La Tremblade is a port town and seaside resort on the Arvert peninsula in Charente-Maritime, southwestern France. This small town with about 4,500 inhabitants (about 10,000 when including the surrounding villages), and famous for its flat oysters just like the surrounding Marennes-Oléron region.

Understand

Street scene with the bell tower of Sacre Coeur church rising above the rest of town

La Tremblade is in the southwest of Charente-Maritime, covering the western end of the Arvert Peninsula between the Gironde and Seudre estuaries. It's part of the greater Royan area, itself forming a municipality that also includes the villages of Arvert, Étaules and Chaillevette and the surrounds, and faces the town of Marennes. Two sectors dominate the economy: on one hand fishing and oyster farming, and on the other hand beach and ecotourism (during the summer the population more than doubles).

Part of the Marennes-Oléron oyster basin (bassin ostréicole de Marennes-Oléron), which is one of the biggest in Europe, the nearby Port of La Grève is France's most important oyster port. It's a 2 km long canal next to the Seudre River with small barges (bâtas and plates), and thousands of hectares of clear ripening basins where oysters get their unique colour and flavour. Indeed, they may have the appearance of rice fields when they're sparkling in the sun.

The western part of the municipality, facing the Atlantic, has a different character. Until the early 19th century it consisted of vast sand dunes. Then thousands and thousands of pines were planted, and now much of it comprises the Coubre state forest, 8000 hectares in size and part of a set of coastal pine forests continuing south across the Gironde and northwest. There's a dense network of paths in the forest for walks in the green, the coastline of 20 km which retains the white sand dunes is great for sunbathing and the waves coming in is great for surfing and to some extent swimming (one has to be careful as the currents can be strong).

History

The baptismal fonts of the ancien priory Notre-Dame de Buze, now in the church of Les Mathes

Unlike some other parts of Charente-Maritime, the peninsula hasn't been inhabited since prehistory. In the Middle Ages the thick forest and wild coast was administratively lands of different monastic communities by the lords of Mornac - Aléard and Gombeau.

The Clunian community settled in the southwest of the present municipality near a pond connected to the Atlantic by the Barrachois Canal, founding the Notre-Dame de Buze priory with many buildings. Further north, the monks of the Order of Grandmont founded the priories of Notre-Dame de La Garde and Notre-Dame de La Couronne. The religious communities also started cultivating the land, and eventually a small village named Trembledam emerged around the La Garde priory. Named after the French word for aspen (tremble), a common tree around here, this marked the beginning of La Tremblade. Its port became important for exporting wheat, wine, but especially salt and was frequented by merchants from all over Europe.

With relatively strong connections to Northern Europe through sailors and merchants, the Protestant Reformation gained a foothold here during the 16th century. As such, the French Wars of Religion had a major on the region with the aforementioned priories being sacked, burned and abandoned.

With the end of the wars, La Tremblade became a major port. From here, ships departed to the colonies of New France in North America, as well as to Africa, and shipyards were set up. Moreover, the oyster farming which the region is known for today was started around 1650. The green oysters of Isles d'Arvert were prized by the nobility and the French king alike. Nevertheless the counter-reformation struck hard on the region around the 1680s and many Protestants had to flee to England and the Netherlands.

La Tremblade became a parish in the 18th century, the seigneurial house of the barony of Arvert was moved there in 1758 and the city became the cantonal capital during the French Revolution. Now several new buildings were erected, together with infrastructure modern for its time.

The city became a sea resort during the 1860s – first a sea villa was built by a certain Joseph-Édouard Perraudeau, then many more would follow, making La Tremblade a tourist destination which it still is. During WWII, the town became a German stronghold and was bombed by the Allies multiple times and burned by the Germans when they left. After the war, it was rebuilt and continued functioning as a resort town.

Climate

Ronce-les-Bains, a beach resort a few kilometers north of La Tremblade town. In the background the Seurne River estuary is visible and the westernmost bridge across it

La Tremblade has an oceanic climate of the Aquitaine type, with a microclimate that's more Mediterranean which means maritime pines, green oaks, olive trees, mimosas, eucalyptus, agaves and the like thrive here. There are 2250 hours of sunshine a year. Yearly rain is generally around 750-800 mm, and droughts aren't unheard of especially during the hotter months.

