Family friendly

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A family holiday in France

Are you looking for ideas to keep the whole family occupied and to make some new discoveries as a family? Here are our recommendations to keep the whole family happy and to make sure your holiday together in the Pays de Saint Gilles is an unforgettable one!

Are you coming to the Pays de Saint Gilles Croix de Vie for your next family holiday?

You’ll have a wide range of family-friendly activities to choose from in the Pays de Saint Gilles Croix de Vie, available all year round.

Ideas to keep the whole family occupied and make new discoveries as a family!

Some ideas for activities

• Bike rides: equipped with a trailer or baby seat, you’ll be able to set off along the cycle paths and explore the diverse landscapes in the Pays de Saint Gilles. This mode of transport is also very practical for going to the beach, the market, etc. Our cycle paths are completely safe and most of them are flat. You can hire everything you need with our bike hire companies.

• Exploring the beach at low tide: what could be more enjoyable than splashing around in the puddles and rock pools at low tide? Equipped with a bucket, a net and a sunhat, the little ones will want to spend hours looking for shrimp, winkles and watching the anenomes and starfish.

• Building sandcastles: the beach is a giant sandpit, and is most definitely the perfect place for some family fun. All you need is a bucket, spade and rake to build huge sandcastles that the whole family will enjoy. Watch out for the tides though, as the sea comes in, your sandcastles could be washed away in the blink of an eye!

• The Chemin de la Sardine trail: follow the blue sardines painted on the ground on this fun walking tour to explore the seaside town of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. The tour will lead you to 14 historic and heritage points of interest, on the theme of the sardine. 2.4 km on foot, suitable for pushchairs, and enjoyable for the whole family. 

• Watch the boats: young children are always fascinated by vehicles! At the seaside, what could be more enjoyable than watching the boats sailing in and out of the port. Depending on the time of day, you can expect to see fishing boats and recreational boats. There’s always something going on around the jetty in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie and around the Tour Joséphine lighthouse!

Not-to-mention

• All sorts of leisure activities: beach clubs, watersports, boat trips, canoeing, walks, bike rides, horse rides or horse-drawn carriage rides, roller skating, go-karting, paintball, railbike, playgrounds, skateparks, crazy golf and laser tag.
• There are so many places to visit: museums, parks full of flowers, salt marshes, mills, guided walking tours, treasure hunts, little tourist train, you can learn about the local specialities, and much more.
• And then there’s a wide range of events and entertainment: music festivals or street art festivals, free concerts, celebrations of traditional folklore, funfairs, flea markets, evening markets, and so much more.

What can we do with very young children in the Pays de Saint Gilles?

Here is our selection of places that are accessible for pushchairs (or balance bikes, bikes, etc.) in the Pays de Saint Gilles Croix de Vie.

Walks suitable for pushchairs

Make sure you’re well equipped for a day at the beach with young children

To make sure everyone enjoys themselves in complete safety, here is our check-list of things to bring to the beach for the little ones!

• Factor 50 sun cream
• A sunhat and sunglasses
• An anti-UV t-shirt or swimsuit
• Arm bands or buoyancy aid
• Shoes suitable for walking on the rocks (if you want to go crabbing!)
• Water and snacks (the sea air will work up an appetite)

We strongly advise you avoid going out with very young children during the hottest hours of the day. It’s better to go to the beach either in the morning or after 4pm!