Île du Levant – naturist island on the French Riviera

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: September 2026 | Île du Levant is one of the Golden Islands off the French Mediterranean coast and is known for the naturist village of Héliopolis. We went here on a spontaneous excursion from Le Lavandou, failed to find a hotel and were instead booked into a tent. It was the beginning of one of our more unexpected island adventures in France.

Île du Levant – one of the Golden Islands

Île du Levant is the easternmost of the three larger islands that form Hyeres Islands, also called Iles d'Or, the Golden Islands. The other two are Port-Cros and Porquerolles.

The island is about eight kilometers long and one kilometer wide, but most of it is not open to the public. The French state owns about 90 percent of Île du Levant and uses the area as a military base. Only about a tenth of the island is accessible to the public.

And that part is special. Here lies Heliopolis, an area strongly associated with naturism. We came here in the summer of 2018. Not entirely prepared for how the visit would unfold…

Boat from Le Lavandou to Île du Levant

We then lived in the camper at Pramousquier outside Le Lavandou and took the bus into the harbor. The plan was to visit all three Golden Islands and we decided to start with Île du Levant.

We left quite late in the day and the woman at the ticket office suggested that we stay overnight on the island and continue to the next island the next day. Good idea! We started calling hotels. And calling, and calling… After maybe 15 or 20 calls we had the same message everywhere. It was full.

We went back to the ticket office and told them that unfortunately the plan didn't work. That answer was not accepted. The incredibly helpful woman instead started looking for other options and suddenly she had managed to book a tent at the island's campsite for us. Tent? We who traveled here by camper?

Well, apparently it was time for adventure...

Héliopolis and naturism on Île du Levant

Héliopolis was founded in 1931 by the brothers and doctors Gaston and André Durville, who wanted to create a place where people could live close to nature. The area developed into one of the early and most famous naturist destinations in France.

Héliopolis is a historically important naturist area and naturism is still a central part of the island's identity. However, dress codes vary between different areas and situations, so you don't have to arrive at the port and throw your clothes overboard.

An island where nature takes over

What made the strongest impression on us wasn't actually the nudity. It was nature. Île du Levant is incredibly green. Trees, bushes and flowers seem to grow everywhere and in some places it almost looks as if nature is reclaiming buildings and other traces of humans.

We got a bit of a hippie feel to the whole environment. On the accessible part of the island there are homes, smaller businesses, restaurants and other buildings, but it's certainly not a traditional resort.

There is also a protected nature area with strawberry trees, Réserve naturelle volontaire du domaine des Arbousiers, which covers about 20 hectares. The area has been protected since 1993.

We camp on Île du Levant

And so it was our accommodation. The campsite was just a short walk from the harbour. Our first impression was perhaps not exactly ”five star resort”. Rather: How do you do it again now?

We are used to our camper, where we have a bed, kitchen, fridge and our own things around us. Now we were standing on a naturist island with a small green tent. But the tent came up.

And the longer we were on the island, the more we began to understand the environment. The somewhat simple and slightly rough-hewn nature somehow fit in with the rest of Île du Levant. We just had to accept the situation. Welcome to the adventure!

Naturist beaches and swimming on Île du Levant

As we set off along the coast, we encountered an environment that felt almost exotic. The paths wound through dense greenery and below lay the Mediterranean Sea in intense shades of blue and turquoise.

On Île du Levant you can swim both from rocks and at smaller beaches. Caves Beach is the most famous naturist beach and is located on the civilian part of the island.

When we were here, the beach was of course full of people. Naked people. And that created a small problem for two travel bloggers who usually photograph everything they see. You don't photograph this. The camera simply had to stay in the bag and we were content with pictures from the walk and the nature around the beach. Sometimes an experience can actually exist without ending up in a picture.

A different evening on the island

In the evening we walked up to the small center of Héliopolis. There were restaurants and bars here and we got the feeling that the evenings could be much livelier than the days. However, we were not really in shape for any major nightlife study. It had been very hot and I had gotten a migraine.

So while others were possibly preparing for a long evening, we did something much calmer. We had dinner. And then we went straight back to the house… The tent. Apparently it takes a while to get used to a new form of accommodation.

Dinner on Île du Levant

We ate at a small restaurant called The Palm Grove and had a really good three-course dinner. For starters we had goat cheese and salad, and for mains we had baked fish with rice and saffron sauce.

After the tasty and enjoyable dinner, all that was left was to crawl into our little green tent. Not quite the same as going home to the camper. But much more memorable.

Naturism on Île du Levant – what is involved?

Héliopolis is a naturist area, but that doesn't mean everyone is naked everywhere and all the time.

Rules and standards regarding clothing vary between the beach, naturist areas, the harbor and various public environments. Anyone planning a visit should therefore check current rules before traveling and respect the naturist culture in place.

We think one rule is self-evident regardless of what is written on any sign: Do not photograph other naked people without their permission. For us, it felt completely natural to leave the camera behind when we got to the naturist beach.

More than naturism

At the same time, it would be a shame to describe Île du Levant solely as a place where people are naked. For us, it was just as much a nature experience.

The limited civilian part of the island, the dense greenery, the cliffs, the clear Mediterranean Sea and the absence of regular car traffic give Île du Levant a completely different character than the holiday resorts on the mainland. And that slightly different and untamed nature was a big part of its charm.

The Three Golden Islands

Île du Levant is one of three main islands in Îles d'Hyères or Îles d'Or. The other two are Porquerolles and Port-Cros. They are surprisingly different.

Porquerolles is the largest and most visited, with beaches, cycle paths and varied landscapes.

Port-Cros is smaller, more mountainous and covered in dense forest. The island is strongly associated with the national park and is best discovered on foot.

Levant Island stands out for its combination of military area, nature and the naturist village of Héliopolis.

We wanted to experience all three. And after our night in a tent, the adventure was far from over.

Is Ile du Levant worth a visit?

Yes, if you are curious about different places. Of course, you need to feel comfortable staying in a naturist environment. But you don't have to be a dedicated naturist yourself to be fascinated by the island.

We remember the dense greenery, the turquoise sea and the naturist beach. But perhaps most of all we remember how an ordinary day trip suddenly turned into a night on a French island.

We left our camper in the morning. In the evening we were in a little green tent on Île du Levant. Apparently that's what happens when you let the woman at the ticket office plan your vacation.

See more in the neighbourhood

If you want to get lost and experience more nearby, there is so much to discover! Here are our best tips:

• Giens Peninsula
• Guide to the French Riviera
• Saint-Tropez
• The Esterel Mountains and the Corniche d'Or