On the beach
Right now
Sample dataIllustrative conditions — the live Open-Meteo marine feed wasn't reachable, so these are deterministic placeholder values that will be replaced automatically once the feed is available.
7-day outlook
Sample dataModeled placeholder forecast for demonstration — will be replaced by a live marine-weather feed.
Sea temperature
Next 7 days, °C
Wave height
Next 7 days, metres
View as table
| Day | Sea temp (°C) | Wave height (m) |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 2 | 26.3 | 0.1 |
| Thu 3 | 26.0 | 0.1 |
| Fri 4 | 25.5 | 0.1 |
| Sat 5 | 25.1 | 0.1 |
| Sun 6 | 25.1 | 0.1 |
| Mon 7 | 25.5 | 0.1 |
| Tue 8 | 26.0 | 0.1 |
Water quality history
Official EEA classification, one rating per bathing season, 2015–2025 — real data reported by national authorities.
- 2015: Excellent2015
- 2016: Excellent2016
- 2017: Excellent2017
- 2018: Excellent2018
- 2019: Excellent2019
- 2020: Excellent2020
- 2021: Excellent2021
- 2022: Excellent2022
- 2023: Good2023
- 2024: Good2024
- 2025: Good2025
Good in the most recent season, and 11 of 11 classified years rated Excellent or Good.
- Excellent
- Good
- Sufficient
- Poor
- Not classified
View as table
| Year | Classification |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Excellent |
| 2016 | Excellent |
| 2017 | Excellent |
| 2018 | Excellent |
| 2019 | Excellent |
| 2020 | Excellent |
| 2021 | Excellent |
| 2022 | Excellent |
| 2023 | Good |
| 2024 | Good |
| 2025 | Good |
Typical sea temperature by month
Modeled estimatePlausible seasonal climatology derived from latitude, for illustration — not a measured average.
Monthly sea temperature
Typical range across the year, °C
View as table
| Month | Typical sea temp (°C) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 15 |
| Feb | 14 |
| Mar | 15 |
| Apr | 17 |
| May | 19 |
| Jun | 22 |
| Jul | 23 |
| Aug | 24 |
| Sep | 24 |
| Oct | 22 |
| Nov | 20 |
| Dec | 17 |
Location & nearby beaches
Nearby beaches
- La Clere960 mVendée
- Les Dames2.6 kmVendée
- Les Sableaux2.9 kmVendée
- La Liniere3.1 kmVendée
Distances calculated as straight-line (haversine) from official coordinates.
Getting there & around
- Easy by car — there's parking close to the beach.
- Bus stop: Route du Vieil, about ~230 m away.
Food, stays & town
- Nearest village: Le Grand Vieil, about ~300 m away.
- 2 places to eat within 1 km Closest is Le Retro, about ~200 m away.
- 1 shop nearby, about ~200 m away
What kind of beach is this?
This beach belongs to a small coastal village. It's usually calmer than a resort or town beach, though a popular village spot can still fill up on the best summer days.
Estimated from OpenStreetMap surroundings data (ODbL).
Is the water clean at Le Grand Vieil?
Thinking of swimming at Le Grand Vieil? The short answer: its official EU Bathing Water rating for 2025 is Good — meets the EU bathing-water standard in the latest annual assessment. That rating is set once a year under the EU Bathing Water Directive, from a full season of testing for intestinal enterococci and E. coli reported to the European Environment Agency the following spring, so the 2025 season's grade appeared in spring 2026 and the 2026 season won't be graded until spring 2027. In addition to that yearly rating, some national authorities — for Croatia, the national environmental authority — publish individual water sample results during the season itself, ahead of the annual report. It's been a consistently reliable spot too — the rating has held at Good for 3 straight years. There's parking about ~130 m from the beach.
That rating has been consistent: every one of the 11 classified seasons on record has come back Excellent or Good. If you're timing a visit around water temperature rather than crowds, July–September is the safest bet, with August typically the peak — expect a cooler, calmer sea either side of that stretch. The nearest town, Le Grand Vieil, is about ~300 m away.
“Good” is one point on a four-step scale — Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor — assigned once per year from that season's water samples, not a live reading. It describes how the site performs on average across the season, not the exact water quality this afternoon; for day-to-day sea conditions, see the “Right now” and 7-day outlook panels above. There are 2 places to eat within a kilometre — Le Retro is the closest, about ~200 m away.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to go in the water at Le Grand Vieil?
Yes — Le Grand Vieil's 2025 rating is Good, one step below the top tier, with 11 of 11 classified seasons rated Excellent or Good. It's also held steady at Good for 3 straight years.
What's the current water temperature at Le Grand Vieil?
For Le Grand Vieil, the ~26°C figure above is a stand-in value, not a live reading — the marine-weather feed was unreachable when the page last built, and it'll swap in automatically once the feed responds again. That's the reading right off Vendée. On the modeled climatology here, August usually runs warmest.
When does Le Grand Vieil have the warmest water?
For swimming, July–September is usually the best call — that's the modeled window when the sea here runs warmest. That applies to the water around Vendée. Within that window, August is typically the single warmest month.
Where does the water quality rating come from?
It's based on official water samples: authorities test for intestinal enterococci and E. coli through the season, then report the full-season results to the European Environment Agency each spring, which assigns one of four grades — Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor. A few national authorities, including Croatia's IZOR, also publish individual samples during the season itself, ahead of that annual report — that isn't yet available for Le Grand Vieil.
Is there parking near Le Grand Vieil?
By car, it's easy — parking is right by the beach. By bus, the nearest stop is Route du Vieil, about ~230 m away. The nearest town is Le Grand Vieil, about ~300 m away.