La Possession, Réunion 🇷🇪 2025

Date : 17th March 2025 

Travelled : 125 NM from Mauritius to Réunion 🇷🇪

Visited : Saint Denis  

Stayed : Holland America’s Zuiderdam

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It’s a relatively slow overnight cruise to Réunion. As usual we enjoy our coffee as the island comes into view. Réunion or La Réunion is governed as a Department of France and hence within the EU and uses the Euro as currency. The itinerary tells us we are docking in the port of La Possession today.

The pilot manoeuvres the Zuiderdam through the narrow break-walls into the harbour, another 180° turn and a reverse park and we have docked.

The forecast is another warm humid day. The port talk for Réunion stated that the island was struck by cyclone ’Garance’ only two weeks ago, killing 3 people and causing significant damage.

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La Possession and its port have little to offer from a tourist perspective although Holland America have organised an around town shuttle bus for €5. Saint Denis is Réunion’s capital city and about 20 kms away. It seems a much more interesting option.

Chatting about our options last evening our new friends Mick and Shirley from South West Rocks we talk about sharing a taxi. Breakfast done and passports in hand we go off in search of a taxi. Mind you finding a taxi willing to take us to Denis took a bit of negotiating, most taxis looking for rich Americans and a full day of touring.

Soon enough we are on our way, where dropped at the Rue de Paris some 20 minutes later. The fare meter showing €50. Réunion is a little piece of France and priced accordingly.

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Our first point of interest the Cathedral of Saint Denis Réunion, pictured above. As you can see it’s undergoing a renovation. Ce la vie !

One hundred metres on to the town hall pictured below which is a particularly grand colonial building. On the corner the Column of Victory.

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Pam and Shirley stumble upon a very nice boutique.

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As we continue our walk up the Rue de Paris, Réunion‘s colonial history is on display. Many of the buildings now used by government departments or museums. Some examples below.

Unfortunately the Musée Léon-Dierx is closed on Mondays it has a wonderful collection of 19th century French works by Gauguin and Cezanne. Ce la vie !

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Of course Rue de Paris has a couple of renovators delights, pictured below.

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Finally at the end of the rue we find the Jardin de I’État, the Botanical Gardens of Saint Denis. The gardens are closed due to damage from the cyclone. There are powerlines and lights posts on the ground, so fair enough. Ce la vie !

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We follow the marker on Google maps through the Tamil district to Kalikambal Hindu Temple, pictured below. Somewhat smaller than others we’ve seen on this trip but its colourful as well as elaborate and worth the walk.

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Coffee, lunch and a sit down are now in order but finding somewhere suitable was a little challenging. The walk up through the Creole district punctuated by numerous colourful dress shops. I struggled to understand, why Saint Denis had so many places that sold ladies wigs ?

We eventually find a cafe that was air-conditioned. made good coffee and served a fabulous quiche.

Saint Denis was done, we walk to the taxi rank which fortunately I had asked our previous driver to highlight on Google maps and negotiate a ride back to the Zuiderdam.

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Michael + Pam