On this first stage of the Vendée Vélo Tour cycle route, fill your lungs with sea air. Riding through a variety of landscapes, the ocean remains as the backdrop. Leaving from the same port as the sailors who compete in the renowned international Vendée Globe yacht race, you head along a ribbon of a cycle track leading you around Baie des Sables-d'Olonne, classified as one of the most beautiful bays in the world. Arriving at the Marais de la Guittière marshlands, the exceptional light in this protected natural area will help you recharge your batteries before you begin crossing the Forêt Domaniale de Longeville-sur-Mer. Lastly, enjoy a gentle arrival at La Tranche-sur-Mer, a resort nicknamed Little California in these parts! This cycling stage is easy, as well as being packed with varied landscapes, offering a perfect way for you to warm up.

La Tranche-sur-Mer is the starting point for an enchanting cycling stage alongside the Atlantic. You ride through pine and holm oak forests beside the fine sandy beaches lining La Faute Peninsula to reach the picturesque port of L'Aiguillon. You might be tempted, especially if you’re a foodie, to visit one of the oyster farms along the way. Next, cycle on beside the Lay River up to its estuary, from where the views are marvellous, before heading inland to Saint-Michel-en-l'Herm. A stop on the surprising Île de la Dive provides unique views over the Baie de l'Aiguillon.

This Vendée Vélo Tour stage makes it clear to cyclists the way to follow through the heart of the polders, in an area where the marshlands create a bare, uniformly flat horizon, the cereal fields divided into neat squares. From the Pont du Brault bridge, head to the Porte des Grands-greniers, where you can observe the workings of a sea-lock that closes automatically as the tide comes in. Next, ride along beside a series of canals, including the Canal des 5 Abbés (created way back in 1217), up to the wetlands of the marais mouillé, the ash-tree-lined meadows here regularly flooded. Cross the quiet villages of Vouillé-les-Marais, La Taillée and Le Gué-de-Velluire, continuing alongside the Vendée River up to Elle Island, marking the end of this stage that has led you to the edge of the famed Marais Poitevin marshlands.

This Vendée Vélo Tour stage leads you towards the Marais Poitevin, marshlands known as La Venise Verte, or Green Venice, in France! For starters, follow the meanders of the Sèvre Niortaise River, then tackle the slopes of Vix’s vineyards before continuing your cycling adventure through the Parc Naturel Régional du Marais Poitevin. If you’re really lucky, you may spot a European otter on Charrouin Island, while foodies will enjoy tasting the local speciality, préfou (unleavened garlic bread), in Maillé. At Maillé, ride alongside the Aqueduc, a surprising piece of hydraulic engineering built to deal with a point where two rivers cross paths, but without mixing their waters… For a fine end to this stage, do visit Maillezais Abbey, its majestic ruins visible from afar. To give your legs a rest, embark on a punting trip to explore the heart of France’s Venise Verte from the quays of this charming village.

Before the Vendée Vélo Tour cycle route leads you away from the Marais Poitevin, explore a bit more of its wetlands by riding to the pretty port of Courdault at the end of a major canal. Midway along this stage, you reach the village of Nieul-sur-l'Autise, designated a Petite Cité de Caractère for its cultural attractions. It’s a good place to stop for lunch and to appreciate Nieul Abbey and the Maison de la Meunerie, the latter featuring one of the last-surviving watermills in the region. Further on, you can branch off for the Plage de Chassenon and make the most of the lake’s beach, perhaps enjoying a well-deserved dip. To give you strength for this stage’s final stretch, make a little detour to La Lutine tea shop in Saint-Michel-le-Cloucq to sample some tasty local specialities.

The town of Fontenay-le-Comte is an architectural gem, classified as a Ville d'Art et d'Histoire for its heritage riches. Enjoy a stop here, strolling around the medieval and Renaissance streets. Time to get back on your bike, for Mervent, crossing the largest state forest in the Vendée, a great place for outdoor activities. After leaving this green oasis, the Vendée Vélo Tour leads you on to the medieval village of Vouvant, a member of the association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, a place that incites you to wander round it admiring its history.

