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La Rochelle

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La Rochelle harbour in charente-maritime france

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Overview

Known as La Ville Blanche (the White City), La Rochelle's luminous limestone facades glow in the bright coastal sunlight. One of France's foremost seaports from the 14th to 17th centuries, the city has arcaded walkways, half-timbered houses protected from the salt air by slate tiles, ghoulish gargoyles and a fabulous collection of lighthouses – all rich reminders of its magnificent seafaring heritage. The early French settlers of Canada, including the founders of Montreal, set sail from here in the 17th century.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Entrance of the Aquarium of La Rochelle, France in summer.

    Aquarium La Rochelle

    La Rochelle

    La Rochelle's state-of-the-art, family-friendly aquarium is home to 12,000 marine animals and 600 different species. Visits begin by descending in a…

  • Harbour and maritime museum in the Port of La Rochelle, France.

    Musée Maritime

    La Rochelle

    In a series of boldly coloured, red, blue and yellow canopied hangars at the Bassin à Flot, the Maritime Museum evokes the history of La Rochelle port,…

  • Tour de la Lanterne

    La Rochelle

    Easily mistaken for an ornate church spire, the conical 15th-century Tour de la Lanterne is La Rochelle's beauty queen. It was so named because of its…

  • Réserve Naturelle Marais d'Yves

    La Rochelle

    An easy 15km drive south of La Rochelle, this nature reserve runs a free nature centre where you can peer through telescopes to watch some of the 192…

  • Tour St-Nicolas

    La Rochelle

    The only tower to be decked out like a house, this 37m-high pentagonal stone tower has leaned slightly to one side ever since building was complete in…

  • Tour de la Chaîne

    La Rochelle

    To protect the harbour at night in times of war, an enormous chain was raised between the two 14th-century stone towers at the harbour entrance to La…

  • Musée des Automates et Modèles Réduits

    La Rochelle

    This small museum displays 300 automated dolls from the last two centuries, including a near-life-size re-creation of bygone Montmartre in Paris, right…

  • Musée du Nouveau Monde

    La Rochelle

    La Rochelle's role as a departure point for North America is interpreted at this museum, housed in an elegant courtyard-clad mansion built in 1750.

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