Tips for visiting La Rochelle and its islands in western France

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Towers in the medieval port of La Rochelle in western France

If you plan for this year a journey through western France, or you go to Brittany,La Rochelle It must be an essential stage in your route.

This city of medieval origin, which you find in the region of Poitou-Charentes, offers you some really lovely corners, like its port whose entrance is flanked by some medieval towers,

But also in its surroundings places as paradisiacal as the island of Ré.

Saint Nicholas Tower in La Rochelle in western France

For you to stand, La Rochelle It is on the Atlantic coast, two hours north of Bordeaux and just under two hours west of Poitiers.

La Rochelle history

From the first moment you arrive atLa Rochelle You realize that this charming city oozes history through all its corners.

Not for lessLa Rochelle, which was born in the 10th century as a small fishing village, during the two following centuries became a strategic point of maritime trade between France and England, based on wine and salt.

Therefore it should not surprise you that the center of yourvisit of La Rochelle will be yourhistoric port flanked by several towers They tell us a story of attacks.

Half-timbered house in the historic center of La Rochelle in France

La Rochelle It also had a history of independence with respect to the central power, which led to when the new ideas of the 16th century arrivedreform, in a Catholic country like France, it became a free and Protestant city.

Built on marshes, during medieval times it was awalled city, so during your walk you will walk narrow streets and see that it maintains the characteristic style of a medieval city.

La Rochelle It also became the door of France to Canada, as well as trade with the Nordic countries.

Good reflection of the latter are the Nordic-style houses next to the port, in one of which you find the city's tourist office.

But you will also check that La Rochelle It shows a bourgeois style, a combination that makes it a very pleasant city to walk, especially when many of its streets are pedestrian.

In fact, during the 70s it became the first French city to be pedestrianized.

Clock Tower in La Rochelle in western France

What to see and do during the visit of La Rochelle

In you walk through the historic center you will go through narrow pedestrian streets and pass under arches and arcades of which there are still more than three kilometers.

You will also check that caring for the environment is part of theDNAfrom La Rochelle with the possibility of using bicycles or driving small electric cars, which you find next to its charging bases in the city streets.

Houses with white stone facade

On your walk through the city you will still find some half-timbered houses built with wood and slate.

But almost all of their homes have white stone facades of the seventeenth century that give La Rochelle a peculiar beauty, although in the historic center the buildings date from between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries.

Stands in the historic center of La Rochelle in western France

On your walk through the center of this coastal city you will also find Renaissance mansions.

As for its historic port, it had a great fishing activity during the 70s.

But today there are actually three ports, one of commerce, another of fishing built in 1994, and the great recreational port of Minimes, which annually houses a nautical lounge.

Then I will give you some tips for your visit to La Rochelleon the coast of west of france.

Medieval port of La Rochelle

From the outset your visit should focus precisely on the historic harbor.

Port of La Rochelle in western France

The entrance of the known as old Portfrom La Rochelle It is framed by two large towers, which have become the image of the city.

But in that port area there are actually four towers.

St. Nicholas Tower

Facing the sea you have the St. Nicholas Tower, from the fourteenth century, which with a height of 42 meters, inside you find a maze of stairs and corridors, and houses a vaulted Gothic-style room.

It was a military building that served the function of surveillance.

Towers of the Old Port of La Rochelle in western France

Chain Tower

In front of her is theChain Tower, of the same era and of lower height, which was used to monitor the movements of ships and traffic in the port.

It was also where fees and fees were charged.

As a curiosity, it acquires that name because in its time both towers joined with a chain to close the port.

Lantern Tower

The third of the towers that frame the entrance to theport of La Rochelle is theLantern Tower, which stands out for its octagonal gothic needle.

Lantern Tower in La Rochelle in western France

At 70 meters high, it is the tallest of the three and was built as a lighthouse; in fact it is aboutlast medieval lighthouse from the Atlantic coast.

But theLantern TowerAbove all, it is known for hosting a prison for three centuries where British, Dutch and Spanish privateers were locked up, as well as military and religious prisoners.