Winds generally come in from the west (the Atlantic), meaning warm breezes in the summer but much stronger winds in the autumn and winter; a few times every century a big storm hits the region such as in January 1924 and December 1999.

Tourist information

• 1 Office du Tourisme - Bureau de La Tremblade, 1 boulevard Pasteur (downtown), ☏ 33 5 46 36 37 71, [email protected]. The main tourist office. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 Office du Tourisme - Bureau de Ronce-les-Bains, Place Brochard (Place Brochard), ☏ 33 5 46 36 06 02, [email protected]. price=. The tourist office in Ronce-les-Bains. (updated Feb 2018)

Get in

By car

The main roads in La Tremblade are the D14, D25 and D728e. D14 comes in from Arvert and Étaules (connecting to Royan) and Saujon, where it connects to the N150 coming in from Saintes and the A10 autoroute between Paris and Bordeaux. D25 is a bypass on the town's western side, and it comes in from Royan going along the coast to La Palmyre and through the State Forest of Coubre. D728e comes in from Marennes-Hiers-Brouage across the Seudre River, and Marennes has roads in from Saintes (D728), Rochefort (D123 and D733) and Île d'Oléron (D26)

By train

La Tremblade's railway station is just served by the tourist train Le train des mouettes. The closest railway stations with scheduled service are in Saujon and Royan are about 20 km away. They're served by the local TER Poitou-Charentes network.

By plane

There are general aviation fields in Marennes and Royan. The closest passenger airports are in Bordeaux (115 km south) and La Rochelle (55 km north).

By bus

Intercity buses don't go to La Tremblade, just to Rochefort (25 km away) and Saintes (40 km away). The departmental Cara-bus has bus lines to La Tremblade, most importantly lines 6 and 115 from Royan.

By bike

La Tremblade is on the long distance biking route EuroVelo 1 between Norway and Portugal, following the coast.

Get around

Buses like these go around the region

By public transport

The local Cara bus network connects to nearby towns and villages (see link in Get in above). In July and August the free tourist train La coquille filante takes you from downtown to Ronce-les-Bains (morning) and Port de La Grève (afternoon)

By car

Getting in and around the town and municipality by car is usually hassle-free around the year. The exception would be the seaside hamlet of Ronce-les-Bains which gets busy in July and August. Parking is free around town and at the beaches, and again, it can be difficult to find a vacant spot during the busier summer months.

See

Coubre Lighthouse - with a height of 64 m it's the highest in Charente-Maritime

• 1 Coubre lighthouse (Phare de la Coubre), ☏ 33 5 46 06 26 42, [email protected]. The red and white lighthouse near the Pointe de la Coubre sits on moving sandbanks watching over the incoming waves of the ocean. Built in 1904, it's not the first lighthouse here, but earlier construction have fallen victim to erosion. When the lighthouse was finished it was almost 2 km from the coastline, now the it is just 150 m away. You can walk 300 steps up to the viewing platform to views of tens of kilometres including the Coubre Forest, the Gironde estuary, Île d'Oléron and the Côte Sauvage. Next to the lighthouse is a museum about the lighthouses that have functioned here and their equipment (admission is included in the ticket to the lighthouse). (updated Mar 2018)
• 2 Sacred heart church (Église du Sacré-Cœur). Neo-Gothic church from the 1880s, built as the earlier church became too small for the growing number of worshippers. The bell tower was damaged in a storm in 1999 and partially rebuilt. It has beautiful stained windows from the early 20th century, a crafted altar and a modern work of art named Polyptyque de la croix by artist Michel Genty. (updated Feb 2018)
• 3 Protestant church (Temple protestant). The church was dedicated on 24 August 1823, the anniversary of the Saint Barthélémy massacre. A testimony to the Protestant heritage of the peninsula, the design was inspired by neoclassicism, and has doric columns framing the front door and two oculi on the façade. (updated Feb 2018)

