The Pays de la Loire region is located north of New Aquitaine and includes 5 departments: Loire-Atlantique (44), Maine-et-Loire (49), Mayenne, (53), Sarthe (72) and Vendée (85 ). Its prefecture is Nantes.
Located in the south of the region, the Vendée offers landscapes and must-see places. The south of the department has sites of incredible wealth both in terms of flora and fauna.
The main tourist destinations in Vendée:
- Les Sables d’Olonne, a Mecca for sailing and yachting, the starting point of the legendary Vendée Globe.
- Saint Jean de Monts, its golf course, its salt route, its thalasso, its Explora Parc leisure park and its eco-museum living in the heart of the Breton Vendée marshes, Daviaud.
- Saint Gilles Croix de Vie, the first sardine port in the Atlantic, its canneries and shipyards.
- La Tranche sur Mer, nicknamed « La petite Californie », its renowned spots for surfing, kitesurfing, sand yachting and windsurfing.
- The island of Noirmoutier, nicknamed the island of mimosas, is characterized by its typical architecture and its white houses with blue shutters, its 40 km of beaches, its salt marshes and its ports.
- The island of Yeu, long the first tuna port on the Atlantic coast, fishing has an active place there. On the quays of Port Joinville, we find sea bass, monkfish, sole, turbot, sea bream, hake and other noble crustaceans. The old castle, hanging on the top of its rocky peak, was built at the start of the Hundred Years War. Fort Pierre-Levée, which has become a major heritage site on the island, traces the incarceration of Marshal Pétain until his death.
- The Puy du Fou and Vendée Vallée, voted « Best Park in the World » several times thanks to day and night entertainment, in the heart of a 55-hectare century-old forest. Not far from there, the castle of Tiffauges in Vendée Vallée, also called the castle of Bluebeard, in reference to the nickname of Gilles de Rais and the Refuge de Grasia which sheltered the victims of the repression of 1794. For those who wish, visit aboard a steam train, the Orient-Express, through the hilly landscapes of the Vendée Bocage for 44 km at 30 km / h for 2h30 on the old 1900 railway line between Mortagne sur Sèvre and the Herbaria. The Logis de la Chabotterie, a high place of memory and history, the setting for the arrest of General Charrette in 1796, highlights the history of the Vendée and the Vendée War.
- The Marais Poitevin, nicknamed the « Green Venice », is a regional natural park renowned for its unique landscapes. Stretching along the Sèvre Niortaise, it is home to the Michel Brosselin National Nature Reserve, classified for more than 40 years. Renowned ornithological meeting place to discover thousands of birds including more than 270 species, it has more than 1,000 years of Vendée history through the abbeys of Maillezais and Nieul, also called Abbey of Aliénor. Porte du Marais Poitevin, Fontenay le Comte, exhibits Renaissance treasures. The Mareuil vineyard is the largest in Vendée, offering red and white wines (Gamay, Cabernet, Pinot noir but also Négrette.
- In La Roche sur Yon, the Historial retraces the history of Vendée, from prehistory to the beginning of the 21st century with its astonishing architecture.
As for fauna and flora, the Floral and Tropical Park of Court d ‘Aron is located in St Cyr-en-Talmondais between Luçon and Les Sables d’Olonne.
A real world tour of the exotic botanical heritage, it presents on 10 hectares various kinds of plants, perennials and annuals from 5 continents.
Throughout the season, the tropical greenhouse allows you to admire tillandsias, orchids, hoyas, begonias, tree ferns … and the flowering of Asian lotuses from the month of July beyond bamboo, banana trees, palm trees and thickets of eucalyptus, all recreated in an English garden decorated with sculptures, bridges and waterfalls.
Built in 1977 in the center of uncultivated land without water or springs, the Court d’Aron castle and its floral park were designed by a Dutch agricultural engineer.
He wanted to highlight Mediterranean plants and ponds covered with water lilies to attract botanists and lovers of parks, gardens, flowers and nature.
Very quickly, it reached 10 hectares covered with flowery undergrowth and flower beds, making the Park a floral theater filled with flowered aquatic spaces or mirrors of water.
The ephemeral flowering of Asian lotuses in July is renewed daily, creating surprises in this Vendée Park, helping to develop a tropical atmosphere.
In 2003, the new name of « Parc Floral et Tropical de la Court d ‘Aron » emphasizes the specification of the park.
Since its reopening in June, many activities, most of which are reserved for children, have been organized: « The Children’s Farm », mini-golf, the Labyrinth in Nature, Dinoland, the dinosaur corner, the puppet show or even workshops (Sowing workshop from seed to plant from 5 years old; Plant painting workshop from 2 years after collection; Workshop Creation of a scarecrow with the help of the gardener; Workshops on flora and fauna; Rally discovery from 7 years old to familiarize children with the plant world and the living beings that live alongside it).
For older children, relaxation and well-being workshops are set up in a green setting where artisans offer organic products and conferences on flower essences.
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