Reunion Island Driving Advice and Car Hire Info
Driving in La Reunion-
Driving abroad in La Reunion is on the right as in France and unlike neighbouring Mauritius which drives on the left and you can drive using the licence of most countries. Roads are generally in good condition though after rain there may be landslides and debris on the road causing closure of even main routes.A new coastal road or Nouvelle Route du Littoral (NRL) is being developed to replace the existing Reunion Island coastal highway, also known as the Route du Littoral or the RN1. The new road will connect the two main cities of Reunion Island, Saint-Denis and La Possession and is due for completion in 2020.It is reputed to be France’s most expensive road project. Other main roads on the island are- N1 connects Saint-Denis to Saint-Pierre, also connecting Le Port, Saint-Paul, La Saline Les Hauts and Saint-Louis. It has a length of 76 km.N2 connects Saint-Denis to Saint-Benoît, also connecting Saint-André. Its length is 34 km. N3 connects Saint-Pierre to Saint-Benoît, but the motorway only goes from Saint-Pierre until Le Tampon, with a length of 7 km.
St Denis tends to get congested and you may hit traffic jams when driving in town. Roads in the mountains are steep and winding. Most rental cars on the Island are manual so if you’re used to an automatic you may find the constant gear changing a challenge. Volcanic activity is common on Reunion and there are strict regulations on access to the Piton de la Fournaise volcano. Also, the cyclone season in Réunion normally runs from December to April. You should keep an eye on local news if planning to travel during these months. Self drive is popular in La Reunion and should generally be a stress free experience and is a great way to explore the island.
Although I try and keep the information in the site updated as much as possible, in a rapidly moving world, situations can change daily. Therefore please use the site as an approximate guide, and in conjunction with other resources in order to form your view on driving conditions, roads, safety etc.
La Reunion Car Rental
Sixt, Hertz, Europcar, Alamo, National, Avis, Budget, all have branches at Roland Garros airport. Also usually features on Car rental broker sites and Web discount sites such as LastMinute.com.Cars can be in limited supply on the Island between November and January so you should make your reservation as early as possible.
We currently have no local car rental partners in La Reunion. If you are a local car rental company who would like to feature on DriverAbroad.com please check details on our Partnering page or contact us on ADriverAbroad@Outlook.com.
