Cycling in the Vendée: cycle paths, greenways and walks

Do you want to go for bike rides in the Vendée? This department offers a rather flat ground which lends itself well to cycling. There are also nearly 1,800 km of cycle paths!

The famous "Vélodyssée" runs along its Atlantic coast. Many cycle paths allow you to take a tour of the island of Yeu, to take the paths of the Vendée coast or to cross the groves from East to West. Without forgetting the paths which crisscross the marshes: the Marais Breton Vendéen (fr) or the Marais Poitevin (fr). Road bike or mountain bike enthusiast, sportsman or cyclist, whatever your desires, we guide you on the greenways, cycle paths and nature circuits of the Vendée.

Photos of the article © Guide de la Vendée, unless otherwise stated

The Vélodyssée in Vendée

The “Vélodyssée” is aptly named. It is a true European cycling epic that crosses Europe from Norway to Portugal. In France, it runs along the Atlantic from Roscoff to Hendaye, over 1200 km. And in Vendée, it represents 150 km of cycle routes, from Bouin to La-Tranche-sur-Mer. It is ideal for road bike enthusiasts.

The stage between Bouin and Barre-de-Monts, passing through Noirmoutier and Fromentine, is considered the most beautiful. It crosses the salt marshes and the landscapes are magnificent. The Passage du Gouin, which leads to Noirmoutier, is only accessible at low tide. It is therefore necessary to be well informed and to calculate the time of your arrival nearby. It is a place of strong tide and the spectacle of the arrival of water or its withdrawal is breathtaking.

Coastal cycle paths

On the Vendée Vélo site (fr), you will find 18 routes along the Vendée coast. You will follow the beautiful beaches as far as the eye can see from Bouin to Notre-Dame-du-Mont. You will walk alongside the Marais Breton Vendéen. You will admire the Remarkable Natural Site of the Grande Corniche. You will follow the quays of the Port de la Vie in Saint-Gilles-de-Croix and the banks of the Le Jaunay river. Or you will enjoy the freshness in the national forest of Olonne...

Vendée island trails

The island of Yeu favors soft mobility and therefore of course cycling. The GR80 goes around the island of Yeu, in 30 km on the old customs path. From Port-Joinville, you alternate between small fishing ports, pine forests and sandy beaches. The coastal cliffs give it a very wild side. You will appreciate the panoramas on the points, the islets and the inlets. The Gouffre de l'Enfer is a remarkable point of view. The route is marked by typical maritime heritage: the Old Castle, the port of La Meule, the Corbeaux lighthouse...

Once you have made the tour, these are "paths" which allow you to discover the island. The path of the marshes crosses the salt marshes, that of the Croix, of the Gorelle… The path of Noiroit takes you to the heart of the woods of the island. The Kreuzland path transports you to the wild coast and its steep cliffs. The Sente des Oyes tells you the history of the island: castle, lighthouse, soda oven... The Sente de la Meule is more authentic with its villages, its traditional houses and its port... Here is the site of the office of Ile d'Yeu tourism for more information.

In Noirmoutier-en-île, the tourist office has developed 83 km of cycle paths and offers 3 cycling routes: take a tour of the island between beaches and ports, salt marshes and mills, between Gois and forests.

Cycling in the Vendée marshes

The Saint-Jean-de-Monts Tourist Office (fr) offers cycling loops around Notre-Dame-de-Monts, Saint-Jean-de-Monts and La-Barre-de-Monts, in the national forest of the Pays de Monts and the Marais Breton Vendéen. This immense network of canals which stretches along the coast, from Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez to Moutier-en-Rets, in Loire-Atlantique, and which enters the land as far as Challans, offers a multitude of small paths. It is a very particular ecosystem, with an original flora and fauna.

The Marais Poitevin Regional Nature Park covers a vast territory over several departments bordering Vendée: Deux-Sèvres and Charente-Maritime. In Vendée, nearly 50 municipalities are part of it. This “green Venice” is made up of a so-called “wet” marsh and a “dried up” marsh. On the wet marsh, you will take bucolic boat trips aboard traditional boats. While the parched marsh is crisscrossed with small paths and offers you a more rural landscape of meadows and groves. 

For guided bike rides in the Marais Poitevin and the South Vendée, contact Original Vélo Tour. Damien will take you along the small roads and paths of the Regional Natural Park, through several thematic rides. To meet the Baudets du Poitou, on the tracks of the monks who built the marshes, all around the Venise Verte and its secret paths... Let's go!

The groves of the Vendée

The interior of the Vendée lands reveals its groves. The Vendée Vélo site lists the trails by sector:

• From the coast to the bocage (fr) : If you hesitate between the view of the ocean and that of the lakes and rivers, it is on these paths that you will indulge yourself.
  
  
• From the marsh to the grove (fr): you will cross wetlands that change with the seasons. You can do and redo these walks several times, without getting bored.
  
  
• The lower bocage (fr) is a very natural destination. It is an agricultural area of the Vendée, where you will roll from meadow to meadow and where you will see a small, more discreet heritage. It is a more intimate and quieter part of the Vendée, far from its popular tourist beaches.
  
  
• The high bocage (fr) is more hilly, with beautiful hills. It's a good workout for a more athletic audience. Some climbs are tough, with more difficult routes.

Our tour of the Vendée by bike comes to an end. We hope that these loops and routes on the Vendée cycle paths made you want to discover this beautiful region.

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