Angela Bird's helpful local guide to The Vendée

Region

The Vendée is a beautiful part of France and has everything you could want within easy reach - from gorgeous sandy beaches to rugged rock pools and historic buildings to futuristic attractions.

The region nestles on the West coast of France and is known as the Côte de Lumière - the Coast of Light. There are over 80 miles of beaches and, set within some beautifully unspoilt countryside and pine forests, are a number of colourful fishing ports and lively market towns. It's the perfect place for a relaxing holiday. It is also the home to the famous Vendée Globe round-the-world yacht race that sets off from Les Sables d’Olonne.

The Vendée bathes in over 2,500 hours of sunshine every year, meaning that spring and autumn breaks are attractive options - especially with the lower prices you can benefit from at these times.

Find out more about this beautiful area with these very helpful websites. Angela Bird writes descriptively about the local area in her book The Vendée. Her website www.the-vendee.co.uk is also helpful.

» vendee-tourisme.com - the official Vendée tourism site
» discovervendee.com - another helpful tourist site
» france4families.com Includes an interactive map for finding flights from UK to France
» poitou-charentes-vacances.com especially for La Rochelle and inland regions further south