Hôtel François 1er

Top choice in La Rochelle


This 36-room themed hotel, squirrelled away in a centuries-old bourgeois mansion, is a secret museum of street art and rock memorabilia. Monumental portraits by local photographer Marie Monteiro dominate otherwise dazzling white rooms, and original works by France's top street artists pepper public areas. There are numerous acrobatic figures stencilled in white by Jérôme Mesnager and wildly expressive, plaster-cast faces by Gregos.

Guests can don a pair of headphones and listen to music in front of the faux fire in the lounge, or linger in the bar beneath the alluring gaze of David Bowie and exquisite portraits crafted in feathers by Île de Ré artist Marie-Ange Daudé. Pieces change every month and owners Guirec and Ida, passionate collectors for the last 30-odd years, are happy to talk guests through their huge collection.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby La Rochelle attractions

1. Musée du Nouveau Monde

0.07 MILES

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.

2. Musée des Beaux-Arts

0.07 MILES

La Rochelle's Museum of Fine Arts, housed inside a stunning neoclassical building, hosts an impressive collection of 15th- to 20th-century art.

3. Tour de la Grosse Horloge

0.2 MILES

The gateway to the old city, Tour de la Grosse Horloge is a steadfast Gothic-style clock tower with a 12th-century base and 18th-century top.

4. Tour St-Nicolas

0.36 MILES

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…

5. Tour de la Chaîne

0.36 MILES

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…

6. Tour de la Lanterne

0.43 MILES

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…

7. Aquarium La Rochelle

0.53 MILES

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…