Press Pack The Vendée, Holiday destination Collection 2014 www.vendee-tourisme.com ? E É FINLANDE Where is the Vendée?NORVÈGE Highlights END The Vendée is an area of Western France which lies on the Atlantic Coast, south of the Loire, between the cities V of Nantes and La Rochelle. It is about 600 km from the UK. GRANDE-BRETAGNE SUÈDE ESTONIE THE RUSSIE IS DANEMARK LETTONIE IRLANDE LITUANIE PAYS-BAS BIÉLORUSSIE HERE POLOGNE ALLEMAGNE BELGIQUE W Océan Atlantique LUXEMBOURG RÉPUBLIQUE UKRAINE LA VENDÉE PARIS TCHÈQUE SLOVAQUIE FRANCE SUISSE AUTRICHE HONGRIE SLOVÉNIE ROUMANIE CROATIE PORTUGAL BOSNIE HERZÉGOVINE ITALIE SERBIE ET ESPAGNE MONTÉNEGRO BULGARIE ALBANIE GRÈCE How do I get to the Vendée? A dynamic tourism economy: It is really easy to get to the Vendée, thanks largely to the proximity of the airports at Nantes and La Rochelle, • tourism is a top-tier component of the Vendée economy, both of which are less than an hour’s drive away and served by scheduled flights from the UK. The area has also • the No. 1 tourism département in France on the Atlantic seaboard with nearly 35.8 million nights booked for opened up to road and rail traffic, making travel by car (via ferry or tunnel) or train equally viable. tourism, By air (about 1 hour): By road via ferry/tunnel (about 7 hours): • 5 million tourists welcomed each year, To Nantes-Atlantique Airport To Saint Malo (265 km from the Vendée): • 87% are French clients (Western France, Paris region, etc.), (83 km from the Vendée) From Portsmouth (Brittany Ferries) • 13% are international clients (from Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, etc.), From London City (Air France by Cityjet) From Weymouth, via the Channel Islands • reception capacity of 820,000 beds, From Manchester, Southampton (Flybe code share Air From Poole (Condor Ferries) • average trip duration is 10.5 days, France) To Caen (393 km from the Vendée): • the tourist season now lasts six months from April to September with nearly 90% of nights booked, From Liverpool, London Gatwick (Easyjet) From Portsmouth (Brittany Ferries) • a strong trend towards year-round attraction. From Dublin and Shannon (Ryanair) To Roscoff (402 km from the Vendée): From Glasgow From Plymouth and Cork (Brittany Ferries) To La Rochelle/Ile de Ré Airport To Le Havre (421 km from the Vendée): (94 km from the Vendée) From Portsmouth (LD Lines and Brittany Ferries) A diverse, high-quality tourism offering: From London Stansted, East Midlands and Dublin To Cherbourg (428 km from the Vendée): • a diverse, high-quality accommodation offering, (Ryanair) From Portsmouth (Brittany Ferries) • 250 km of coastlines with 80% protection, 140 km of fine sandy beaches, From London Gatwick and Bristol (Easyjet) From Poole (Brittany Ferries) • an unexpected variety of landscapes including dunes and forests, wild, rocky coastlines, bocages and wet- From Birmingham, Manchester and Southampton To Dieppe (484 km from the Vendée): lands, etc., (Flybe) From Newhaven (LD Lines) • over 100 natural, protected areas covering more than 2,000 hectares, From Leeds-Bradford and Edinburgh (Jet2) To Boulogne (604 km from the Vendée): • two islands (Yeu and Noirmoutier), 18 seaside resorts and eight marinas (moorings for 6,400 vessels), From Ramsgate (Euroferries) • two convention centres, two thalassotherapy centres, five 18-hole golf courses and one 9-hole course, From Dover (Speedferries) By rail (about 6 hours): • over 1,000 km of cycling tracks, From London Saint Pancras to Lille Europe (Eurostar), To Calais (636 km from the Vendée): • a vast range of water activities for every season, then TGV from Lille Europe to La Roche sur Yon/Les From Dover (P&O Ferries and LD Lines) • fine cuisine takes centre stage with four Michelin-starred restaurants, Sables d’Olonne From Folkestone (Eurotunnel and Speedferries) • over 500 events held every year, From London Saint Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord To Dunkerque (676 km from the Vendée): world-famous events: Vendée Globe, Tour de France, etc., (Eurostar), then TGV from Paris Gare Montparnasse to From Dover (DFDS Seaways) • La Roche sur Yon/Les Sables d’Olonne To Saint Nazaire (52 km from the Vendée): • over 300 sites to visit or for leisure activities, Main stations in the Vendée: La Roche sur Yon, From Roselare (LD Lines) • a unique sight-seeing venue that now welcomes over 1.74 million visitors each year: le Puy du Fou® (voted the Challans, Saint Gilles Croix de Vie, Les Sables d’Olonne, best theme park in the world in 2012 and in Europe in 2013). Montaigu, Luçon. 3 2 www.vendee-tourisme.com www.vendee-tourisme.com Top addresses in Vendée Bed & Breakfast • Logis de la Venerie in Olonne sur Mer (bed & breakfast) ................................................................................. 