Unusual holidays in Charente-Maritime: enjoy yourself on board the Seudre Océan Express restaurant train

»» Find all our tourist events in Nouvelle-Aquitaine by clicking here .

The departure and arrival are set in the pretty little station of the tourist train of the spa town of Saujon. The meeting point is set for 11:30 a.m. for lunch (7:15 p.m. for dinner). As soon as you sit down at your table (2 to 6 people maximum), you are pleasantly surprised by the comfort and quality of the decor.

To experience this, you need to be patient... a lot of patience. Given the formula's enormous success, reservations are now only made online , on the Seudre Océan Express website. In its first year of operation, the rolling restaurant (at 10 km/h) served more than 7,000 customers! The record will be broken in 2023. A well-deserved success.

Dishes made with regional products

The attentive staff welcomes guests with a big smile and genuine empathy. They also quickly offer to take a souvenir photo of your table.

“All our employees volunteer to work on the train,” explains Henri Lhermite, restaurateur of the Seudre Océan Express and the child of a family of culinary professionals – his great-grandmother Marie-Thérèse invented the recipe for mouclade (mussels, cream, white wine, shallots and curry).

»» Find all our tourist events in Charente-Maritime by clicking here .

Henri Lhermite intends to offer customers on this train an experience unlike any other. Also the owner of the restaurant La Forêt in Meschers-sur-Gironde, he offers refined cuisine showcasing local produce. "95% of our menu is made with products from Nouvelle-Aquitaine," emphasizes the man who also cooks on the train. Local spirits, Pineau des Charentes and Charente wines from the Arrivé family in Virollet, feature prominently in the meal.

During this train ride through the Seudre marshes, everyone enjoys the same menu. With chefs Thierry Duveau and Thierry Pigeau, Henri Lhermite offers a selection of delicacies. Warm oysters and Périgord poultry are served with seasonal vegetables and bread specially made in Meschers.

The pleasant surprise of this experience is that everything is included (€80 per person and €35 for children up to 12 years old). "I insisted on it, I didn't want the customer to open their wallet on the train," adds the chef from Saintonge, who never doubted the success of this taste experience.

"We have quality products, a friendly journey and quality staff, there was no objective reason why it wouldn't work," concludes the Michelais chef, who does not intend to stop there... Starting next year, Henri Lhermite should offer two other restaurants on the Mouettes train, the Chassiron, dedicated to an even more upscale clientele, and another bistro-style restaurant for people who want to eat well, and quickly, on board the Mouettes train.

Seudre Ocean Express. 3, chemin Vert, 17600 Saujon.