Location & things to do

The bocage,
within easy reach.

In Les Essarts, exactly where the Vendée folds in on itself, between forest, ponds and sunken hedgerow lanes.

A base camp

One base, several Vendées.

Being at the centre of the department changes the trip: from Les Essarts, Puy du Fou is 35 minutes away, the Sables-d'Olonne beaches 50, La Roche-sur-Yon 20, the marshes and islands a little over an hour. You unpack once and range out: a day at the park, a day by the sea, a quiet day in the garden, without ever repacking.

Stylised map of the Vendée, La Grange Essartaise at the heart of the bocage, A83/A87 crossroads, 35 min from Puy du Fou and 50 min from the Atlantic coast

N 46.78° W 1.24°

Address

2 la Rousselière 85140 Les Essarts Vendée, France

Coordinates

46.7821° N 1.2410° W

Getting here

A83 exit 5 A87 exit 28 TGV station: Nantes (1h10)

Getting here

However you travel south.

Nantes Atlantique (NTE) is the closest airport, about 1 h 10 by car. From the airport, or the Nantes TGV station, pick up a hire car and you are at the door. By road, La Grange sits right at the A83/A87 crossroads, with free parking on the grounds.

Whatever the weather, a plan is never far: Puy du Fou, the Atlantic beaches, the Marais Poitevin marshes and the village markets all sit within the hour.

Coming from the UK.

Bring your own car on the ferry: Brittany Ferries sails Portsmouth and Poole to Caen, Cherbourg or St-Malo, with overnight cabins so you arrive rested. From St-Malo it is about a 2½-hour drive south (≈ 145 miles); from Caen nearer 3½. Prefer to fly? Nantes (NTE) connects to several UK airports, then it is 1 h 10 by hire car. Parking is free on the grounds.

Most British families build the week around Puy du Fou (English “Hear & See” audio-guides are on hand), then alternate Atlantic beach days with a market morning.

Coming from the US.

Fly into Paris (CDG) or, closer still, Nantes Atlantique (NTE) via a European hub. Nantes is about 1 h 10 from the door. Most North-American guests collect a hire car at the airport and fold the Loire châteaux and the Atlantic coast into the trip; it is roughly 250 miles down from Paris, an easy half-day with stops. Parking is free on the grounds.

Pair Puy du Fou (English audio-guides on hand) with a Loire-château day and a tasting or two: Muscadet and the Fiefs Vendéens are right on the doorstep.

Coming from the Netherlands.

An easy drive south, by car the whole way. From the Randstad it is about 8½–9 hours (≈ 540 miles / 870 km) via Antwerp and Paris, then the A11/A87 to the door. Load the car and go; parking is free on the grounds. Prefer to read this in Dutch? See de Nederlandse versie.

Dutch families tend to love the cycling (La Vélodyssée runs all the way to the coast), the wide Atlantic beaches, and a paddle through the Marais Poitevin, the “Green Venice”.

Coming from somewhere else? Switch view: UK US Netherlands International

The unmissable

35 minutes from the estate

'Le Signe du Triomphe' show at Puy du Fou, gladiators in the monumental arena

Puy du Fou,
35 minutes away.

The famed historical theme park, voted best park in the world by its peers more than once, is the engine of the region's economy and tourism. Grand-scale shows, historical re-enactments, and the night-time Cinéscénie set against the bocage: plan two days to take it all in.

La Grange Essartaise was designed with this kind of stay in mind: late returns made easy by our smart locks with dynamic codes, family kit for exhausted children, and quiet, cool cottages to recover in the morning.

Official Puy du Fou website ↗ puydufou.com: tickets, programme, accommodation

Park season: early April → early November. Cinéscénie: June → September

Around the estate