Stroll and visit in the heart of the city
Whether you're a couple, a family, friends or colleagues, whether you're visiting for the weekend or for a week... La Rochelle, a living maritime museum, is a must-see place to visit. Here's what you shouldn't miss when you stay in our beautiful city!
Museums :
Discover the city's amazing collection of museums as you stroll under the 13th century arcades and through the cobbled streets of the historic centre.
Museum of Natural History
Maritime Museum
Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of the New World
Tourist site and Old Port
The Old Port of La Rochelle is being given a makeover, quay by quay. Since this autumn, it is the Valin quay which offers to the eyes of the people of La Rochelle and visitors to the City its new esplanade of light-coloured flagstones. Alongside a brand new square frequented by children and adults alike and the Bassin à Flot where most of the pleasure boats in this port area are moored, a wide cycle path gives pride of place to non-motorised two-wheelers. Operational since the completion of the requalification work on the Valin quay, this new path will be extended before the end of this year to allow the junction with the Georges Simenon quay. At the end, the footbridge spanning the Ancien Bassin des Chalutiers will also be refurbished, but it will still be possible to cross on foot or by bicycle to enjoy a unique panorama of the three Towers of La Rochelle, the access channel to the Vieux Port and the Atlantic Ocean.
Arcade and old town
Discover the old town of La Rochelle with its 13th century arcades, its cobbled streets and its many bourgeois houses and monuments
La Rochelle Towers
St. Nicholas Tower : A true urban keep and palatial residence facing the ocean, this military building symbolises the power and wealth of La Rochelle. At 42 metres high, its architecture is built around a labyrinth of staircases and corridors built into the thickness of the walls.
Tour of the chain : As the gateway to the Old Port, the Chain Tower monitored the movements of ships and traffic in the port and collected duties and taxes.
Tower of the Lantern (known as the 4 sergeants): The last medieval lighthouse on the Atlantic coast, 55 metres high, topped by an octagonal gothic spire, the tower served throughout its history as a lighthouse and prison. It contains more than 600 graffiti carved by prisoners over 3 centuries.
City Hall
The beating heart of our maritime city since the 13th century, the Town Hall of La Rochelle almost succumbed to the flames of a spectacular fire in 2013. Now rebuilt, this historic building, so dear to the people of La Rochelle, can be visited again.
Quartier du Gabut
Between the dock and the former trawler basin, the former bastion of the Gabut has freed itself from white stone to build the houses in its district. Wood and colour cover the facades of the buildings topped with the traditional Charentais roof, with its gentle slope and canal tiles. A pleasant amalgam that blends in with the urban style while giving the walker a change of scenery as he imagines himself strolling through a Scandinavian port city.
Guided tours
A stopover in the heart of the Old Town and the Old Port through the great hours of this free trading city: the memory of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the escapades of Henri IV, the seat of Cardinal Richelieu... today the liveliness of its quays and terraces, the colours of its market and the tranquillity of its English-style parks will seduce you.
The Market
Entirely devoted to food, this local institution offers its framework to promote the flavours made in France. Facing a Renaissance half-timbered house, a 19th century hall is full of fishmongers, cheese-makers, pork butchers and other caterers with top quality products for which our region is famous.
