La Rochelle

Introducing La Rochelle

Known as La Ville Blanche (‘the white city’), La Rochelle’s luminous limestone façades are topped by 14th- and 15th-century towers glowing white in the bright coastal sunlight.

The arcaded walkways; half-timbered houses protected from the salt air by slate tiles; and ghoulish protruding gargoyles are rich reminders of La Rochelle’s seafaring past. One of France’s foremost seaports from the 14th to 17th centuries, early French settlers in Canada, including the founders of Montreal, set sail from here in the 17th century. La Rochelle’s cobblestone streets are fashioned in part by ships’ ballast brought back across the Atlantic.

La Rochelle might be called the white city, but it’s also commendably green, with innovative public transport and open spaces. It’s kid-friendly too, with lots of activities for little visitors.

Southwest of the old city, the late 20th-century district of Les Minimes was built on reclaimed land, and now has one of the largest marinas in the country. Unlike the Med with its motor cruisers, the 3500 moorings here are mostly used by yachts that fill the harbour with billowing spinnakers.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009