Endless beaches of soft sand and lapping waves, fringed by pine trees and undulating dunes – perfect!
Camping in the Vendee
153 campsites in France, Vendée
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Domaine de l’Oiseliere is ideal for camping and campervan holidays and jsut 35 minutes from the Grand Parc du Puy du Fou. This is a small site with just 45 large pitches to choose from, 30 of which are for touring and are 200m2 and separated by hedges. There is a choice of full sun or shaded pitches with cover provided by oak trees. For families travelling in a caravan, large plots enable you to extend your awning easily. The site is a pedestrian zone; vehicles can drive to and from the pitches upon arrival and before departure. Otherwise, campers must use the adjacent parking area.
On the edge of a pine forest and just a short walk across the dunes from a fine sandy beach, this could be an ideal spot for a seaside holiday. Les Cyprès is a very French campsite with good basic facilities and a pleasant modern pool complex. The 300 pitches are in an arc curving out towards the sea in both directions from reception; the 141 touring pitches of varying shapes and sizes occupy the southern end of the arc. All have access to electricity (10A) and water, though long leads are required in places and some are more suitable for tents because of the trees.
Set amongst grapevines and fir trees, Camping l’Océan is only 600 metres from a beautiful sandy beach, while the village centre is also within walking distance. A warm welcome awaits you at the modern reception area which is well stocked with local information. Of the 532 pitches, 140 are for touring, all with 10A electric connections (Europlug) reasonably close, of a good size, separated by bushes (and in some cases vines) and with some mature trees providing shade. They are located in two main sections and you are largely unaware of the many mobile homes and tents, mostly for hire, on either side.
Camping Sandaya de la Bosse is located on the idyllic Île de Noirmoutier, off the coast of Vendée, France. On-site, you will find 249 touring pitches with electric hook-up points. Most pitches are on open and flat, sandy areas with little shade.
Plage de Riez is a family campsite in the heart of a 600-hectare National Forest, with direct access to a glorious sandy beach. It is a modern site and is very busy during July and August. The heated pool area is ideal for everyone, whether you want a refreshing dip, a drink on the adjacent terrace or just a chance to relax in the endless sunshine. The site has 465 pitches of which 270 are for tourers, including seven for motorhomes. Mobile homes and bungalow tents occupy some 180 pitches, some for hire. Each pitch has electricity (6A), is of average size and marked by low hedges.
A site that lives up to its name, Camping Sandaya La Grande Côte, is extensive with 800 pitches, of which 293 are numbered touring pitches in rows spread over undulating dunes with sparse grass under pine, all with 10A electricity and over 287 chalets and mobile homes to rent.
This family site is located close to the village of Barbâtre, on the west coast of the island of Noirmoutier. The site has direct access to a fine sandy beach. There are around 400 pitches, of which around 200 are available for touring units (the rest are occupied by an imaginative range of chalets, mobile homes and fully equipped tents, including teepees, many of which are for rent). Touring pitches are mostly equipped with 16A electricity. On-site amenities include two swimming pools and a paddling pool. A wide sunbathing area surrounds these. A children’s beach club is organised in peak season and evening entertainment is also on offer.
Camping Europa is near Saint Gilles Croix de Vie and is a large, real family-friendly site. Around the playgrounds there’s plenty to do for children of all ages, including a trampoline, a miniature wooden train and a climbing frame with nets and acrobatic course. An outdoor pool area with two heated pools with a water play area, four waterslides and a blissful bubbling Jacuzzi bench and an indoor pool, paddling pool and water play area plus a well-equipped games room. In high season the staff organise sports tournaments, zumba classes and aqua gym for the grownups, crafts, games and dancing for the children. The activities don’t stop at sundown as evenings tend to be packed with live music, themed meals, quizzes and other family-friendly fun. The site has 200 pitches of which 45 are for touring units and there are 97 mobile homes and safari tents available to hire. The rest are privately owned.
Camping Les P’tites Maisons dans la Prairie is a charming, family-friendly campsite with a unique Wild West theme. Located in the Vendée region, it offers a peaceful countryside setting while remaining within easy reach of the Atlantic coast and local attractions. The site provides a mix of traditional camping pitches, chalets, mobile homes, and themed accommodation, making it ideal for families and groups.