Boats moored along the Grand-Chenal of La Grève

• 4 Grève harbour (Port de La Grève). The most important oyster port in France, along a 2.5 km long canal connecting central La Tremblade (Place Faure-Marchand) with the Seudre estuary. It is bordered by lively painted huts that are illuminated at night during the season, and at that time festivities with fireworks take place. Traditional fishing boats sail the canal. At the end of the canal there's a viewpoint with views to Marennes and Île d'Oléron, as well as restaurants and souvenir shops. (updated Feb 2018)
• 5 Pertuis de Maumusson beaches (Plages du Pertuis de Maumusson) (Ronce-les-Bains). In the northwest of the municipality there are four beaches with view to the southern end of Île d'Oléron. The sand banks protect swimmers from currents, and the water tends to somewhat warmer here as it moves around less. Starting from the north, Mus-du-Loup beach is near the Seudre bridge and the mouth of the river. This beach is more for sunbathing than swimming because the water is often muddy. Cèpe beach is just west of Ronce-les-Bains, and is accessed by an avenue. It has a beach club and picnic tables. Further west are the less busier beaches of Galon d'Or and L'Embellie. (updated Feb 2018)

La côte sauvage, the "savage coast" is a vast area of white sands exposed to the assaults of the ocean - great for surfing!

• 6 Côte sauvage beaches (Plages de la Côte sauvage) (Forêt de la Coubre). Making up the western flank of the municipality, the "wild coast" is a stretch of about 20 km of white sand beaches, facing the ocean directly. Five sections have been developed for swimming, but given the currents and waves, swimmers need to be careful, especially with children. The beaches popular with surfers, though. Plage de la pointe Espagnole is the northernmost, is surveilled by lifeguards during the summer months and has a snack bar and a dedicated parking lot. South of it is the naturist beach with the same name. Then comes Plage de la Bouverie which likewise has lifeguards, a snack bar and a parking lot and Plage du Vieux-Phare which has no services. The southernmost, partially in the municipality of Mathes, is Plage du phare de la Coubre near the lighthouse with parking and lifeguards - this is the beach with the strongest currents. (updated Feb 2018)
• 7 Coubre forest (Forêt de la Coubre). One of the largest forests in Poitou-Charentes, it covers an area of 8000 hectares and extends to four municipalities. This pine forest was planted in the 19th century to stop the movement of the sand dunes, and has a characteristic similar to the nearby Landes de Gascogne forest, though many other tree species grow here. Wildlife includes deer, wild boars, birds and insects. There are around 25 km of biking paths, and 50 km of riding and hiking paths in the forest (also the long distance hiking trail GR4 goes through here). Near Galon d'Or there's a small lagoon. (updated Feb 2018)

Do

Festivals

• 1 La Grève en Fête, Embarcadère de La Grève. end of July. Celebrations in the port of Grève, featuring music, comedy and dance shows, displays of old cars and motorcycles and a firework show. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 Fête de la Mer, Embarcadère de La Grève. in August. The other party in the port, a bit later in the summer. It includes musical performances, water games and different competitions, a flower parade, and a fireworks show. (updated Feb 2018)

Tourist train

Train des Mouettes steam train

• 3 Train des Mouettes, Rue de la Résinerie (near Place Faure-Marchand), ☏ 33 5 46 05 37 64, [email protected]. The 21 km railway section from Saujon to La Tremblade was turned into a tourist railway in the 1980s. The "train of the seagulls" is hauled by the oldest working steam locomotive in France, at a speed of 30 km/h across the marshes of Seudre and past the oyster basins. There are also three diesel locomotives being used. On the way the train also stops in the oyster port of Chaillevette, and in Mornac-sur-Seudre which is listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France (les plus beaux villages de France). (updated Mar 2018)

