Les Sables-d'Olonne, the Vendée Globe is the nautical capital of the Côte de Lumière, with 105 km² along the Atlantic coastline. The town of Sables-d'Olonne sub-prefecture of Vendée, is part of the Pays de la Loire region.
Tourism appears with the fashion of the sea baths and the arrival of the railway in 1866 with the so-called "trains" of pleasure. The seaside villas are multiplying around the Embankment (seafront promenade) is the Belle Epoque Sablaise. In 1936 with paid holidays and more in the 1950s, we will witness the development of tourism.
Les Sables-d'Olonne, a city with distant roots! 1218-2018 800 years of Sands...
Founded in 1218 by Savary de Mauléon, prince of Talmondais, the city knows a commercial boom under the impulse of Louis XI and his Councilor Philippe de Commines, thanks to which is created the 1st port (trade of the wine, the salt, the cereals). In the 17th century, it reached its peak with the cod fishery on the banks of Newfoundland. More than 80 boats leave each year for cod fishing. Shipbuilding yards are flourishing. Buildings or monuments are built like the Notre-Dame de Bon Port church, listed as a historical monument.
This maritime tradition still continues today, Les Sables-d'Olonne is a city with 3 ports fishing, trade and pleasure. The folk group "the Nouch" through its dances and songs recounts this particular story, the district of La Chaume with its fishermen's houses, its quays, the jetties, the lighthouses, the Priory Saint-Nicolas testifies of this past turned towards the sea. An association "La Grande Bordée" regularly revives the tradition of seafarers with a festive animation on a weekend: folk costumes, old trades, sea songs, parade of old rigging in the channel...
Served by the TGV throughout the year, Les Sables-d'Olonne promotes weekend tourism: want to relax at the thalassotherapy center, to walk in the great outdoors on the beach, to visit an exhibition at the museum of the Abbey Sainte Croix, to attend a show, to have a meal in one of the city's seafood restaurants? Everything is possible: hotels, bed and breakfasts, campsites, residences wait for customers to let them enjoy Sables-d'Olonne from another angle.
The beach is the irresistible asset in high season for relaxation, well-being, games with a gentle slope, safe for children. A few steps from the beach, an exceptional environment composed of marshes, forest, wild coasts allows those who wish to walk or hike on foot, bike or horse! For leisure, water sports, sailing but also a wide range of activities are offered to visitors: golf, karting, yoga, horseback riding, canoeing, parachute jumping, diving...
Winter, spring and autumn light to discover side beach, port side or on the cornices and wild coasts nearby!
Go back in time by visiting the Museum of Popular Traditions in Olonne-sur-Mer, a look back at the daily life of the inhabitants of Pays d'Olonne at the beginning of the 20th century.
Aquarium 7th continent in Bourgenay, underwater escape, plunge your eyes in the seas of the globe, change of scenery guaranteed, more than 500 species in 60 magical spaces. Discover the abyss, a luminescent universe to discover surprising animals.
Hippodrome, direction Talmont-Saint-Hilaire, come live horse races live and come to vibrate and share with family pure sensations from June to October.
A few minutes from the beaches of Sables-d'Olonne, discover the hinterland, on Île-d'Olonne, discover the marshes and the bird observatory, located on the migration path of the coast With the aid of telescopes, observe the avocets, egrets, raptors, shelducks. Take the height of the top of the steeple of Île-d'Olonne in summer, an exceptional view of the marshes and surrounding towns awaits you! In Vairé and Sainte-Foy, hikes in the countryside to relax and do not forget to stop at the Pôle Equestre Vendéen, where many horse shows are organized, all year round.
