St-Denis is small, but there's plenty to do - revelling in the architectural splendour of the Creole mansions, strolling in the seafront park, exploring the hill districts with their splendid views. There's also a couple of fine museums and a jumping market.

St-Gilles-les-Bains
The beach scene may not be what Réunion is all about, but at times you have to wonder. On weekends and during holiday periods, St-Gilles-les-Bains becomes ridiculously overcrowded. It's pretty much like Brighton, Bondi or Santa Monica on a hot, sunny Sunday with packed restaurants, cramped beaches and all-day traffic snarls which seem particularly constipated if you're coming from the St-Denis side. The excitement centres on the 20km (12mi) stretch of lagoon and white coral sand beach stretching from Boucan Canot to La Souris Chaude (literally, the Hot Mouse). On either side of this area, the sand is of the black volcanic variety.

In the 1800s, the small fishing village of St-Gilles-les-Bains belonged to the estate of the Desbassyns family. After the road from St-Paul arrived in 1863, however, it was discovered by holiday makers and has been growing more popular ever since. The Musée de Villèle was the home of the wealthy and very powerful Mme Panon-Desbassyns and today offers guided tours. The madame was a coffee and sugar baroness who, among other things, held 300 slaves. Legend has it that she was a cruel mistress and that her tormented screams can still be heard whenever the volcano is erupting.

About 1km inland is a parking area and a path down to an old irrigation and water supply system. The area encompasses a stunning series of waterfalls and pools. Bassin du Cormoran is the most accessible, reached along a lower path that cuts away from the irrigation canal. When the water level is right, the falls are excellent for swimming and provide an alternative to the beach on hot days.

St-Paul
Attractive and worth a few hours of exploration, St-Paul is often bypassed by those scurrying towards the surf and white sand further south. As the original capital of Réunion, it bears a tropical and colonial air, with historical buildings along the seaside promenade, lined with cannons and shaded by straggly coconut trees. The only site that could be considered a real attraction is the bright and well-kept Cimetière Martin near the southern end of town, a great place to wander and recall the island's tumultuous, renegade and mercantile past. It contains the plots and remains of Réunion's writers, rogues and respectable gentry. The cemetery's greatest plot is the final resting place of the pirate Olivier Levasseur, 'La Buse' (the Buzzard), the grave marked by the pirates' trademark skull and crossbones. After stealing a fortune in treasure, La Buse based himself in Madagascar. He was the last Indian Ocean pirate to be apprehended. He was captured, taken to St-Paul and hanged in 1730. There are still people searching for his treasure in Mauritius, the Seychelles and Réunion.