With lovely sunny beaches often backed by pine trees along almost all its coastline, the Vendée beaches are especially famed for being children friendly - long, sandy, and safe because they slope gently into the sea. The coast here is known as the Cote de Lumiere ('coast of light') and stretches in an almost unbroken string of beaches and resorts from Noirmoutier in the north to Bretignolles in the south.
It would be quite hard to choose somewhere on the coast in Vendée that isn't near a long sandy beach so your choice depends more on whether you are looking for a quiet resort to relax for a few days or an action packed resort...
France This Way review: our favourite resort on the Vendee coast is Les Sables d'Olonne, because of the dynamic town as well as the beach, but if you are seeking a bit more tranquility, especially in summer when Sables d'Olonne can be very busy and parking difficult, we suggest you consider one of the other possibilities!
Below we suggest some of the most popular resorts, starting in the south not far from La Rochelle and travelling towards the north and the Loire-Atlantique department...see the individual guides for more detailed information about the resorts, facilities and local attractions:
La Faute-sur-Mer
See the La Faute-sur-Mer resort guide for details
La Tranche-sur-Mer
One of our favourites among the 'small' resorts on the Vendee coast. See the La Tranche-sur-Mer resort guide for details
Longeville-sur-Mer
See the Longeville-sur-Mer resort guide for details
Jard-sur-Mer
See the Jard-sur-Mer resort guide for details
Sables d'Olonne
The most active resort on the Cote de Lumière and with a lovely promenade, see the Sables d'Olonne resort guide for details
Bretignolles-sur-Mer
See the Bretignolles-sur-Mer resort guide for details
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Close to the beach, the town of St Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is also very pleasant. See the Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie resort guide for details
Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez
See the Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez resort guide for details
Saint-Jean-de-Monts
See the Saint-Jean-de-Monts resort guide for details
Notre-Dame-de-Monts
See the Notre-Dame-de-Monts resort guide for details
Don't let your choice be too decided by the photos - sometimes we find ourselves visiting a resort outside high season or when the sky is a bit cloudy and the beaches are empty. Usually they will have more people on them in the summer although there are so many beaches you will usually be able to escape the crowds if that is your preference! And in truth it is quite hard to take unique and interesting and unique photos of a large area of flat beach...
See more about Vendee in the Vendee travel guide