Hi,
I live in Brussels and I am thinking of maybe taking a long weekend city trip to see La Rochelle in mid-August. I have never been there, but I have been to many other regions of France. There is a very reasonable flight available now with Ryanair between Brussels CRL and la Rochelle. Do you think there is enough to see/do for a 3 day visit to La Rochelle?
thanks,
Larry
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Yes
We love La Rochelle, and often go there for a weekend; it%26#39;s only two hours drive for us. The old port is very nice, with a lot of history, and old towers etc that you can visit. The streets around that area are old, with also some good shops. There are lots of restaurants and bars around the old port.
With three days, you could also go to the Ile de Ré, which is only a short journey by bus/taxi/car. The Ile de Ré is connected to the mainland at La Rochelle by a bridge. You could easily spend a whole day at St Martin en Ré, looking around the port, visiting the citadel, looking in museums, etc etc.
The only downside is that it will be crowded in mid August, and on Saturdays there will probably be long queues on the toll bridge.
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thanks for your reply....sounds likje a good place for a mid-August city berak via Ryanair. Not only is the airfare to get there very low, but there are also several reasonable hotels too.
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Hi Larry,
La Rochelle is lovely, and I%26#39;m not biased just because I live here! There%26#39;s so much to do, the museums, the towers, the aquarium (if the weather is not up to scratch),boat trips, the markets (wed and sat are big and go on most of the day). Street entertainers appear every night down at the port. There are 2 beaches in the town, a huge pleasure port if you like looking at yachts. There%26#39;s a train services to Chatellailion Plage, and La Rochelle is a prime people-watching city! There is a large park with a small zoo. You can hire (free) a yellow bike for 2 hours to discover the town.The town has some fantastic restaurants, if you need reccomendations let me know. I think if you are here longer than 3 days, I would try to visit the Ile de re as its very pretty, but much quieter.
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I stayed a week in La Rochelle a few years ago and found that there really wasn%26#39;t a great deal to do, certainly without my own transport to get around. You can do a day trip to the Ile de Re by bus, but public transport isn%26#39;t that good. There are - or were - no rail services mid morning, so if you head further afield you%26#39;ll have to make an early start or lose half of the day.
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I disagree Buzzcock, town has a lot to keep you occupied, it really depends on what you want from a holiday. And if you really feel the need to venture further afield then the public transport is second to none, and improving with the new train service from Porte Dauphine (nr Place de Verdun). My dad was here for a week, took a day trip to the Ile de Re from the old port by boat and really enjoyed it but was quite content to spend the rest of his holiday in La Rochelle. And there%26#39;s always free bike hire if you lack transport...
Maybe its time you came back to visit us!
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