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La Vendee, a favourite family holiday destination in France

Tourist information on the Vendee, western France.

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Easy access from the channel ferry ports – only 3 hours from St Malo – get some nice weather without a long drive !
Beautiful climate – 2500 hrs of sun per year.
Superb clean sandy beaches – great for families with children and for watersports enthusiasts.
Sleepy villages and historic towns – loads of beautiful sites to visit.
Attractive, varied countryside – rolling hills, enchanting fens, breathtaking open spaces.
Quiet roads – no hassle.

Bathing

The Vendee is renowned for its excellent beaches. Whevever you stay in the Vendee, the nearest coast will offer you plenty of sandy beaches. Many beaches have designated bathing areas with life-guards offering safe bathing for all ages. (Photo L’Obs)
There is a nudist beach to the south of La Faute sur Mer, towards the point.
See Angela Bird’s beaches page
Discover La Tranche sur Mer

Cycling

The Vendee is one of the French departments with the most extensive network of cycling trails, all well signposted. Along the coastline is always a favourite, but there are also some magnificent trails inland through quiet authentic countryside, or through forests, such as Mervent/Vouvant. The nearest tourist office will have local guide-sheets and there are several good books that list the best trails in the department. One of our favourites is the island of Yeu – accessible by boat from the main coastal towns – bike hire when you arrive – you can do the whole island in a day.

Windsurfing, surfing, kite-surf

For surfing, Les Conches (“Bud Bud“) near La Tranche-sur-Mer, or La Pointe du Payre near Jard-sur-Mer are popular spots in the Vendee and there is also Bretignolles sur Mer. Surfing is usually in designated areas outside the bathing zone.
Find surfing spots in the Vendee. on this map.
For kite-surf, Bretignolle-sur-Mer is a popular choice. There is a kite-surf school at Bretignolles and also at St Jean de Monts and Noirmoutier. There is an excellent water sports school at Les Sables d’Olonne.
The coast is well loved by windsurfing enthusiasts, particularly around Jard-sur-Mer and la Tranche-sur-Mer. Several of the inland lakes also offer possibilities for windsurfing.

Sailing

Beginners and children can take lessons at La Tranche-sur-Mer on a specially prepared lagoon. There is hire of dingies and catamarans at most of the coastal towns. St Giles and Sables d’Olonne also offer skippered charters. See sailing in the Vendee.

Forest adventure parks

There is one near Moutiers les Mauxfaits and one near Jard sur Mer (Pointe du Payre), and also at St Hilaire de Riez, Mervent forest and St Julien des Landes.
See O’Fun Park at Moutiers les Mauxfaits – One of the best tree top adventure courses in France, offering not only 17 different tree top trails of differing difficulty, but also paint ball, climbing walls, bungy jumping, pony rides, zip lines, water jumps, nature trails and much more besides. Activities for children of all ages. Parents needn’t feel left out here either.

Golf

Anywhere in the Vendee, you are not far from a good golf course – La Domangere (Nesmy), Coex, Port Bourgenay, St Jean de Monts, Les Sables d’Olonne, La Rochelle, Cholet, Niort.
See details of golf courses
Buy golf passes on-line

Fishing

There is freshwater fishing on the many rivers and lakes (permits are available locally, usually from a bar-tabac). Beach casting does not require a permit. There are sea fishing trips from most of the coastal ports and resorts. There is also the “Pescalis” fishing park, near La Chataigneraie, which also has mini-golf, picnic areas, horse riding, nature trail, etc. to keep the whole family happy.
See the Pescalis website.

Wine tasting

Wine tasting
The Vendee area has many local wine producers offering some light rosé wines, crisp white wines and some interesting reds.
The main areas are around Mareuil sur Lay, Brem sur Mer, Pissotte juste north of Fontenay le Comte and around Vix in the Marais Poitevin.
Further north towards Nantes you enter into the Muscadet region and you can also go further afield into the Anjou region ; Angers is around 1 hour – 1½hour drive from central Vendee.
Wine testing visits at Vignoble Epiard, north Vendee – just north of Rochserviere

Wine tasting visits at Mourat, south Vendee, Mareuil sur Lay – near to Luçon.

Wine tasting visite at Domaine Coirier, east Vendee, Pissotte – near to Fontenay le Comte.

Wine tasting visite at Domaine St Nicolas, Vendee coast, Brem sur Mer. Biodynamic wines.

More activities

Micro-lights: Initiation is available near La Tranche-sur-Mer. and also light aircraft flights over the coast and islands. See the website and also initiation flights here.

Hot-air ballooning: Initiation flights available in the north of the Vendee. Montgolfiere du Bocage can also offer to arrange individual flights starting near your holiday property – ideal for a special celebration.

Go-karts: Just inland from La Tranche sur Mer at La Noziere / La Jonchere. Children from 7 years upwards. See the website.

Le Puy du Fou

The one thing you MUST see during your stay in the Vendee. This famous history theme park is unique in Europe, offering a full day out, packed with fun for all ages, including a full-size Roman amphitheatre with chariot races and gladiators, a Viking invasion, stunning falconry displays, recreated villages from several different periods of history, and much more…
The ‘Grand Park’ with its day-time attractions is open to visitors, without reservation, throughout the season (get there on-time for the opening to have a chance of getting round the major attractions in a day) and there is night-time ‘son-et-lumiere’ open air theatre for which you need to book months in advance (but well worth it!). See their website.

Green Venice (Marais Poitevin)

Created hundreds of years ago, this network of waterways around the river Sevre Niortaise, was designed to absorb the winter flood water and to offer good pastures for cattle in what was otherwise unexploitable land. Today, it still fulfills it’s function, as well as being a charming place to visit, with its tranquil tree-lined waterways. Many villages in the south-east corner of the Vendee offer punt hire or guided trips around portions of the canal network (Velluire, Vix, Damvix, Coulon, Maillezais). Maillezais offers a good restaurant next to the embarcation as well as the ruined abbey to visit – see the website. Or this one.

Botanical gardens

Le Court d’Aron at St Cyr-en-Talmondais. Thousands of rare plants in a delightful setting. Formal gardens and natural woods. Spectacular lotus flower lakes in bloom from June to September. See Le Court d’Aron.
Perfumed Gardens Les Olfacties at Coex – A unique collection of fragrant plants from all over the world, boutique of natural perfumes. See Les Olfacties.

Steam railway

Mortagnes sur Sevre – 22km of steam train ride between Mortagnes & Les Herbiers through picturesque valleys and over impressive viaducts. See the website.

Velo-Rail

At Commequiers – A 10km ride through the countryside on a pedal-driven rail cart along the former railway lines. See the website.
There is also a medieval chateau to visit at Commequiers – See the website.