Has anyone been to LaRochelle, on the west coast of France? I've read some good things about it online and in other travel guides, but nothing in Rick Steves' France 2012... It's a bit awkward to get to, so I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
There are a lot of French places unknown to Mr Steves. La Rochelle is worth it for the architecture alone. It works even better if you're making a tour of fortifed ports and include St Malo or Aigues-Mortes. Or theme it with old naval stuff and include the rope factroy down at Rochfort. The problem is, it just doesn't fit in with the track that most guidebook-oreinted tourists take on their first few trips.
Posted by
Kingsville, Ontario
165 posts
Been there done that. A great little city. We went becouse my wife's ancestors sailed from there in the 1600s. Some city walls still standing, plus harbour defences . Lots of small cafes overlooking the harbour. A huge French music festival plus Bastille Day celebrations were going on while we were there, we'd love to go back in quieter times. I kind of think of it as a much larger less museum -ish version of Honfleur.
Posted by
Columbia, MO, USA
249 posts
Last month, we dropped our son and his wife at the Bordeaux train station for the 2-hour ride to La Rochelle; they stayed on Ile de Re, just west of La Rochelle. We continued on our version of RS France tour. They really enjoyed the island, especially dining on the oysters. Most tourists they saw were French, a few Brits, and no Americans-they loved the experience. Lots of bike-riding on the island. It's not La Rochelle, but nearby so I thought it worth mentioning.