Camping Le Ragis

To the beach? To the beach. Camping Le Ragis is niftily set for reaching the seaside resorts of the Vendée, with Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, Saint Gilles Croix de Vie and Saint-Jean-de-Monts all about minutes' drive away. Have a day in each if you can manage it: Saint-Hilaire for the L'ile-aux-Jeux amusement park and Atlantic Toboggan waterpark, Saint Gilles for watersports and handsome harbour restaurants, and Saint-Jean for eight kilometres of beach as well as guided tours among the sand dunes. Old villages, old piles and ancient monuments are close by too if that's your historical bent: try the Rairé mill (15 minutes), still in service in these modern times or the ruins of Château de Commequiers or Château d'Apremont, 10 and 20 minutes away. Another top option for old-school Vendée is the craft village of Sallertaine (10 minutes), to buy local food produce, jewellery, arts and crafts, and to rise to the challenge of French baking at the town's bread making museum. Sallertaine's also a startoff point for canoe trips among the famed Vendée salt marshes: hire a craft at the canoe centre there or set off on a guided trip.