La Rochelle

In the background you can see the towers which used to protect the port entrance. The port is now a haven for pleasure boats. Les Minimes, located 1.5 kms to the South is the largest man-made pleasure boat harbour in Europe.

The towers from the western sea view. Tour De La Chaine on the left and La Tour De Saint Nicholas on the right. La Rochelle's three towers are incredibly well maintained and one ticket will get you entrance to all three.

La Rochelle even has it's own beach. Small, very clean and close to the town center. To reach it you'll need to walk to the right of the Tour De La Chaine and simply follow the road and path until you reach the beach.

On the left of the panorama picture above, you can see some trees behind the pleasure boats. That is actually a tree lined promenade where each weekend in the tourist season a great number of art and craft sellers gather, along with performing artists. It's one of La Rochelle's great tourist attractions.
If you do not like crowds and are going to La Rochelle just for a few days, then you may well be better advised to plan your trip to fall mid-week. Another time to avoid is the week of the Francofolies, it's incredibly busy and there are some places which, as an ordinary tourist, you might like to visit but beacause of the music stands and the crowds, you may not get there.
However La Rochelle does have some great nautical shows and these do bring in the tourists but the town doesn't seem to be quite so overwhelmed.
When in the area you might wish to see the other areas of the Charente Maritime and the Vendee, much quieter, rather flat but with some beautiful scenery. back to top