In you visit of the La Rochelle Lantern Tower You can see the traces of the time when it was a prison.

Is aboutgraffiti made by the prisoners on the stone walls, which reflected scenes of the time. If you plan to see them all, you have to keep in mind that there are about 600graffiti.

But, in addition, from the viewpoint that is on top of it, you have excellentpanoramic views of La Rochelle.

Here you can check the information with schedules to visit these three towers of the medieval port of La Rochelle. and here you can Buy tickets to visit the Towers of La Rochelle in advance of your trip.

Clock Tower in La Rochelle in western France

Clock Gate

A fourth tower that will also call your attention is the one that joins the port area with the old town through a lower passage.

It's about theGreat Clock Tower, from the 18th century.

Old Fisherman's Market

The old building stands out next to the portfishermen's market, fully restored and is now a cultural center, home of theinternational Film Festival that every summer takes place in La Rochelle.

In the historic center you will walk through its narrow streets, through its arcades, and you must reach the neighborhood of the mansions and Renaissance mansions.

La Rochelle market in western France

In the old medieval city there is another tower that will also attract your attention, that of thetown hall, which showed a very interesting facade until a devastating fire happened recently.

It was the most visited monument in La Rochelle.

Oysters at La Rochelle Market

You must alsowalk through the market, where the oysters and the cheeses They become great protagonists, a charming corner that awakens your stomach.

In this regard you should know that La Rochelle It is one of the areas ofoyster production most important in France, specifically those of the nearby island of Oléron They are reputed to be the best in the country.

Theoysters they are raised every year since August in the marsh areas on the banks of the Charentes river.

Oleron oysters at La Rochelle market

Then in the month of April they are collected and grouped in bags according to their size, to be for three more years growing and in final rest in clay soil channels with sea waters.

Thequality It is the same in all oysters in the area; The difference in category and price is in the sizes.

So, in theOléron oyster designation of origin there are three qualities that in theLa Rochelle market You will see that they identify with different numbers.

The size standard It is number 3, which comes to assume 12 oysters per kilo.

Theoyster prices of this quality are, if you buy 8 euros per kilo in the market, and in a restaurant, a plate of six oysters of the same size can cost you 9 euros.

Cheeses at La Rochelle Market

Similarly, category 2 groups larger oysters, from 8 to 10 per kilo, which can cost less than 7 euros per kilo.

During your walk you can also see outstanding buildings such as thePrefecture, theBag and thecourthouse, from the 18th century, which are an exponent of the importance that the city of La Rochelle at that time.

La Rochelle Aquarium

Another very, highly recommended visit is the fantastic La Rochelle Aquarium, owned by the same family business that has built large aquariums in Europe, such as the Lisbon Oceanarium or that of Valencia, and he hardly has anything to envy.

At sunset, of course, the La Rochelle atmosphere it concentrates again in the port, in its coffees and terraces.

La Rochelle Aquarium

What to see around La Rochelle

your trip to La Rochelle It will be incomplete if you do not visit the nearby island of Ré, a small island in which nature is combined with charming villages, and where the bicycle becomes the ideal means of transport.

Do not stop climb the Whale Lighthouse, from where you will have excellent panoramic views.

And if you have one more day on your vacation in this area of ​​the west of france, in the southern area of ​​the estuary, you can extend the visit with your excursions to the islands of Oléron Y Aix.

Again, bike tours and lovely villages with beautiful fishing ports are the protagonists.

Port of Saint Martin on the island of Ré near La Rochelle

Of course, in theLa Rochelle Islands Historic fortifications, lighthouses and charming fishing ports become major tourist attractions.

In this regard, I highlight the charming corner of the old fishermen's houses in the port of Chateau d'Oléron, or the fishing port of Boyardville, beside Fort boyard, in the Oléron Island.

How to get to La Rochelle

La Rochelle It is located on the Atlantic coast, at west of france, and you can arrive in an hour and a half by car westbound from Poitiers, or southbound from Nantes.

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