Travelling to the Vendee in western France
For planning your trip to the Vendee and getting to your holiday cottage, you can use the Michelin or Mappy websites or rely on your GPS/Sat-Nav, but beware of errors and omissions. In all cases, we recommend that once your are in the general area you make use of the detailed arrival instructions that are provided with your holiday accommodation paperwork, as these are based on real local knowledge. See also - Hints and tips for holidays in the Vendee.
Travelling to the vendee by car
If you are planning a sea crossing, the following chart of distances from the ferry ports will help you in deciding your holiday travel arrangements. The shortest sea crossings from the UK are Calais and Cherbourg, whereas the shortest drive in France is from St Malo (only 3 hours to central Vendee).
| Ferry Port | Km | Miles | |
| A | Roscoff | 424 | 265 |
| B | St Malo | 296 | 185 |
| C | Cherbourg | 416 | 260 |
| D | Caen | 358 | 224 |
| E | Le Havre | 461 | 288 |
| F | Calais | 715 | 447 |
See below for discount deals on ferry crossings for the Vendee.
| UK & Ireland Ports | Destination Port | Ferry Company |
| Portsmouth | Caen | Brittany Ferries |
| Dover | Calais | Seafrance |
| Dover | Calais | P&O Ferries |
| Folkestone | Calais Train Station | Eurotunnel |
| Portsmouth | Cherbourg | Brittany Ferries |
| Portsmouth | Cherbourg | Condor Ferries |
| Rosslare | Cherbourg | Celtic Link Ferries |
| Rosslare | Cherbourg | Irish Ferries |
| Poole | Cherbourg | Brittany Ferries |
| Newhaven | Dieppe | Transmanche Ferries |
| Dover | Dunkerque | Norfolkline |
| Portsmouth | Le Havre | LD Lines |
| Newhaven | Le Havre | LD Lines |
| Portsmouth | Le Havre | Transmanche Ferries |
| Newhaven | Le Havre | Transmanche Ferries |
| Cork | Roscoff | Brittany Ferries |
| Cork | Roscoff | Brittany Ferries |
| Plymouth | Roscoff | Brittany Ferries |
| Rosslare | Roscoff | Irish Ferries |
| Weymouth | St Malo | Condor Ferries |
| Jersey | St Malo | Condor Ferries |
| Jersey | St Malo | HD Ferries |
| Guernsey | St Malo | Condor Ferries |
| Portsmouth | St Malo | Brittany Ferries |
| Poole | St Malo | Condor Ferries |
Ferry crossing deals to Vendee, France
We have selected some suggestions below for good prices for your cross channel ferries to France. Compare prices to see which gives the best deal.
This site covers all the major crossings and companies - click for a quote 
|
 Chez Nous Travel Offers Properties on vendee-gites.com qualify for discounts on cross-channel ferries through the "Chez Nous" Travel Service. Click these links for a quote on-line (this link activates the discount scheme). Discounts on Brittany Ferries | P&O Ferries |
Holiday Insurance for France We are often asked to suggest a suitable holiday insurance provider... A one trip policy for a family group of 2 adults and 2 children is typically under £25.  |
| Fly-Drive to the Vendee, France You can easily fly to the Vendée, offering a competitive and convienient solution which is often ideal for low season breaks. There are two nearby airports: Nantes Atlantique Airport to the north of the area. La Rochelle Airport to the south of the area. Depending on exactly where you are staying, these two airports are within 30 to 90 minutes drive drive of most of the Vendee. You can also fly to Poitiers Airport (90 minutes from central Vendee). Car hire is available at both of these airports (see below). You can consult the the usual low-cost companies for flights to these airports (links opposite) or see this Flight comparison site. |
Airports: Nantes Atlantique La Rochelle Poitiers Low costs flights: EASYJET FLYBE RYANAIR .............................. |
Car Hire in Vendee, France We have had a look at the offers for car hire in France and this site seems to come out very well. Also has a flight search facility. Pick up at the airports - Nantes, La Rochelle or Poitiers. |
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Budget companies change their schedules all the time so you need to check that the company is still offering the destination you require for your holiday dates. Check carefully the supplements to be paid to get the true all-in price. Note that baggage allowances on budget airlines are very restrictive...
| UK & Ireland Airports | Destination Airport | Airline |
| London Stanstead | La Rochelle | Ryanair |
| Manchester | La Rochelle | Flybe |
| Bristol | La Rochelle | easyJet |
| Southampton | La Rochelle | Flybe |
| London (Gatwick) | La Rochelle | easyJet |
| Birmingham | La Rochelle | Flybe |
| Leeds - Bradford | La Rochelle | Jet2 |
| Glasgow | La Rochelle | Flybe |
| Dublin | La Rochelle | Ryanair |
| Edinburgh | La Rochelle | Jet2 |
| London (Gatwick) | Nantes | easyjet |
| London (Stansted) | Nantes | Ryanair |
| Bournemouth | Nantes | Ryanair |
| Liverpool | Nantes | Ryanair |
| East Midlands | Nantes | Ryanair |
| London (Stansted) | Poitiers | Ryanair |
| Birmingham | Poitiers | Ryanair |
| Internal flights Paris (CDG) | Nantes | Air France |
Getting to the Vendee by train There is now a TGV (high-speed train) link from Paris to Vendee in under 3 hours, stopping at La Roche sur Yon and Les Sables d'Olonne. Combined with the Eurostar cross-channel service this offers a convenient alternative to ferry or plane. Car hire is available for pick-up at either station. Check the timetables and prices on www.voyages-sncf.com or the TGV site (English) |
Need to hire baby equipment ? BB-CO-LOC This company rents out car seats, push-chairs and other baby equipment. Based in La Roche sur Yon, but they will deliver anywhere in Vendee or directly to Nantes or La Rochelle airports for your arrival. Depending on the distance they can offer discounts on the delivery fee - quote our discount code "HATPM". See: www.bbcoloc.fr (Site in French but easy to use, with reservation and payment on-line) |
Other useful tourism links:
Our page tourist information on the Vendee
Our page for things to do in the Vendee
Our page Vendee holiday hints and tips
*Suppliers mentioned in this document are suggestions. The client makes his/her own free choice as to their suitability and we do not take part in any arrangements or purchases that the client may make through these companies.