Fort Boyard

Take advantage of your stay camping on Oleron Island to discover Fort Boyard !

History of Fort Boyard

Between the Ile d'Oléron and the Ile d'Aix, Fort Boyard is part of the fortifications designed to protect the royal arsenal of Rochefort. In the 17e century, the project of building the fort, on a sandbank in the open sea, was extremely ambitious. Its realization is thus constantly postponed until the 19the century. It was then Napoleon Bonaparte who gave the go-ahead to begin work, in 1803. The construction site was pharaonic and took place under extreme conditions: storms and the English threat added to the technical difficulties.

Several times the work was interrupted. The work was finally abandoned in 1809 for several decades. They will resume in 1848, under Louis Philippe: the base will finally be built, and the fort itself built in more than 10 years. In 1857, one of the last touches is brought to the site with the construction of the watchtower. But its construction was barely completed and Fort Boyard was no longer of much use: the progress of artillery, and in particular the range of the cannons, no longer justified its support of the forts of Aix and Oleron.

Cruises to Fort Boyard

The unavoidable part of your vacation on the island of Oleron, the boat trip around Fort Boyard allows you to get close to the monumental ship. The game shows it hosted for decades have made the fort popular with several generations: the cruise that allows you to see it up close is therefore a family outing par excellence! From the island of Oleron, several companies offer you a variety of formulas to discover Fort Boyard:

  • Inter-îles has a fleet of 8 boats and proposes you to embark to go around the fort from Boyardville or Saint-Denis d'Oléron.
  • Ile ou Aile invites you to embark on a catamaran for a cruise with the tour of the fort included, or a formula with aperitif on board. Departure from Boyardville.
  • Discovery Voile also offers two packages departing from Boyardville, tour of the fort or tour of the fort with aperitif, aboard a Discovery sailboat that can accommodate 12 passengers.
  • La Marcelle, an old 13-meter rig, also cruises to the fort from the port of Boyardville.
  • La Marcelle, a 13-meter old rig, also cruises to the fort from the port of Boyardville.

  • Boyard Croisière organizes cruises to the fort on a catamaran.
  • The Oléron Croisières company proposes you to embark on the marina of Saint-Denis d'Oléron for a cruise to the fort during the day or at sunset.

Other cruises to Fort Boyard can be made from La Rochelle, Fouras, Rochefort, Port-des-Barques, La Tremblade or Ile de Ré.

Can we visit the fort ?

Reserved for the filming of TV shows, the fort is not open to the public. To discover its interiors, you have to turn on your screen, or benefit from a privileged access! In addition to the celebrities who participate in the game show, some bloggers have had the chance to go behind the scenes of the show and discover the bewitching decor of the former prison. Occasionally, big contests also allow a few lucky people to attend the shooting of one of the shows. Apart from these exceptional cases, a boat cruise is the best way to discover the fort with one's own eyes. If the interiors are not visible, you will be able to admire the dimensions of the building and see the lookout overlooking it.

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