Can this visit be combined with another activity?

Of course you can. Our sales department can create a tailor-made half or full day for you: another guided tour, a heritage site, an outdoor activity, a gourmet break, a meeting with an artisan… Just tell us what you’d like to do: we’ll put together the best experiences in the area and take care of all the organisation.

Is this tour suitable for children?

This tour is aimed primarily at adults or mixed groups (adults and children). Children are welcome in adult groups, but the tour is not specially designed for them. To find out more about Fontenay-le-Comte for groups of children, see Groups for young visitors.

Is there free parking close to the start of the tour?

Yes, you can park for free and for an unlimited time in the visitor car park in front of the Hôtel des Mines, 300 metres from the museum (then walk up the allée du Docteur Minaud). The car park in front of the museum (La Cour) is reserved for people with reduced mobility and for drop-offs.

Can I get to the start of the tour by bus? Is there authorised parking for buses?

Yes, the bus can drop you off in front of the museum (La Cour). You can then park free of charge and for an unlimited time in the visitors’ car park in front of the Hôtel des Mines, 300 metres from the museum (you then have to walk up the allée du Docteur Minaud).

Are there toilets close to the starting point?

There are toilets at the museum and public toilets in the village.

Does this tour have to be guided?

This offer includes a self-guided tour of the museum (approx. 1? hours) followed by a guided tour of the Corons and the Miners’ Chapel (choice of 45 minutes or 1? hours). If you do not wish to take a guided tour, you can book only the self-guided tour of the museum with our service, which will be quoted on request.

Can we take this tour if there are fewer than 15 of us?

This offer cannot be booked for groups of less than 15 people. You can only book the self-guided tour of the museum (quote on request). The guided tour of the miners’ cottages and chapel (essential or complete version), in addition to the self-guided tour of the museum, is reserved for groups of more than 15 people.

Is there a guided tour of the museum?

No, you are free to visit the museum at your own pace. Your guide will introduce you to the museum before letting you discover it for yourself. He will then meet you at the museum exit for a guided tour of the miners’ cottages and chapel.

Faymoreau Mining Centre group visit | Pays de Fontenay-Vendée Tourist Office

Explore a working-class town marked by the memory of the miners

In Faymoreau, immerse yourself in the history of mining in the heart of the settings of the time. From the immersive museum to the reconstructed mine, from the corons to the miners’ chapel, your guide will take you on an unforgettable human and industrial adventure. You’ll discover the traces of 130 years of black gold mining, a village with a singular architecture shaped by the mining company, lives of toil, and contemporary stained glass windows by Carmelo Zagari that extend the emotion of the visit.

About your visit

2 h 15 or 3 h

Depending on the package chosen, either Essential (museum + short visit to the “corons” and the chapel) or Integral (more in-depth visit).
Self-guided tour of the museum only: 1 h 30

Minimum 15 people, maximum 150 people

Groups of more than 50 people are divided up and distributed among the different areas of the tour to ensure a smoother flow.

Monday to Sunday, from February to the end of October

Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6.30 pm (mornings are preferable for a more comfortable visit).
For weekends and public holidays, please contact us.
By reservation only and subject to availability.

Departure from the Museum reception

La cour 85240 Faymoreau

About 1 km to walk

During the guided tour of the village, after the visit to the museum.

Accessible to people with reduced mobility

Fully accessible museum.
Adapted route for the guided tour of the miners’ cottages and chapel.

In French

Magic moments

Feel the atmosphere ‘down below’ by symbolically descending into the reconstructed space

Understanding the daily life of the gueules noires at the museum

Wander through the heart of the workers’ housing estate organised by the Société des Mine, which is still inhabited.

Admire the colourful contemporary work of Carmelo Zagari, a rarity in the region

Scroll through the gallery

The programme

The daily life of the miners

The tour begins at the Centre Minier, in a museum designed to immerse visitors in the world of mining. Pass through the hanging room, the lamp room, “go down” to the bottom of the reconstructed mine… the tour highlights the actions, working conditions and daily life of the miners. Then head back up into the museum galleries, where you’ll discover the full story of coal mining since 1827. Here, the group discovers an important page in local industrial history and the economic development of the surrounding area.

A working-class town shaped by industry

A short distance from the museum, your guide will take you on a tour of the Faymoreau coalfields. This village was built entirely by the Société des Mines, to house workers, families, foremen and management. As the group wanders through the streets of the mining town, they will understand how coal mining had a lasting impact on the landscape and social organisation of the village.

A chapel in memory of the miners

The last stop on your tour is the Miners’ Chapel. Behind its simple architecture lies a collection of contemporary stained glass windows created by the artist Carmelo Zagari and explained by your guide. These colourful works pay tribute to the memory of the miners and add an artistic and sensitive dimension to the visit.

The price includes

Admission to the Centre Minier museum
Free access to the museum’s temporary exhibition
A guide to the miners’ cottages and chapel

The price does not include

Transport
Personal expenses in the shop

We'll take care of everything!

Our sales department will advise you and book all the visits and activities of your choice for your group.
Contact us for more information.

Léa Blanchard

Marketing Manager

[email protected]02.51.69.44.81 06.70.72.86.16

Always on the lookout for the perfect holiday, I combine creativity and precision to tailor-make your getaway to suit you. With me, your holiday can't be improvised... it has to be dreamt, prepared and experienced.

Ludovic Géron

Marketing manager

[email protected]02.51.69.44.81 06.70.72.86.16

Proud of Vouvant, the village of my birth, I talk about it with the passion of a storyteller and the smile of a neighbour you meet at the market. With me, heritage never sleeps... it's told, it comes alive.