THE SPARKLING SEASIDE TOWN OF LA ROCHELLE
Less than 2 hours by car up the coast from Bordeaux will take you to the beautiful port city of La Rochelle. One of the country’s most important seaports from the 14th to 17th centuries, the city’s luminous limestone façades glow in the bright coastal sunlight. Although its old commercial harbour, the Vieux Port, isn’t deep enough for the modern ships of today, it’s now one of the largest yachting harbours along the French Atlantic coast. With its straight streets, arcaded walkways, half-timbered houses adorned with fearsome gargoyles and slate tile roofs, shady promenades on the site of the city’s ancient fortifications, and some fabulous lighthouses, it’s one of our favourite places in France, and a very rewarding destination for visitors to discover.