So much of France was never on our radar until we moved there. La Rochelle was one of those places. When we were planning a drive into the French Basque Country, I knew there would be stops along the way, as the drive was just way too long.
La Rochelle, nicknamed “the White City” because of how its limestone buildings glow in the Atlantic light, came up as an option when we were chatting with our dog sitter. The more I looked into it, the more I loved the sound of it.
It was a haven for cyclists, with a nice seafood scene and dramatic history. I love all those things, so naturally, we enjoyed our time there.
This guide to one day in La Rochelle gets into the things we enjoyed during our visit, plus some things we’re saving for next time.
Quick Tips for Your La Rochelle Visit
Your Flight: If you arrive by air, you’ll likely start at Paris Charles de Gaulle and take a high-speed train from there. Use Skyscanner to explore your options. Love those deals? Subscribe to Going.
Your Accommodations: We stayed at this apartment and enjoyed it, but you can browse Booking.com or Hotels.com for more options. Vrbo is my Airbnb alternative.
Your Ride: You don’t need a car if you’re just visiting La Rochelle, but it may be useful if you hit the road after. Book a rental car for your road trip ahead of time.
Top Spots: Climb the Lantern Tower of La Rochelle, sip on sparkling wine soda at La Guignette, and eat some seafood at Le Panier de Crabes.
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One day is enough to see the highlights of La Rochelle.
Give yourself a full day in La Rochelle, the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. That gives you enough time to see at least one of the city’s towers and plan a leisurely lunch.
With a full weekend, you could add time in the city’s museums, like its popular maritime museum, or even hit the nearby islands for exploration elsewhere.
La Rochelle is easy to explore on foot, even with just a short amount of time. If you’d rather someone else take the reins, you can explore some of the guided tours below:
How to Spend a Day in La Rochelle
You can spend one day in La Rochelle like this:
- Start at the Royal Gate.
- Check out the goods at Vieux Marché de La Rochelle.
- Look inside Saint-Louis Cathedral.
- Stop by Maison de Nicolas Venette.
- Window-shop on Rue Saint-Nicolas.
- Have lunch at Le Panier de Crabes.
- Climb the Lantern Tower of La Rochelle.
- Visit the other two towers, too.
- Sip on a local specialty at La Guignette.
- Finish with a nice dinner or more oysters.
One Day in La Rochelle
You have a busy day planned! You can pick up some snacks at the market I’ll start you at if you’re a morning eater, or head to a local café for a quick pastry and coffee if you need it. Brother’s Coffee Shop looked very cute, but we only passed by.
Stop 1: The Royal Gate
We were staying near the Royal Gate, or La Porte Royale, which made for a natural starting point. This is an impressive 18th-century defensive gate that once formed part of La Rochelle’s fortified walls.
Let’s do a little history break so you know what you’re looking at as you move through the city.
La Rochelle has a long history as a strategic port on the Atlantic coast, which made it a target in several conflicts. That’s why it’s also known as the Gateway to the Ocean. Jealousy makes you do wild things.
The Siege of La Rochelle from 1627 to 1628 during the French Wars of Religion, well before the French Revolution, was its most famous moment. That’s when royal forces blockaded the city to suppress the Protestant Huguenots.
Back to the gate, this was once both a ceremonial entrance to the city and a strategic military checkpoint. It’s also atmospheric as heck. Give it a few minutes before moving on.
Stop 2: Vieux Marché de La Rochelle
From the gate, we walked to the Vieux Marché de La Rochelle. It was a Tuesday when we visited, which isn’t the busiest day, but there was still plenty to choose from, like prepared items, butcher eats, and cheeses.
It was like many French markets you’ll encounter in your travels around the country, just larger. If you want to see it at its best, I read that Wednesdays and Saturdays are the busiest days with the most vendors.
You can buy some things here to nosh on later, or just pass through to save yourself for a delicious lunch this afternoon.
Stop 3: Saint-Louis Cathedral
The Saint-Louis Cathedral might not wow you from the outside, but the interior is where the wows are.
Super high ceilings, frescoes, and impressive stained glass wrapping around the Catholic church make it worth stepping inside, and it’s free to enter. This has been a site of some form of worship since the 12th century, but the building you’ll visit isn’t quite so old.
The first church was destroyed in the 16th century. The same happened to the cathedral that replaced it in the 17th century. What you’ll visit today was finished by 1857.
