Endless beaches of soft sand and lapping waves, fringed by pine trees and undulating dunes – perfect!
Camping in the Vendee
107 campsites in France, Vendée for Kids
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Developed over the years on what was once a working farm, this is a friendly, relaxed, three-hectare site, very different from the sophisticated sites that abound in this area. Of the 208 pitches, 70 are available for tourers, the rest being occupied by mobile homes and chalets, of which 49 are available for hire. Touring pitches are large and attractively laid out, separated by hedges, with mature trees to give shade, and with electricity and water close by. There is a pleasant solar-heated pool with paddling pool and jacuzzi, and an old barn is used as a games room and for occasional events in high season. English and Spanish are spoken.
Camping Les Rouillères is found in the charming beachside town of La Tranche-sur-Mer, with its expansive Les Rouillères beach, right next to the campsite and accessible on foot. The on-site waterpark with a covered heated outdoor swimming pool and water slide, along with sports and recreational facilities, make this an excellent site for active campers. Activities and entertainment ensure fun for all the family.
Camping La Vallée de Poupet is located in Saint-Malô-du-Bois, Vendée, France. The campsite is located in a quiet and peaceful area, next to the river La Sèvre Nantaise and is close to all the main attractions of the Vendée. The nearest beach is just a 15-minute drive away, and there are also a number of other popular tourist destinations nearby, such as the Puy du Fou theme park, the Marais Poitevin nature reserve, and the town of La Rochelle.
Camping la Dive can be found south of the popular resort of La Tranche-sur-Mer, close to the broad, sweeping bay of l’Aiguillon-sur-Mer. The nine-hectare site is located on the edge of the pleasant village of Saint Michel-en-l’Herm. The beach can be accessed in around five minutes by car. The 125 touring pitches here are of average to large in size, grassy, part shaded and have 6A electricity. A wide range of mobile homes, chalets, roulottes and tents are available to rent in a new area of the site. On-site amenities include an outdoor swimming pool complex with slides, flume, sauna and jacuzzi, minigolf and pony rides. There is a good range of shops in the village (500 m).
A family run site, le Rouge Gorge has 93 grassy touring pitches, plus some units for rent (2-8 people) and privately owned caravans and chalets. Slightly sloping and undulating pitches are on grass in a garden-like setting and a small wildlife pond (fenced) is in the centre of the site.
Just five kilometres from the super sandy beach at Jard-sur-Mer, la Grand Métairie offers many of the amenities of its seaside counterparts, but with the important advantage of being on the edge of a delightful, sleepy village otherwise untouched by tourism. It is a busy, well-run site, with a programme of lively entertainment in high season. The site has 172 pitches (39 touring pitches), all with electricity (10A). The pitches have good shade, are all separated by mature trees and hedges and are reasonable in size, although access to some may prove difficult for larger units.
This is an attractive, family run holiday site with indoor and outdoor pool complexes and 382 pitches, most of which are fully serviced. Over half are taken by mobile homes and chalets, leaving 183 good sized, hedged pitches with 10A electricity hook-ups (2 pins) for touring units. Grassy and level, these are served by tarmac roads. A good family holiday location, there are lots of activities and entertainment in July and August. The indoor pool is open all season, the L-shaped outdoor pool complex has a menhirs theme and attractive flower beds.
This eight-hectare site should appeal to families with children of all ages. It is very lively in high season but appears to be well managed, with a full programme of activities (it can therefore be noisy, sometimes late at night). The site is only 1 km. from the excellent beach. There are 450 flat, grass and sand pitches, 121 are for touring units with the remainder occupied by tour operators and mobile homes to rent. All touring pitches have 10A electricity (French sockets, long leads may be required) Some are separated by high hedges, others are more open with low bushes between them. There is a good aquatic area – the flume takes you past rocks before plunging into the pool.
A warm welcome is given by the English-speaking owners, Martine and Eric Malard, who make every effort to ensure that your stay is enjoyable. On site is a small, attractive lake with fishing and a large sports field. There are 178 pitches of which 94 are for touring units, all with 6A electricity (Europlug). The site has 24 mobile homes to rent, including one equipped for disabled visitors, and there are 60 which are privately owned. Indoor and outdoor swimming pools. This is a hidden gem in a small village away from the hustle and bustle of the seaside resorts. Ideal for those looking for a quiet holiday, it is still within a short drive of the Vendée coast and the Ile de Noirmoutier.
This is a large site comprising rental properties and touring pitches in a total of 280. It is very family-friendly and check-in is very efficient and quick; English is spoken, and access is also easy for all sizes of outfits. The site consists of a range of Mobile Homes to rent, and 78 spacious large touring pitches are divided by hedging and some offer shade. The site itself is jam-packed with something always going on, most of the day and night; it is not a site to sit back and relax on, in fact, when I visited, there were several parties of school children enjoying the last of the school holidays. However, just a 5-minute (900m) drive, you will be on a beautiful, peaceful beach on the Atlantic Coast.
This is a busy, family run campsite that is very popular with British holidaymakers and is used by a number of tour operators who occupy 150 of the 544 pitches. However, there are still 300 touring pitches, all with electricity (10A), water tap and drain; there are also 32 mobile homes for hire. The site is on both sides of the main road, linked by a tunnel. Most of the larger pitches are on the far side, so owners of high units would need to ask for a pitch on the main part of the site. There are outstanding leisure facilities.
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.
The name gives a clue to its location! This well-run site is on the edge of a pine forest and just a 600 m. walk to the sea. The 255 pitches are mainly occupied by mobile homes, with 90 for rent and 50 owned by a small British tour operator, but there are 52 mainly level touring pitches in groups and divided by hedges. Forty have 10A electricity, water and drainage whilst a few are tucked away among the trees and are ideal for smaller tents. Quiet in low season, the site comes to life in July and August with activities arranged for all the family.
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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.