The Noirmoutier island benefits from a microclimate that is perfectly adapted to mimosa flowering. With a surface area of 49 km², the landscapes of the island alternate between between sandy beaches, dunes, creeks, pine and holm oak woods, and salt marshes.

Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, the capital of the island, is a wonderful place to visit with its narrow streets lined with beautiful white houses, its 12th-century port, its church and its medieval castle home to a museum about the history of the island.

The Traditions museum situated in La Guérinière recounts the island's activities and traditions through a collection of objects and costumes, as well as room reconstructions.

Not to be missed: Bois de la Chaise wood fronted by a pretty sandy beach with beach huts. This is where Souzeaux promenade begins, a beautiful walkway along the sea.

Equipped with numerous bicycle paths, the Noirmoutier island is great place to cycle. An excellent way to discover the treasures of the island...

Famous for its salt, the Noirmoutier island is also well known for oysters and bonnottes, a new potato with a unique flavour.

The Gois passage is a 4.5-km long tidal causeway which connects at low tide the Noirmoutier island to Beauvoir-sur-Mer on the continent.

Before the Noirmoutier bridge was built in 1971, the Gois passage was the only passable way allowing to reach the island. Today a tourist attraction, the Gois passage is also enjoyed by fishermen on foot. At rising tide, the rescue towers located all along the Passage du Gois are lifesavers for the careless people unable to make it back to the coast in time.

An unusual sports event is held in May, the Foulées du Gois: a running race over the Passage du Gois... at rising tide!

Crossed by many small canals, the Breton marsh in the Vendée extends over 45,000 hectares of wetland. This natural environment is home to a very rich fauna and flora.

The Daviaud heritage museum in La Barre-de-Monts is a discovery centre of the Breton marsh in the Vendée.

The seaside resort of Saint-Jean-de-Monts offers visitors a beautiful 8-km long sandy beach. Water sports, wind sports and numerous leisure activities, especially for children, are on offer.

The seaside resort of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is also a port renowned for its speciality: sardine fishing. Picturesque with its colourful boats, the Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie port is also the oldest in the Vendée!

Situated off Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie and extending over 23 km², the Yeu island has preserved its authenticity and its fishing traditions. Rocky coasts, cliffs, dunes, sandy beaches and hedged farmland make up the scenery. One place of interest not to be missed along the wild coast (côte sauvage): the Old Castle, a 14th-century fortified castle standing opposite the sea that is supposed to have inspired Hergé in his famous Tintin comic book The Black Island. Regular sea links with the Yeu island are offered from La Barre-de-Monts - Fromentine, and seasonal links from Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie.

Located between Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez and Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, the Corniche Vendéenne is an ocean-front promenade taking walkers along three kilometres of wild coastline strewn with rocks, including a group of five rock stacks called Les Cinq Pineaux.

A seaside resort that is very popular with the inhabitants of Nantes and with tourists, Pornic offers a pleasant combination of fishing and sailing harbours, creeks and sandy beaches, particularly Noëveillard and La Source, plus a picture-postcard castle and a medieval old town. The Chemin des Douaniers, a coastal footpath running alongside creeks and rocky cliffs, is ideal for invigorating seaside walks.

Situated at the mouth of the Loire River, the town of Saint-Nazaire is famous for its port facilities and shipyards. The port's attractions include Escal'Atlantic international ocean liner centre, situated in the former submarine base, a heritage museum tracing the history of Saint-Nazaire, the Esapdon submarine, which is open to visitors, and the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard which specialises in building cruise liners. The terrace on the submarine base roof offers a good view of the whole port and its installations.

In August, the city takes on a festive feel with Escales, a world music event.

Second marsh in France after the Camargue, the Brière Regional Nature Park covers a 49,000 hectare surface area. In the heart of this reserve, the Grande Brière Mottière marsh, which extends over 7,000 hectares, offers a series of canals, reed beds, wetland meadows, peat bogs and islands, among which the Fédrun island. Boat trips are put on to explore the flora and fauna of Brière. From the bell tower of Saint-Lyphard church, there is a panoramic view of the marsh and surrounding area!

The Brière area is also unusual in that it is covered with no less than 3,000 thatched cottages!

The famous seaside resort of La Baule is renowned for its long and beautiful beach of fine sand. A perfect destination for all sunbathing enthusiasts! Added to that are numerous sports and relaxation activities, restaurants and cafés, shops, a Casino, and thalassotherapy centres.

In Kerhinet, a village fully restored by the Brière Regional Nature Park, the walker can admire delightful houses with thatched roofs. It is a really peaceful place to wander around as cars are not permitted in the village. A place not to be missed!

Monday: 10:00 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM

Between salt marshes and Brière, the charming medieval town of Guérande is a good place for visitors to explore, with ramparts and fortified towers and gates, Saint-Aubin collegiate church, narrow paved streets, and old houses. In summer, organ concerts take place in the collegiate church.

The Guérande peninsula is famous for its salt marshes, which extend over 2,000 hectares. These wild and protected areas with magnificent colours attract numerous migratory birds. Salt marsh workers harvest coarse sea salt (gros sel) and sea salt flakes (fleur de sel) there from June to September. To find out more about this, the salt marsh museum in Batz-sur-Mer recounts the history of Guérande salt.

Pouliguen to Le Croisic is one long succession of cliffs, caves and rocky coasts. The name Wild Coast (Côte Sauvage) is very apt. A route not to be missed!

Charming town, Le Croisic is a pleasant seaside resort that has preserved its picturesque fishing port, its church of Flamboyant Gothic style, as well as beautiful old houses.