France: Destinations for families with small children

Some of the best memories of childhood summer vacations are those I spent in France with my parents. For two weeks each summer we would hook up the trailer tent, take the ferry from the UK to France and then camp for two weeks in the Dordogne. So when our son was two, it was with great enthusiasm and nostalgia that I eagerly planned our summer holiday to France. With so many memories of the Dordogne, this seemed the obvious choice of destination, however I am more of a beach lover than my parents ever were and so we set about finding a new destination within France to start our annual family holiday traditions. The area we decided on was the Vendee region, and what a good choice we made. This now has to be my favorite family holiday destination in France.

The Vendee is situated in the West of France on the Atlantic Ocean. It has over 140 kilometers of sandy beaches edged with dunes and pines woods, together with amazing inland countryside including fens, wooded hills and farm land. Year round it has a very mild climate making it an ideal place for a family holiday. It is easily accessible by air into Nantes, or by car or rail across country from your port of entry. We took the overnight ferry between Plymouth (UK) and Roscoff (France) and made a day of driving down to the Vendee, stopping at a village bakery for croissants for breakfast and by a lake for a picnic lunch before arriving at our destination mid afternoon to access our accommodation.

With such varied landscape in the area, the options for accommodation are endless. To stay adjacent to the beach or further inland is the first decision to be made. With small children, it is unlikely that walking any distance will be the preferred option to reach the amenities, and with this in mind consider how close your beach accommodation really is to the beach. Even a short walk from the beach becomes an ordeal with kids, beach gear, stroller, picnic and sunshade! We decided to locate ourselves slightly inland, at a small town named Angles, with an easy 10 minute drive to the beaches at La Tranche Sur Mer and Les Conches. All the beaches have plentiful and free parking (in most cases), so we were able to easily access the beaches earlier in the day, return back to our accommodation for child friendly lunches and sleeps and return later if we desired.

Accommodation available in the Vendee for families is plentiful and varied. There are plenty of camp sites, B&Bs, hotels and cottages for rent. We chose