France – La Tranche-sur-Mer (En)
La Tranche-sur-Mer is a destination on the Vendée coast, famous for its long, fine sandy beaches and numerous water activities. Nicknamed “Little California,” it offers breathtaking views off the Île de Ré.
Where to stay
We stayed at Camping Le Grand Pré (46.357101, -1.44577 long, lat) for between €23 and €25 per day all-inclusive. It’s about a 10-minute bike ride from the town and the beach, or a 5-minute scooter ride. There’s a huge supermarket and a gas station nearby. The campsite is very nice. It has hot showers and good pressure in the pool showers. Toilets have toilet paper, but no seats. The pool is great, as it’s indoors and you can swim anytime since the water is so good. It also has a jacuzzi, play areas with a ping-pong table, which we used a lot, and a football table. There’s a bar/restaurant where we once had a plate of onion rings, Camembert balls, chicken wings, and best of all, some delicious chicken tenders, for two people for €15. We recommend this campsite if you’re passing through!
What to see
The town is very touristic, with many bars and restaurants overlooking the beach. Of particular note is Liberty Square, where they hold street markets two days a week in the morning and two days a week in the evening. Also noteworthy is the Church of St. Nicholas, which we were able to visit inside.
And we went to enjoy the beach. It has 13 kilometres of beaches, all with a blue label, a guarantee of quality. The beach is fine sand with no stones, and you have to go quite far to be covered by the water.
What to eat
The most typical dish, and what everyone was eating, was the mussels with fries. They come in three types: marinière, crème, and with Rocheford or Camembert. We shared the mussels marinière with fries. I recommend sharing one, as they come in huge pots!
And we continue our journey along the coast until we reach Préfailles, a village in the Loire-Atlantiques department in western France, with 10 km of rugged, protected coastline dotted with coves and family-friendly beaches, which you can see in the next blog!