Sea journeys

These depart from the Embarcadère de La Grève

• 4 Bateaux passeurs. The passenger boats Le Balusot and Le Vauban sail across the Seudre estuary to Marennes and to Saint-Trojan-les-Bains on Île d'Oléron. It's possible to bring a bike on the boat. (updated Mar 2018)
• 5 Croisières Alizé, ☏ 33 6 63 59 94 73. Cruises to the sea. One tour goes to the Fort Boyard (just seen from the boat) and to l'île d'Aix and its fortifications. Another "île d'Aix" cruise approaches île d'Oléron with its citadel of Château-d'Oléron, Fort-Louvois, circulating Fort Boyard and stops for an hour on île d'Aix. (updated Mar 2018)
• 6 El Sol/El Campo, ☏ 33 6 14 52 32 73, [email protected]. Cruises and fishing trips to the Marennes-Oléron bassin and the islands in the Charente archipelago such as the Oléron, d'Aix, Madame, de Ré islands. The ship El Sol is for fishing tours, and the El Campo for cruises. (updated Mar 2018)

Sports

Stadium

• 7 Stade municipal, Avenue du Général de Gaulle. The main sports venue in town, the home fields of the local rugby (Union Sportive Trembladaise Rugby) and football (Presqu'île d'Arvert Football Club) teams. (updated Feb 2018)

Tennis

• 8 Tennis Club Trembladais, 3 allée des sports (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 36 05 67. Open around the year, this place has 19 different tennis courts. (updated Mar 2018)

Water sports

Surfing at la Coubre, one of the prime surfing spots in the minicipality

Like elsewhere on the coast, surfing is extremely popular among people of all ages and social classes. Almost 20 km of coastline is directly exposed to the Atlantic, and there are some great spots for experienced surfers such as La Coubre and La Pointe espagnole though there are also some more sheltered places for beginners like Pontaillac in Royan. Many other water sports such as windsurfing, sailing, canoeing and standup paddleboarding are practiced in the region.

• 9 Base nautique de la presqu'île d'Arvert, Place Brochard (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 76 85 03, [email protected]. A large complex covering much of the coast of Ronce-les-Bains offering water sports equipment rental (catamarans, sailboats, SUP boards, canoes, kayaks) and sailing courses for children and adults. (updated Feb 2018)
• 10 Coubre surf spot (near the Coubre lighthouse). A beach-break/shore-break spot near the lighthouse at the municipal border with Mathes. It's a popular spot for surfing, windsurfing and skimboarding. (updated Feb 2018)
• 11 Surf Club Royan Atlantique, Esplanade de Pontaillac, 17200 Royan (Royan), ☏ 33 5 46 39 03 22, [email protected]. Established in 1993 and affiliated with the Fédération française de surf, it's the main surf club of the greater Royan region. (updated Feb 2018)
• 12 Rip curl surf school, [email protected]. Surfing school with classes for people of all ages, also surfing trips around the region and beyond. (updated Mar 2018)

Sport and fitness halls

• 13 Fitness Club, 23 rue de la Seudre, ☏ 33 6 14 34 95 17. Gym with facilities for gymnastics, stretching, muscle building and aerobics. (updated May 2016)
• 14 UST Muscu, 14 rue des Sapins verts, ☏ 33 5 46 36 07 88. Bodybuilding and weightlifting gym. (updated May 2016)
• 15 Gym sessions, Plage de la Cèpe (Ronce-les-Bains). In the summertime there are free gymnastics sessions on Cèpe plage in the morning twice a week, arranged by the municipal government. (updated Feb 2018)

For children

La Tremblade's grand ferris wheel with a height of over 55 m

• 16 Grande roue de La Tremblade, Place Brochard (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 6 07 53 11 11. One of the biggest ferris wheels in France is installed each summer on Place Brochard. From the wheel there are amazing views all over the region. (updated Mar 2018)
• 17 Fête foraine, Place Brochard (Ronce-les-Bains). Likewise on Place Brochard, a funfair is set up each summer since the 1950s. There are all kinds of activities from ball shooting to trampolines. (updated Feb 2018)
• 18 Club Mickey, Plage de la Cèpe (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 6 81 83 05 32. Beach activities for children with swimming classes and inflatable structures. (updated Mar 2018)

Cinema

• 19 Le Cristal, 99 avenue Beaupréau (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 36 14 31. La Tremblade's cinema, in a building with an art deco façade. (updated Feb 2018)

There are also cinemas in the nearby towns of Marennes and Mathes.