Stop 4: Maison de Nicolas Venette
Just down the street is the Maison de Nicolas Venette, named after the 17th-century medical author, doctor, and revolutionary leader.
You’re not going inside. Instead, admire the façade and its creepy gargoyles and medical figures, a subtle nod to the man who lived there.
Fun fact: Venette was also a sexologist who was known for Tableau de l’amour conjugal, one of the first works on sexual health in France. Spicy.
Stop 5: Rue Saint-Nicolas
From here, walk along Rue Saint-Nicolas, La Rochelle’s main shopping street. Shopping generally isn’t my thing while we’re exploring unless it’s for edible treats, but it’s worth a look before lunch. You’ll be back later for a little happy hour, so you don’t need to linger.
Fun fact: This is near where you can access the Ferris wheel if you’re into that sort of thing on Place du Commandant de la Motte Rouge. I’m not generally into that, either, but I’m not here to yuck any yums.
Stop 6: Lunch at Le Panier de Crabes
We wanted to have lunch at Le P’tit Bleu, a cute spot that operates out of a boat with views of the Vieux Port de La Rochelle, or the Old Port, in the Old Town. Unfortunately, we were visiting in the off-season, and they were off until April.
It was November, so good for them.
Note: Google won’t always help you in your travel planning. If you’re visiting places that may be affected by seasonality, which in France may mean anywhere outside of Paris, assume that you’ll need to be flexible.
Le Panier de Crabes was our backup. We had the place to ourselves in November, but it’s very popular in high season. We shared a discovery platter of bulots, shrimp, langoustine, and oysters, plus half a crab, paired with cheese and bread.
I’d say the crab was less impressive than anything else, but we were just beyond the best season for it. The langoustines were very tasty, and Brian really liked his oysters.
READ MORE: If you’re a fan of oysters, you need to plan a trip to Cancale in Brittany!
The outdoor seating is dog-friendly, with a large tree supported by wooden beams. The service was very friendly, too. I think our server might have been a little extra chatty with us because it was so slow that day, but I’ll take it!
Stop 7: Lantern Tower of La Rochelle
Bellies full, it’s time to climb some towers. If you only have time for one, make it the Lantern Tower of La Rochelle.
This one was built in the 15th century, and served as both a lighthouse and a watchtower guiding ships into the medieval port. It was also a jail for sailors and privateers, and you’ll see some of their graffiti work inside. That was my favorite part.
Entry is cheap, covering two of the three towers in town. The staircase is winding and narrow, and you can stop at several levels to take a closer look at the carvings.
Once you’re at the very top, it’s pretty exposed. I didn’t have an issue with it, but Brian was a little freaked out. If you’re iffy on heights, you may want to skip that part.
Here’s a clip of what our visit to the tower looked like if you’re curious:
Stop 8: Chain Tower and Tour Saint-Nicholas
If you get a ticket for multiple towers, you should try to visit multiple towers if you can. The Chain Tower is another historic tower that once protected the harbor.
This one dates back to the 14th century. Its name comes from the heavy chain that was stretched across the harbor at night to control access and protect the city from enemy ships.
This one was much easier to climb, as it’s not as tall and the stairs aren’t as winding. During our visit, there was an exhibit about whale sounds going on to show the effects of climate change on the oceans.
We sat in some bean bags for a few minutes, having a moment before climbing one more level to the viewpoint at the top. This one gives you a view of the harbor, which is lovely.
Tour Saint-Nicholas is visible across the way. You can only see this one from outside for now, as it’s being repaired. When it reopens, your tower ticket will be an even better deal!
Optional Stop 9: Plage de la Concurrence
It was too cool for any real beach time during our visit, but we wanted to see the water and imagine what it might be like in the warmer months.
Plage de la Concurrence was a great spot to do that. A walkway wraps around from here to show off more of the Bay of Biscay.
Note: If you are here to hang out on some of La Rochelle’s beaches, Plage des Minimes is the largest and most popular. Plage de Chef de Baie is a quieter option.
Afterwards, you can continue your walk around Quai Duperré and back toward the Vieux Port, admiring the big boats and those maritime vibes. We like to say, “Oh, that’s where I parked my yacht,” in these situations.
Stop 10: La Guignette
You’ve gotten some steps and climbed some floors, so now it’s time to take a break at La Guignette, a wine bar that serves up a local specialty. The bar has been serving up what I’ll describe as sparkling wine soda for over 90 years.
