see our sports section for other activities.

The Vendee lies between the Côte d'Argent and Brittany but with a character all of its own. The Atlantic Coast stretches 140 km, full of fine white sandy beaches with an amazing 210 days sunshine per year, a record rivalling that of the south of France.

The Vendée coast is renowned for its luminosity and is called locally "LA COTE DE LA LUMIERE"... The Vendée is rich with many museums, castles and heritage centres to visit.

It is a land of naturally preserved space with a variety of pleasures such as sandsurfing, horse riding, golfing, watersports and Spa Thalassotherapy centres offering revitalising salt water cures.

The Vendée is reclaimed land and therefore flat and riddled with creeks, vast beaches and sand dunes inviting you to relax. In the dusk, fine pleasure ports transform into lively, welcoming stopovers with a variety of museums, gardens, festivals, folklore pageants and magnificent evening shows.

The region is covered with working salt marshes, oyster beds, potato fields, vineyards and provides a wealth of seafood.

The Vendée offers colourful beauty and a variety of countryside from farmlands to the local marshes and Marais Poitevin Marshes, from forests, the sea and villages with their colourful markets selling the local speciality "Brioche Vendéene" (a type of bread with a sweet taste).

One can relive the past by visiting cloisters, abbeys, inhabited Châteaux and the picturesque surroundings encompassed by magnificent windmills.

You couldn't have a better setting for seaside fun, plenty of space on the gently sloping beaches where you can cool off, or picnic in the fragrant pine woods which sweep down to the sand dunes.

St. Jean de Monts

The long flat beach of fine sand is one of the finest in France - over 8kms long and a paradise for children! It is good for windsurfing, jet skis, char à voile and most importantly, pleasant swimming. The new town by the sea with its esplanade and cafés, is separated from the old town by wooded dunes and a vast forest of pine trees. There are many things to do and see. Here is a selection:

In the old town the Church of St Jean de Baptiste has been rebuilt in local style with exotic wood on its bell tower. Enjoy the bustle of the market every day from June to September with the excellent local fresh food produce. There is an Art gallery, Library and Cinema and some old cottages called "bourrines".

The "Forêt domaniale" has over 750 hectares of pins maritimes, acacias, chênes verts planted by Napoleon III. There are many footpaths and cyclepaths - or even visit the forest on horse back. Enjoy the early morning freshness with its iodised air and smell of the pines and the shade it gives from the afternoon heat.

Wander along Avenue de la Forêt, a wide avenue bordered by flowers, to the sea and Avenue de la Mer: cafés, restaurants, souvenir shops and clothes shops, creperies and an ambiance of fun with its night market and even a Casino. Hire a rosalie, 6 seater bikes, or pick up the little train along its route from town to beach. There are most sports available : an excellent Golf course, minigolf, Thalasso Spa centre and Les Thermes Marines - the largest swimming pool in France with sea water heated to 34°, with a fitness room and spas, physiotherapy, aquagym and massages - spoil yourself and have a treatment day!.

Sailing, char à voile, canoe trips along the salt marshes, horseriding available at 4 centres, tennis. Kite flying, boules, skate boarding, archery, shooting. Or even enter the annual "Triathlon International" - swimming, cycling, and running.please refer to our sports section for many details of sports and activities. There are many walks and cycle rides organised in the area - maps at the tourist offices.