Casino

Partouche, La Tremblade's casino

• 20 Casino Partouche, 46 avenue de la Chaumière (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 76 88 86, [email protected]. Together with the casino in Royan, the second casino in the greater Royan area. It has a gambling room with slot machines, electronic roulette, black jack and some other games, a lounge bar and a brasserie with local cuisine. Themed nights every now and then. (updated Feb 2018)

Buy

The main shopping streets are Place Gambetta, Boulevard Pasteur, Rue de la Seudre, Rue du Général Leclerc and Rue Foran downtown, and Avenue Gabrielle in Ronce-les-Bains. There are two supermarkets outside town, Intermarché and Super U, other than this there's a E.Leclerc hypermarket in Marennes across the river and even more in Royan.

Supermarkets and hypermarkets

• 1 Coop Beaupréau, 109 avenue Beaupréau (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 36 08 11. Supermarket. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 Intermarché, ZAC des Bregaudières (southeast of the city), ☏ 33 5 46 36 52 22. Supermarket with bakery, butcher shop and filling station. (updated Feb 2018)
• 3 Super U, 107 rue de l'étrade 17530 Arvert (south of the city), ☏ 33 5 46 36 46 57. The main mall of the city with a hypermarket 3000 m² in size. (updated Feb 2018)
• 4 U Express, Boulevard Pasteur (downtown), ☏ 33 5 46 36 20 07. The only supermarket in central La Tremblade. (updated Feb 2018)

Eat

Local specialities

The local, Saintongenaise, cuisine is based on land products, seafood and wine.

The Marennes-Oléron oysters are famous far beyond the region. Oysters are refined or "clarified" in the old salt marshes where they mature to different taste levels; fine de claire with an iodized taste, fine de claire verte with a stronger taste, spéciale de claire which is more fleshy and pousse en claire with a hazelnut-like taste. They're traditionally eaten either raw or hot but without any condiments. However, nowadays it's popular to have sausages, crackers and fresh cream served alongside.

The Marennes-Oléron oysters are the signature food product of the region

Another specialty of La Tremblade is velouté trembladais, fish soup made with fish too small to be sold individually. It includes croutons and butter and is often served with rouille sauce. Chaudrée, the fish soup you can encounter all over Charente-Maritime is made with white wine and potatoes. A specialty of next door île d'Oléron is l'éclade de moules, mussels cooked on a pine needle fire. Mouclade is another mussels dish, made with creme sauce and white wine. Dishes with sardines can be found on many menus and then there are pibales, an eel dish from Mortagne-sur-Gironde south of Royan.

There are local meat dishes as well: grillons (rillettes of meat cooked in its own fat), Saintongenaise rabbit or beef stew (made with cognac and/or Pineau des Charentes), and the cagouilles (little grey snails) served the Charentaise way with white wine and vegetables. On the expensive side, there are caviar de cagouille, i.e. snail eggs.

Local desserts include galette charentaise (a cake with butter and caramellized angelica), les merveilles/beignets (fritters) and millas (a kind of cheese cake).

On the beverage side, the region is known for cognac and Pineau des Charentes (fortified wine drunk as an aperitif). The famous Bordeaux wine region begins across the Garonne river, though there is definitely viticulture in Charente as well.

