Saint-Denis (Réunion)
Saint-Denis (créole: Sin-Dni) is the capital of Réunion Island, and the city with the most inhabitants on the island. It hosts all the important administrative offices, and is also a cultural center with numerous museums. Saint-Denis is also the largest city in all of the French Overseas Departments.
Understand
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Saint-Denis is the prefecture (administrative seat) of the French island of Réunion. The island lies between Mauritius and Madagascar and has the status of a French Overseas Department and is officially an administrative division of France. The General Council and Regional Council, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chamber of Trades and Craft Industry, the rectorate, the state university, the employment office, and the customs authority are to be found in the commune of Saint-Denis.
Saint-Denis was named in 1669 by Étienne Régnault, who later became governor of Réunion from 1665 to 1671. The settlement was named after the ship "Saint-Denis", which in 1664, as part of a fleet sailing under the flag of the French India Company, was sent to Réunion Island and then on to India. Governor Régnault arrived with the fleet from France, and established a resupply outpost on the coast at Saint-Paul, the first capital of the island.
The small 60-ton ship "Saint-Denis", which had been separated from the fleet at Tenerife in the Canary Islands, still managed to find its own way to the island, arriving in 1667. The captain of the ship, named Chanlette, was a good friend of Régnault, so the bay, the harbor, and later the city, were named "Saint-Denis" in honor of return of the lost ship. The ship was, in turn, named after Saint Denis, a third century bishop and missionary to Gaul, who was martyred with his companions Rusticus and Elentère in what would become modern-day France.
Under Mahé de Labourdonnais, then Governor of the East India Company and an important figure in the history of the island, the town of Saint-Denis replaced the former capital of Saint-Paul due to the general quality and favorable location of its harbor. Though the small settlement had just 2166 inhabitants, it had become the capital of the island and seat of the colonial government of the whole of the Mascarene islands.
In the year 1743, the first church and the new governor's palace (the modern Prefecture) were built. In 1771, a formal plan for the city was instituted. This followed the typical colonial grid pattern, with 12 streets in the east-west direction and 7 running north-south.
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The administrative headquarters and warehouse of the French East India Company was established in 1773. It was built in the typical French colonial vernacular style and was later the official residence of the Governor and Prefect. In 1790, Saint Denis was incorporated as a commune, and Jean Baptiste Delestrac became its first mayor.
Saint-Denis remained only a small town, trailing behind Saint-Paul in population and Saint-Pierre in economic power. At the turn the 19th century, the city was little more than a boring bureaucratic backwater, where the most exciting activity was still taking a walk. By mid-century, however, sugar barons had begun pouring money into the local economy, and Saint-Denis blossomed into an important cultural and commercial center. In 1852, both the colonial bank and the natural history museum were founded in the city.
By the 20th century, political and economic life on the island had become directly tied to the fortunes of the capital: two world wars, malaria epidemics, and increasing cultivation of the sugar beet in Europe all lead to an economic recession in the city and on the island in general, from which it has emerged with subsidies from Paris and the European Union.
The primary ethnic groups of the city are European immigrants, former slaves, Chinese and Muslim Indian immigrants and their descendants, and créoles. The demographics are highly mixed, and ghettos of any particular ethnicity do not exist.
Well-known people from Saint-Denis include French aviation pioneer Roland Garros (1886 – 1918), the writer Marius Leblond (1877 – 1953), French politician Raymond Barre (1924 – 2007), and handballer Daniel Narcisse (1979-).
Get in
By plane
Roland Garros AirportThe airport has daily connections to Paris and other destinations in France via Air France and Air Austral, the official airline of Réunion. Direct flights from other European destinations are not available, but there are connecting flights from Mauritius and other regional hubs.
The airport has a shuttle bus service that takes passengers directly to the main bus station, L'Ocean Terminal, in central Saint-Denis. Travel time is roughly 20 minutes.
Visitors can also travel by (expensive) taxi service or by renting a car from one of the several providers serving the airport.
There is another airport on Réunion, Pierrefonds Airport, near Saint-Pierre in the south of the island, offering flights to regional destinations in Mauritius and Madagascar.
By car
- The Route du Littoral, RN1, opened in 1976, connecting Saint Denis to the southwest of the island along the steep north coast. The route is subject to frequent rock slides, and remains hazardous, despite the protective barriers and safety nets.
- Route RN2 runs from Saint-Denis along the east coast of Réunion.
