Les Sables d’Olonne is a beautiful town on the west coast of France with a history tied so closely to the ocean it’s hard to separate the water from the harbour walls. Waves crash over every event, every story and every plate of food.
Pirates, Cod, War and Sunbathing
The town has served as a port and point of maritime commerce for over 800 years filled with waves of watery history.
Louis XI separated Les Sables d’Olonne from the town of Olonne in 1472. In the 17th century, it was the largest cod-fishing port in France. The city supported the Republic during the French Revolution, unlike the surrounding Vendée, and was often besieged; it was saved by its port. The infamous French pirate, François l’Olonnais was born in Les Sables d’Olonne in 1630.
In the 1800s, there was a new craze for Sea Bathing. Specially built carrages took bathers out into the sea. The arrival of the railway in 1866 brought ‘the leisure trains’ direct from Paris to what was known as the ‘finest beach in Europe’.
Fresh Air Filling the Sails
Les Sables d’Olonne was awarded ‘Plage sans tabac’ (Tobacco-free beach) in 2023, and it is actively involved with the Ligue contre le Cancer (League against Cancer), working to protect non-smokers from passive smoking and to keep the water and fine sandy beaches free of cigarette butts.
And now, Les Sables d’Olonne is home to the world’s greatest yacht race, The Vendee Globe.
Andrew Threlfall discovers why Les Sables d’Olonne is worth travelling around the world to.
How beautiful this part of France is? After a stunning £14 salmon burger in l’Estaminet restaurant (10, quai Albert Prouteau, Tel : +33 2 51 21 00 73 Facebook), owner Sophie recommends an evening stroll on the wooden terraces that look out on a full yacht harbour.
I’m staying in the adjacent Admiral’s Hotel, a clean 3-star affair right on the harbour and an affordable £80 a night bed and breakfast included in early June.
I’ve rented a very comfy modern bicycle from Veloodelaforet for just 20 euros a day from Veloodelaforêt, 105 rue Joseph Bénatier Tel +33 (0)6 10 52 42 59
It’s located right next door to the best supermarket I think I’ve ever been to in France, a particularly good branch of Super U, with a ridiculous selection of seafood to match… I shouldn’t say this, the local restaurants. If you’re doing this town on a budget head there. The locals queue up like Whacky Racers every morning to grab the freshest cuts.
I head to the Vendée Globe Walk of Fame on the beach pavement—it’s graffiti, but being France, it’s classy graffiti. A local artist, Jean-Marc Arthot, even mixes Les Sables d’Olonne and NYC (village NYC-Vendee, get it?) in his black-and-white images.
Les Baigneuses restaurant on the main beach puts one in mind of the South of France, even if the low tide is half a mile out to sea. Set menu from £20
More gastronomy and locally organically grown products are of interest in nearby inland Olonne, where Nicolas Ferré, chef of the Manoir de la Mortière Restaurant in Olonne, opening this wintertime, shows me his fig trees! I did fly into Nantes and not Casablanca, right? Domaine St Nicolas, Les Clous, 85340 l’ILE D’OLONNE Tél : +33 (0)2 51 33 13 04
To cool down a quick tasting at the Thierry Michon Domaine St Nicolas vineyard in Ile d’Olonne reveals a rose to die for.
Close by in Olonne, a fair in which some 1,450 volunteers in period costumes recreate local habits and customs from the early 20th century is a must. Revel in the local dialect reveals itself: a poultry and pig fair, parades of elegant women, local firefighters, folk groups and even the Tour de France 1910. When I visited, there was even a portable Eiffel Tower. In the evening, a traditional Maraîchine wedding brings the fair to its close. It is truly an unmissable nostalgic experience from yesteryear. Admission to the fair is also free, parking is good, and it attracts more than 160,000 people each year.
Dinner in le Fatra restaurant delivers the most memorable starters of my life and…sardine butter with the bread. Incredible. And again all for under £20.
The gastronomic delights here rival the Mediterranean, but nautical reasons have brought me here. And in particular, to interview Norbert Sedlacek, the legendary, possibly retiring soon, but whisper it, former skipper of the Vendee Globe – who builds recycled boats. Not bad for someone from landlocked Austria. His partner Marion shows me around one of his other projects, the more Ibiza-styled party boat. You’ll need a special invite out to Innovation Yachts but you might end up buying one. So worth the trip!
Discovering la Chaume, the old maritime quarter of Les Sables d’Olonne, with its seaside cottages and monuments, notably the Arundel Tower and the Charlotte Villa (which is presiding over a new development), is a great way to while away a couple of hours. The nearby local marketplace, Maraud, is also a seafood heaven.
Poisson Rouge Restaurant similarly has a phenomenal dish of all the local fish but don’t get caught out by the cheeky two-for-one mislabelling on the menu. Sixty euros was ok but a cheeky little sting.
Patagos Restaurant, next door to Sophie’s place, was far more enjoyable, and they even brought out the flower arrangers to greet foreign press, here for the Vendee.
The Vendée Globe yacht takes place in November, leaving Sables d’Olonne in France before heading, well, that depends on the weather. It’s a special place of the world to visit no matter what the season. But it is highly recommended to combine it with this unique race—The Vendée Globe is the only sailing race around the world that is solo, nonstop, and completely without assistance.
The 10th Vendée Globe will leave Les Sables d’Olonne on Sunday 10th November 2024.
Title Image: Race village is pictured from above during arrivals of the The New York Vendee sailing race, in Les Sables d’Olonne, on June 11, 2024. Photo by Olivier Blanchet / Alea
Article images by Andrew Threlfall
Sunset Image: Jean-Louis Carli / Alea. Media boats in the channel during arrivals of the New York Vendee sailing race, in Les Sables d’Olonne, on June 8, 2024.
Desperate for more sea, sand and surf? Look no further
