La Rochelle Hotels

known as a historic port city for sailors, La Rochelle has grown into a city with more than 100,000 people. This French city is often called the ‘City of Light’ for the city lights that speckle the night sky. While La Rochelle has ancient sites, the city landscape is now dotted with modern high-rise buildings and attractions like the Aquarium de La Rochelle. Home to the largest showcase of pleasure boats, visitors come from all over the world to visit and cruise around this hot French locale in September each year for the Le Grand Pavois.

will want to spend at least a day strolling through La Rochelle museums like the Musee Charente-Maritime, Musee d’Orbigny-Bernon and the Musee des Beaux-Arts. This attractive town also offers many maritime attractions like Old Port and the fishing port of Chef de Baie. From fishing and festivals to art and architecture, tourists who come to La Rochelle will discover a French holiday retreat like no other.

When To Go

With its exceptional sunshine and close proximity to the Islands of Ré, Aix, Oléron and Madame, La Rochelle is quite the holiday hot spot for summer travelers. La Rochelle has an oceanic climate that produces rainy fall days, mild winters and sun-filled springs and summers. In summer, the temperatures are comfortable thanks to sea breezes, however, afternoon winds can be a bit strong but perfect for sailing.

• December through February: Daily high 3°C (48°F)

• March through May: Daily high 7°C (60°F)

• June through August: Daily high 14°C (76°F)

• September through November: Daily high 6°C (54°F)

Getting There

The La Rochelle-Ile-de-Ré Airport is situated on the coast about 4 km (2.5 miles) north of the city. There is a local bus service that operates to and from the airport during the week and on Saturdays and Sundays. Several major airlines serve the La Rochelle-Ile-de-Re Airport, bringing in passengers from across France and the world.

By rail, trains from Bordeaux and Nantes run regularly. There are six to eight trains that arrive daily, as well as five fast TGV trains from Paris. There is always at least one train per day from La Rochelle to Marseille, and 10-12 trains per day from La Rochelle to Paris.
If driving to La Rochelle, tourists should follow A10 south to the exit Niort/St-Maixent. From there, N11 West will take you to the coast where La Rochelle is located.

General Information

Attractions

Activities

Restaurant & Nightlife

Climate

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