Iles d'Or (Golden Islands)

Set off the coast of Hyères-les-Palmiers, the Iles d’Or (Golden Islands) are the jewel of this section of the coast. Packed with reminders of their tumultuous history, they also offer delightful year-round excursions: - Porquerolles, the largest of the three Golden Islands, home to beautiful sandy beaches to be explored on foot or by bike. - Port-Cros, a National Park, boasting an immensely rich and well-preserved underwater plant and animal life. - Le Levant, a naturists' paradise... The Legend of the Islands. According to Hyères-born writer Gustave Roux, Prince Olbianus was the proud father of 4 sisters of astonishing beauty (Olbia was the name of the Greek trading post at the origin of the town of Hyères). One day, as the sisters were bathing off the coast, pirate ships appeared on the horizon. Prince Olbianus, aware of the imminent danger, begged his daughters to return to the shore, but the unlucky girls has swum out too far. Their despairing father knelt down on the beach and prayed the gods to save his treasures. Suddenly, the 4 daughters felt their arms and legs become stiff and paralyzed. 3 of the girls were transformed into islands and the fourth, who was nearer the shore, changed into the delicious Presqu’île de Giens (Giens Peninsula) as she held out her imploring arms to her father.