Getting around by boat and ferry Vendée

If you're on vacation in the Vendée, a visit to the wild island of Île d'Yeu is a must. To get there, you can board La Vendéenne, a 250-passenger ferry that's fast and comfortable. It makes the Port Fromentine-L'Île d'Yeu crossing in 45 minutes. Equipped with an outdoor deck, it's the ideal place to breathe in the fresh sea air and perfect your tan, while taking in the superb panorama. It also features a panoramic saloon and luggage area.

The port is located in the heart of a splendid 85-hectare estate of greenery with lake and golf course, restaurants, holiday residence. A deep-water marina, it has a capacity of 660 berths, 610 for tenants and 50 on the visitor's pontoon. Access to wifi on all the basin and the dock. It regularly hosts beautiful nautical events: Solitaire du Figaro, EDHEC race, Tour de France à la Voile and especially the Transgascogne 6.50 which connects the port of Talmont-Saint-Hilaire to a port in Spain every two years.

A "ferry" (shuttle) runs all year round for the crossing of the channel which links the town centre of Les Sables-d'Olonne to the La Chaume district, with arrival at the fishing port. The ferryman has the great advantage of being available all year round. There are two access points: the Guiné quay in the fishing port and opposite, the George-V quay, in La Chaume. The ships are frequented by tourists as well as by the inhabitants of Sables-d'Olonne and the surrounding area.

Protected from west winds, the Herbaudière marina offers a capacity of 574 places including 50 visitors up to 17 meters. The port has a careening area, sanitary facilities with codes, fresh water at the quay and on the pontoons, electricity on the pontoons, a laundry, a 30-ton crane. A fuel station is installed on the pontoon. It is accessible 24 hours a day by credit card. The port also has a black water pumping station and automatic barriers for parking.

The Port-La-Vie marina, ideally located in the town centre, accommodates more than 1,000 boats, including 800 berths on the pontoon and 200 on the mooring line. In the 1960s, yachting developed alongside fishing. The municipality decided in 1971 to build a marina in the mouth of the Vie River (which flows into the sea), which was then occupied by a mudflat. The first stone was laid in October 1974. The port of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie hosts sailing races including the Solitaire du Figaro.

Compagnie Vendéenne has been present on the Ile d'Yeu for 25 years, with 3 departure ports: Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie and Fromentine, and always in July/August from Barbâtre - La Fosse (on the Ile de Noirmoutier), with free parking nearby. Depending on which port you board from, your journey time will vary between 45 and 60 minutes. The company operates a recent fleet of 3 ships. These are equipped with "outside decks" to enjoy the crossing in the open air, and panoramic lounges.

The port of Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile is located in the city centre, at the foot of the castle, and is sheltered in the Étier du Moulin. Admire, all along the south shore of the harbour, wooden huts blackened with coaltar. They house the traditional activities of the island which are oyster farming, the salt cooperative, and especially the construction and repair of ships. In the past, it was the island's port of activity, allowing the export of salt. 200 mooring buoys (from the Souzeaux beach to the Sableaux beach) are available for rent from mid-April to mid-October.

Port-Joinville is located on the north-east coast of the island of Yeu. This charming port welcomes ferries from Fromentine or Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. The marina offers a 600-place pleasure boat basin, equipped with pontoons, integrated into the old fishing port and accessible at all times. Excellent shelter in all weather conditions. Two hundred places are reserved for boats in stopover. All the services of a modern port (amenities, technical services...). An essential stopover between Belle-Île and La Rochelle.

The Yeu Continent company has been providing maritime traffic for passengers and goods between the island of Yeu and the mainland for over forty years, departing from Fromentine. The company provides one to six passages per day, depending on the season and the tides. It is better to book, especially in high season, especially as there are preferential rates if you book one month in advance. Bicycles, windsurfers, motorhomes and vehicles are allowed on some ships. This company provides year-round crossings in 35-minute fast ships.

The Yeu Continent company provides year-round maritime traffic for passengers and goods between Yeu Island and the mainland. The company provides one to six passages per day, depending on the season and the tides. It is preferable to book, especially in high season. Reservations of more than one month will give you a preferential rate. Passage of bicycles, windsurfers and vehicles on certain ships. This company provides crossings all year round in fast 35-minute ships. Reservation required.

Since 2017, La Compagnie Vendéenne offers the possibility of a^3rd departure port to Yeu Island: La Fosse-île de Noirmoutier. This departure port, used in the past, is once again accessible following the reconstruction of the Estacade. Located opposite Fromentine, on the Noirmoutier side of the island, it offers a number of advantages. A direct 45-minute crossing to Yeu Island. A few departures are offered with a stopover via Fromentine, with an extra 15 minutes added to the journey time. Free parking (limited spaces available).

From Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, the crossing to the island of Yeu with the Compagnie Vendéenne takes 60 minutes. On the day of departure, come to the pier 30 minutes before. You will board theOgia, a fast ship with a capacity of 309 passengers, which will ensure you speed and comfort. Equipped with an exterior aft deck, it is the ideal place to get some fresh air or to perfect your tan and breathe in the fresh air of the open sea, while not missing any of the superb panorama that opens up to you. It is also equipped with a panoramic lounge.

With its 1,400 berths, it is the largest marina in the Vendée. 24-hour access with a minimum draught of 2 m. In the summer, about a hundred berths are available to visitors. Maximum boat length: 20 m. A special pontoon is dedicated to catamarans. Complete port facilities: fresh water, electricity at each berth, fuel station at the quayside, slipways, lifts, 24-hour security. VHF weather station on channel 9. It is from Port-Olonna that the boats set off for the Vendée Globe race.

Another alternative to the boat to connect the island of Yeu to the mainland, this company will take you for your private, professional, tourist and event trips, from the Fromentine heliport to the island of Yeu. Approximately 10 minutes of crossing during which you will admire the coast from the sky. Several flights: the baptism, a discovery flight of 4 minutes; the tour of the island where you will admire the wild coast with the point of Chatelet, the old castle. Other walks: the tour of Noirmoutier, tailor-made formulas, parachute jumping in helicopter.

It is located 12 miles from Les Sables-d'Olonne, 5 miles from Bourgenay (Talmont-Saint-Hilaire) and 17 miles from Saint-Martin-de-Ré in Charente-Maritime. It offers 508 moorings and 211 pontoon berths. It is accessible within 2 hours before and 2 hours after high tide (draught less than 1.50 m). The approach at night is to be avoided as there are no lights. You will be able to enjoy its natural cove by relaxing in the shade of the café and restaurant terraces.

Located at l'Epine, the port of Morin has always been a place where sailors used to wet their small boats. But it was a poorly protected anchorage. It was in 1983 that the project for a port reinforced by dikes was decided. The work was completed in 2000. Today, the port of Morin is essentially a marina, although there are still some professional fishermen. Its total capacity is 935 seats. With 850 boats, this port lives at the rhythm of the tides, since it fails at times of high low water.