Last Updated on May 19, 2025 by Karis Tavernier-Nicholas

La Rochelle is a coastal city, rich in both architectural and maritime history, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. For visitors not far from the region, such as from the UK, it’s a fantastic destination for a quick weekend trip away. With just enough to see but not enough to overwhelm your itinerary, La Rochelle works well for those wanting an easy, gentle and slow trip away.

You might find yourself seated in one of the bars or cafes around the market in La Pallice, catching whiffs of strawberries, raspberries and freshly baked pastries on the breeze from the outdoor market around the corner, all the while people-watching down lanes where it seems every local has stepped out of your “French Style” Pinterest board. Otherwise, you’re strolling down sometimes-paved-mostly-cobblestoned streets with symmetrical beige-coloured houses and the famous blue shutters commonly found in France, washed-out in places but only adding to the charm.

Here’s a travel guide on how to make the most of your trip to La Rochelle.

La Rochelle is a city rich in maritime and religious history, not all of it particularly pleasant. The Knights Templar once had a strong presence in the city, with the port being a major hub for them. The 16th and 17th centuries saw the battle between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants) play out in real time in La Rochelle. During the Reformation, La Rochelle was a stronghold for Protestantism. Following the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre, French Huguenots fleeing Paris sought refuge in La Rochelle. However, during the Great Siege of 1627-28, the city was destroyed and the Huguenots lost their stronghold.

La Rochelle was also a major port city, serving as a trading hub for several centuries; during the 17th to 19th centuries was a hub for the transatlantic slave trade. The 20th century saw the city occupied by the Nazis during World War Two and was one of the last cities to be liberated in France.

Traces of La Rochelle’s maritime history are prevalent even to this day; a walk around the bustling port will find you staring up at Saint-Nicolas Tower and the Chain Tower, and trying to find an angle to get both in one shot for a good picture.

La Rochelle is compact enough that you shouldn’t need much more than a long weekend to see most of it, if not all. Three days were more than enough to take in the sites and even visit one of the nearby islands, while not being overly strenuous (which also included many times of sitting at cafes and restaurants too).

Hotel de Ville

Set in the town centre, Hotel de Ville is the historic town hall in La Rochelle and is a must-visit architectural gem. Architecturally, it’s more reminiscent of a petit chateau, with an imposing gothic outer wall and renaissance style interior. The sundial was a particular highlight for me; I’d never seen one so imposing and on the wall to boot.

Saint-Sauveur Church

Saint-Sauveur Church is a 12th century church in La Rochelle built by monks from the island of Aix. As with much of the architecture found throughout the city, the church’s facade is gothic in style and very imposing.

Cloister des Dames Blanches

Especially known for its tranquil courtyard, the Cloister des Dames Blanches was built in 1629 by Franciscan monks. For some time, it was used as the Convent of the White Ladies (hence its name). While the church burnt in 1705, it was rebuilt and bought by Protestants following the Revolution, and eventually the city of La Rochelle bought it in 1988. Nestled not too far from Hotel de Ville, Cloister des Dames Blanches is now used as an exhibition space in the summer months but is a great place to enjoy your baguette without receiving disapproving looks by the locals for eating on the street (a big no-no in France) – just mind the nesting pigeons as you do.

Vieux Port

It’s easy to spend the better part of a day around the old port of La Rochelle. This bustling part of the city is definitely the tourist trap of the place, with overpriced restaurants and easily the highest concentration of visitors in the city. It’s worth trying Le P’tit Bleu, a seafood restaurant located on the harbour serving oysters, fried or grilled sardines and the like prepared for you on an old, moored boat.

As you follow the harbour along, passing moored yachts and fishing boats, you’ll eventually reach imposing towers. These are La Rochelle’s historic fortifications – Tour Saint-Nicolas, Tour de la Chaine and Tour de la Lanterne – built in the middle ages – a must-see during a trip to the city.

Grosse Horloge

The official gateway to the city is via Grosse Horloge, separating the town from the port. Much of the tower – another piece of architecture in La Rochelle that is Gothic in style – was constructed in (again) the 12th century. Telling the time for La Rochelle locals for centuries, for me it’s a must-see, again for its architecture alone. 

The Covered Market (La Pallice)

Established between 1834 to 1836, the market in La Pallice is the heart of the Old Town. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the architecture of the market hall is 19th century in style, so is adorned with features such as wrought iron and frosted glass. Inside, the vastness of the market is overwhelming; you can buy your breakfast, lunch and dinner all in that one space and still feel like you haven’t tried enough. The main days are Wednesdays and Saturdays, although on Sunday they also had a market just outside which sold fresh fruits, bread and pastries.

Les Temps de Les Tartines

We stumbled on this café as the best love stories begin – by accident. Tucked away just around the corner from Cloister de les Dames Blanches, the café served as the perfect pit-stop to rest during our all-day explorations of the city. The café latte’s were fantastic, my friend very much enjoyed her brunch, but a special shout out has to go to the… cheesecake.

I’m a cheesecake fan (the kind who understands the pain Chandler and Rachel experience when they drop the one they’d stolen in that episode of Friends), and was very much in need of any kind of sugar rush I could find, so I didn’t need much convincing to try one. Lightweight, refreshing and made by the owner of the charming café, Remi, the lack of pictures is a testament to how delicious it was, and we made sure to return on our last day there to enjoy another slice.

P.S. On a slightly strange note (although not so strange if you’ve ever used public toilets in France) the cafe’s loos were probably the cleanest we’d seen on our travels in the country!

Pub Lutéce

It being a Sunday and not yet 7pm (when most restaurants apparently open in La Rochelle), and walking around aimlessly while VERY hungry, we were pretty limited in where we could eat. We stumbled on this place, and while expectations were low, pretty decent meals were enjoyed here. The dishes on offer were wide-ranging: I had a pizza reine, which provided me with the fuel I needed to make it back to the hotel. With that being said…

Since this was a fairly last minute booking and the budget was tight, we stayed at ibis Budget La Rochelle Centre. It was a bit further out than I’d thought; we initially arrived at another Ibis located in the centre of town (the location would have been a lot better had that been our hotel). But where we actually stayed wasn’t too far, about a 15-20 minute walk from the centre of town, which could be a bit tiring after a full day of exploring the area on foot.

La Rochelle is near to the islands of Ré, Oleron and Aix. Just an hour off the coast of La Rochelle, we took a ferry over to the small island of Ile de Ré. Beautiful, charming and very chic, from the moment I set foot on the harbour I’d wished we’d holidayed there instead. Definitely worth a visit, even if only for an afternoon.