By bus
The city of Saint-Denis is the terminus for several bus routes.- Route A, A1 (Express), and B: Saint-Denis - Saint-Paul - Saint-Gilles-Les-Bains - Saint-Leu - Saint-Louis - Saint-Pierre. Follows RN1 along the west coast. Approximately 90 minutes, €4.20.
- Route B1, C1, and E: Similar to route A on the west coast, but terminating instead at Saint-Leu.
- Route F (Express) and G: Saint-Denis - Sainte-Marie - Saint-Benoit. Follows RN2 on the north coast.
The buses run from around 04:30 on weekday mornings, but much later on Sundays and holidays, until 18:00, at hourly intervals.
The island's bus service is known as Car Jaune (Yellow Car, for their official color scheme). The central bus station of Saint-Denis is L'Océan Terminal. It is located by the beach, just a few meters east from the Barachois waterfront.
By boat
The small harbor of Saint-Denis has no significant tourist interest. The international harbor serving the island is in Le Port.Get around
During business hours, traffic in central Saint-Denis can be chaotic, and parking places may be scarce, whereas on Sundays, the city may seem nearly deserted, with many businesses closed and shuttered.
See
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The important sights all lie along the axis of Avenue de La Victoire and Rue de Paris and are very compact to one another, so it is recommend to go on foot. In the city center, brand new buildings are often interspersed with decaying ones. Along side the many properly well-appointed and the most representative buildings of the colonial style, there those with little more to interest the tourist than their "historical patina", often immediately next door.
Churches, mosques, and temples
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Cathedral of Saint-Denis Saint-Sauveur
address: On Rue de la Victoire, at the corner of Rue Alexis de VilleneuveCatholic. Built between 1829 and 1832 as designed by Jean-Baptiste Dumas. Became the cathedral in 1850. Expanded between 1856 and 1860. -
Chapelle de l'Immaculée Conception
address: 10 Rue Sainte-AnneCatholic. Consecrated February 6, 1869. -
Église Notre Dame de La Délivrance
address: Place de La DeliveranceCatholic. Built between 1893 and 1898 in neo-gothic style. -
Église Notre Dame de l'Assomption
address: On the corner of Général de Gaulle and Rue Jean Chatel. -
Grand Mosque Noor al Islam
address: Rue du Marechal LeclercBuilt in 1990. Open to men and women, outside of prayer hours, from 09:00-12:00, and 14:00-16:00. No shoes permitted. -
Pagoda Lisi Tong
address: Rue Sainte-AnneBuilt in 1896 -
Pagoda Guan Di
address: Near the corner of Rue du Marechal Leclerc and Rue Sainte-Anne
Significant buildings
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L'ancien Hôtel de Ville
address: 2 Avenue de la VictoireBuilt between 1846 and 1860 (with interruptions due to lack of funds) -
Hôtel de la Préfecture
address: 4 Avenue de la VictoireOriginated as the warehouses of the French East India Company, and is the both one of the first large public buildings built on the island, and its oldest extant structure. -
University of Réunion
address: 9 Avenue de la Victoire -
Banque de La Réunion
address: 27 Rue Jean ChatelThe oldest operating enterprise on the island. The bank is a prestigious villa in the colonial vernacular style, completed in 1858. -
Palais Rontaunay
address: 5 Rue RontaunayThis prestigious villa was built in the early 19th century in the créole vernacular style, and was the residence of Julien Rontaunay Gaultier, which later became the location of the government and Consul General of the island. -
Villa du Général
address: 49 Rue du ParisAn excellent example of villa in the créole vernacular style. -
Villa Mas
address: 18 Rue de ParisA colonial-style villa with an exemplary portico. built from 1973 to 1804 for Baptiste Lestrac, the first mayor of Saint-Denis. Now serves as the home of the Ministry of Culture. -
Villa Déramond-Barre
address: 15 Rue de ParisAnother outstanding example of the colonial vernacular style. This villa has been home to several important locals, such as painter and poet Leon Dierx.
Monuments
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Monument aux Morts
address: At the intersection of Avenue de la Victoire and Rue de la Compangie
Museums
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Léon Dierx Museum
phone: +262 262 20 24 82address: 28 rue de ParisThe museum was founded in 1911 and occupies the colonial-style Villa Manès, which had been the official bishop's residence. One can see works from local artists together with those of Picasso, Renoir, Gauguin, Vlaminck, Bourdelle, and Jean Le Gac. The museum's namesake, Léon Dierx, was a local painter and poet who died in the year 1912. -
Artothèque
phone: +262 262 41 75 00address: 26 Rue de ParisExhibitions change bimonthly. -
Muséum Histoire Naturelle
address: 1 Rue Poivre -
Brewery Museum
address: 60 Quay OuestA museum to the islands omnipresent Bière Dodo (which is owned by Heineken), that opened in 2005. 1-hour guided tours by appointment only.
