Travelling to the Vendee in western France - ferry crossings, budget flights, car hire...

The Vendee - the easily accessible French holiday destination.

The Vendee has the advantage of being a part of France that is very easy to get to, yet far enough south to enjoy a warmer climate, making it an ideal choice for families with children. This page offers suggestions for your travel*. For planning your trip to the Vendee and getting to your holiday cottage, you can use the Michelin or Mappy websites or rely on your GPS/Sat-Nav, but beware of errors and omissions. In all cases, we recommend that once your are in the general area you make use of the detailed arrival instructions that are provided with your holiday accommodation paperwork, as these are based on real local knowledge. See also - Hints and tips for holidays in the Vendee.

Travelling to the Vendee by car

If you are planning a sea crossing, the following chart of distances from the ferry ports will help you in deciding your holiday travel arrangements. The shortest sea crossings from the UK are Calais and Cherbourg, whereas the shortest drive in France is from St Malo (only 3 hours to central Vendee).

Car hire in the Vendee

Car hire is available for pick-up at the airports in this region, Nantes, La Rochelle and Poitiers. Try Rhino Car Hire for great deals on holiday car rental in France.
Take care to specify the pick-up and drop-off times to correspond with your flights as some car hire companies can be a little inflexible in this respect at the smaller airports. Child seats can usually be provided, but make sure on this point.

Getting to the Vendee by train

There is now a TGV (high-speed train) link from Paris to Vendee in under 3 hours, stopping at La Roche sur Yon and Les Sables d'Olonne. Combined with the Eurostar cross-channel service this offers a convenient alternative to ferry or plane.
Car hire is available for pick-up at either station.
Check the timetables and prices on www.voyages-sncf.com or the TGV site