Port-Cros National Park: what is protected and what is banned

Port-Cros National Park, created on 14 December 1963, is Europe's first marine park. Its core covers Port-Cros island (635 ha), Bagaud, the Gabinière and Rascas islets, a strip of sea around them, and since 2012 a large part of Porquerolles. With two million visitors a year according to the park, the rules are strict: stay on the trails, pick nothing, keep dogs on a lead and off the beaches, no fires or cigarettes outside the village, no drones, no camping or wild camping. Scuba diving requires a permit.

The park in figures

Sources: Wikipedia, Port-Cros National Park.

On land: the rules

According to the national park, in the park cores:

• stay on the trails and pick or take nothing;
• rubbish goes in the bins provided;
• drones are not allowed;
• motor vehicles are for service use only;
• dogs are kept on a lead on paths and banned from beaches; on Port-Cros they are only allowed on a lead in the village, between the Moulin fort and the statue of Saint Joseph;
• fires and cigarettes are only allowed in the village;
• hunting, camping and wild camping are banned.

At sea

The marine part of the park has its own rules (anchoring, recreational fishing, diving). Scuba diving in the marine cores of Port-Cros and Porquerolles requires a personal permit, valid for the year and obtained online on the CaPeL platform, then a sticker collected at a park visitor centre (Port-Cros, Porquerolles or Fort du Pradeau). Each year the park publishes marine regulation leaflets in French, English and Italian. See diving.

The park visitor centres

On Port-Cros, the park visitor centre is a few metres from the landing stage. Its staff explain the trails, the places of interest and the biodiversity, issue permits and give information on closures when there is a risk. From April to November the park runs free activities, the “Rendez-vous du Parc national”.

Why so many rules

Heavy summer crowds, wind and drought make fire the main risk. According to Wikipedia, the park was identified in 2023 among sites affected by overtourism. The rules also protect rare species, such as the European leaf-toed gecko, found on Port-Cros, Corsica and Sardinia, or the groupers of La Gabinière. Before you go, see when to go.