Before heading to the beach or crossing the bridge, a webcam on the Ile de Ré shows you the weather, the sky and the traffic live. Several cameras cover the beaches, the harbours and the access routes to the island, run by the town councils and the Charente-Maritime Department. From our campsite on the Ile de Ré, these live views help you pick the right moment to head out.
Here’s where to find them and how to read them.
The essentials
- Live webcams cover the beaches, harbours and bridge of the Ile de Ré.
- The Charente-Maritime Department broadcasts bridge traffic on the site re-info-trafic.fr.
- In Rivedoux-Plage, 2 webcams film the South beach and the North beach, facing the Chauveau lighthouse.
- Windfinder and Windy relay views facing the ocean, handy for surfers and windsurfers.
- These cameras can be viewed free of charge, from a computer or a smartphone.
Where to watch the Ile de Ré live on webcam?
Several webcams film the Ile de Ré live, spread across the beaches, harbours and tourist sites. Almost every town broadcasts its own view, so you can follow the mood from one end of the Ile de Ré to the other without leaving your terrace. Here are the main viewpoints available online, place by place: each link opens the live feed in a new tab.
| Location | What you see | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Bridge & access roads | Real-time traffic at the toll booth and on the north and south exits, ideal for choosing the best time to cross. | re-info-trafic.fr |
| Rivedoux-Plage | The north and south beaches, with a view of the Chauveau lighthouse and the island’s entrance. | rivedoux-plage.fr |
| Ars-en-Ré | The harbour and its boats, filmed by local painter Philippe Deschamps. | philippedeschamps.fr |
| Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré | Views facing east and the surf spots of the south coast, along with wind, waves and tides. | windfinder.com |
| Phare des Baleines / Saint-Clément | The famous Phare des Baleines lighthouse and swell conditions at the north-western tip, useful before heading out to sea. | windfinder.com |
| The whole island | A directory of active webcams on the Ile de Ré, handy for comparing several views. | webcams-de-france.fr |
Alongside these town-run cameras, specialised platforms such as Windfinder, Skaping and Surf-forecast gather the feeds together, making it easy to compare one beach with another.
Good to know: some images are broadcast with a short delay of a few minutes, for safety and privacy reasons. If a webcam doesn’t load, try a different browser or check back a little later.
Webcam of the Ile de Ré bridge: getting ahead of traffic
The Ile de Ré bridge has its own camera network, designed to anticipate congestion at peak times. The Charente-Maritime Department and the Ile de Ré Communaute de Communes broadcast these images on the re-info-trafic.fr platform. About ten cameras are split between the two directions of traffic: 8 film the exit from the island, from the Rivedoux corniche and the road to Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, while 2 monitor the entrance at the toll barrier. Bluetooth sensors also measure journey times, displayed in orange and red depending on traffic density. The short video sequences, refreshed regularly, protect drivers’ privacy.
We check the bridge webcam every Saturday in July to let families know the smoothest time to arrive or leave.
The Camping La Tour des Prises team
Live weather and beaches: planning your day well
A webcam doesn’t replace a weather forecast, but it complements it perfectly. At a glance, you can see whether the sky is clearing over the west of the Ile de Ré, whether the tide has uncovered the sand, or whether the wind is picking up on the water. On an island where the weather changes quickly from one village to the next, this kind of information is worth its weight in gold.
Webcam of the South beach in Rivedoux-Plage, facing the Chauveau lighthouse: feed broadcast by the Rivedoux-Plage town council via Skaping.
At our campsite, our team has noticed that holidaymakers save time by checking these images before loading up the bikes. For a day trip, cross-check the live view with the tide times: that way you’ll know whether to head for the Plage des Prises in the morning or go for a bike ride in the afternoon.
These cameras also help gauge how busy places are. In peak summer, a harbour or beach can fill up fast: seeing parking and crowd levels live saves you unnecessary detours. When it comes to access, the bridge webcams remain the best way to get ahead of traffic jams on arrival or departure. To find out more about the day’s conditions, check our dedicated page on the weather on the Ile de Ré, which covers seasonal trends in detail.
In the morning, take a look at the Rivedoux webcam before breakfast. If the sky is clear over towards the Chauveau lighthouse, head early to the Plage des Prises, 600 metres from the campsite, to enjoy the still-fresh sand and empty car parks. As for the bridge cameras, they’ll help you dodge the Saturday morning queue in peak season.
Pierre Schmitz
Looking for the best vantage point for your next day at the beach? Book your stay at Camping La Tour des Prises, 600 metres from the Plage des Prises, and use the island’s webcams to plan the right rhythm each morning. Our team will help you put together a holiday as close to the sea as possible!