Leaving from Vouvant, this Vendée Vélo Tour stage transports you from the bowels of the earth to the stars! First, head for Faymoreau, a village classified as a Petite Cité de Caractère that bears the traces of its mining past, still easily visible in the miners’ chapel and the miners’ terraced houses and allotments, not forgetting the Centre Minier, a mining museum. Next, the cycle route meanders through countryside to La Chapelle-aux-Lys, for a stop to focus on the stars. Once comfortably seated in the planetarium here, enjoy a journey among the stars. Returning to earth, get back in the saddle to ride on to the end of the stage along a former railway line transporting you to La Châtaigneraie.

From La Châtaigneraie, the Vendée Vélo Tour cycle route incites you to climb a bit by bike to explore the hilly landscapes of this corner of the département (county) of Vendée. You’ll ride past typical local sites such as the former quarries at Cheffois. Here, the rocky cliffs rise high above a lake. Also contemplate the thousands of plants being grown at a plant nursery. Those interested in science will enjoy a visit to the Manoir des Sciences at Réaumur. The way continues to offer a mix of historic monuments and green slopes and valleys leading to Pouzauges, a small town perched atop a hill and designated a Petite Cité de Caractère for its historic riches.

Continue exploring the Haut Bocage Vendéen area via lovely quiet country roads and paths, these hilly ways surrounded by streams and lakes. Like a lighthouse towering over the hedge-divided fields, a belltower topped by a figure of an archangel stands out from afar, signalling the church of Saint-Michel-Mont-Mercure. Climb the tower’s 199 steps to enjoy the views from this, the highest point in the Vendée, at 290m in altitude! The Vendée Vélo Tour leads on from Saint-Michel-Mont-Mercure along quiet paths running alongside the Bois des Jarries woods. Then you can press on to Le Puy du Fou, where you can head into the heart of French history via all the activities, stalls and shows at the internationally renowned amusement park here, focusing especially on Vendée stories.

The Sèvre Nantaise River serves as your next guiding thread as you explore more of the Bocage Vendéen area by bike. Having enjoyed a stirring visit to Le Puy du Fou, the multi-award-winning amusement park, cycle along peacefully beside this waterway dotted with boulders, old mills and former factories. Mallièvre is a village designated a Petite Cité de Caractère that reflects the charms of the Sèvre area. Then, riding via the Poupet Valley, you reach Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre with its striking seven belltowers. The majestic arches of the Barbin train viaduct signal your arrival at another Petite Cité de Caractère, Mortagne-sur-Sèvre.

This Vendée Vélo Tour stage is dotted with mills beside the Sèvre River, whose pretty banks encourage you to stop here and there. The valley becomes steeper as the cycle route following the river climbs a bit towards the little town of Tiffauges. Here, the Château de Gilles de Rais, the largest citadel in Western France, clings doggedly to its promontory above the Sèvre. Then you follow a series of quiet country roads and bucolic greenways to Cugand, on the edge of the Italianate town of Clisson.

Leaving from Cugand, a pretty little town crossed by the Sèvre Nantaise River, the Vendée Vélo Tour cycle route branches westwards, at times leading you along calm tracks through the countryside, at times following the banks of the Maine River. Along the way, you’ll spot the Moulin de Sénard and the Chaussée du Moulin de l'Ecornerie (both private properties). Arriving at Montaigu, follow the trail, “Montaigu, 1 000 ans d'Histoire”, to learn about the heritage of this little town located in a corner where three historic provinces met – Poitou, Anjou and Brittany.

After immersing yourself in the history of the medieval town of Montaigu, the Vendée Vélo Tour leads you on to the banks of the Grande Maine River, where the old watermill containing the Maison de la Rivière invites you to take a stroll around its bucolic setting. Between Saint-Georges de-Montaigu and La Rabatelière, hamlets, little bridges, footbridges and former mills are scattered along your path. At La Rabatelière, the startling Sanctuaire de la Salette brings this stage to a fine close, at a place that strongly marked parish life from the 19th century.

