Flight Destinations
Flights to Saint Denis
Places in Reunion
The capital and largest city of Reunion is Saint-Denis. Reunion is an overseas department of France and is situated in the Indian Ocean to the east of Madagascar and north east of Mauritius, and the city of Saint-Denis is at the northern end of the island.
Flights to Saint-Denis
Being the capital and most major city on Reunion, Saint-Denis is home to the island’s major airport handling international flights. The Roland Garros Airport (airport code: RUN) is ideally situated just 4 miles from the city centre, so transfers to and from the city are quick and easy. Flights to Saint-Denis from the UK are available with several airlines, all of which will require at least connection. Air France, Air Mauritius, Corse Air, or Air Austral are the major operators, and all offer flights to Saint-Denis from the UK with one stop. Flight routes can vary with the airline, but for example, all of the above airlines fly via Paris except Air Mauritius who fly via Mauritius.
Saint-Denis Tourist Attractions
As Saint-Denis is the capital of an overseas department of France it’s French in every way. The only real difference between here and mainland France is the weather, and if it weren’t for this you could be mistaken for thinking you’d arrived in any other French city when you got off the plane in Saint-Denis!
French is obviously the official language, and the Euro is used for currency, so this does make life easy for Europeans visiting the city and Reunion as a whole.
Buildings and Architecture in Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis is a good starting point for a holiday in Reunion, and although the city does not offer a plethora of tourist attractions it’s a lovely city all the same that’s worth spending a few days in. Most noticeable in Saint-Denis are the buildings and architecture. There are grand buildings such as the former city hall with its Grecian columns, while just outside the old city hall is a monument, the Column of Victory.
Jardin de l’Etat
One of the city’s top attractions is its historic botanical garden, called Jardin de l’Etat. These beautiful gardens feature many species of trees and plants as well as attractive water features and places to sit and enjoy the relative tranquility found here. The gardens were originally established between 1767 and 1773 and in their heyday housed over 2000 species of plants, many of which were given away to islanders in 1825 so as to improve the colonial architecture!
Parks in Saint-Denis
In addition to the botanical gardens visitors can enjoy the seafront park, called Le Barachois, while 9 miles south of the city is a summit, called La Roche Ecrite, which is a popular place from which to enjoy great views over the city.
Museums in Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis has one major museum which doubles as an art gallery and museum, that’s called the Leon Dierx Museum.
When Should You Visit Saint-Denis?
As with the rest of Reunion, Saint-Denis has a tropical climate so temperatures are warm to hot here throughout the year. Tourists who want to avoid the rainy season should not visit Saint-Denis between the months of November and April, but from May to November you’ll find lovely warm, and dry, weather.