Le Bel Air is a well established site close to the Vendée’s largest resort, Les Sables-d’Olonne. It is now very much dedicated to mobile homes and chalets, and for 2019 they have introduced mobile homes with private Jacuzzi's. Of its 286 pitches, just 46 are for touring – 40 on grass mostly with electricity (16A), water and drainage and a further six on concrete for motorhomes. This is a very well equipped site with the focal point being a new and impressive pool complex including a large covered pool and separate outdoor pool.
Camping du Jard is a well maintained site between La Rochelle and Les Sables-d’Olonne. First impressions are good with a friendly welcome from M. Marton and his staff. The 150 touring pitches, all with 10A electricity (Europlug) and 60 also with water and drainage, are level and grassy; many are hedged by bushes and a large variety of trees provide shade in places. A small number of pitches are used by tour operators and 50 accommodation units are available to rent. An impressive pool complex has a heated outdoor pool with toboggan and paddling pool, plus an indoor pool with jacuzzi. The site is 700 m. from a sandy beach with many shops and restaurants nearby.
Les Biches is a popular site 4 km. from the sea. Set in a pinewood, nearly everywhere has shade. There are 434 pitches with 30 available for touring units. They are mostly hedged and on fairly sandy ground, all with electricity (10A). The majority for tents and caravans are in the far part of the site. A very attractive pool complex with children’s pool and flume is overlooked by the bar and terraces. Useful for families with young children. The site is used by tour operators and is unsuitable for American-style motorhomes.
Flower Camping Le Pré des Sables is located between the Atlantic Ocean and a verdant forest just north of the charming coastal town of La Rochelle. A mere 2 kilometers away, the sandy Plage des Bélugas is easily accessible. L'Aiguillon-sur-Mer, with its shops and restaurants, is a leisurely 10-minute stroll away. Explore the stunning natural surroundings by bike or foot, with family-friendly routes winding through the region’s iconic dunes.
Camping le Beauchêne is a traditional and very French family site located in the southern Vendée, around 20 minutes from the large resort of Les Sables d’Olonne and just over 10 km. from the nearest sandy beaches. There are 131 pitches of which 60 are for touring, attractively grouped on either side of a small, well-fenced fishing lake; all have electricity (6/10A). The remaining pitches are occupied by mobile homes, with 37 available to rent. This quiet site comes to life in high season with activities for children and adults.
Village Camping Club le Domaine des Guifettes is on the banks of the Lac des Guifettes (42 hectares), in the southern Vendée. On-site amenities here include a very impressive heated, covered swimming pool with a sauna, spa, massage shower, and paddling pool, as well as external water slides, multi-sport area, tennis, mini-golf and internet point. For anglers, the lake is well stocked and very popular. There are just 15 pitches on the two-hectare touring section, all are of a good size and 12 hardstandings are available in the adjacent motorhome service area. All have electrical connections (3/6/10A). A wide selection of mobile homes, chalets and gîtes are available to rent.
This well established, family run site is within five minutes’ walk of Brem village and 1.5 km. from a sandy beach. The 76 touring pitches are level with varying amounts of grass, some with shade from mature trees. Pitches are separated by tall hedges and serviced by tarmac or gravel roads and have frequent water and 10A electricity points (long leads may be required). Premium pitches are available for an additional charge. There are 197 mobile homes and chalets available for rent. The swimming pool complex features heated indoor and outdoor pools with a jacuzzi, slides and a children’s pool, together with a sauna and fitness centre.
Camping Only camp Le Petit Bocage offers the perfect base for a family-friendly getaway. Located in the charming town of Essarts-en-Bocage, this peaceful campsite is ideal for those seeking a laid-back atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle.
