Lérins Islands near Cannes

Take the 15 minutes or so boat trip from Mandelieu-La Napoule in Cannes, across to the two Lérins Islands.

The larger of the two, Sainte-Marguerite island offers its visitors 22 kilometres of pathways to explore.

On Sainte-Marguerite island is the Royal Fort, a prison that once imprisoned 'the man in the iron mask', made famous by novel written by the author Alexandre Dumas. Visit the Musée de la Mer (Museum of the Sea) which houses archaeological discoveries retrieved from shipwrecks off the coast of the island, including Roman and Saracen ceramics.

The second and the smaller of the two island, Saint-Honorat island measuring just 1,500 long x 400 metres wide is home to the Cistercian monks of the abbey of Lérins', established in the 5th century by the Cistercian monk Honorat. Medieval vestiges remain in the stark church, which is open to the public, and the ruins of the 11th century monastery can see viewed on the island's coastline.