Machecoul (French pronunciation: [maʃku(l)]; Breton: Machikoul) is a former commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.

[2] It was the site of First Massacre of Machecoul, the opening of the War in the Vendée in 1793.

On the edge of town is the Gitane bicycle factory.

Fans of the Tour de France will recall the Breton cyclist Bernard Hinault riding for them in the 1970s.

Machecoul has a weekly street market where one can buy roasted poulet noir, the black chicken of Challans.