La Turballe to Hœdic Ferry

The La Turballe to Hoëdic crossing is a seasonal passenger boat linking the fishing and marina town of La Turballe, on the Guérande peninsula in Loire-Atlantique, with the small Breton island of Hoëdic out in the Atlantic. Unlike the year-round Quiberon service to the island, this southern approach is a summer excursion route: it opens the island up to visitors staying around La Baule, Guérande and the Loire-Atlantique coast without needing to drive north to the Morbihan ports.

Operator and season

The route is run by Navix, the Vannes-based excursion operator, rather than by Compagnie Océane. Sailings are strictly seasonal: regular departures run in July and August, with a lighter "pre-season" service on selected dates from around April to June and into September. Outside these months there is no service from La Turballe, and even in season departures are limited to a few days each week, so booking ahead and checking the sailing calendar is. Navix also serves the neighbouring island of Houat from the same port, so some sailings combine the two.

The crossing

Hoëdic lies well offshore across open Atlantic water, so this is a longer island crossing than the short shuttles further up the coast – a scenic run of over an hour depending on conditions and whether the boat calls at Houat en route. It is a foot-passenger service only: no cars are carried, which suits Hoëdic perfectly, as the island is almost entirely car-free. Bicycles and beach gear are what most day-trippers bring instead.

What awaits on Hoedic

Hoëdic is one of the smallest inhabited islands off the Breton coast – barely two and a half kilometres long, ringed by white-sand beaches and dunes, with a single village, a star-shaped fort and a permanent population numbering only in the low hundreds. Because the La Turballe boats are seasonal day-excursion sailings, most passengers come across for the day to swim, walk and picnic, returning on the afternoon or evening departure. Anyone hoping to travel outside the summer window will instead need the year-round Compagnie Océane service from Quiberon.