Useful links for La Rochelle (France)

  Visiting La Rochelle (France)  

Google
Go everywhere from here
Today's news at a glance
Six search engines
Exact time in ...
Health/Medical issues
2010 FIFA World Cup
Shanghai Expo 2010
How to fight spam
Search this website
Internet/Computer tips
Useful software
Programs to download
What's new in Windows 7
Hello in all languages
Popular Chinese songs
Chinese characters
Pinyin made simple
Visiting China
Visiting Europe
Focus on Malaysia
HOME
Songs from deezer.com
Non-stop English songs
Non-stop French songs
Lyrics of evergreens
Old songs new singers
Brainteasers 1
Inspiring quotations/ideas
Motivational e-cards
Just for laughs
Opinion/Essays
Sudoku for all
Special characters
Domains by country
Chat lingo
File extension list
Contact/Feedback
Privacy policy
Online hotel reservations

The stage and the huge crowds during an open-air concert by Olivia Ruiz at the Francofolies song festival in La Rochelle.
If you haven't been to La Rochelle yet this is one place well worth a visit. In fact it is not surprising that La Rochelle is the third most visited city in France, with more than three million visitors a year. This charming seaport has everything to satisfy the holidaymaker. It combines history (one look at the Vieux Port at the waterfront with its turrets and mediaeval buildings will show you how steeped in history this city is) with modernity (you'll even be able to find shops selling state-of-the-art objects here). A walk along la rue du Palais is a must as it combines the best of both worlds - the ancient and the modern.
Yet the inhabitants still retain the fast-diminishing charm of the provincial people who still find time to talk to visitors and do not let the stress of modern living get the better of them.
Besides it is just a bridge away from the Island of Ré, the equally popular holiday destination for the French themselves. These two places are well worth a visit at any time of the year but particularly so in July or August to enjoy swimming in the sea.
The city is at its best during the week-long French songs festival, popularly known as Francofolies, which will be held from 10th to 14th July in 2010. The fireworks display near midnight every July 14 to commemorate Bastille Day (French National Day) adds to the carnival atmosphere and the whole esplanade along Avenue Michel Crepeau is always teeming with people for the occasion.
The train journey from Paris by the TGV (France's bullet train) takes only three hours making a weekend visit feasible. In fact if you are pressed for time you can spend one whole afternoon just visiting the Musée Maritime, the Médiathèque and the Aquarium (inaugurated in 2001) as they are all conveniently located next to each other. From here it's only a stone's throw to the scenic port, the old quarter filled with alfresco restaurants and the shopping area
In fact, its strength as a tourist destination is that it allows for leisured strolls either along the old quarter or in its shopping area. There is little trace of the hustle and bustle of city life and during my four-day stay there recently I could not recall a single instance when I heard car honks from impatient motorists!
Compared to the famous French Riviera on the south of France, the well-kept beach at Port des Minimes in La Rochelle is still relatively unspoilt by the big spenders. To go to the Minimes beach you can either take the "sea bus" (bus de mer) from the old city (near the Chain Tower side) for 1.70 euros or Bus no. 10 from the bus terminus at Place de Verdun for 1.20 euros. But watch out, the bus number could change to some other number when it's Sunday or a public holiday!


However, if it is a sunny day and you intend to spend a whole day on the beach it is worth making the trip out of La Rochelle to the neighbouring Island of Ré (Ile de Ré) which has a number of really good beaches to offer. It will also enable you to have a leisurely cycling holiday (you can easily hire bicycles there for the day) as there are cycle paths criss-crossing the island's countryside. The roads are flat and children cannot be safer on bicycles than here.
It is possible to go to Ile de Ré by bicycle, car or bus over the bridge from La Rochelle but there are also boat cruises from the old harbour which take you there as well as to other islands such as Ile d'Aix, Ile d'Oleron or just to have a close look at Fort Boyard, location of a popular TV adventure game.
Of all the cities in France La Rochelle is the one that is most concerned with ecology and the quality of urban life. It has recently even started using solar energy for its parking meters.
It was the pilot city for testing and using electric cars (there are over 250 of these in use today). It was also the pioneer, in 1997, of the first "En ville sans ma voiture" campaign in France forbidding the use of cars in the city centre on that day thus inciting more people to use the bicycle. This idea was eventually adopted by a few other French cities.
In keeping with this strategy it has made bicycles available for free to all and sundry. Foreigners need only leave their passports for safekeeping in order to borrow one of their yellow bicycles for the day (it's free for the first two hours, then you pay one euro for each following hour). There are two such free bicycle parks - one at the bus terminus at Place de Verdun (open throughout the year but closed on Sundays) and the other at the old harbour (this one is open 7 days a week from May to September). But watch out, such bicycles will not be available at all during the week-long Francofolies song festival.
A good and cheap place to stay for those who can rough it out is the international youth hostel at Port des Minimes. There is a notice here reminding those who need reminding that "The youth hostel is not a hotel and the clients are not customers". So anyone brought up in the "The client is always right" culture can just forget about staying here. After all you're only paying 15 euros here for a night's stay and this payment includes the bedsheet as well as a copious breakfast (but as in all youth hostels you need to be a member to stay). The membership card can easily be obtained on the spot.
There are not many luxury hotels at La Rochelle. As a matter of fact there is only one 4-star hotel there which charges about 200 euros a night in the peak season.
Apart from its touristic attractions La Rochelle is also an educational centre and is proud of its multidisciplinary university opened in 1993 and an international hotel management school (Lycée Hôtelier) near Les Minimes.
The city has a social restaurant called L'Auberge (Tel. 0546685946) run by L'Escale, a charitable organisation, at 2 Avenue des Cordeliers where those who have a monthly income of less than 600 euros are able to have lunch and dinner (Monday-Saturday) at a nominal cost of only 3.70 euros. However it is open to the general public at 7 euros for a meal. More photos and texts


USEFUL LINKS FOR La Rochelle AND Ile de Ré
Guide to La Rochelle
Médiathèque (French site)
Official website of the City of La Rochelle
La Rochelle Tourism Office
Weather forecast
La Rochelle Aquarium (French site)
Bus time-table (French site)
Tips for La Rochelle
Newsletter about La Rochelle
History behind its fortification
Official website of Ile de Ré
Tips for Ile de Ré


Parent site: The World At Your Fingertips