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La Sauzaie, France

Stay in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie

Watch this spot We email you when La Sauzaie is worth the trip.

Plage de la Sauzaie nord - panoramio
La Sauzaie. Photo: Chadel, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About La Sauzaie

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (236°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (56°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.2 km out (1 in 118). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 20°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March and April, with about 2 good days in 7; in July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, 5.6 km away (about 10 min by car).

Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 17 h 30 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE), changing at Dublin Airport (DUB). About 8 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → NTE · Skyscanner from about £400 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 20 from the airport to La Sauzaie.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-VieAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

La Sauzaie on Google Maps · Directions

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Live webcam

Bretignolles-sur-Mer, 4 km away

Open the webcam on pv.viewsurf.com

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Forecast

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct132 ft9 ssoft89kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct102 ft15 ssoft112kJ14°C
Tue 20Oct183 ft11 smushy265kJ14°C
Wed 21Oct137 ft10 smushy852kJ15°C
Thu 22Oct268 ft8 smushy760kJ15°C
Fri 23Oct147 ft13 smushy1,654kJ14°C
Sat 24Oct298 ft8 smushy715kJ15°C
Sun 25Oct67 ft9 smushy698kJ17°C
Mon 26Oct318 ft8 smushy684kJ15°C
Tue 27Oct158 ft9 smushy945kJ16°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to NTE, changing at DUB, then 1h 20 by road. About 17h 30 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Saint gilles croix de vie

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 8 ft at 9 s, wind 15 kn (28 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Saint gilles croix de vie

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 8 ft at 8 s, wind 7 kn (13 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 32 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Saint gilles croix de vie

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 7 ft at 8 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to NTE, changing at DUB, then 1h 20 by road. About 17h 30 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie each day: La Sauzaie, Saint gilles croix de vie.

The trip from Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,120–£2,090 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to NTE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£400–£835
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£105–£175
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£255–£425
Food7 days eating out£240–£445
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£85–£145
Total£1,120–£2,090

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.