Holidays in the Vendée

Between land and ocean, the Vendée is the ultimate holiday destination. Come and relish in its tourist attractions, its mild, sunny climate, its cuisine and its festivities!

THE VENDEE’S CULINARY SPECIALITIES

No matter how discriminating your palate, you will always find specialities and products typical of the region to surprise and delight you. Some of the Vendée’s must-try products include Challans chicken, mogette beans and the small, slightly salty Bonnotte potato. Another mainstay Vendean speciality is the préfou, a kind of garlic bread. The Vendée is known for its salt: the famed Noirmoutier sea salt, rich in trace elements.

Those with a sweeter tooth will undoubtedly prefer a snack of Vendée brioche, gâche (another spongy brioche) or fion, an oddly named yet delicious flan made with vanilla and cinnamon whose recipe dates back to the Middle Ages.

Wine is another part of the Vendée’s culinary landscape. It boasts no fewer than five AOC terroirs:

  • Brem, with its delicate, just slightly salty wines influenced by the sea air
  • Chantonnay, with its wide variety of terroirs
  • Mareuil, whose reds and rosés are known for their personality
  • Pissotte, whose clay soil endows its wines with a unique character
  • Vix, located on a limestone islet which produces powerfully fruity wines.

These five terroirs form a wine route that is well worth taking during your camping holidays in the Vendée.

WORTHWHILE HIKES IN THE VENDEE

There are multiple hikes available around Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, so you can explore the villages and scenery of the Vendean coast at your own speed. These loops are waymarked and cover a variety of distances. They are accessible by hikers of all ages. Here are some of our favourite walks!
balade vendée

  • Just shy of 9 kilometres long, Trail 7 in Brétignolles-sur-Mer will take you along the coastline, passing by Sauzaie Beach, Sainte-Véronique Rock and Morinières Park.
  • There are five trails running through Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez. Trail 27 crosses through the marshes and passes by Grollier Lock, whilst Trail 26 boasts a wide variety of scenery (beach, forest, marsh and dune).
  • Trail 3 is ideal for discovering the pretty village of Brem-sur-Mer and its peaceful surrounding beaches and vineyards.
  • Trail 23 goes around Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie and passes by all the town’s main attractions in under 10 kilometres.
  • To visit La Chaize-Giraud, you will have your choice between a small 5K trail through the village and a longer 10K hike which covers the entire surrounding area.

RIGHT AROUND YOUR CAMPSITE

Discover the Vendean coast with its kilometres of fine sand, its rocky shores, its dunes and its pine forests. Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, a charming seaside resort town, possesses no fewer than 12 kilometres of dunes lining sandy beaches, culminating at the Corniche Vendéenne coastal trail in the town’s Sion district, overlooking the ocean with a whole series of coves, caves and rocks with mysterious names the likes of the Trou du Diable (“Devil’s Hole”), the Cinq Pineaux (“Five Heads”), and more.

There are so many possible outings between maritime and marshy Brittany, riding in a horse-drawn carriage or astride a bicycle, to discover a place where nature is still preserved, in the Vendée’s salt marshes.

Just 90 minutes from your campsite in Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, the famous Puy du Fou will transport back into the history of the Vendée, thanks to its old village and its actors, not to mention its magical evening show. Book your holiday at our campsite and explore the Vendée!
visite vendée
A few kilometres away, visit the Château d’Apremont along with its lake and beach to discover the peace and quiet of the Vendée’s wooded countryside. Not far from there, you can explore Les Sables d’Olonne, the starting point for the Vendée Globe ocean sailing race, its Automobile Museum and its fishing port.

An outing to Noirmoutier Island is a chance to discover its legendary Gois Passage, the road which is submerged under the ocean at high tide, as well as its salt marshes. Out to sea, you can spend the day on Ile d’Yeu and explore the authenticity of its landscapes untouched by excessive modernism, in this little slice of heaven just 40 minutes off the coast.

There are many spots to visit around your campsite in Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez. In Commequiers, the Vélo Rail offers an outing on a railway bike, rolling along the tracks of a defunct railway line. A novel experience, indeed!

10 minutes from Les Biches, discover the typical port in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie! Here, people fish for the famous Saint-Gilles sardines, which foodies won’t be able to resist! These local sardines are the first (and only) wild fish to earn the Label Rouge quality mark.

Their preparation is subject to strict rules that ensure its quality is beyond compare. Fried in oil and canned by hand on a bed of extra virgin olive oil in a local cannery, they will be ready for your taste buds four months later. Take advantage of this outing to wander through the narrow streets lined with white houses with colourful shutters.

In Challans, discover the historical old-style fairs organized by Autrefois Challans. During these cultural and commercial fairs, you can discover typical Vendean products, participate in activities and watch a fireworks show set to music!

Some suggested activities to enjoy with family or friends close to the Flower Campings campsite Les Biches:

  • Puy du Fou theme park: 1½ hr drive
  • O’Gliss Park water park and O’Fun Park amusement part: 1 hr
  • Le Château des Aventuriers leisure park: 1 hr
  • Le Grand Défi leisure park: 25 min
  • Ile d’Yeu, boat boarding site: 10 min
  • Vie salt marshes: 5 min
  • Apremont, château and lake: 20 min
  • La Roseraie de Vendée rose and botanical gardens: 15 min
  • Saint-Jean-de-Monts Golf Club: 20 min
  • Go-karts: 15 min
  • Paintball and quad bikes: 10 min
  • Laser tag and bowling complex: 6 min
  • Treetop adventure: 6 min
  • Casino in St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie: 6 min
  • Cinema: 7 min

See all the tourist attractions in the Pays de Saint-Gilles on the Tourist Office’s website.