Reunion Island on a Budget: Prices and Free Days

Reunion Island’s Best Sights, Ranked by What They Actually Cost

Most of what makes Reunion worth visiting is free or close to it: the coral lagoon, the cirque villages, the volcano park entry. The two real costs are a rental car, at roughly EUR 20-25 a day in low season, and one optional splurge, the EUR 300-380 helicopter flight over Mafate. Reunion is a French overseas department in the euro and the EU, not an independent country and not part of Mauritius, which sits as a separate nation roughly 175km away.

Sight Area Why go Access & cost
Saint-Gilles/L’Ermitage lagoon West coast Reef-protected, the one stretch genuinely safe for swimming Free; open coast has a shark-related swim ban since 2013
Piton de la Fournaise South-east One of the world’s most active volcanoes Park entry free; Cite du Volcan museum EUR 9 adult/EUR 6 child; caldera trail status changes with alert level
Cirque de Cilaos Interior Thermal spa town, Reunion’s only wine, pale lentils Free to visit; ~1h15-2h hairpin drive from the coast; gite night ~EUR 20-40
Cirque de Salazie/Hell-Bourg Interior One of France’s most beautiful villages, waterfalls Free walk to the Voile de la Mariee waterfall
Maido viewpoint Interior, west Free panorama down into Cirque de Mafate Free; ~1h drive from Saint-Paul, best before 8am
Cirque de Mafate Interior Roadless cirque, hut villages, the real hiking prize Foot only (multi-day) or a helicopter flight, ~EUR 300-380
Piton des Neiges Interior Highest point in the Indian Ocean, extinct volcano Gite de la Caverne Dufour ~EUR 20/bed, cash only, meals booked 48h ahead
Le Barachois, Saint-Denis North Colonial-era waterfront, 19th-century Creole mansions Free to walk

What’s actually free to see on Reunion Island?

The lagoon at Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, the Maido viewpoint over Mafate, Le Barachois waterfront in Saint-Denis, and the walk to the Voile de la Mariee waterfall near Hell-Bourg cost nothing beyond getting there. National park entry to the volcano’s Enclos Fouque caldera is also free; the only charge is the Cite du Volcan museum, at EUR 9 for an adult, which is worth it specifically when the caldera trail itself is closed.

Is the Piton de la Fournaise volcano open right now?

It depends on the current alert level, and it changes fast. The volcano erupted across three phases between February and April 2026, and caldera access opens and closes with each new bout of unrest, sometimes within days. Check reunion-parcnational.fr or the observatory bulletin at fournaise.info the week before you travel rather than assume the trail is walkable; don’t confuse this active volcano with Piton des Neiges, its separate extinct neighbor. Both this hike and any cirque hike above 2,000m warrant a check of Meteo France’s forecast first, since mountain weather turns fast.

How much does the Mafate helicopter tour cost?

Roughly EUR 300-380 per person for a 45-55 minute circuit over Mafate, the volcano, and the Trou de Fer waterfall, with operators like Corail Helicopteres or Helilagon. It’s the single biggest line item on this list, but it’s also the only practical way most visitors see Trou de Fer or Mafate’s interior without committing to a multi-day hike, since Mafate has no road access at all.

Book these before you go

For a route that strings these sights together by day count, see the 2-day , 4-day , 6-day , or 7-day itinerary. Carry cash for the cirque gites; several run cash-only with meals booked in advance.