Spanish churros are very popular in southwestern France too

Budget

• 1 Le Kiosque à Pizzas, Avenue de l'Étrade, Arvert (near the southern entrance to town). A Le kiosque à pizzas franchise with take away pizza. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 Pizza Joffre, Boulevard Roger Letelié (Port de La Grève), ☏ 33 5 46 36 36 72. The pizzeria has its name from the former address (on Boulevard du Maréchal Joffre), but its mascot "the fishing rabbit" is maybe more fitting for the port. They offer a range of original pizzas such as Armenian, Basque, Catalan, Marseillaise, tajine, wild coast and so on, but also pasta, lasagne and salads. Free delivery to La Tremblade and surrounding villages. (updated Feb 2018)
• 3 La Sirène des mers, 13 avenue Camille Daniel (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 36 29 96. Fast food place with sandwiches, hamburgers, panini and kebabs. They also have ice cream (traditional and Italian style), crepes, waffles, churros and croustillons (oliebollen, Dutch fritters). (updated Feb 2018)
• 4 Tino'Pizz, 8 boulevard Pasteur (Centre-ville), ☏ 33 6 13 35 28 85. Pizzeria where you can eat in or take away. Some specialties include Charentais, Oriental, American and Hawaiian pizza. (updated Feb 2018)

Mid-range

Terrace of a restaurant in the port, right next to where the oysters grow

• 5 L'Amarena, 77 avenue Gabrielle (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 36 31 77. Italian restaurant specializing in pizzas, salads and seafood. They also have moules-frites and grilled meat on the menu. (updated Mar 2018)
• 6 La Bonne Renommée, Boulevard Roger Letelié (Port de La Grève), ☏ 33 5 46 36 12 02. Fish and seafood restaurant with local specialties including plates with oysters. (updated Feb 2018)
• 7 Chez Roberte, Boulevard Robert Letelié (Port de la Grève), ☏ 33 5 46 36 12 90. Serving regional specialties with the traditional recipes changed a bit. Both seafood and products of the land on the menu. The restaurant has a shaded terrace next to the canal as well as indoor dining rooms with panoramic views. (updated Mar 2018)
• 8 Les Jardins de l'Estran, 91 avenue Gabrielle (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 76 98 97. Seafood brasserie near the beach. (updated Feb 2018)
• 9 Le Martin Plage, 2 avenue Saint-Martin (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 36 06 15. Brasserie in a former post office. Local specialties with a twist such as duck breast, grilled sardines and prawns with avocado tartare but also serving burgers with fries. Has a terrace. (updated Feb 2018)
• 10 Le Ponton, Boulevard Roger Letelié (Port de La Grève), ☏ 33 5 46 36 06 31. Also known as Chez les Filles ("at the girls'") as it has an all-female staff, it was the first restaurant in the port to have a terrace built. It specializes in crepes, galettes and salads, and you can also get oysters here. (updated Feb 2018)

Splurge

• 11 La Belle époque, 29 rue Foran, ☏ 33 5 46 36 00 11. Restaurant with seafood but also crepes, galettes and pizza on the menu. (updated Mar 2018)
• 12 Le Pilotis, Boulevard Roger Letelié (Port de la Grève), ☏ 33 5 46 85 07 67. Seafood, meat and salad on the menu, including oysters, mussels, prawns prepared in different ways and mixed seafood pot. (updated Feb 2018)

You can also eat at the Casino (listed in Do above) and some of the accommodations (listed in Sleep below).

Drink

• 1 Le Bordeaux, 45 avenue Gabrielle (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 6 12 75 39 23. A cozy bar with Bordeaux wines and cocktails. There's a terrace and occasionally live concerts. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 Café Le Gambetta, 13 place Gambetta, ☏ 33 5 46 36 00 03. Right in the middle of La Tremblade, here you can enjoy a good beer, coffee or hot chocolate. (updated Feb 2018)
• 3 Le Lounge Bar, 46 avenue de la Chaumière (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 76 88 86. The bar of the casino. Cocktails from around the world and special coffees. Cozy ambience. (updated Feb 2018)
• 4 Le Presqu'île, 43 avenue Gabrielle (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 47 55 58. A vast choice of cocktails based on rum, champagne, whiskey or tequila, long drinks, shots, hot cocktails and beers from all over the world. On summer nights there's often live music. The place has an ice cream bar too. (updated Feb 2018)

Sleep

Budget

Per local laws you cannot camp where you like, including sleeping in your car outside designated camping areas.

