Camping Riez À La Vie

Take your pick from theme parks, forest hikes, watersports and more around this part of France, all among the mild climate of the Vendée. The many golden sandy beaches of the Atlantic coast in this area cover about 250 kilometres of fine sand, many stretches of which are popular for watersports including scuba diving and surfing. Sand yachting, kitesurfing, sea fishing, sailing and boat trips can all be organised about a kilometre from the site. Have a wander around Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, starting from the beach reachable from Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, around the dunes to the port, and then up to the town and its many cafés, restaurants and central jazz bar. From Saint-Gilles it's about 40 minutes' drive to Les Sables d'Olonne and about an hour to Nantes. Other options are the seaside resort and eight kilometres of beach at Saint Jean de Monts (12 kilometres); the megaliths in Brétignolles sur Mer (20 kilometres) and tackling part of the vast cycle network of the Sentiers Cyclables de la Vendée, running for 500 or so kilometres from Noirmoutier in the north down south past Saint-Gilles.