Travel guide Vendée

It is impossible to leave the Vendée without having tasted a brioche. A true gastronomic institution, the brioche has been part of Vendée families since the dawn of time, or almost. The fruit of the "galette pacaude" and "braided crowns", it now has the Label rouge and is certified IGP (protected geographical indication).

^The Vendée is^{the leading} French department in terms of the number of campsites, with around 360 establishments, and is a paradise for lovers of nature and open-air holidays. A family destination par excellence, everyone will find what they are looking for: bungalows, tented lodges, chalets or classic tents for the die-hards who love tents and sardines.

Bouchot mussels and oysters are well represented on the stalls of fishmongers and on restaurant menus. It must be said that the 250 kilometres of coastline are rather favourable to the cultivation of these little delicacies of marine gastronomy. Not forgetting their cousins: sole, hake, sardines (from Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie!)... Let's eat!

In the Vendée, nature is omnipresent, and the forest is at least as important as the coastline. Here, there are some green treasures, and even a green and blue jewel, the forest of Mervent-Vouvant and its 5,000 hectares. The nature of the Vendée also includes 18 lakes, the largest of which is the Apremont lake, a true fisherman's paradise.

Of course, it is less fun than the Puy du Fou, but the Vendée war is inseparable... from the Vendée! It is anchored in the history of the territory, in its culture. Flashback: the Vendée war was on one side "the blues" (the republicans) and on the other side "the whites" (the royalists), all against the background of the French Revolution.

There is not one but two marshes in the Vendée! The Marais Breton, in the north, and the Marais Poitevin, in the south, also called "Green Venice". The latter, classified as a "Grand Site de France", covers more than 112,000 hectares and is home to an abundant fauna and flora. Let's go for a boat ride on the canals, a hymn to serenity!

With more than 140 kilometres of fine sand, the beaches represent more than half of the Vendée coastline. There is plenty of room for swimming, sand castles, lounging and beach volleyball. Some names? Saint-Jean-de-Monts, Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, La Tranche-sur-Mer... The beaches of these seaside resorts are waiting for you!

One cannot talk about the Vendée without talking about its famous park, elected "Best amusement park in the world" (in 2012 and 2014). The Puy du Fou is the history of the Vendée revisited through grandiose scenographies. It is adventure and emotion. The Vikings, the Middle Ages and the musketeers. To live, at least once.

It is well known that the Atlantic coast and surfing are a beautiful love story. And a story that lasts in the Vendée, where surfers have at their disposal some exceptional spots to offer themselves extreme sensations. Among them, two spots have a reputation that goes far beyond the borders of France: La Sauzaie and Bud-Bud.

Nearly 1,800 km of cycle paths are waiting for you if you are a cycling enthusiast. To get around and forget about the car, for a day trip or a multi-day tour, the bicycle is king in the Vendée! All that remains is to choose the itinerary, depending on whether you prefer land or sea, whether you are a seasoned cyclist or a weekend rider...

Every 4 years since 1989, the city of Les Sables-d'Olonne has been vibrating to the rhythm of the departures and arrivals of the solo adventurers in the famous round-the-world race. Single-handed, without assistance and without stopovers, the Vendée Globe is a human as well as a technical challenge. A legend whose history has been written by so many sailors.

But why are the people of the Vendée nicknamed the "ventre à choux"? If several explanations exist, it is the one from Lucie's grandmother that we prefer... When they harvested the cabbages, the women put them in their apron, which they raised to maintain the whole. So they had the cabbages on their stomachs. Hence the ventrachoux!