Beach at Ile du Levant

Board at the trail to the beach

Île du Levant, sometimes referred to as Le Levant, is a Mediterranean French island off the coast of the Riviera, near Toulon. It is one of the three that constitute the Îles d'Hyères of France. The island is 8 km long, 2 km wide, and located in the Gulf of Lion (geographical coordinates: 43°03' northern latitude, 6°28' eastern length). About 90% of the island is off-limits to the public, reserved for a military missile test center (the Centre d'Essais de Lancement de Missiles) which has launched numerous research and testing rockets since its establishment in 1948.

In 1931, Gaston and André Durville, both doctors, established Héliopolis, Europe's first village dedicated to naturism, on the island. The village was built on hillsides and is dominated by Fort Napoleon. The village has a small school, a city hall, and a police station. There is one food shop (Le Bazar d'Héliopolis) and a few speciality clothing shops, offering varieties of "le minimum", the local dress code. There are a number of hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, all catering for naturists.

The Bain de Diane and the Plage des Grottes (a nude beach) are reserved for naturists; nudity is formally obligatory there. Being nude is allowed (and expected) everywhere on the public area of the island, except in the immediate vicinity of the harbour and on the village square^[1]. On these locations, it is formally necessary to wear what the French jokingly call "le minimum", often a pareo or a string. In conformance with the relaxed atmosphere of the island, this rule is not really enforced, but generally well observed. In restaurants outside the village centre, some clothing is usually worn but toplessness (for women and men) is quite accepted there and "le minimum" considered sufficient attire.

The island sees a number of scuba divers; these generally do not partake in the nudist lifestyle.

Outside of Héliopolis, the other main tourist attraction is the Domaine des Arbousiers, a natural reserve.

The island can be reached by boat from Hyères and from Le Lavandou. As no cars are allowed on the island (except for some four utility cars), these ferries do not take cars.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Arrêté Municipal Hyères N° 25, 14 March 1978 (http://www.aln.fr/html/documents/Arr%EAt%E9_1978_03_14_Mairie_Hy%E8res_Naturisme_au_Levant.pdf); modified 20 April 2005 (http://www.aln.fr/html/documents/Arr%EAt%E9_2005_04_28_modif-arr%EAt%E9-1978-naturisme-Levant.pdf). A request to allow nudity on the entirety of the island is under consideration.

[edit] Trivia

• Monks lived there since the 15th century; the ruins of their monastery still exist on the island.
• Ferry service to the island is available from Hyères and Le Lavandou.
• Robert A. Heinlein wrote glowingly about the island's simple pleasures in his novel Glory Road.

[edit] External links

• Map of the island in JPEG format, from the Hyères Office of Tourism
• Ile du Levant Chronology and Launch Log
• Google Maps: Satellite picture

Coordinates: 43°03′N 6°28′E / 43.05°N 6.467°E / 43.05; 6.467