Parks
La BarachoisThis waterfront promenade with its distinctive cannons is located where Avenue de La Victoire meets the sea. The name can roughly be translated as "little harbor", and the cannon date from the early 19th century when the island was threatened with British invasion during the Napoleonic wars. Also at La Barachois are monuments to aviation pioneer and native Réunionnais Roland Garros (after whom the city's airport is also named), to prominent Governor of the French East India Company Mahé de la Bourdonnais, and to General Charles de Gaulle.
Jardin de l'EtatHistoric botanical garden built from 1767 to 1773 and containing roughly 5 hectares of open space, located at the southern terminus of the Rue de Paris. The Natural History Museum is also within the grounds of the park.
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address: 48 route des PalmiersA crėole garden with flowers, fruit trees and spices in La Montagne.
Do
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Casino Saint-Denis
phone: +262 262 41 33 33address: Barachois Place Sarda GarrigaGaming casino, hotel, bar, and restaurant adjacent to La Barachois -
Cinéma Plaza
phone: +262 262 21 04 36address: 79 rue PasteurMovie theater. -
Cinéma Ritz
phone: +262 262 20 09 52address: 53 rue Juliette DoduMovie theater. -
phone: +262 262 23 79 50address: Parc de Loisirs du Colorado, La Montange9-hole golf course located in the La Montagne district.
Guan Di FestivalA colorful festival held each August celebrating the birthday of the Chinese god of war.
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phone: +262 262 41 93 00address: 2 rue du Théâtre
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phone: +262 262 20 33 99address: 2 rue du Maréchal Leclerc
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phone: +262 262 41 93 00address: 2 Avenue Andre MalrauxTheater group that performs both on the island and internationally. Named after Reunionais publisher and art dealer Ambrosius Vollard.
Parc du ColoradoA sports and recreation complex southwest of Saint-Denis with opportunities for jogging, golf, hiking, mountain biking, and picnicking.
Buy
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PMU Barachois
phone: +262 262 20 34 66address: 3 avenue de la VictoireNewspapers and periodicals, with some international selection. -
Entrepot
phone: +262 262 20 94 94address: 82-88 rue Juliette DoduThe largest bookstore in the city. -
Le Mahal
phone: +262 262 41 63 98address: 50 rue Maréchal LeclercArtisanal handcrafts and souveniers. -
Arts et Lumière
phone: +262 262 53 46 22address: 11 rue de ParisArt gallery.
Markets
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Grand Marché
address: 3 Rue Maréchal LeclercA covered open market hall. Goods available in this location include fruits and vegetables, spices, textiles and wood carvings from Madagascar, and other various souvenirs from the Indian Ocean region. -
Petit Marche
address: corner of rue Maréchal Leclerc and rue Sainte-AnnePrimarily offering food and flowers. -
Marché des Camélias
address: Avenue des CocotiersArtisanal crafts, vegetables, meat and fish (it has been relocated to nearby Boulevard Sud due to construction). -
Marché du Chaudron
address: Place Nelson MandelaAn annual fair in the Chaudron District with over 400 stalls, featuring seafood, fish, meat, and vegetables.
Eat
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La Récré
address: 21 Avenue de la VictoireCréole cuisine, salads, fish and meat dishes from the grill. -
La Renaissance
address: 2 rue Doret
Drink
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Club 138
phone: +262 262 21 07 45address: 7 Rue Amiral Lacaze -
Jazzy Bar
phone: +262 262 21 85 01address: 20 Rue Labourdonnais -
Le First
phone: +262 262 41 68 25address: 8 Avenue de la Victoire
Sleep
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phone: +262 21 15 28address: 3 rue Laferierre
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phone: +262 94 26 26address: 14 rue du Stade Montgaillard
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phone: +262 21 80 20address: 2 rue Doret
Cope
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Office de Tourisme Intercommunal du Nord
phone: +262 56 65 72address: Maison Carrère, 14 rue de Paris -
Ile de La Réunion Tourisme IRT
phone: +262 21 00 41address: 1 Rue Jean Chatel -
Maison de la Montagne
phone: +262 90 78 78address: 5 rue RontaunayReservation agency for mountain cabins.
Connect
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PTT
address: 60 Rue du Maréchal Leclerc.