La Vendange Child Friendly Gites : Getting there

During summer 2007 approx. 40% of our guests flew with Flybe, Ryanair, Easyjet or Bmibaby. 20% drove via Euro tunnel. 15% took the Condor or Brittany Ferries car ferry to St.Malo and 20% took car ferries to other channel ports. 5% took the train then hired a car from the station. Link: (Car Hire In France)

By Plane

Approx. airport distances from La Vendange: Angouleme: 1hr, La Rochelle: 1hr 10mins, Poitiers: 1hr 20mins, Bordeaux: 2hrs, Limoges: 2hrs, (Nantes and Bergerac 2.5-3hrs)

Note: New flights are being added all the time, to search for flights or check current timetables for all airlines try Skyscanner:

Fly/drive : Car Hire

This can be done via the airlines' associated car hire companies (e.g. Hertz via Ryanair or Europcar via Easyjet). Usually works out about £15/day for a small saloon car for 4 or 5 people. For Independant car hire: (Car Hire In France)

By Train

St Jean d'Angely has the closest rail station but the frequency and connections are limited.

The main stations nearby with good connections are Angouleme and Poitiers, which are about 1 hour away. It takes about 4 hrs from London to Angouleme by train. The SNCF and Eurostar websites are very comprehensive and give you a variety of itineraries to choose from.

Local car hire companies will either meet you on arrival or leave your car at the station to pick up. www.europcar.com is a popular choice for car hire.

La Vendange: map location

Useful link: Tiny Tots Away.com Travel resource for families with young children

By Ferry/Car

Approximate Port distances from La Vendange

St.Malo: 4hrs, Caen: 5hr30mins, Roscoff/Cherbourg: 6hr, Calais: 6hr30mins + stops

The two largest companies that provide sea crossings are P&O Ferries and Brittany Ferries. Condor also provides a good value daytime fast ferry service from Poole and Weymouth to St Malo.

If you found us through Chez Nous, you can use our Chez Nous advertiser's reference number to receive a discount on many ferry crossings. The required codes will be supplied by email along with your booking confirmation.

The closest sea crossings used by our guests include:

Portsmouth to St Malo, Cherbourg, Caen or Le Havre

Poole to St Malo or Cherbourg

Plymouth to Roscoff

Weymouth to St Malo

Cork to Roscoff

Rosslare/Dublin to Cherbourg

Other alternatives which involve short sea crossings and more driving are Dover to Calais, Newhaven to Dieppe, and of course the Eurotunnel.

Our Recommendation

With flights and car hire becoming cheaper every year, flying to France is becoming increasingly popular. Flying can actually work out less expensive than taking the ferry during peak season, if you book flights well ahead in order to get the cheapest seats.

For those who prefer to drive, catching the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo is an excellent option. You arrive at a civilised time the next morning, have a shower and breakfast on the boat followed by an easy 4hr drive. The late night sailing from Caen back to Portsmouth is also popular. Alternatively you could go Dover-Calais and stop off for a night on the way down. Many guests have said it was well worth making the stop. The Loire valley ( Tours or Amboise) and Le Mans city are both interesting and popular stopovers.

Driving

The motorways in France are generally well maintained and uncrowded. For some sections there is a toll. To plot the best route down to St Jean d'Angely where you turn off the motorway, visit the Via Michelin route planner website.

Driving from Calais

With the new A16 motorway via Le Mans now completed, it only takes approx. 6 hrs (+ stops) to drive from Calais with no need to go anywhere near Paris and the dreaded "Periphérique".

Motorway Tolls in France

The tolls can be quite expensive, depending on where you are coming from. From Calais to St Jean d'Angely is approx. 70 euros. From St. Malo however, most of the motorway is free, except for a section of the A83 from Nantes to Niort (about 8 euros).