Fifteen minutes at sea, fifteen minutes of logistics
Getting to the Lérins Islands takes fifteen minutes by boat. What takes time is everything else: finding the right ticket window among four companies, understanding that a ticket for one island is no good for the other, and noting the time of the last boat back before you step on board. This article deals with that alone: the logistics.
To work out which of the two islands to choose, start with our comparison Sainte-Marguerite or Saint-Honorat. For what there is to see once ashore, go to our page on the Lérins Islands. Here we assume you have chosen and want a boat, a price and a timetable.
Our view: take the first or second departure of the morning, buy the ticket online when the company allows it, and decide on your return time before you leave, not on the island. The timetables and fares below were taken in October 2026 from the companies' official websites: they change with the season and are to be confirmed the day before.
The crossing, point by point
N° 01
Departure point
Everything leaves from quai Laubeuf, at the Old Port
The shuttles for both islands leave from the same place: quai Laubeuf, on the western side of the Old Port of Cannes, at the foot of Le Suquet. The companies' ticket windows are lined up there, and the Planaria one, for Saint-Honorat, is at the far end of the Laubeuf car park. Two things to know in 2026. First, Planaria reports that the Laubeuf car park is under works and points visitors to the Pantiero car park, the nearest. Second, two companies have their offices at 20 quai Saint-Pierre, on the other side of the harbour: that is an administrative address, not necessarily the boarding point. Go by what is written on your ticket.
N° 02
Sainte-Marguerite · companies
Three companies, an almost identical fare
Three companies serve Sainte-Marguerite from Cannes: Horizon, Trans Côte d'Azur and Riviera Lines. At Horizon, the price list recorded for 2026 is as follows, return: 19 € per adult, 13.50 € for ages 5 to 12, 17.50 € for ages 13 to 25 and from 65 upwards, 16 € for a person with a disability, free under 5. The tourist office listings show the same adult fare at Trans Côte d'Azur. So there is no cheaper company to hunt for: choose the one whose timetable suits you. Note that a ticket is only valid on the boats of the company that sold it.
N° 03
Sainte-Marguerite · timetable
One departure an hour, and a gap at midday
Horizon advertises a service every day of the year. Departures from Cannes as recorded: 9am, 10am, 11am and noon in the morning, then 2pm, 3pm, 4pm and 4.30pm in the afternoon, with an optional departure at 2.30pm. Returns from the island: 9.15am, 10.15am, 11.15am and 12.15pm, then 2.15pm, 3.15pm, 4.15pm and 5pm. The detail that matters: between 12.15pm and 2.15pm no boat comes back. If you were planning to return to Cannes for lunch, it is 12.15pm or nothing. In July and August the companies add half-hourly departures and later returns; those summer times are to be checked each year.
N° 04
Saint-Honorat · Planaria
A single company, the abbey's own
Saint-Honorat is served only by Planaria, the company of the Abbey of Lérins. The 2026 fares shown on its website, return: 19.50 € per adult, 18.50 € reduced rate (students, over 65s, job seekers, people with a disability), 18 € for ages 16 to 18, 12 € for ages 4 to 15, free under 4. Timetable displayed from 1 October to 1 November 2026, daily: departures from Cannes on the hour from 9am to noon and then from 2pm to 5pm, returns from the island on the half hour, from 9.30am to 12.30pm and then from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. In winter the frequency drops markedly, to something like four crossings a day on weekdays.
N° 05
Booking
Online when possible, otherwise at the window
Horizon, Trans Côte d'Azur and Riviera Lines sell their tickets online, which spares you the queue at the window on summer mornings. The conditions differ: Horizon states that tickets are valid for one month, whereas Trans Côte d'Azur specifies that its tickets cover a same-day return and are non-refundable. At Planaria you must book a return time along with the outward crossing. When we checked in October 2026, Planaria was also announcing a temporary suspension of its online sales: tickets were bought at the quai Laubeuf window. Check where that stands before you set out.
N° 06
Other ports
You can also leave from Golfe-Juan or Mandelieu
Cannes is not the only departure point. Riviera Lines advertises crossings to Sainte-Marguerite from Golfe-Juan and Mandelieu-la-Napoule, as well as cruises from Théoule-sur-Mer. These lines are seasonal and dearer than from Cannes: the tourist office listing shows 25 € per adult from Golfe-Juan between April and September 2026, to be confirmed. They only make sense if you are staying there. From Cannes, quai Laubeuf remains the simplest, the most frequent and the cheapest.
N° 07
On board
What the companies specify, and what to ask
Planaria states that dogs are allowed on a lead, that there are no bins on Saint-Honorat and that no catering is provided there in winter. The Sainte-Marguerite companies likewise ask visitors to take their rubbish back to the mainland. For bicycles, bulky pushchairs or an animal on Sainte-Marguerite, we found no common written rule: ask at the window before you pay. All the companies reserve the right to alter or cancel a departure without notice, for weather reasons in particular.
What we avoid
What we avoid: buying a ticket at the first window you come to without reading the name of the island. The four companies share the same quay, and a Sainte-Marguerite ticket will never take you to Saint-Honorat. No shuttle links the two islands: doing both in a day means two tickets, so 38.50 € per adult, and a compulsory return to quai Laubeuf.
What we also avoid: aiming for the last boat back. It is the busiest in summer, it leaves on time, and missing it turns an outing into a problem to solve. Take the one before.
Finally, we do not rely on a timetable found on a third-party site or an old brochure. The schedules change between winter, mid-season and summer, and the official websites are the only ones kept up to date.
When to sail
In summer, leave at 9am or 10am. The mid-morning boats are the fullest and the queue at the window lengthens through the morning. A ticket bought online and an early departure solve both problems. If you are parking a car, allow time to find a space: the Laubeuf car park, the nearest to the quay, is reported as under works in 2026.
From October to April, look at the timetable before anything else. There are fewer crossings, the last return is earlier and a spell of wind can suspend the service. Both islands remain accessible all year, but it is the company, not you, that decides how long the day lasts.
Lérins Islands boats, common questions
Where do the Lérins Islands boats leave from in Cannes?
From quai Laubeuf, on the western side of the Old Port, at the foot of Le Suquet. The ticket windows of the companies serving Sainte-Marguerite and the Planaria one, for Saint-Honorat, are there. In 2026 the Laubeuf car park is reported as under works: the Pantiero car park is the nearest.
How much is the boat to Sainte-Marguerite island?
In 2026, the fare recorded at Horizon is 19 € return per adult, 13.50 € for ages 5 to 12, 17.50 € for ages 13 to 25 and over 65, free under 5. The other companies charge prices of the same order. These amounts are to be confirmed: the companies state that they may change during the year.
How much is the shuttle to Saint-Honorat?
At Planaria, the only company serving the island, the 2026 fare recorded is 19.50 € return per adult, 18.50 € reduced rate, 18 € for ages 16 to 18 and 12 € for ages 4 to 15. It is free under 4.
Do you need to book the shuttle in advance?
It is not compulsory for Sainte-Marguerite, but buying online avoids the queue in summer. For Saint-Honorat, Planaria asks you to book a return time. Its online sales were temporarily suspended when we checked in October 2026, with tickets bought at the window.
What time does the last boat back leave?
According to the timetables recorded in autumn 2026, 5pm from Sainte-Marguerite with Horizon and 5.30pm from Saint-Honorat with Planaria. These times move earlier in winter and later at the height of summer. It is the one figure to check on the day itself, at the window, before boarding.
IT Digital entrepreneur · Cannes local
2026-10-10 · 7 min read
Prices, opening hours and addresses change. Spotted an error or something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
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