Tourist Information
ATLANTIC - PORT - HISTORY - LOIRE - GIRONDE
In short
- La Rochelle used to be a Gallo-Roman city, then a fishing village. Most importantly, it is a maritime town; its harbour, the Port de la Pallice, is listed as a Greater Maritime Port.
- During the 12th century, the Pilgrims, who had settled in La Rochelle, made it the greatest Atlantic Ocean harbour.
- During the second half of the 14th century, the town was under British domination, for a short period of time. Then, La Rochelle underwent a major boom, by selling wines, and Aunis and Saintonge brandies.
- In the 16th century, the ideas of Protestant John Calvin started affecting the inhabitants of La Rochelle. It later became a major spot in the Protestant Reformation, during the Huguenot Wars.
- La Rochelle has been facing an important increase in population growth since the post-war period. Thus, it is also a student city: La Rochelle University was created in 1993 and now welcomes almost 8000 students.
Climate
This is an Aquitaine ocean temperate climate. Winters are mild and wet, and summers are dry and sunny, but fortunately, the sea wind makes the temperatures decrease. Average temperatures are 5.9°C in January, and 19.8°C in July. Sunlight is at its peak during summer.
Our best tips
- For the most curious, the Fine Arts museum is located on the bishop's palace second floor, in the heart of the city. The New World Museum ("Musée du Nouveau Monde") will take you straight into the history of the conquest of America from La Rochelle, since the 16th century.
- Why don't you come and discover the Chaîne and the Lanterne towers, along with Saint-Nicolas tower, on the old port?!
- Music and cinema lovers might want to know that the International Film festival and the Francofolies take place in July, and jazz music is glorified in October, at the festivals Jazz à la Rochelle and Jazz Around!
Average prices for hotels
- Low budget: 80€ per night in high season, and 85€ in low season.
- Mid-range: 102€ per night in high season, and 73€ in low season.
- Luxury: 135€ per night in high season, 108€ in low season.
Recommended areas for your hotel
- The middle of the city is just a stone's throw from the seashore. There are many hotels, ranking from the cheapest to the highest.
- Further to the south, the Minimes borough is still quite touristic, in spite of its location, and close to the sea. There, you will find La Rochelle's aquarium and the university.
Need more information about this place?
We wrote un mini guide for our readers that we hope is coming as handy as possible (also available in PDF format to download, useful while traveling without an internet connexion) :
La Rochelle : Handy Mini Travel Guide
Tower of la Rochelle