• 1 Le Mus de Loup, Allée de la Ferme (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 36 31 17. Two-star campsite with 100 places near the point of Mus de Loup, the Seudre estuary and the beaches. rates from €24.50/night. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 La Tremblade public camping car site (Aire de service camping-cars de La Tremblade), 85 rue Marcel Gaillardon, ☏ 33 5 46 36 99 00, [email protected]. €10/24h. (updated Feb 2018)
• 3 La belle époque (formerly Hôtel de France), 29 rue Foran, ☏ 33 5 46 36 00 11, [email protected]. Hotel facing the market square with tv and Internet access in the rooms. rates from €68. (updated Feb 2018)
• 4 La Côte d'Argent, 32 avenue Gabrielle (Ronce-les-Bains), [email protected]. A "hotel guesthouse" with large rooms, each equipped with toilets and bathrooms. Pets are welcome. rates from €45. (updated Feb 2018)

Mid-range

• 5 La Clairière, Rue du Bois de la Pesse (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 36 36 63. A cabin complex of 12 hectares in the Coubre forest, this place has facilities for a lot of different activitites; two pools, 16 pétanque fields, basket, football, volley ball and tennis courts. It also has a restaurant and a fast food place. cabins from €88/3 nights. (updated Feb 2018)
• 6 The Originals Boutique Hôtel de la Plage Marennes Oléron (former Grand Hôtel de L'Embarcadère), 16 avenue Gabrielle (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 36 06 05, [email protected]. Featured on the L'hôtel de la Plage tv show, this hotel with 60 rooms has a spa, a wellness center, a beauty salon, a bar with a beach terrace, a tennis court and a pétanque area. (updated Feb 2018)
• 7 Le Héron Cendré, 71 avenue du Général de Gaulle, ☏ 33 5 46 36 09 19. 17 rooms each with private bathroom and tv room. It has a bar with a covered terrace. rates from €90 in high season. (updated Feb 2018)
• 8 Le Phœbus, 13ter rue Foran (Centre-ville), ☏ 33 5 46 36 29 85. Downtown hotel with nine rooms, each equipped with private bathroom, tv and wi-fi. It has a tea salon where you can enjoy cakes and ice cream. rates from €60 (low season), €75 (high season). (updated Feb 2018)

Splurge

• 9 L'Agapanthe, 21 bis rue des Coulemelles, ☏ 33 5 46 36 30 60, 33 6 74 72 61 55 (téléphone portable), [email protected]. Guesthouse with two rooms rentable for a night in low season, and for a week during the summer. Rooms have bathrooms and tv, and uests can use the fridge and microwave oven. Sep-Jun: €80/night, €500/week, Jul-Aug €690/week (only bookable for whole weeks). (updated Feb 2018)
• 10 Club Azurèva, 19, avenue des Érables (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 36 12 57, [email protected]. A vacation village in Ronce-les-Bains with 292 rooms rentable for whole weeks. Rooms have tv, telephone and fridge. The place has a heated pool, two pools for kids, tennis, volley ball and boule courts, and a sauna. There's also a souvenir shop, a restaurant, a snack kiosk and a bar. rates from €300/week. (updated Feb 2018)
• 11 Activ Loisirs, 16 avenue de la Côte de Beauté (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 36 07 75. Three star camping with 89 places with a heated pool, and two smaller cabins for kids, a playing area, a library and a tv room. In the evenings there are aquagym, zumba, aquabasket and even archery classes. The snack bar Alizée-les-Pins offers pizzas, different take-away dishes, bread, drinks, ice cream and crepes. weekly rates from €407. (updated Feb 2018)

Connect

• 3 Poste centrale, 5 avenue du Général de Gaulle (Centre-ville), ☏ 33 5 46 36 02 01. La Tremblade's central post office. (updated Feb 2018)
• 4 Poste de Ronce-les-Bains, 1 avenue Saint-Martin (Ronce-les-Bains), ☏ 33 5 46 36 07 19. The post office in Ronce-les-Bains. (updated Feb 2018)

You can hear the main national radio stations, and the following local stations: Demoiselle FM (102.2 MHz), Vogue Radio (103.1 MHz), France Bleue La Rochelle (103.6 MHz), Mixx Radio (106.5 MHz). The regional tv station France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine has an office in nearby Royan.