We tried all four flavors coming out of the barrel that day: apricot, green apple, red fruits, and citrus. The citrus was Brian’s favorite, but the apricot was a close second.
Red fruit, the most popular flavor according to the bartender, was just too sickly sweet and reminded me of flavored cough syrup. I get it. They don’t do Nyquil in France, so maybe they’re tasting something different than we were.
If you want to bring some with you, you can buy a bottle at the bar or the same taster sets in grocery stores in town. The price will be the same, so you’re not being hoodwinked at the bar.
This is a La Rochelle institution, especially with young people, because the drinks are so cheap…and sweet! They serve regular wine, too. It’s a pretty nice collection, actually. Come early to avoid the youths if you’re as intimidated by them as I am.
Stop 11: Dinner
We were still quite full from lunch, so we had snack food back at our accommodations for the evening. If you want another sit-down meal, there are lots of options around town.
Annette was on our list for something a little fancy. If you didn’t get your fill of oysters at lunch, Le Comptoir Saoufé is popular for fans of the boogers of the sea. It’s more popular around apéro time, so it might be a nice option if you don’t want a late night.
With More Time in La Rochelle
You can only do so much in one day, and we definitely left some things for a return trip. Here are a few things you can add to your La Rochelle itinerary if you have a full weekend here:
- Visit Musée Maritime de la Rochelle to explore historic vessels, exhibits about naval life, and to climb aboard some of the boats.
- Meet the fishies at the Aquarium de la Rochelle, or La Rochelle Aquarium, one of France’s largest aquariums.
- Add another peaceful stroll along the Canal de Rompsay, away from the busier parts of town.
- If it’s open, get a culture fix at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de La Rochelle, which houses European art from the 15th to the 20th century.
- Visit the Musée du Nouveau Monde, or the Museum of the New World, near Rue des Merciers.
- Relax in Parc Charruyer, an urban park particularly popular for travelers with kids.
- Take a day trip to Île de Ré, a nearby island with sandy beaches, salt marshes, and the Phare des Baleines, a lighthouse.
- See a World War II-era bunker at Musée Le Bunker de La Rochelle.
- If you’re traveling with kids, check out the (stuffed) critters at Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle de La Rochelle, the city’s natural history museum.
- Plan a guided visit to the Cloître des Dames Blanches, an abbey with summer art exhibitions.
- Take a sunset cruise from the old harbor to check out some of the nearby islands.
How to Get to La Rochelle
To get to La Rochelle, most travelers start in Paris. From there, the easiest option is to take a high-speed train from Paris Montparnasse to La Rochelle Ville.
The fastest routes take a little over two and a half hours, and trains run frequently throughout the day.
You can also fly. La Rochelle has a small airport with seasonal routes from several European cities. Many visitors connect through Nantes or Bordeaux.
We were on a longer road trip during our visit, but I’ll warn you that it’s not a short trip down here. Expect the drive to take about five hours. It’s a price we paid to bring our dog with us and to give us flexibility to explore some of the smaller towns.
Where to Stay in La Rochelle
We stayed at a dog-friendly apartment within easy walking distance of everything on this itinerary. If you want to check it out, book it at this link.
While we enjoyed it, and it was clean and well-appointed, I didn’t love the mandatory damage deposit with our booking. It just opens you up to some potential shenanigans in the wrong hands. (The host was great in this case. I just don’t love the premise!)
To browse a few more options, use the map below:
La Rochelle is always worth visiting.
La Rochelle is one of those cities that may not be on your France bucket list, despite its charms. For those who want to understand this country on a deeper level, I find that cities like this one are a great way to do it.
Between those historic towers and the scenic waterfront, La Rochelle easily offers a day full of discovery. I bet we’ll be back, if only to try this one in warmer weather or as a base for day trips along the coast.
Planning more travel in France? Check these out:
- Should You Plan a Trip to Rocamadour?
- Is Paris as Expensive as They Say?
- A Guide to the Underrated City of Nantes
- Plan Two Incredible Weeks in Brittany
- What to Avoid About France in the Summer
More guides for travels to France:
- A Guide to the Castles of the Loire Valley
- Why Versailles Should Stay on Your List
- Things to Do in Lovely Pont-Aven
- Tips for Trips to Mont-Saint-Michel
- How to Plan a Day in Montpellier
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