Departing from La Rabatelière, this Vendée Vélo Tour stage proves a delight for those who appreciate nature and history. From your saddle, you can easily appreciate the variety of this typical, hedge-divided Bocage Vendéen area, presenting a mix of forests, wooded slopes, streams and vineyards. After a refreshing stretch through Grasla Forest, the local architecture reflects the specific history of the département (county) of Vendée. This cycling outing leads you on to the charming village of Saint-Étienne-du-Bois, where you can take the opportunity of tasting local vin de pays (IGP Val de Loire) wine.

As you head out on this Vendée Vélo Tour stage, you leave behind the fine, sometimes grand, homes of Saint-Etienne-du-Bois. Ride towards Grand'Landes, whose landes, or moors, were replaced by woods planted back in the 17th century. Continuing to Froidfond, lovely hedge-divided fields typical of traditional bocage landscapes beautify the way. Froidfond stands out for its distinctive belltower. La Garnache calls for a halt, in its excellent location between the Bocage Vendéen area and the coast, offering a fine mix of culture and nature; with its rich heritage, admire the vestiges of bygone days here.

On this transitional stage, the horizons are wide, allowing you to take in the landscapes for miles around as you shift from the typical hedge-divided fields of the Bocage Vendéen to the marshlands of the Marais Breton Vendéen. So, the Vendée Vélo Tour leads you on to this remarkable natural area so close to the Vendée coastline. Keep your eyes peeled as there’s a good chance you may spot, along the many tidal canals (étiers), numerous birds that nest in these parts set between land and sea and so ideally suited to them. Down the centuries, as the wetlands here were gradually drained to reclaim land from the sea and create agricultural polders, the islands that had dotted the area disappeared… although traces of them do remain.

Leading you from one port to the next, this Vendée Vélo Tour stage has the tangy flavour of the sea! Culinary stops are dotted along the way, for you to discover local products, from delicious oysters to precious salt. Marvel at the ballet of the oyster farmers’ vehicles coming in and out with the tides at the Port du Bec. Make sure not to miss the detour to the Passage du Gois, an iconic submersible sea road regularly crossed by the cyclists in the Tour de France. A tour of the local museum, the Écomusée du Daviaud, marks the end point of your cycling tour of the Marais Breton Vendéen wetlands. After that, head for Fromentine, a little seaside resort with a particularly gentle atmosphere.

Woody and sea-salty scents make a heady mix as you ride along this invigorating stage shared with the Vélodyssée cycle route. You cross through the heart of the state forest of the Pays de Monts area. Along the way, the seaside resorts of Notre-Dame-de-Monts and Saint-Jean-de-Monts boast sublime fine sandy beaches that incite you to stop from time to time. Then the route leads you to Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, where you can revel in a memorable cycling stretch, enjoying the mix of forests, beaches and rocky stretches of coast. Grosse Terre Lighthouse rolls out the red carpet for you as you arrive at the port of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie in theatrical style.

Leading you from one major port to another, this final stage on the Vendée Vélo Tour also presents you with a remarkably varied and unusual patchwork of areas to cross. From Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, traverse the dunes of Le Jaunay and La Sauzaie. At Brétignolles-sur-Mer, admire the ocean full on before discovering old fishing villages. Reaching the outskirts of Les Sables-d'Olonne, take time exploring Olonne Forest, as well as the peaceful salt marshes around here. You then ride along the Côte Sauvage, a wilder stretch of coast, before your cycling journey comes to an end with a visit to the historic quarter of Les Sables-d’Olonne, La Chaume, its narrow lanes lined with typical white-washed houses. Your great cycling circuit comes to a close, the Atlantic welcoming you with open arms and offering your limbs a rest in the sea!