On the newspaper side, the daily newspaper is the Sud-Ouest based in Bordeaux but with an editorial office in Royan, and the weekly newspaper Le Littoral based in Marennes.

There's 4G coverage by the operators Bouyges Telecom, Orange, SFR, Free Mobile in much of La Tremblade but there may be some spots in the coverage in the Coubre Forest.

Stay safe

• 5 Gendarmerie de La Tremblade, 6 avenue du Général de Gaulle (downtown, near collège Fernand Garandeau), ☏ 33 5 46 36 11 43. Gendarmerie station (updated Feb 2018)

Stay healthy

The nearest hospital is the CHR Malakoff in Vaux-sur-Mer (a suburb of Royan), 18 km from central La Tremblade. It's a public hospital with an emergency room operating 24/7. In addition there are many private clinics in Royan.

Go next

Remains of the fortified city of Brouage

• 1 Marennes (6 km north). Across the Seudre lies Marennes with a historical downtown suitable for walks with picturesque streets and old mansions. The main sight is the Saint-Pierre church with Gothic bell tower rising to a height of 85 m (the highest in the region) offering fantastic views to the surroundings from the top. Another town in the Marennes-Oléron oyster basin, it too has a fishing port (Port de la Cayenne) in addition to a marina, and at the Cité de l'Huître founded in 2006 interpretational center you can learn about oyster cultivation. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 Zoo de La Palmyre, 6 avenue de Royan, Les Mathes (12 km southwest in Les Mathes), ☏ 33 5 46 22 46 06. Covering more than 18 hectares of pine forest, it's one of the largest private zoos in Europe with 130 species and more than 1600 animals. Reserve at least four hours for a visit here. There are parrot and seagull shows in the afternoon. The zoo has a restaurant and a souvenir shop as well. (updated Mar 2018)
• 3 Mornac-sur-Seudre (12 km south), ☏ 33 5 5 46 22 92 46. A medieval village in the marshes of Seudre that has been listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France. Here you can see whitewashed buildings, narrow alleys with hollyhocks, medieval halls, the Saint-Pierre church and a fishing port. (updated Feb 2018)
• 4 Place-Forte de Brouage, 2 rue de l'Hospital, Hiers-Brouage (14 km north), ☏ 33 5 46 85 19 16, [email protected]. Nowadays isolated by the marshes, the fortified city of Brouage (classed as a Grand site de France) was founded in 1555 as a commercial town, for the export of salt which was the source of fortune for the region back then. At its peak 4000 people lived here, and it was the home town of Samuel de Champlain who founded the colony of Quebec. As such the town is often visited by people from Francophone Canada. It was fortified during the French Wars of Religion as a Catholic stronghold in a Protestant region of France. Eventually the town lost access to the sea because of silting and nowadays rather few people live there. From the golden days a small church and defensive walls remain. free. (updated Mar 2018)
• 5 Château-d'Oléron (Citadelle du Château-d'Oléron) (16 km northwest). Built between 1630 and 1704 by Pierre d'Argencourt, Louis Nicolas de Clerville and François Ferry (supervised by Vauban) to protect the southern coast of île d'Oléron, it occupies the site of a Medieval fortress. Throughout history it has been a transit point for soldiers being transported to New France (Quebec), and a prison (during the French Revolution). Largely destroyed by WWII bombings, some of its original buildings, casemates, bastions and ramparts remain. free. (updated Mar 2018)
• 6 Royan (18 km southwest). The capital of la Côte de Beauté and the regional center, it's one of the main resorts on the French Atlantic coast. Rebuilt in the 1950s after WWII destruction, it's famous for its architecture as much as for its five beaches and marina. (updated Feb 2018)
• 7 Centre aquatique Iléo, Route du stade,Dolus d'Oléron (18 km northwest), ☏ 33 5 46 76 18 19, [email protected]. At the entrance of Oléron island, this is a waterpark with attractions like water games, an artificial lagoon, a surfing area, huge slides and a wave pool. (updated Mar 2018)