The Vendée - Anyone Been?

la Rochelle and Isle de Re are well worth a visit. If you have time, cycling is the best way to explore Isle de Re - it is flat and has a great network of cycle paths so very safe.

3 destinations from Nantes, around 200 kms, in 3 opposite directions :  île de ré( very nice little isle), Pornic( beautiful port ), Mont St Michel ( beautiful but very very touristic).

Go on youtube, you will have videos.....

Thanks!

G

Carnac, Quimper and Poitier are all worth a visit, although as others have indicated, they are a modest drive from Nantes.

Carnac for its megaliths, Quimper for its cathedral , museums and standing stones. Poitier for its funpark (Futuroscope - assuming you have kids or are young at heart !)

I would also endorse what the others above have said plus St - Malo if you are going that way. Ok, it looks old but as an architect you will know it was rebuilt not too long ago !

Enjoy the holiday !

le croizic:  nice beaches and nice port....

trenthenouth:  very near Nantes. ( little port )

We have a friend who grew up in the Vendée and now lives in Emsworth. Her advice to us was never to go there because it’s really dull. You’ll discover whether she is right. 

île de ré is not dull at all, a very nice isle, with a lot of trees, flowers, colorful houses, wonderful beaches....  But some places in the Vendée are also sad and boring....

OOps, just re-read the OP....

....an hour South of Nantes !!

Carnac and Quimper are probably out.

Poitier still a possibility but of limited appeal.

La Rochelle and Ile de Re would be on my list.

French Rooster posted:

Mont St Michel ( beautiful but very very touristic).

Go on youtube, you will have videos.....

???? Agree with French Rooster,but Mont St Michel is still worth a visit.
For us living in Sweden,the difference between ebb and flood is fascinating.

You do not see the water when it is ebb,...even if you are at the top of the Mont St Michel.

/Peder ????

I spent a few months in the Vendee in the ‘80s, and it was popular with (mostly French) family holidaymakers due to the long sandy beaches and plentiful local seafood. For anything other than that, I think I would head north into Brittany or inland into the Loire. 

I was lucky enough to have a holiday home in Charente Maritime the next department south of the Vendeee.

In answer to some of the points above ;

1. The Vendee is not dull - it has some fantastic beaches and superb seafood restaurants.

2. Quimper is not in the Vendee. It is in Brittany but well worth a visit.

3. La Rochelle is in Charente Maritime and about 1.5 hours drive south of Nantes. It is lovely but over run with tourists and a nightmare to park.

4. Ile de Re is also in CM. Absolutely stunning and well worh a visit ( as is Olerun)

5. St Malo is awful apart from the fortified town and is shut on a Monday and any day outside of July and August.

I guess that if all you want to do is lie on the beach or eat seafood the Vendée is perfect. If you want interesting places to visit, it’s less than perfect. That’s what my French friend meant by it being dull. 

What is "interesting" code for? Anyone who doesn't  find the wonderful Ile de Re interesting is exceptionally demanding and I'd like to know where does meet their exacting standards! 

hungryhalibut posted:

I guess that if all you want to do is lie on the beach or eat seafood the Vendée is perfect. If you want interesting places to visit, it’s less than perfect. That’s what my French friend meant by it being dull. 

i imagine that for you, if there is no museums or architecture or churches to see, it is not very interesting.   I can understand but all people have not the same interests.    Personally, and specially on summer, i prefer places like île de ré,  corsica,  big lakes....than Venise, Milano or Barcelona.

But we don’t know what Graemeh is looking for....

hungryhalibut posted:

I guess that if all you want to do is lie on the beach or eat seafood the Vendée is perfect. If you want interesting places to visit, it’s less than perfect. That’s what my French friend meant by it being dull. 

Lying on a beach and eating seafood all day sounds like heaven to me.  

Yesterday afternoon we spent in Piles 1km north of Oliva on the northern Costa Blanca lying on the beautiful sandy beach and swimming in the med we then walked a 100 metres across the beach to a seaside restaurant ate beautiful seafood, drank cold white wine and listened to a live jazz/soul band and it was far from dull.

Rochefort - well worth a visit.

The islands, Ré, of course (VERY posh), Oléron, Noirmoutier (not sure it's in Vendée, strictly speaking), Yeu...

Lovely beaches (Sables d'Olonne) - but yes, a bit boring inland. Wonderful oysters (Oléron).

Well, we are here and having a lovely peaceable time - nice gite, nice pool. We’ll do Futuroscope with the ‘kids’ at the weekend and potter about exploring, eating, drinking and swimming meantime. 

Ile de Re sound worth investigating...with 5 of us from 14 to 54 there is no ‘one’ agenda...my boring is my youngests exciting and vice versa!.

Thanks again,

G

Graemeh,

You have also 2 nices villages, one of the classified most beautiful villages from France:  Vouvant( old village with a IX century church) , about 1 hour from Nantes, and l’ile-d’yeu ( isle of d’Yeu), with greek like houses in a beautiful village, but about 2h15 from Nantes.

St Malo is not interesting.   Mont St Michel must be seen( early in the morning if possible).

Ile de ré and île d’Oleron are very nice, with no really cultural or historical aspects, but for beautiful nature, local food and enjoyment of the summer !

French Rooster posted:

Graemeh,

You have also 2 nices villages, one of the classified most beautiful villages from France:  Vouvant( old village with a IX century church) , about 1 hour from Nantes, and l’ile-d’yeu ( isle of d’Yeu), with greek like houses in a beautiful village, but about 2h15 from Nantes.

St Malo is not interesting.   Mont St Michel must be seen( early in the morning if possible).

Ile de ré and île d’Oleron are very nice, with no really cultural or historical aspects, but for beautiful nature, local food and enjoyment of the summer !

Brilliant FR. We are 25mins from Vouvant so will make a point of visiting.  Tucking into mojito’s in the sun...although ‘soda water’ not easy to come by!

G

Enjoy Graemeh !   the weather is fantastic this summer !   For me it will be Najac, in Aveyron, nice and not so touristic.