It "invented" the self-service bicycle, was the first to offer pedestrianised streets and organised a car-free day: a forerunner in all these environmentally-friendly initiatives, La Rochelle continues to focus on quality of life. And it's succeeding...
280 km of cycle paths, more than half of which are dedicated lanes, 1 million euros of investment in new lanes, 105 self-service stations with 620 mechanical bicycles and 140 electric bicycles, 625,000 bicycle rentals, 12 secure cycle parks in operation: it's no coincidence that La Rochelle has been chosen as the world's most attractive cycling destination. ranked 1st in its category (medium-sized town) in the list of towns that can cycle by FUB (Fédération française des usagers de la bicyclette) in 2022. With this top ranking, the city has once again been rewarded for its ambitious policy on sustainable mobility and urban ecology, particularly in terms of developing the use of bicycles.
This year, our seaside town is also included in the list of the best towns and villages to live in, published for the fourth year running by the association "Villes et villages où il fait bon vivre" (Towns and villages where life is good). Based on almost 200 criteria divided into 9 categories (quality of life, safety, health, shops and services, transport, education, sports and leisure, solidarity, attractiveness of properties), the survey of 34,820 towns in mainland France gives the following results La Rochelle to win the 5èmeFrench towns with more than 2,000 inhabitants where it's good to liveIt is followed by Angers, Bayonne, Biarritz and Anglet. Underlining the vitality of the area around La Rochelle, this position in the French "Top 5" reinforces its appeal as a tourist destination. And it should make you want to stay even more for the ultimate holiday and pure pleasure.