Domaine des Salins site in Saint Hilairede Riez is situated 800 metres from the beach in the Vendée close to St Jean de Monts and Saint Gilles Croix de Vie. Here you will find heated indoor and outdoor pools, and kids' club. Saint Hilaire de Riez is a pleasant seaside resort bordered by 14km of coast that has kept true to nature, extensive pine forests and long sandy beaches. Staying in Saint Hilaire de Riez, the Domaine des Salins is ideally close to the beach of Becs. The site has 148 pitches of which 30 are for tourers with a 10-amp hook-up point. The site is just 400 metres from local shops, on the edge of the forest and away from the main road. There are also several mobile homes and wooden chalets that are privately owned or available to rent
This small, tranquil site is situated down a short tree-lined lane just 600 metres from a small village. It is suitable for people who prefer to be away from the nearby coastal resorts. The pitches are on grass and vary in shape and size (80-100 sq.m). Most are near mature trees giving ample shade and are separated by tall hedges, some flowering, ensuring peace and privacy. The 42 mobile homes are away from the 31 touring pitches, in an open sunny aspect. All pitches have electricity (6A) but long leads may be required on some. Ample water points are situated close to all pitches. The site is not suitable for American motorhomes or twin-axle caravans.
Le Domaine de Bellevue is a family friendly site located in the northern Vendée, close to the town of Challans (famous for its market), and around 20 minutes from the broad, sandy beaches at Saint Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. There are 126 large (minimum 150 sq.m) pitches here, of which 40 are for tourers, 10 fully serviced with 16A electricity and dispersed around a large park, which has two generous fishing ponds (catch and release, and surrounded by a secured fence for the children) stocked with carp and other species. An entertainment programme runs during April, July and August and includes special activities for children. There is a range of mobile homes, chalets and bungalow-style tents for rent.
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Vendée
It’s not only the fine beaches that make this holiday region so appealing – quaint fishing harbours, historic ports and charming towns all create a great holiday atmosphere.
This small but perfectly located region is all about the beach. All 200 km of it. That may sound a little over-simplified, but it is undoubtedly a magnet for lovers of sun, sea and sand. Visitors flock to the region to enjoy the exceptionally mild climate with an enviable sunshine record and famously balmy micro-climate (apparently, there are more sunshine hours here than on the French Rivera); it’s easy to see why this is one of the most popular tourist areas of France. The Vendée has a wealth of sleepy fishing harbours, historic ports and charming towns that all create a great holiday experience. Popular resorts in the Vendée include Les Sablesd’Olonne, La Tranche-sur-Mer, and St Jean-de-Monts.
The Vendée was the centre of the counterrevolutionary movement between 1793 and 1799, and a ‘son et lumière’ held at Le Puy-du-Fou tells the whole story. Les Sables-d’Olonne is its main resort, renowned for its excellent sandy beach. The area between the Vendée and Charente, the Marais Poitevin, is one of the most unusual in France – a vast tract of marshland with a thousand or more tree-lined canals and slow-moving streams.
Vendée Blogs
Spotlight on the Vendee
Rob Fearn | 2 Apr 2021 | Read time: 7m 57s
There are four distinct regions to the Vendée département: the Bocage, a rolling, wooded area of low hills; the Plaine with its open countryside and rich arable land, golden with wheat and sunflowers in summer; and two marshy areas - the silent Marais Breton to the north, the lush, verdant slow-moving waters of the Marais Poitevin to the south
Read MoreCAMPING IN THE VENDEE
Camping in the Vendée
The Vendée is a hugely popular region for camping, partly because it’s an easy place to get to from the UK. Campsites in the Vendée are usually of high quality (competition encourages standards to be high) and many have been in business for decades, gradually improving services and facilities. Of course, as is often the rule of thumb, the closer the campsite to the beach, the smaller the pitches are likely to be. That is sometimes the price to pay for convenience. Moreover, campsites near the beach can be more expensive.
And campsites on the beach can be that much more lively in terms of evening entertainment and general hubbub. For this reason, some prefer to enjoy the day on the beach and then retreat to the more secluded campsites slightly inland. But each to their own!
PLACES OF INTEREST
Places of interest
L’Aiguillon-sur-Mer: Famous for its mussels and other shellfish; site of migrating birds between August and November.
Apremont: Pretty village with a Renaissance castle; Vendée’s largest lake with a sandy beach, watersports and boat hire.
Île-d’Yeu: One hour by boat from the coast, a major tourist destination with colourful shops, cafés and restaurants; art galleries and exhibitions; bicycles and cars for hire.
Jard-sur-Mer: Abbey of Lieu-Dieu (financed by Richard the Lionheart); seaside with attractive, colourful houses.
Le Puy-du-Fou: 15/16th-century castle; son-et-lumière production and historical theme park.
