As the name suggests, this museum is all about the sea and fishing. Housed in the Château St Clair, the ground floor of the museum is devoted to maritime history while the upper floor is about the town’s past fishing industry. See scale-models of boats, old documents, navigational equipment and other objects, and there are brief explanations in English. The Château St Clair itself has an interesting history – first built in the 15th century, it became a garrison under Louis XIII, before being bombed in 1796; it was restored between 1986 and 1994.
At the end of your visit to the museum, do climb the 126 steps that takes you to the top of the château’s Tour d’Arundel, once defensive but in the 16th century converted into a lighthouse (which explains its unusual square-sided shape). From the top there’s a splendid view of Les Sables d’Olonne and surrounds.
Open from April – September, 10am – noon and 3pm – 6pm.
Contact Information
Tel: + 33 2 51 96 85 85