, 11:30, 14:00, 15:15 and 16:30. (updated Jan 2022)
• 2 Musée du Sel (Salt Museum), 25 Pointe au sel les bas, ☏ +262 262 34 67 00. 09:00–17:00 (closed Mondays). (updated Jan 2022)
• Colimaçons, Rue du Père Georges, Colimaçons, ☏ +262 262 24 92 27. Every day except Mondays. Arranged around a historically restored Creole-style building from 1857. The collection shows the flora of the island with a focus on cultivated plants (sugar cane, coffee, tobacco, spices, geraniums, orchids, bamboo) on an approximately seven hectare site. Numerous special exhibitions. (updated Jan 2022)
• Le Museum Stella Matutina, ☏ +262 262 34 16 24. A sugar cane factory converted into an agricultural and industrial museum. €7. (updated Jan 2022)

Do

• La Plage de Saint Leu is a pebble beach with lagoon. The beach is the island's most important surfing spot, and Saint-Leu's "left wave" is part of the world surfing championship.

Buy

The main street is also the main shopping street with a few shops for basic necessities (including groceries).

Eat

• 1 L'apolonia Paladin, Boulevard Bonnier, ☏ +262 262 34 62 62. Has Creole, Chinese and French cuisine. (updated Jan 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Blue Margouillat, Impasse Jean Albany, ☏ +262 262 34 64 00, info@blue-margouillat.com. (updated Jan 2022)