BEACHES OF THE VENDEE
Beaches of the Vendée
The Vendée is a great choice for children of all ages. The traditional accessory for every child visiting the Vendée is, without doubt, the bucket and spade - and with good reason. From St. Jean-de-Monts to La Tranche-sur-Mer the coast is virtually unbroken with fragrant pine forests leading down to gently shelving sandy beaches.
These are some of France’s finest beaches, with gently shelving golden sands that are reassuringly safe for toddlers as they paddle and splash in the water. Many beaches offer high season kids’ clubs with organised beach activities as well as watersports on offer like sailing, windsurfing, paddleboards and kayaks. It’s generally easy for teenagers and older children to enjoy a degree of independence in safety.
Île de Noirmoutier: The Le Gois causeway (and a modern bridge) connect this once detached island to the mainland. A handful of scattered villages and miles of often empty beach create a magical environment, very different from the mainstream resorts further south. The Plage des Dames, complete with a boardwalk, wooden pier, soft sand and backed by oak trees, mimosa, eucalyptus and fragrant pine trees is hard to beat.
Les Sables d’Olonne: This is a resort where the beaches are so good they named the town after them. It’s one of the major resorts of the Vendée and has a fine, curved seafront and sandy bay. The marina is always a popular haunt with plenty of flashy boats to gawp at, as well as the usual bustle of a working marina and, naturally, some really good restaurants where you can enjoy fantastically fresh seafood. The 15th century Château St Clair is also a popular excursion as is the zoo with its sanctuary for over forty endangered species.
St-Jean-de-Monts: Though quiet for much of the year, St Jean-de-Monts wakes up with a vengeance during the summer months. This is one of the best-known hotspots, with many excellent family campsites jostling for position along the Cote de Lumière. The vast 8 km long beach is a delight with fine sands and no currents to worry parents of young children. It’s frequented by kite surfers and sand yachts, as well as cyclists and horse riders enjoying the shady pines that fringe the shore.
St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie: As a change from some of the larger resorts, St Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is an attractive fishing harbour spanning the river Vie. It is home to Beneteau, the world-leading sailing boat manufacturer and it is truly a town of boats, from the brightly painted fishing boats, the little ferries that ply back and forth to the Ile d’Yeu, to the host of small dinghies and sailing boats that bob up and down in the blue waters and whose white sails are sprinkled across the seascape. It’s no surprise the region is known for the Vendée Globe yacht race, one of the most gruelling nautical challenges in the world.
Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez: Not far from its larger neighbour, St Gilles, this pleasant town of small whitewashed houses adorned with jauntily painted shutters is also home to the Atlantic Toboggan waterpark on Merlin-Plage. Here a mind-boggling range of pools awaits, with waterslides, flumes, whirlpools and more. The 250-metre thrills of the twisting Boa and the Kamikaz are inevitable highlights.
The Route du Sel: An excursion with a difference is to follow the Route de Sel (or the Salt Route) through the Marais, inland flat expanses of land reclaimed from the sea. Take to the completely calm waters of the waterways that criss-cross the Sallertaine’s ancient salt marshes and find yourself at eye-level to the surrounding marshland with its windmills and wildlife. A wonderful time to do this is early morning when you might start paddling as the atmospheric morning mists begin to burn off, revealing the magically tranquil landscape around you.
CUISINE OF THE REGION
Cuisine of the region
Not known as a viticultural world-beater, the Vendée does have vineyards around Brem-sur-Mer and Mareuil-sur-Lay, producing light, refreshing wines perfect at the end of a long day in the sun. Excellent duck comes from Challans where the duck market was a key part of the local economy. Locally produced meat and poultry include Charolais beef, salt-marsh lamb and foie gras.
The Brioche de Vendée, the soft, slightly sweet bread served at breakfast is a family favourite. Best of all though is the huge variety of seafood available from the simple but highly prized oyster to the elaborate fish dishes that tempt every passer-by. Seafood includes sole sablaise, cooked with lemon, barbecued sardines from Saint Gilles Croix-de-Vie, baked white tuna and mussels from the Baie de l’Aiguillon cooked in white wine.
Samphire: A herb that grows on the edges of the salt marshes.
Mogette: A signature dish of the region, Slow-cooked baby haricot beans, traditionally served with gammon.
Jambon de Vendee: Local raw-cured ham.