25 • L’Epicurienne in Sables d’Olonne (bed & breakfast) ........................................................................................ 25 • Logis des maraîchers in Olonne sur Mer (bed & breakfast) .............................................................................. 25 • Grange aux peintres in Vouvant (bed & breakfast) ......................................................................................... 25 CONTENTS • Moulin de la Roche in Tiffauges (former watermill) ............................................................................................ 26 CONTENTS • Maison d’Olivier in Mesnard La Barotière (former school) ................................................................................ 26 Manoir du Moulin in Sainte Hermine (former watermill) .................................................................................... 26 Destination Vendée • Hotels Coastal beauties • L’hôtel de Luxe (4-star) run by Thierry Drapeau in Saint Sulpice le Verdon ..................................................... 27 • Saint Jean de Monts: the children’s favourite ...................................................................................................... 6 • Hôtel Les Voyageurs in Ile d’Yeu .......................................................................................................................... 27 • Saint Gilles Croix de Vie: strong maritime tradition .............................................................................................. 6 • Terragora Lodges, a quaint, ecological and unusual hotel in Les Epesses .................................................... 28 • Les Sables d’Olonne: the sea town ........................................................................................................................ 7 • Luxury wooden houses (Le Boisniard 5-star hotel) in Chambretaud ............................................................... 29 • La Tranche sur Mer: a village by the sea .............................................................................................................. 8 • Hotel or art gallery? Château de la Barbinière in Saint Laurent sur Sèvre (4-star) ........................................ 29 • Domaine du Brandois in La Mothe-Achard (4-star hotel) ................................................................................. 29 Vendée islands • Noirmoutier: the mimosa island .............................................................................................................................. 9 Holiday lettings • Ile d’Yeu: the pearl of the Atlantic ....................................................................................................................... 10 • Résidence Belle Plage in la Tranche sur Mer (holiday residence).................................................................... 30 • Chromatic, the arts B&B for musicians in Grosbreuil .......................................................................................... 30 Marais Poitevin and its unique villages • Marais Poitevin: the land of wide open spaces ................................................................................................. 11 What’s new in Vendée camping • The unique villages of Vendée classified Petites Cités de Caractère ........................................................ 12-13 Back to nature Outdoor activities • 100% nature in La Ventouse in Jard sur Mer (3-star) ........................................................................................... 31 • Nature in the meadows in La Chapelle Hermier (4-star) ................................................................................... 31 Vendée by bike • Les Ramiers in the heart of the Longeville sur Mer forest (2-star) ..................................................................... 31 • Vendée: the largest network of bicycle tracks in France ................................................................................ 14 • The 25 finest circuits in Vendée............................................................................................................................. 15 The unusual: sleeping at the camping site • Vélodyssée – at the heart of the Euro Velo Route 1 .................................................................................... 15-16 • Ecolodges in Domaine des Moulins in La Guérinière (5-star) ........................................................................... 32 • Welcoming cyclists to Vendée ............................................................................................................................ 16 • Bubble room, treehouse at Château la Forêt in Saint Julien des Landes (4-star) .......................................... 33 • Tents, bungalows and old-style caravans at